A Thanksgiving Devotion - Philippians 4:6

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV)

            Sometimes people get nervous about Thanksgiving, especially those who are doing the hosting and cooking. I’ve never cooked a big meal for anyone, but I’ve watched my wife Evelyn prepare everything in advance – making the grocery list, setting the table, buying the groceries, preparing the food, cooking the meal, and beautifully presenting it to the whole family. I enjoy her cooking and marvel at how well she plans it in advance. I know she gets anxious about making everything perfect, but in the end, it’s always a wonderful meal and a great dinner.

            Other folks get anxious about traveling and hope that there are no major delays on the roads or at the airport. They want to be with their folks on time and enjoy the entire holiday. They hope that everyone will be pleasant and the conversations humorous. It will a special time to remember those who are absent, recalling past events and sharing stories that are cherished and embellished each year.

            Some people will be on their own throughout Thanksgiving, due to their own choices or because of circumstances. Whatever the reason, they may feel lonely or forgotten, isolated or unloved. In such cases, a kind call, a special card, or a reassuring word will go a long way in helping them to connect with folks around them.

            Lastly, there will those from our nation who are on active duty in other parts of the world, facing intense situations and encountering hostile forces as they seek to defend liberty and preserve hope in other places. Their thanksgiving at the end of the day may be one of thanking God for having survived a conflict. In the midst of all of our celebrations, we should all take time to remember our military and express a prayer of thanksgiving for all that they do on our behalf and for the cause of freedom throughout the world.

            Whatever your circumstances, concerns, or cares, receive God’s blessing through today’s Bible verse from Paul. To me, it is a promised source of reassurance which helps me in troubled times and enables me to give thanks to God each day, each season, and each year of my life. I hope and pray that it will become the same for you.

            May God bless you and all of your loved ones this Thanksgiving.

Point to ponder

What am I truly thankful for?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your presence in our lives which strengthens and sustains us each day. You know our present circumstances and current concerns. Help us to place them into Your hands, so that we may feel supported and reassured by Your grace and love. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Thanksgiving drawings called ‘Cornucopia.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Cornucopia.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: The King's Business

Isaiah 9:6        For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

A friend of mine was writing on the web the other day that it’s only just more than fifty days to Christmas. My first reaction was: WOW! Where did the rest of the year go? I’ve been extremely busy all 2009 and here I am heading into the ‘busiest time for the church.’ I don’t feel like I’m ready for it. I’m wondering if the Lord will slip in another month before Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas, just to let me catch my breath.

And then I read this beautiful verse from Isaiah again and calmly exhale. Christmas isn’t about what we do, or what the church does; it’s all about what God has done and will do again. The busy-ness of the holiday season is all about the King’s business.

If we’re under pressure and stressed out, God provides a Wonderful Counselor.

If we’re weak or feeling weary, we are given a Mighty God.

If we’re bewildered or fearful, we are guided by our Everlasting Father.

If we’re troubled or unsettled, in Christ we have the Prince of Peace.

With all of these marvelous qualities and attributes of God, I am really looking forward to spending Christmas with Christ.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are all that we need, especially at this time of year. Prepare our hearts and minds to receive You gladly, cheerfully, and faithfully in our churches, our homes, and our hearts. In Your Wonderful Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Foggy Morning View

Taken from the back of my home in Knoxville, TN

Thanksgiving Challenge

How driving through the Western Heights Projects yesterday has challenged my celebration of Thanksgiving today.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Evelyn and I went to Waffle House for breakfast this morning. It’s about the only place that’s open on Thanksgiving. As usual, the cooks and waitresses were bright and cheerful and we were served without any delay. It was a good way to start the holiday.

I sometimes wonder what it’s like for someone who has to serve others on a family holiday. There have been holidays in the past when I have been called out on an emergency, so I guess I know part of it. But what’s it like to have to work on holidays, in order to make payments on the rent or put food on the table?

Yesterday, I delivered a Thanksgiving basket to a family that our wee church supports. Instead of coming back the usual route via the interstate, I traveled through the Western Heights area. It was another world. It felt like a shadow of hopelessness, poverty, and fear had covered the whole area. I wanted to do something more to help, but I didn’t know what to do. I grew up in a deprived area of Glasgow, Scotland, so I know something of the poverty and despair, but this felt different. People looked as though they were trapped by some kind of evil force that just wouldn’t let them escape or go somewhere better.

This has made me more aware of the blessings that my family and I share, but it also challenges me to somehow bring the Gospel into these broken lives. I don’t know what I can possibly do, but there are a few churches in the area that probably need support and help. I need to think and pray about this. I need to ask Christ what does He want done?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are truly thankful for who we are and what we have. Help us not take life’s blessings for granted. Challenge us to change our ways so that we may help others escape the fear, poverty, and despair that they experience each day, and especially on this day of Thanksgiving. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Erin Church Devotions: Thankfulness

How an email from a missionary in South India has given me a greater appreciation of the Lord's servants throughout the world.

Audio version here

2 Corinthians 4:15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

I received an email the other day from a Christian in India, who reads our devotionals. Both Tharian Matthew and his wife are working hard teaching Christ’s message in his own community. He writes:

I attended the Scots Kirk in Chennai, India as a kid and was also married in the same church 24 years ago.I live in Tiruchy, in South India with my wife and daughter and edit an English Christian monthly, "Vision of the Christ." My wife and I preach, conduct prayer cells, women’s fellowship and intercessory prayers on different days of the week. We attend the Revival Christian worship centre pastored by Rev. Dr. K. Jacob on Sundays.God bless you and the work you are doing.

It’s amazing how God connects Christ’s Church throughout the world. We are thousands of miles apart, but we are involved in the same work: - that of bringing Christ’s message to the people in our communities. I pray that God blesses Tharian and his family in the ministry and mission that they have accepted for Christ.

Tomorrow, we all celebrate Thanksgiving. As we gather around the table, thanking God for our families and friends, perhaps we should also be thankful for Jesus in our lives, and for all the ministers and missionaries who go out into the world to spread the Gospel, teach God’s people, and praise His Holy Name.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are truly thankful for Your grace that has touched our hearts and transformed our lives. We thank You for the people that You placed in our lives, who were the messengers of Your Word that caused us to accept You in our hearts. Be with Tharian and his wife, their church and community. Bless the work that they do and help us, like them, to bring others to church this Sunday. Make us all ministers and missionaries of Your Gospel. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Ben Franklin's Certainties: Death & Taxes...and one other thing

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

On this day in 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote the now famous statement that “there is nothing certain in life but death and taxes.” I guess if he was more of a Christian, he would have written something like: “there is nothing certain in life but death, taxes, and the assurance of salvation through the grace of Jesus Christ.”

The role of the church is to express the message of salvation to every generation on earth. Our daily purpose as Christians is to convey our faith through the things that we say and do. It’s not always easy, and all of us fail from time to time, but if our hearts are truly centered on Christ, then we will show others our faith in attractive and compelling ways.

Each of us has been given the beautiful and precious gift of life to make a difference in the world. Added to that gift is faith itself, which we are meant to share with others, especially those who are near and dear to us. In recent years, all of us have found it tougher to express our faith because of the negative impression that the Church has had on our society. Christians are perceived to be holy whiners who complain about the world, but never do anything effective to change it. We are treated as if we belong to another age, which we have brought upon ourselves because of our indifference to the world. We try to be exclusive, detached and elite, instead of rolling up our sleeves and working with people who are hurting, fearful, and struggling with life.

I think it’s time to re-impact our community with Christ’s message. It’s time for all of us who claim to be Christians to review our lives and ask ourselves these questions: if my salvation through Jesus means everything to me, then what’s stopping me from sharing that joy with others? How can I become an effective witness to Christ amongst the people that I know and love, amongst those that I meet and work with?

If we make time to do this throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, then we will make a difference in the community. And that means someone near and dear to us will begin to realize that there’s more to life than death and taxes: Christ’s grace to us is the greatest gift of all and the most blessed certainty of life for those who are His.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us the courage to make the most of the opportunities that You give us, to share and express our faith with other people. Help us to respond to the calls that You make of us this day to help those in need, to support those who are struggling, and to share the good news of salvation to those who have forgotten this certainty in these uncertain times. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Erin Church Devotions: Farmers - Sturdy Examples of Faith

Audio version here

2 Timothy 2:6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. (NIV)

For the first nine years of my work in ministry, I pastored a beautiful area in the South West of Scotland. The countryside was stunning and as I traveled throughout the area in my car, I often saw the farmers working in their fields. Their lives fascinated me and I was in awe of their work ethic. They do get up before light of day and work long, arduous hours.

Their families are all involved in working the farm. The children are taught responsibility at an early age and given their own areas of the farm to look after. It was a joy to be amongst them, and I sometimes miss visiting with them at the farmhouse, listening to their talk about livestock, crops, and machinery.

It’s no surprise to me that the Christian faith has much to say about farms and farmers, crops and harvests. Our faith grew out of agricultural religious cycles and many of our celebrations and feasts are long associated with the farming year. In Scotland, we used to celebrate Communion twice a year – in April and October. We did this after the lambing season had finished in March, and once the harvest was brought in during the Fall. It gave the farmers a special time to be with God, commune with His Son and people, and give thanks for the blessing of the lambs and the finishing of the harvest.

In many ways, our churches are also like farms. We plant the seeds of belief in the hearts of our children in the hope that those seeds will become fruits of faith. We are also given ministries and missions to tend, so that Christ’s work amongst us can grow and expand in our community. And we are each expected to bring a faithful harvest to God at the end of our lives, showing Him that we have shared our faith with others, and planted new seeds of belief in the hearts and minds of those we leave behind. We are each meant to be hardworking farmers of faith, so that we might expect the bounty of God’s blessings and receive an eternal share in Christ’s Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the work of our farmers and for the food they provide to our people. Bless them at this special time when their harvests are gathered and their work is done. Be with them as they plan ahead for next year’s crops and livestock. May they be respected and appreciated for all that they accomplish amongst us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.