Thanksgiving 2021

It is Thanksgiving a time to not just the showing or the giving of thanks but to gain understanding of how to give thanks. For this we know, (IT IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR US TO GIVE THANKS.)

1 Thess 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.   KJV

I don’t believe any would, especially those of us of the household of faith. That is would intentionally go against the will of GOD in not giving thanks.

I know of myself and I know of nobody that says, as I get older I hope to one day be unthankful. To do so is also the understanding that to not give thanks, is to knowingly go against the will of GOD. Which again, I know of no one who in the maturing of life has this concept of looking forward to going against the will of GOD. I say this, because this is exactly the depiction of the last days. The last days are going to actually be able to be discerned by the spiritual for this existent cause. There will be those who are filled with the Holy Ghost will recognize and understand that they are in the last days.

2 Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,    KJV

Surely when one reads this. They will also pickup the many other characteristics that are listed as well. However, what kicks it off is this statement by Paul (THEY SHALL BE LOVERS OF THEIR OWN SELVES.) Is this not our day? Every characteristic listed and we see this one called (UNTHANKFUL.)

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, what does (UNTHANKFUL) even look like? What does it sound like?

I am convinced that the (UNTHANKFUL) will be recognizable in the last days. Yet too, at the same time, it will be unrecognizable by most. How can that be? It will be this way because of one aspect of the last day church will be lethargy. It’s that lukewarm spirit that will reveal the Laodicean church. This leads to the question that must be answered. What then will being (UNTHANKFUL) look like?

 It will look like the denial of prayer. 

It will look like the face of unfaithfulness.

·        It will be seen in those unappreciative of service.

·        It will be criticism of authority.

·        It will even be blatant disregard of the preached word of GOD.

·        It will be an attack of those who are in authority.

See the latest in crime sprees. Those by the hundreds with crowbars and hammers breaking in stores and taking what they will. 

See those lately where we see police openly criticized, fired, even jailed. 

See those who wish to defund the police departments. 

See those where the police precincts have openly been taken over by a criminal element of the day. 

Please don’t let it go unnoticed that even the celebrity culture and certain political figures, and offices have also supported these criminal activities.

It is an (UNTHANKFUL SPIRIT) that is very much alive in both worlds. The secular and the religious.  

This is (THANKSGIVING) let us defeat this (SPIRIT OF UNTHANKFULNESS) by being thankful. 

We live in the greatest country in all the world. We didn’t get here, being (UNTHANKFUL.) Arise and let us fulfill the will of GOD today and be (THANKFUL.) Let us defeat this last day prevailing spirit by being (THANKFUL) and the giving of (THANKS.)

RECOGNISE YOUR DAY BY STRIVING THE MORE TO GIVE THANKS. This is THANKSGIVING.

There is story in the bible that gives us picture of one man’s life that was lost, not just lost but his soul was lost. What we know of him is very little. What we do know with clarity is this is he was of Jewish descent. The second observation we can make is this, he was a very rich man. The KJV bible, Jesus no less describes this man, with these words.  (HE FARED SUMPTUOUSLY EVERY DAY.)

This provokes the question.

How do we see him in hell?

·        It’s clear of what he is not.

·        He is not known as a liar, a cheat, or a thief.

·        He’s not a gambler.

·        He’s not unfaithful.

·        He’s not one addicted to the evils of his world.

·        He has no bad habits, addictions to be considered sin.

Why do we see him in hell? He enjoyed life. He enjoyed his labor. He enjoyed his security. Why hell? What was his sin? We looked at what he was not from a carnal or sinful view. Let us look at what he was not in the kingdom of GOD.

·        He was not a worshipper of GOD.

·        He was not in love with the word of GOD.

·        He cared not for the poor.

·        There was no house of worship he attended.

·        There was no fear of GOD.

Even though he knew the law of Moses… He was a son of Abraham. Yet, he cared not for Moses and the prophets. Because of this we can say that there was no desire to be godly. All this and we see this unnamed rich man in hell. The question yet remains. What caused him to go to hell?

What was this one sin that caused such an absence of these things?

Jesus noted it.

 Luke 16:25  Then Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you received good things to the full, 

What was his sin? Answer, the rich man was simply full.

You see when your full there is no room for anything else. Certainly not GOD nor the things of GOD. How can life being full cause one to go to hell? Simply put, because there is no room for GOD.

Jesus gives us to what we should desire to be full of.

·        Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.    Matt. 5:6

It must be noted. You can’t hunger and thirst after anything when you don’t realize your empty.

When you’re not hungry and thirsty after the things of GOD. The conclusion can only be one. You are full. The only thing that you can see of yourself is that you are full.

Jesus gives us a scenario of things in our life that can keep us out of heaven and puts us in hell.

Matt 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.   KJV

In essence, Jesus is saying it would be better that you walk through life empty. So, you would be motivated to do something to save yourself.

It would be better if you were half of yourself so you would look to the GOD of heaven to save yourself.

·        The prodigal son went out full, but when he returned to the father’s house, he came back empty…

·        Naomi went out full but when she returned, she came home empty.

In both instances it was their realization of their emptiness that motivated them for the full.

·        Job’s walk with GOD was all business and no relationship. Job’s motivation to worship was based upon the fear of what had now came upon him. Job’s journey prior to everything taken from him was a rumor. He based it all upon what he heard about GOD.

We see this story as proving satan wrong and GOD right, but it was more than that. It was the emptiness that GOD allowed to come to his life, that motivated him to be full of GOD.

What did JOB do?

Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.    KJV

JOB in his trouble, trial, and greatest struggle… GOD allowed satan to turn JOB’S world upside down and inside out. Only when JOB was empty, did he then see GOD…

What did JOB then do? What we must all do. JOB REPENTED.

Job 42:6 I'm sorry — forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."     THE MESSAGE

Rise today, see yourself as you are full and without GOD. See yourself empty, and in need of the savior. Repent. Call on the LORD. BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST. Don’t be as the rich man. Do not go out of this world being full of the world. Know that you are empty and only GOD can make you full.

The prodigal returned to his Father’s house. Come, the Father is looking for you. He’s waiting on you.

Naomi who went out full returned empty. What is the first place she came to? Bethlehem. Yes, the place of the birth of Jesus Christ. The savior of the world. Bethlehem, the HOUSE OF BREAD. Naomi who was empty came back to the HOUSE OF BREAD.

If your empty--- Let GOD fill you. HE will do it. COME BACK TO THE HOUSE OF BREAD.

JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE. BE FILLED WITH THE ONE WHO MATTERS.

Of course, there is unfortunately a bigger crowd that will never see themselves as empty. Usually this is religious people. Always we see them to late.

We know the story of the ten virgins. The five wise and the five foolish. Do not forget, the five foolish concluded they needed oil, but only when they ran out. While they were gone to buy more oil the bridegroom came at midnight and the five that had oil went in. I implore you today, don’t wait too late. BE FILLED NOW…