“I thank my God every time I remember you” (Philippians 1:3).

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I would like for us to consider what we are giving thanks for. We normally think about the things we are grateful and thankful for. That’s a good thing to do. There are many reasons for being grateful and for giving thanks. However, there is something embedded in the word “thanks” that gives us the core reason for giving thanks.

What does it mean to give thanks? What’s involved? What are the etymological roots?

The Greek word for thanks is eucharisteo.

• You recognize this word? That’s right. This is where we get the word “eucharist” – the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
• At the heart of the word is the Greek word “charis” pronounced karis
• Charis literally means grace

Every time we give thanks, what we are giving thanks for is God’s amazing grace. This amazing grace is demonstrated through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ which we celebrate every time we take communion, the holy eucharist.

So, it is quite appropriate that we celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast for the feast is not only about turkey and fixings, but the gift of eternal life through God’s Son Jesus Christ.

We never give thanks in a vacuum. We give thanks in response to what God has already done. That this is the case is already embedded in the word “thanks”. We give thanks for God’s grace, for God’s gift of eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving today, remember why we give thanks. It’s all because of what God has already done for us through Jesus Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Our God is an amazing God. There are so many reasons to be thankful. Today, I am borrowing the following from John Piper who wrote about the miracle of rain. Enjoy, and give thanks!

Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source. From where?

Well, the sky. The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly.

Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields.

Carried? How much does it weight?

Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.

That’s so heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it’s so heavy?

Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That’s a nice word. What’s it mean? It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see.

Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What’s that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That’s small.

What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt?

Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up billions of pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?

Well, it doesn’t dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds of water down in little drops.

So the next time you see rain, remember to give thanks!

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand…Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13, 17).

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11).

• Put on the helmet of salvation to protect your mind.
• Put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect your heart.
• Put on the belt of truth to protect your character.
• Put on the shoes of the gospel of peace so that you are ready, in season and out, to proclaim the gospel of peace.
• Take up the shield of faith to extinguish the fiery arrows of temptation.
• Take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, to destroy the enemy.

Did you notice that everything up to today is for defense. Even if you put every piece of the armor on, the best you could do is defend yourself. There is no way to attack the enemy, to go on the offensive. I don’t want to fight like that. God doesn’t want us to fight like that either. So God gives us a weapon guaranteed to destroy the devil’s schemes and methods – the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

The only weapon against the devil and his schemes is the word of God. The devil’s favorite weapon is lies. The devil lies about who God is. The devil lies about who we are. The devil lies about who he is. After all, he is the father of lies. The best weapon against lies are the truths of God revealed in God’s word. God’s word destroys lies.

So, take it up. Take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

How do we do that?

1. Read God’s word every day.
2. Study God’s word with others.
3. Listen to God’s word and God’s word preached every week.

One of the best tools for reading God’s word is free and it’s online at http://www.bible.com. There you can find different daily Bible reading plans. You can download the app to your phone, laptop, or tablet.

You can join a small group at any time. Call the office to find out which one best fits with your schedule.

Commit to worshiping on Sundays. Make it a non-negotiable item for you.

Take up the truth of God’s word to destroy the devil’s lies.