Thursday, November 25, 2010

"ThanksLiving"

It is thanksgiving day. A day we give thanks for our blessings. But God desires us to live a life of "ThanksLiving." Abraham Lincoln was the president that designated this day as a day of celebration for giving of thanks. It was actually not until 1946, when the President signed a bill making the last Thursday in November the designated day for the national celebration of Thanksgiving. It is the one day that people stop long enough to give thanks for all that they have. Mostly people want to feel good about the country we live in. But is that really the only time we are to be thankful for what we have in life?

I Thessalonians 5:18 says "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Notice that God wants us to be thankful every day of our lives. He even says it is His will for us while we are in Christ Jesus. God does not want us to be unthankful in our lives. He says in everything we are to give thanks. We do not give thanks for everything that goes on but while we are in it we should give thanks. Being a thankful person is something that should be part of who we are on a daily basis. Even in our prayer life we are to be thankful. Notice Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Notice that we are to have a thankful attitude when we pray. This means prior to the receiving of our requests because we know that God our Father will grant our requests. When we are not thankful we are not acting in a Godly manner. It is a characteristic of the Kingdom of God for Christians to be a thankful people in every area of life.

The world beats on us daily and the attitude of the world can rub off on us. The world believes in entitlements and that is not a thankful heart. If you can only get excited and thankful when you are given something you believe you are entitled to, you are not living a "thanksLiving" life. What are you saying about your job? Are you being thankful or are you with everyone else and speaking negative things. What about your home and life in general? Are you being negative and speaking evil, envious of everyone and everything else or are you rejoicing for what God has blessed you with? The choice is yours. You have so much to be thankful for, and you need to remember that God wants us to have a thankful heart. Living a life of "thanksLiving" is what we should be all about. So what is keeping you from your destiny. All it takes is being intentional in giving thanks, rather than being unthankful for where you are in life. Chose a life of "thanksLiving" and you will be pleasing to God.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Christopher Alam

What a delight it has been to have Christopher Alam with us. Christopher is a Rhema graduate and a former Muslem who was converted to Christianity. He is currently a missionary that reaches into Africa and Burma with some other nations sprinkled in. He is quite the missionary.

In his most recent crusade in Zimbabwe over 250,000 decisions for Jesus were made as the gospel was preached by Christopher and his team. The one thing I have noticed is that he gives credit to his team that is on the ground in Africa. They usually get started three to four weeks before the crusade to get things in order. When they do their jobs, then the crusade goes orderly and God is able to show up and make a difference in people's lives. It is not a one man show but a team of individuals who have dedicated themselves to the Lord and to each other so that the gospel can be preached in power. It is amazing and great things are happening. God's power is in manifestation. How do we know this? By the testimonies we are hearing and seeing. You can check these out on YouTube by typing in Christopher Alam.

What I am trying to get across is that we can accomplish so much more when we work together to promote the Kingdom of God. No one person can accomplish what a dedicated team of people can do, working together with the same vision. It becomes a God thing.

We also have had some great results so far in 2010. Team Trinity has done a great job of working together in the harvest here in the Upper Cumberland. But let's not be be content with what we have done, but let's look forward to what we can do if we continue to not be consumed with who gets the credit. It's a team effort, and it brings glory to God. It is Eph 4:16 in action.