YOU and GOD

It’s Thanksgiving Day!
A blanket of snow spread lightly in traces,
A world moving fast to all the old places;
Cherished smiles on children’s sweet faces,
Can it be, Thanksgiving again?

Food in baskets, good things galore—
Food enough for twenty and more!
Cakes and pies, and who knew we were poor?
Say, can it be Thanksgiving again?

Friends and family, some from afar;
Horses and buggies and, look! There’s a car!
Over the miles with jam in a jar-
Now it must be Thanksgiving again!

Time to say grace—with bowed heads we pray;
Time to thank God for mercies each day;
Time with our voices, His praises to say—
Yes, it’s surely Thanksgiving Day

Let us then circle our table of fare;
Let us give thanks for the bounty we share;
Let us sing praises to God with great care—
Sure, once again, it’s Thanksgiving Day!
Sanctify God, therefore, in your heart,
He’s blessed our nation right from the start.
Evil has tried to pull us apart,
But here we are now, on Thanksgiving Day!

Day that is special, one of a kind:
Day when in love, our hearts gladly bind!
One with another, and all whom we find,
Oh, bless His name, it’s Thanksgiving again!
Anthony Slutz

Ellen and I wish you all a very special Thanksgiving Day!

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2

“Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” That is a song we’ve sung often, but not very often do we sit down and actually, one by one enumerate God’s particular blessings. Well, I have done so, but the list I came up with is only just a beginning—and, truthfully, I was not surprised at what the Lord has done. Here are a few of the blessings “one by one:”

1. Knowing God Who is a “great God, and a great King above all gods.” (Ps. 95:3)
2. Acceptance in the Beloved, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:6)
3. Prayer privileges (Hebrews 4:16)
4. A Bible to read in my language
5. The Comforter (Holy Spirit) within me at all times (John 14:17)
6. Hope wrought of patience (Romans 5:4)
7. A Bible-preaching church to attend
8. Ellen!
9. Ellen’s cooking and house-keeping
10. Sandy, Marti, Theo
11. Anthony, Tim, Parker, Audrey, Amy (grands!)
12. Wyatt, Ashley (more grands!)
13. Dale, Rick (sons-in-law)
14. Sisters, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law
15. Shelter
16. Clothes galore
17. Transportation (reliable)
18.  Books galore
19. Friends—so many, near and far!
20. A church family
21. Our family physician
22. Excellent health care
23. Great hymns to enjoy
24. A computer 
25. A cell phone
26. Pastor friends
27. Missionary friends
28. Teachers
29. Co-laborers
30. Pastors and their families
31. Wikipedia
32. Freedom, Liberty and the U.S. Constitution
33. Voting privileges
34. Soldiers protecting us
35. Armed Forces, USA
36. Popcorn
37. Mission Boards
38. TRBC missionaries
39. Faith Promise
40. Generous Ministries such as Samaritan’s Purse
41. Wise counsel and wise counsellors
42. Coffee
43. Faithful Deacons
44. Prayer warriors
45. Christian Schools, Bible colleges
46. Blessed Memories
47. Christian heritage
48. Erasers (spell-check!)
49. Regular readers of “You and God”
50. Did I mention POPCORN?

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.” (Ps. 95:2)

Thanksgiving is straight ahead. It is time to prepare our hearts, our heads and our homes for another special day of giving of thanks to our heavenly Father for His abundant goodness to us now and always. Do you have a list of praises assembled? One need not labor long in writing down an itemized inventory of blessings!  His goodness to us in every way cannot be fully counted, much less comprehended. May I share with you a few of the things that lie foremost on my heart as we approach another day of thanks giving:

            So great salvation! To this unworthy sinner, a most worthy Savior has been gracious beyond words. Eternity will be occupied by that great heavenly choir of the redeemed who have received such grace, singing the song of Moses and other anthems of praise for His unspeakable gift, the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

            A perfect helpmeet, Ellen. She is God’s special gift to me, crafted by divine grace to meet every need that I could have as her husband (60 years now). I never would have picked such a beautiful, lovely life’s mate, but God did the picking for me and brought her to me, with her heart programmed so that at just the right time she would say, “Yes.”  All of grace, goodness and mercy to be sure!

            Children. Three, each of whom uniquely fill places in our hearts and home that satisfy a parent’s dream and desire for offspring into which we could pour our unconditional love, with fervent prayers that these loans from God will be returned to Him with interest, and that they will serve profitably in His kingdom both here and hereafter.

            Parents.  All four special in their own particular way, each having shaped our lives into what we have become. Moms and Dads, (each now in Heaven and part of that “great cloud of witnesses”) all flawed by the fall, but all faithful to their Father, and generous in love, virtue and in spirituality. Parents for which we could never adequately thank our God!

            Teachers. Parents, pastors, friends, mentors, in school and in the school of life, who taught truth and modeled it in their walk and by their talk; teachers in grade school, middle school and high school, and beyond school, who impacted and imprinted our lives with theirs, whose mark upon our soul is indestructible and indelible.

            Churches. Our church and like churches that were incubators of life and love and labor in our days of youth and in our days of adulthood; churches where a love of Christ-honoring music was encouraged and cultivated; churches where Bible-preaching was the norm; churches pastored by men of God who were men of the Word; churches where sweet fellowship sustained us—like honey and manna kept God’s people alive in the wilderness.

            America. Still the land of the free, the home of the brave where—in the middle of the 7th inning of baseball’s World Series—everyone in the stadium stands while a soldier sings, “God Bless America”. Only in a nation founded by pilgrims whose faith and future was anchored in the hope of heaven would this public honoring of God occur.

            Friends. Lifelong friends of sixty years and more; friends in the ministry of the gospel; friends on the mission fields afar; friends who call and care, counsel and console. Friends who live the life of Christ by the Spirit, and encourage by their presence, a constant and consistent walk with God.

            Grandchildren. And they could not be listed in any particular order of importance, for they are high on our list—and always on the top of my heart. They brighten every day. Their youthful voices, dreams, delights, distractions, keep the hoary head of an aging grandparent alive, and as alert as one can be with every passing year, hoping to see this next generation coming to the realization of some of their cherished ambitions.

            Life. With all of its heartaches and heartbreaks, with all of my foibles, faults, failings and fears, it’s been a great trip! I could not have charted out a better course, a more fulfilling journey. If this were my last Thanksgiving, I could leave this world with nothing but a deep devotion, delight, and declaration of God’s loving kindness to me in this life. To God be all praise and glory. Happy Thanksgiving to you each and all!

(Note: Thanksgiving Day this year (Nov. 27, 2025) will be the 13^th Thanksgiving Day since I first wrote the above. I thought carefully as I was retyping every word, knowing that a lot of circumstances have changed with the passing of more than a dozen years. Though I was ready and willing to modify any statement or sentence, I found it unnecessary—even undesirable—to make any changes. I am still grateful to God for ALL of the above, and still have the same joy, hope, peace and faith that I had in 2014—just quite a bit closer to “home” than then, and even for that, I am grateful.)

“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” (Psalm 73:24)

“…But this one thing I do…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil.3:13)

Many will never succeed in life at what they do because their attitude is not like Paul’s who with single-heartedness said, “This one thing I do….”

Many will not succeed because they will not stick it out. They will be too easily discouraged, too often side-tracked. Not Paul—he said “This one thing I do.” Every thing else was secondary at best. Nothing else was more consuming! He could not be dissuaded; he would not be deterred. He had one compelling drive—to keep on going for God.

Many times he was down, but never was he out. Why? “This one thing I do!” At Lystra he was stoned and left for dead, but he revived and went on preaching. Why? “This one thing I do.”

In Antioch of Pisidia he, along with Barnabas, was expelled from the city but he went to Iconium to preach the same gospel. Why? “This one thing I do!”

From Iconium, Paul and Barnabas fled for their lives, but they went to Lystra, then Derbe, to witness. Why? “This one thing I do.” Paul and Silas, on a 2nd missionary trip, had to flee from Thessalonica for their lives—under the cover of darkness—but they went to Berea to preach, because “This one thing I do!”

Paul had one all-consuming motive that governed everything he did: “….this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13)

What is the ONE THING that you do? The one thing that drives you? Consumes you? Compels you? Ought not those of us who are His followers at this very hour be driven by a “One Thing” mind-set? If so, then, how can we have it?

1. Keep the right attitude about “things” in relation to life, v. 8
• Paul counted “all things” but loss (“dung”)⇒ His religious heritage
     ⇒ His educational achievements
     ⇒ His knowledge of the Law
     ⇒ His track record as a Pharisee
• Things we can count but loss:
     ⇒ Who we are; what we have; where we’ve been; who are parents are; what we’ve achieved; what we know; what we can do; who we know; how much we earn.
Remember Moses, reared in Pharoah’s palace, counted it as nothing to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter so that he could stand with and for the people of God.

2. Make the knowledge of Jesus your number one priority, Phil. 3:8
     ⇒ For Paul, knowing Jesus was “the excellency” of life, v. 8
     ⇒ Knowing Him involved knowing the power of His resurrection
“Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Col.3:3)
“Like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even so we also should walk in the                newness of life.” (Rom.6:4)
“Reckon yourselves dead to sin, alive to God. “ (Rom. 6:11)
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ… and                   hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ               Jesus.” (Eph. 2:5,6)
Characteristics of a Resurrected Person:
• Not afraid of death—has hope
• Not afraid of judgment—has confidence
• Not at home in this world—affection is on things above
• Not overwhelmed by temporal problems—rejoices in all things
• Not a servant of the god of this world
• Not in love with this world system
• Not in bondage to any sin—bond slave of Christ
     ⇒Knowledge of Him includes the knowledge of His sufferings
       “…If so be that we suffer with Him that we may be also glorified together.”                  (Rom.8:17)
       “Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps.” (2 Pet.2:1)
     ⇒ “Yea, all that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim.3:12)

3. Don’t ever relax thinking that you have “arrived!”
• Your job is never done—the “upward calling” (Rapture) will signify the completion of your work!

Think you’re not fit/able to work for Christ?**
     ⇒ Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed his chief oratorio, the Ninth
     ⇒ Milton was blind when he dictated one of his most sublime poems
     ⇒ Thomas Edison was severely hearing impaired
     ⇒ Lord Byron had a “club foot”
     ⇒ Admiral Nelson had sight in just one eye
     ⇒ Julius Caesar suffered from epileptic-like episodes
     ⇒ Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected 4 times as president of the United States yet was wheel chair bound much of his adult life due polio which he contracted at the age of 39

Think you’re too old to work for Christ?
     ⇒ Toscanini did his last public performance at the age of 87
     ⇒Verdi wrote “Falstaff” at the age of 80
     ⇒ Picasso was still painting at the age of 91
     ⇒ Will Durant finished his massive volume “History of Civilization” at age 82
     ⇒ Michelangelo took charge of the dome construction of St. Peter’s Basilica at age  71 and gave it a final inspection when he was 89 years of age
     ⇒ Winston Churchill was 65 when he first became prime minister; and he was a few weeks shy of his 77th birthday when he began his 2nd term as prime minister of hi beloved country

Excuse me…what did you say your excuse was? So, you are only one; but you are one; and what you can do you should do; therefore, by the grace of God, go get busy and do it! “One life, ‘twill soon be past—only what’s done for Christ will last.” (C.T. Studd, British Missionary)

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11)

(**This paragraph on disabilities and accomplishments, and the paragraph that follows on age and accomplishments were copied, the original source unknown; I did confirm the veracity of the statements through Wikipedia)

On September 14, 1982, the “story-book life” of Princess Grace Kelly, wife of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, came to a sudden, tragic end. On the day following her death, The Washington Post described Princess Grace as follows: “Absolutely beautiful; immaculate, perfectly groomed; a first-generation American beauty.” Most women so described, married to a prince, would be expected to be happy! But, a reporter once asked Princess Grace, “Are you truly happy?” She replied, “I don’t think any of us is ever truly happy.”

Webster defines happiness as a state of “pleasure, contentment, joy.”

Angus Campbell, Professor of Psychology and Sociology at the University of Michigan, in a 1979 U.S. News and World Report interview, revealed that his extensive research indicated that Americans then were generally less happy than were Americans who lived in the early 1950’s. Also, contrary to popular thinking, he found that:  (1) Older people, for the most part, were happier than younger people (18-30 year-olds); (2) that happiness, generally, does not depend upon economic status; (3) that the most unhappy people were single adults in the 18-30 age bracket; and (4) that women who work outside the home are no happier than women who stay at home and are traditional housewives. Dr. Campbell described the “happiest American woman” as being under the age of 30, married, yet childless; and the “happiest American man” as being between 50 and 70 years of age, with children grown and gone from home.

So much for what the sociologist says about happiness—it is interesting but far from infallible! God’s Word has a lot to say about happiness:

“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom.” (Provs.3:13) “Happy is the man whom God correcteth.” (Job 5:17) Happy is the man that hath his quiver full (of children). (Psalm 127:5) “He that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.” (Provs. 14:21) “Whoso trusteth the Lord, happy is he.” (Provs. 16:20) “Happy is the man that feareth alway….” (Provs. 28:14) “Where there is no vision the people perish, but he that keepeth the Law, happy is he.” (Provs. 29:18) And, “Happy is that people whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 144:15)

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most people are about as happy as they choose to be.” Probably no one reading this has gone through the grief Lincoln suffered through. He had experienced the death of dear loved ones, the loss of more than a few elections, a nation-splitting Civil War as well as many other personal losses. Yet the 16^th president of the United States could attest that happiness was not a matter of circumstances, but rather a matter of choice! You can choose to be happy! Dr. Tim LaHaye wrote a book on “How to be Happy Though Married.” So, this is not a book, but some encouraging words based on God’s truth that will let you know “How to be Happy Though Human.”

1. Be Sure You are Prepared to Meet God

• But, you must understand that becoming one of His children by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8–9) will not make all your problems vanish!
• Nor will “being saved” insulate you from having problems in the future. (i.e., sickness, death, financial problems, family disruptions)
• But, when you are “saved,” “regenerated,” “born again,” you can rejoice in that your sins—past, present, future—are pardoned!

“Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)

“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him: as far as the east is from the west: so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11)

• And, when you are “saved,” you will experience the peace of God.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Riches, fame, power, pleasure cannot buy or bring this “peace that passeth all understanding!”

“Pleasures are as poppies spread: You seize the flower, the bloom is shed.” (Poet Robert Burns)

Stephen Foster, famous American composer, died a drunkard’s death at the ripe old age of 37.

2. Surrender your life to God daily, Romans 12:1-2

• Lose your own life: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall save it.” (Luke 9:24)
• Die to self: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) A dove can land on a “live” high wire, clutching it firmly with both feet and not be “fried!” We too must land on Christ fully (nothing grasping the world) in faith as we “die to self.” One foot in the world and one trying to hold on to Him, and we’re “fried!”

3. Serve the Lord with gladness. Here are a couple of ways to do that:

• Witness for Him: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy; he that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with REJOICING, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5–6) Nothing will make you happier than bringing another soul to Christ and His kingdom!
• Work for Him. “Serve the Lord with gladness….” (Psalm 100:2)

“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you….” (2 Cor. 12:15) Exercise the spiritual gift that God’s Holy Spirit has equipped you with!

“The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but rather how many men he serves.” — D. L. Moody

Lorne Sanny, founder of the Navigators, answered the question “How do I know when I have a servant’s heart?” with these wise words: “You will know whether you have a servant’s heart by how you act when you are treated like one.”

Our Lord and Savior said that even He did not come into this world to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Pretty basic, yet very doable, formula for being happy though human. Be sure you are ready to meet God (i.e. that you are a “born-again” believer); then if you are, live a daily surrendered life as you walk with Him; finally, find your place of service in His vineyard and serve the Lord with gladness. If you follow these simple guidelines for happiness, you will be able to sing the song that A.H. Ackley penned, “I am happy in the service of the King; I am happy, Oh, so happy; I have peace and joy that nothing else can bring, in the service of the King.” Go for it, friend!

“Happy is that people… whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 144:15)

“One of the best ways to emasculate our faith is to cut ourselves off from other Christians.” Those words are a commentary on the 20^th/21^st century churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church that Jesus promised to build, begun on the Day of Pentecost as recorded Acts 2, was birthed in “doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) Most Bible-believing, New Testament churches today are careful to “cross their doctrinal ‘t’s’” and “dot their doctrinal ‘i’s,’” but with almost unlimited options for “things to do” before and after our worship gatherings, the fellowship that was so foundational in that mother church in Jerusalem is not so prominent in many of our churches today.

Oh, in the pattern and spirit of the early church, we still, when receiving believers into our church membership, extend the “right hand of fellowship.” That precedent was established when Paul and Barnabas were given the right hand of fellowship by James, Cephas and John. (Gal.2:9) It was and is a gesture indicating you, as a church, are identifying with the person(s) you are receiving into your communion. But, what do we do after this? To that early Jerusalem assembly, the extending of the right hand of fellowship was more than symbolic; it was an act of genuine love, demonstrating that the church and the persons being received would be bonded together as one from that day forward.

Most churches that are Bible-centers of preaching today are not deficient in the proclamation of doctrine. Paul’s words to Timothy have been taken seriously: “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (I Tim. 4:13)  We have done that because we do not want to be guilty of being “…children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness….” (Eph. 4:14)

But what about fellowship? In Lev. 6:2 Moses listed the “sin of fellowship” as a transgression that the Israelites were committing against their neighbors. Are New Testament churches committing—in a different way—the “sin of fellowship” today?

Well, what exactly do we mean by “fellowship?”  What is it? First, the question, “What is it NOT?”  Fellowship must not be confused with “friendship.” There are people with whom we can be friends, but with whom we can have no Christian fellowship. Fellowship is not realized by being a member of the same community club or social group with others with whom we may enjoy camaraderie.

The word fellowship comes from a word that, in its original form, looks and sounds like our English word “Coin.” A coin, a common coin, is used in transactions involving common currency. Fellowship is sharing what we have and hold in common. Christian fellowship is sharing our common faith, beliefs, hope, convictions as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, Christiann fellowship must be based upon sharing communion and oneness with those who are also members by grace through faith in the Body of Christ, His Church. This fellowship is first, “With the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ,” then “with one another.” (I John 1:3-7) It is a fellowship we were “called unto,” and a fellowship “in the gospel.” (I Cor. 1:19; Phil. 1:5) Paul warns, too, that there is no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness (believers and unbelievers), nor is there any possibility of fellowship with devils. (2 Cor.6:14,15; I Cor. 10:20) We cannot fellowship with “works of darkness.” (Eph. 5:11) To the contrary, Christian fellowship is that which is “in the Spirit,” between people who are “likeminded,” and “of one accord,” and who are people walking in “lowliness of mind.” (Phil.2:1-3)

We surely need continuous fellowship today, just as did our forbearers of faith. We need it because of the strength of the World, the Flesh and the Devil. Fellowship affords us the power of united prayer against these ancient foes, and it encourages us to keep on keeping on. (I Cor. 16:9) We can accomplish much more through fellowship—more in our efforts in world missions; more in Christian education endeavors; more in evangelism and soul-winning, and more in the building of His kingdom.

World renowned evangelist, Billy Graham, was once asked what his greatest satisfaction was in his ministry: was it meeting many presidents, kings, queens and dignitaries; or was it preaching to millions of people? He answered without hesitation: “It has been my fellowship with Jesus….that has been my greatest joy.” (From a devotional by Joe Stowell) There just is no substitute for this privileged communion! With the Father, with the Son, and with the people of God!

We can achieve fellowship today, as in the days of the infant church, by “bearing one another’s burdens.” (Gal. 6:2) We can do it by sharing the  Word, sharing God’s blessings upon us; sharing testimonies of answered prayer; sharing material blessings; and, of course, by sharing our love as we share ourselves—our time, our treasures, our talents.

A lady once wrote these desperate words to her pastor’s wife: “I was so pleased to receive your card and the tapes. I felt so lost and alone. I honestly thought no one was lifting my name to the throne room. And, I was starving, so starved for God’s Word…Have you really prayed for me? I am also starved for fellowship with God’s saints.”

To all who read this post today: you can always, night or day, experience the blessing of pure fellowship—with the Father and with His Son. Jesus knocks at your door, saying, “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20) That is step one! Open your heart’s door to Him now; He will come in and “sup” with you—He will share with you what you have in common! Having done that, you will be ready to fellowship with other believers of like precious faith, members of His body.

“Jesus has a table spread, where the saints of God are fed; He invites His chosen people, ‘Come and dine.’ With His manna He doth feed, and supplies our every need; O ‘tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!”

“Come and dine,” the Master calleth, ‘Come and dine.’ You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time; He who fed the multitudes, turned the water into wine, to the hungry calleth now, ‘Come and dine.’” (Widmeyer; Bolton)

Fellowship…let’s not forget today the New Testament model of doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer!

“Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.” (2 Cor.8:4)

Drop out, cop out Christianity is an accurate way of describing late-20^th century and early 21^st century mainstream Christendom. From the pulpit to the pew, defections are widespread through the ranks of the soldiers of the cross. Recent reports about the movement back to church—especially among youth and young adults—is encouraging if not hopeful.

But even before the canon of the scripture was closed; in fact, even before the apostolic era of the church had passed—in the almost earliest days of the church—there were alarming trends of large numbers of professing Christians who looked back over their shoulders to life before their public confession of Christ, thinking that life was simpler—even “easier”—then. It should not have caught anyone off guard. Paul had explicitly warned that believers would depart from the faith. (I Tim.4:1)

But the severest warnings to Christians, in scripture, come in the Book of Hebrews, chapters 3, 4, and 10.

God does not want us to grow weary and to give in, and give out, on our life with Christ. He yearns for us to keep on keeping on. He earnestly desires for us to “enter into rest”—even on this side of heaven. We could call this the “rest” of living a victorious Christian life, as opposed to a constant defeating struggle with “the flesh”—or the “old man”—with whom we must deal with until we breath our last breath.

But that “rest” can come NOW. With the greatest urgency, the writer of the book of Hebrews warns first century saints (and us) that if they are not careful they will miss the “rest” of which he writes. That which will rob them of their “rest” as saints, and that which will rob us today of our “rest,” is “an evil heart of unbelief.” It robbed the children of Israel in the wilderness; it robbed the nation of Israel year after year until they were taken captive by Assyria and Babylon because of their evil hearts; it is robbing many today, and, if we are careless, it will rob us of our faith-rest, too. Note with me the characteristics, causes, consequences and cure of the “Evil Heart of Unbelief.”

1. The Characteristics of the Evil Heart of Unbelief, Hebs. 3:12

• Discounting the works of God on behalf of His people
➤ He divided the sea while they passed through, making the waters to stand as a heap on either side of them;
➤ He led them by His presence by a cloud in the daytime and a pillar of fire by night;
➤ He brought water out of rocks to give them a drink in the wilderness;
➤ He rained manna down from heaven so that they ate “angel’s food!”;
➤ He rained the flesh of fowl upon them as the sand of the sea for meat to eat;
➤He guided them 40 years in the wilderness, and neither their clothes nor their shoes waxed old upon them! But,
➤“For all these things they sinned still and believed not His wondrous works.” (Ps.78:32)

• Disregarding His Word, Hebs. 4:2—They had “heart trouble!”
➤Their hearts were hardened, Hebs. 3:8
➤Their hearts erred from the truth, Hebs. 3:10
➤Their hearts were unbelieving, Hebs. 3:12

2. The Cause of the Evil Heart of Unbelief (the deceitfulness of sin), Hebs. 3:13

• The deceitfulness of sin says, “Just this one time won’t matter; go ahead, do it!”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “Everybody’s doing it!”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “God is loving; He will understand.”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “You owe it to yourself; if you don’t look out after yourself, who will?”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “I’m only hurting myself by doing this.”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “This is just a little sin; it’s not any big deal.”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “I know it’s not right, but just look at the good that is going to come of it.”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “If I don’t do it, someone else will; I will do it, and God knows my heart, He’ll understand and He will forgive.”
• The deceitfulness of sins says, “All right, go ahead and do it, but just this one time only!”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “It’s OK, nobody will ever know.”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “All I want to make me happy is just this little bit more.”
• The deceitfulness of sin says, “It isn’t right, but after all I must provide for my family.”
• Yes, the deceitfulness of sin says all of this and more. But God says, “Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7)

3. The Consequences of An Evil Heart of Unbelief: “Failing to enter into rest.”—Hebs. 3:19 (Note: this rest is not talking about salvation, cmp. I Cor. 10:11)

• All were under the cloud (led by God’s presence), I Cor. 10:1
• All passed through the sea (delivered by God’s power), I Cor. 10:1
• All were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea (i.e., all identified with God’s man and with God’s message), v. 2
• All did eat the same spiritual meat (i.e. the Word of God), v. 3
• All drank of the Rock Christ, I Cor. 10:4
• All were saved, but many did not enter into rest, or the promised land of victory; all over the age of 20 died before stepping into the promised land, because of an evil heart of unbelief. (This is also identified as “the sin unto death.” ) I John 5:16,17

4. The Cure for An Evil Heart of Unbelief

• Appropriating victory through faith, Hebs. 4:2 (This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.) I John 5:4
• Appropriating the quick and powerful Word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, Hebs. 4:12
• Appropriating the intercessory work of Jesus on our behalf, Hebs. 4:14,15
• Appropriating the power of prayer, Hebs. 4:16

So, the stern warning, as well as the way of escape, was sounded to these early Hebrew converts that were thinking about turning back to Judaism. The urgency of the appeal was reiterated often by the word “today!” (Hebs. 3:7, 3:13, 3:15) The plea should not fall upon deaf ears even now. Today, harden not your hearts; dispel unbelief by victory through faith, the Word and prayer. “Let us go on to perfection.” (Hebs. 6:1)

“For we know Him that hath said, ‘Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebs. 10:30, 31)

Last week (Oct. 27, 2025) Ellen and I attended a beautiful banquet, prepared and served by Grace Today Ministries for pastors, missionaries, Christian workers, and wives. It was hosted by Lew Hunter, Founder and President of Grace Today Ministries, and his wife Pam. Designed as a gesture of genuine appreciation for God’s servants in vocational ministries, it was the 8^th such banquet. The delicious meal and dynamic message—plus Christ-honoring music—all came at “no charge” to any of the guests.

Dr. Bud Steadman, Missions Mentor and former Executive Director of Baptist World Mission, delivered a stirring Bible message from the Gospel of Mark. Brother Hunter presented a Faithful Servant’s Award to Rev. Wayne Denton, the President of Indiana Baptist College. The fellowship around the beautifully decorated tables as we enjoyed the scrumptious food was, as one might expect, rich! I hope that, if you live within distance of this banquet venue next October, you will put it on your calendar as a “must do!” There were 80 adult guests, so it is growing each year. Appropriately, the banquet was held in October—a month set aside by many as “Pastors Appreciation Month.”

Now, no matter where you live, as a Grace Today board member, I’d like to introduce you to this ministry of helps that Lew Hunter was burdened to start several yeas ago. His introductory brochure says, “There are many needs in the lives of pastors, servants, and churches today. One of the greatest needs is that of encouragement. The burdens of ministry are heavy and the pressures our people face are difficult. Let’s face it, we live in trying times. Pastors, their families, and churches need the sweet encouragement of God’s Word.”

He continues, “Pam and I are grateful for the journeys which God has carried us through. He has given us the opportunity to minister in a number of settings. Through them we have learned the burdens are real, the struggles are great, yet God’s grace is sufficient. All too often though, Pastors feel they have nowhere to turn, and no one to share their innermost struggles with. Grace Today Ministries seeks to meet these needs through preaching/teaching, personal counsel, writing and music; all with the understanding that it is the Bible, God’s Word, which holds the answer to all our needs.”

In another section, Brother Hunter highlights the severity of the problems that are surfacing today in ministries and in the lives of ministers:

• 80% of pastors feel they are on call 24/7
• 80% of pastors believe ministry has negatively impacted their families
• 65% of pastors feel they have not taken enough vacation time with their family
• 22% of pastor’s spouses report the ministry places undue expectations on the family
• 95% of pastors report not praying daily with their spouses
• 57% of pastors report being unable to pay their bills
• 54% of pastors find the role of a pastor overwhelming
• 40% of pastors report a serious conflict with a church member at least once over the past year
• 35% of pastors battle depression or fears of inadequacy
• 26% of pastors report feeling fatigued
• 27% report not having someone to turn to for help in a crisis situation
• 34% of pastors wrestle with the temptation of pornography—or visit pornographic sites
• 57% of pastors feel fulfilled yet discouraged, stressed, and fatigued
• 84% of pastors desire to have close fellowship with someone they can trust and confide in
• 42% of pastors were thinking of leaving the ministry in 2022

Lew Hunter pleads, “Don’t be a statistic.” He wants to reach out to those who need a helping hand and a hearing heart. You can confide in him and he will give you beneficial and Biblical counsel. There is no cost to you! Lew says, “If you can get to us (the Indianapolis area), we will take care of the rest.” The rest would include housing and meals, etc.

Grace Today Ministries exists to encourage, strengthen and restore. It is endorsed by Brother Hunter’s local church pastor, Bert Bunner of Grace Baptist Church in Coatesville, Indiana; by Dr. Harry Ramsey, Bible Teacher/Evangelist; by Pastor Warren Dafoe, Pastor Emeritus of Crosspointe Baptist Church in Indianapolis; by Pastor Mike Abbott, Brownsburg Baptist Church of Brownsburg, Indiana, and many, many others.

If you (or someone you know and love) need an encouraging word to pull you through a difficult place in your ministry, please contact Brother Lew Hunter at lew@gracetodayministries.org, or call him at (317) 908-9418.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13)