Text Box: In the past few days I have been impressed by the beauty of the fall foliage. Walking or driving through familiar blocks seem different with all the colors of the leaves. I thank God for the beauty of His creation. November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a nation. The exercise of being thankful often gives us new perspective on our same set of circumstances. We need to be thankful people for our emotional, mental and spiritual health. The book of Psalms is a great guide to living a thankful life. One of the great aspects of the book of Psalms is that they reflect various circumstances. At times the Psalmist (often David) is overjoyed and at other times he is depressed. Psalm 34 is an example of David’s praise when he feels great. The first 3 verses say, I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. David rejoiced in the blessings of God in his life. The question for us is whether or not we thank God in our successes, consider ourselves lucky, or take the credit ourselves. When we receive a good report from the doctor, it makes more sense to thank our Creator that to congratulate ourselves. A second type of Psalm is what has been called a complaining Psalm. Here David is in a place of pain. His Thankfulness is more a step of faith than an overflowing emotion. Could it be that when we feel least like being thankful, we most need to give God praise. Psalm 13 is a Psalm that is best read as a Text Box: complete prayer. David wrote: How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. In the midst of pain and sorrow, David could declare his trust in God’s unfailing love. David rejoiced in God’s salvation. He could sing when he likely did not feel like singing, and David declared that God has been good to him. Recently I spoke with a long time friend who is not a follower of Jesus yet. He was facing a major problem and yet he noted that no one in his family had cancer and no one was dying. I prayed for my friend and gave him a Bible that he promised to read. Even he was practicing the principle of thankfulness to get him through a crisis. How much more would he have reason to be thankful if he had a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As believers we have multiple reasons to be thankful. We can speak with the Creator of the universe on a daily basis. We have been forgiven and know that heaven awaits us some day. God has promised to guide and hold us through the challenges of life. In Christ we are loved and have purpose in living beyond ourselves. May Thanksgiving be more than a day on our calendar! -Pastor Rick

Christmas Child

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Core Values

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Faith & Reason

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November Events

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Special Events

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Thanksgiving

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November Calendar

 
Text Box: Practicing Regular Thanksgiving Text Box: November 2009 Text Box: Fort Lee Gospel Church Text Box: Gospel News