When I was a young ministerial student, Noel Smith was editor of the Baptist Bible Tribune, the publication he founded in 1950. Anyone who reads this and attended Baptist Bible College of Springfield, MO, in the 1950s or ‘60s will recognize Smith’s name. His pen was powerful; it could also be sublime, as his following reflections on Christmas will demonstrate:
“An infant named Jesus was born more than 1900 years ago in the days of Caesar Augustus. No responsible person doubts it—not Jews, Unitarians, Muslims, etc. The historical evidence is there to prove it. Time dates from before or after this infant’s birth. The Greeks were going to date time from the Olympics, the Romans were going to date time from the founding of Rome, the French were going to date time from the Revolution. All of these failed and most never heard of their efforts. Time dates from before or after the birth of Jesus Christ. If this was all you knew about Jesus, you would know enough to stir any reasonable man’s imagination to know why.
Jesus is the only universal character the world has ever known. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses are Jewish. Paul was more universal than any but Jesus, but he was no son of man. Gladstone, Lloyd George and Churchill were Englishmen. Abraham Lincoln was an Americn. Americans are closer to Jesus than they are to Lincoln. The English are closer to Jesus than to Churchill. Why?
Jesus stood before the physically, morally, and spiritually sick of this world and said, ‘Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ No other man outside of an insane asylum ever said a thing like that and made such an invitation. Why? Think about it.”
Here is another favorite Christmas meditation of mine, attributed to Keith L. Brooks, founder of The American Prophetic League of Los Angeles and author of many books:
“Jesus Christ was born in the poorest of circumstances, but the air above was filled with hallelujahs of the heavenly host. His lodging was a cattle pen, but a star drew distinguished visitors from afar to do Him homage and present Him with rich gifts.
His birth was contrary to the laws of life. His death was contrary to the laws of death. No miracle is so inexplicable as His life and teaching.
He had no cornfields or fisheries, but He could spread a table for 5,000 and have bread and fish to spare. He walked on the waters and they supported Him.
His crucifixion was the crime of crimes, but, on God’s side, no lower price than His infinite agony could have made possible our redemption. When He died, few men mourned; but a black crepe was hung over the sun. Though men trembled not for their sins, the earth beneath shook under the load. All nature honored Him; sinners alone rejected Him.
He preached His Gospel for only three and one-half years. He wrote no book, built no church, had no money back of Him. After 1900 years He is the one central character of human history, the perpetual theme of all preaching, the pivot around which the events of the ages revolve, the only Regenerator of the sinful human race. What thinking man can keep from exclaiming, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21)
Right now, a lot of serious thought is being given to “what gift shall I get for ______?” It is fun to buy just “the perfect gift” for a loved one or friend, a gift that you are sure will please that special person; and never is it more exciting than at Christmas when, because of God’s gift to us—the unspeakable gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord—we as believers enjoy with heartfelt pleasure, in the spirit of Christ, the exchanging of gifts with family and friends.
But the gift that I have in mind—and have been thinking about lately—is not a Christmas gift; in fact, it is in no way a material gift or gift that any one of us can give to another. But it is a gift that—if you are a follower of Christ—you have received from the Holy Spirit, a gift of which Paul speaks when he said that He “gave gifts unto men,” and of which Peter wrote when he penned: “As every man hath received the (a) gift….” (Eph. 4:8; I Pet. 4:10) I am speaking of the gift that you received at the time of your salvation. It is commonly called a “spiritual gift,” and Paul said in I Cor. 12—speaking of the gifts the Holy Spirit gives—that He “divides to every man severally as He will.” (I Cor. 12:11)
Paul wrote more about spiritual gifts to the church that He founded on his second missionary trip, the Corinthian church, than to any other church. (I Cor. 12-14). He began his first epistle to this church that he called “carnal” by reminding them that “ye come behind in no gift.” (I Cor. 1:7) It seems contradictory, to be sure, that the Corinthian assembly was a body of gifted individuals. Yet Paul lamented that he could not speak to them “as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” (I Cor. 3:1)
One can be a (spiritually) gifted person, then, but also carnal. God, by His Spirit, has gifted for service every follower of His. This is not to be confused with an individual being talented or naturally skilled. Spiritual gifts are not to be confused with natural abilities or talents. Gifts of the Spirit are given by the Spirit for service to and in the Body of Christ. The purpose of these gifts is “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:12) Some of the gifts are listed in this Ephesian passage: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.” (Eph. 4:11) Other spiritual gifts are enumerated in Romans 12:6-8. That passage lists the gifts of prophecy, ministering, teaching, exhortation, giving, administration, and mercy.
There are other gifts mentioned also. Interestingly, some of the gifts were “sign” gifts, given temporarily to the Apostles, especially for the Jews in the transitional time of the infant church—from a solely Jewish body, to a Jew-Gentile body, to a body in which there was neither Jew nor Gentile. Paul said that the “Jews required a sign” (I Cor. 1:22), and he spoke of the signs of the Apostles that had been “wrought” among them in wonders and mighty deeds. (II Cor. 12:12) There would come a time when the need for these extraordinary manifestations of God’s power would cease (I Cor. 13:8), but there would never come a time when the need for the “service” gifts would cease.
And, friend, that is true at the present hour. If you are saved, you have been saved to serve. Not only that, you have been divinely equipped by the Holy Spirit to serve in the Body of Christ. So, what is your gift? Exhortation, administration, giving, teaching, helps? To not use a gift given by God specifically for use in the building of His Body, the Church, would be a grave disservice to the cause of His kingdom.
So, what is your gift? How are you using it today in the edifying of His Body, the Church?
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy…or ministry…or teaching, or exhortation, or giving, or ruling, or he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6-8)
In the fulness of time, the Bible says, God sent forth His Son.
Solomon says there is a season and a time for everything. We can rejoice, as we look another “Christmas” in the face, that there was a perfect time for the sending of His only begotten Son, a unique birthing by His Holy Spirit through a young Judean virgin named Mary!
The time then was surely “full.” Humanity was engulfed in spiritual darkness. Sin had wrought its painful effects universally on Adam’s descendants. Never, since the original first couple were banished from Eden’s garden, had there been a time in history that was more ready than that night of nights when angels heralded His marvelous, miraculous birth in Bethlehem. It was ripe for the coming of God’s solution for man’s sin.
Hopelessness ruled. Tyrants made helplessness seem inevitable. Religion wore the face of hypocrisy. The dark world of demonic activity had never enjoyed such ubiquitous renown. But then, in the “fulness” of time, God moved, Heaven opened up, and Hell screamed in horror—when God sent forth His Son.
Oh, glorious revelation! John, in his eye-witness gospel account, simply said, “Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world!”
He came in the fulness of time, and in the only right way He could have come—that is, made of a woman. Not made of a man, for that would not have sufficed for sin; and, not made of a man and a woman, for that would have qualified Him as one of us, a sinner. But, made of a woman, with blood untainted, spotless and pure, with no curse of sin upon it through the virgin birth; thus, He alone qualified to be the substitutionary sacrificial Lamb of God offered on Calvary for the atonement of the sins of the world!
It was indeed the turning point of all history. He came. He died. He rose again and ascended back to Heaven from whence He came; but, before He returned to Heaven, He promised that He would come back again!
And, we who believe Him are excited about another Christmas and the prospect of the 2nd Advent of Jesus to this earth! His first Advent was the turning point of all history; His 2nd Advent will mark the climax of all history. Coming then at Bethlehem, He was humiliated; coming again to Jerusalem, He will be exalted. And every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
And, it will not be too late. The world is once again “ripe” for His coming. There is indeed a time and there is a season for everything under the sun. May this Christmas be a season for each of us to remember that Holy night when shepherds saw His star. But may it also be a season when we continue to keep an eye on the clouds, as it were, and an ear for the Trumpet and for the voice heard universally—inviting us to “Come Up Hither!”
“Some day the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing; But, O, the joy when I shall wake, within the palace of the King! And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story—saved by grace; And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story saved by grace.” (Fanny Crosby)
“He which testifieth these things saith, “Surely, I come quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Rev. 22:20,21)
She had a sort of contorted smile, but the youngins did not realize why. She was a wheelchair bound woman, probably in her 60’s, when their mom became a friend of hers and began to interact with Mrs. Land. All the girl and her brother knew was that they did not like her stories about her own children. She would weave together some words, hard to understand at times because of her speech impairment, about some experiences she had rearing her own little ones, from the handicap position of a wheel-chair. What really turned their hearts away from this lady—who attended their church and worshipped with their church family every Lord’s Day—was when she explained her form of discipline when a child had transgressed the law she had laid down for her household. She did not have the advantage of other mothers who would go to get a belt or a stick off the lilac bush with which to give the disobedient kids a whack or two. So she did the only thing she could do; she demanded they kneel before her wheel-chair and then, when they were perfectly in place, she would, in her words, grab a fist-full of the woeful and wayward one’s hair and give it a brisk yank or two. Then, having spun her reminiscing yarn, she would chuckle about it with a contorted grin, looking intently as the two children looked on with horror.
Now, they had never heard of child abuse back in those “pre-enlightenment” days. The sister and brother had never had many meetings with the belt or stick and, for sure, never as many as they might have had. But when they heard of how those hapless little devils—children of this woman who hailed from California before she intruded into our quiet Midwestern world—they were horrified. There were a few nights when they actually thought they could hear her creaky voice outside their upstairs bedroom door, saying, “Come kneel down now; let’s get this over with.” Then, if they listened intently in what must have been their nightmare, they could hear that warped chuckle of delight coming from the little old lady, who could not walk but could rule her household from a mobile chair.
When she was not sharing part of a day with their family from her choice corner of the living room, she was engaged in long telephone conversations with their mom; and, usually, it was when they thought they needed mother to answer a question or to help find something or give us permission to visit a friend’s house for an hour before supper. Well, Cakie and “Tonk” (as he was affectionately known) only thought they needed Mom, because whatever dear old Mrs. Land was talking about—Mom hardly ever said anything–was far more important than the attention they thought they needed at that time.
So it was for a couple of years. Finally, Tonk got his driver’s permit and then his driver’s license and boy did he think he was the “cat’s meow!” He actually got to drive an old 1948 Buick (think black Sherman Tank) to school. When it snowed that old Buick could make a path up the hills to the high school for the city’s snow plows.
But, not only that. The best thing was that Tonk could now drive to church and pick up the wheelchair bound Mrs. Land! Well, in spite of the night visions of horror, Tonk could think of nothing he would rather do than to give Mrs. Land a ride to church, not now in the Sherman Tank but in the ’52 Studebaker that he was able to drive on occasion, since the family car by that time was a more spacious Chevy.
And, it just so happened that the church was having a special Christmas program about this time, with cookies and Kool-Aid and maybe some cakes and pies, in the Fellowship Hall following the program. Mrs. Land, of course, wanted to attend and even planned to bring a pie, but she would need a ride. No problem! Tonk’s mother volunteered the to-your-door teenager who would pick her up at the usual time.
The special night came, and Tonk, in the bright yellow Studebaker, drove into the driveway as usual and parked parallel with the door at the back of the huge, two-story, north-side house in which Mrs. Land lived in an apartment. The youthful chauffeur promptly put the car in park, went directly to the back door of the “mansion” and, upon opening the door, took his place behind the waiting woman’s chair; whereupon he carefully helped her into the car’s front-passenger seat, shut the door, and placed the now-empty wheelchair into the trunk of the car. So far, so good. And, yes, he had taken the delicious-looking pie (Tonk had never laid his eyes on any piece of pie anywhere that did not look delicious) into the back seat on the floor, making sure that the pie would not slip or slide en route to the church.
What an exciting evening. Going to church to enjoy a special Christmas program with the music of angels ringing in our anticipation-laden hearts and with thoughts dancing in our heads, between stanzas, of Christmas cookies, cakes and pies, and fun and fellowship with the church family that we loved.
They were almost there—just another stop sign and a routine corner to turn and then straight to church. But wait. After Tonk had stopped and was making the “routine” turn at the corner, the front-passenger door, which had not closed securely when the precious human cargo had been loaded, flew open and the dear cripple, with a screech of a scream, fell out of the car onto the pavement. Tonk quickly stopped and, horror-stricken, ran to the passenger side of the car, used every muscle in his young body that he could muster, and pulled the helpless passenger up and back into the car. Was she all right? Yes! Any broken bones? No! Just a bit shaken and disheveled, but nothing more than her pride was wounded. And Tonk? Well, he didn’t say an audible word the rest of the way to church after he had profusely apologized to the woman he had for so long looked upon with a twitch of disdain.
The program was splendid, everyone said, as was the time of fellowship and feasting afterwards. But that night, that teen-age boy could only repeat silent prayers of praise to His God for allowing that lady—fellow believer, friend of his mother—to fall out of the car and yet be retrieved whole, unharmed, and just thankful to attend the special Christmas program.
It was a special Christmas that year, with a gift from God to a young man whose heart was changed and whose mind was humbled in a way that no one could ever have anticipated. The gift? Oh, something that could never have come under a tree, but from the heart of God to the heart of a teenager who needed to see every person made of God as a special creation to be respected and treated and looked upon with kindness and with love—as all of us, each with our own sometimes unlovely and unlovable ways, are and appear to others to be.
That certain Sunday night just before Christmas, a lad named Tonk put his head upon his pillow and there were no nightmares, no voices outside the door of his bedroom, no screaming, no screechy laugh. Just a grateful heart to God for His protective grace and a thought of a special child of His whose life God had used to teach this young man a lesson that he would never forget, at least not for the next 60 or so years.
“That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for the other.” (I Cor. 12:25)
This is a lightly edited version of a story that first appeared on You and God in December 2021. It is fiction based on fact. Names have been changed to protect the guilty!
Christmas always ignites vivid memories of Christmases past, so my mind is in memory mode as we fast approach another Christmas Day.
One Christmas that was unforgettable to a six-year-old boy was when my parents decided I needed a doll for Christmas! You read that right, a doll! I am not sure why I was so lucky. Maybe since I had three sisters, they were just in the doll-buying mood. But, for whatever reason, I did receive a doll. Not just an ordinary doll. This one was a cowboy in complete cowboy dress, with a red bandana around his neck. He had neat, wavy hair combed back, and he was not too much shorter than I was at the age of six. In my childish mind, he was the real thing. We spent many good hours around lonely campfires, and the cattle runs that we accompanied each other on were legendary in my mind. I named this boy-doll “Old Joe.” No girl ever loved a doll more than I did this one, and no doll was ever more “used” when he finally found a resting place than Old Joe. He was a faithful friend. We never exchanged cross words with each other, and I seemed to always get the last word in!
Now what would a boy do with a doll? Just about anything he wants to do with a doll, but the main thing that Old Joe and I did was “worship.” I was the preacher, and he was the congregation of one. I fixed up a makeshift pulpit and put some rows of chairs in place, and it seems like Joe always sat on the back row, but he was not too far back for me to make myself heard.
That was my first experience in preaching. I hollered and stomped and pounded the pulpit and got in Joe’s face until we were both worn out. He heard Genesis 1:1 so many times that he could have preached the message backwards, I suppose. I never seemed to get out of Gen.1:1, but it was such a good text then (and I think it still is now). Joe never complained unless it was under his breath.
I don’t know how many decisions Joe made, but I am sure he made every decision possible. He kept a tender heart and was probably the most “responsive hearer” of my preaching ever.
It was inevitable that Joe and I would have to go our separate ways one day. I am not sure what his end was. I’m still preaching—and, until recently, pounding pulpits and hollering—and still trying to drive home some simple truths from profound texts.
So, looking back, I am thankful for that old friend that I received one childhood Christmas. Maybe my parents bought him for me because I had, not too many months before that Christmas, lost my older brother when he drowned while visiting a cousin on a nearby country farm as they were swimming in a creek. At any rate, I enjoyed Joe while he lasted. And, no doubt, he did meet a need in my life at that time.
How the world has changed. The gifts children receive and expect to receive today are mind-boggling. Many of them are electronic. Girls still do receive dolls, and our granddaughters have what is called the “American Girl.” It is a whole major line of doll merchandise, and you can go to a fancy restaurant in downtown Chicago for lunch with your doll. Ellen and Sandy and our granddaughter Ashley did that awhile back and—are you ready for this—old ladies were there with their dolls, sipping tea and chatting. Maybe I should take Joe down there sometime and preach Gen.1:1!*
Thanks for bearing with some memories that go back more than seven decades. What you have read about this unusual Christmas gift is true, including the “worship” sessions. I could not resist some tongue-in-cheek humor to spice up the story a bit. The part about the granddaughters and the American Girl is also true. That happened in the Windy City some 15 years ago. I hope you all will make some lasting memories this coming Christmas.
“Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.” (II Cor. 9:15)
*This post adapted from a “Pastor’s Pen” column that I wrote for the “TRBC Times” in December, 2010.
Here it comes—ready or not. Christmas, that is. Does it seem possible that it’s that time of the year again, already? Not that we have not seen Christmas decorations in front of homes here and there, and Christmas merchandise jam-packed onto shelves and in any available space in the retail stores. Christmas 2025 will soon be in the books and we will be facing a brand-new year, Lord willing.
Not too many Christmas seasons ago, Ellen and I were in a local toy store (must have been when some of our grandchildren were still “kids”). You would have thought it was “Black Friday!” Christmas occupied every square inch of the store, a store stocked to the hilt with all sorts of goodies for children.
Well, as we were checking out, a man came up behind us in the checkout line with a cart full of toys. He must have had six or so nice toy trucks, heavy-duty type earth-moving machines, plus lots of other things. His cart was piled high. He laughed and said that he and his wife had only come in to get one thing. She was still somewhere in the store finishing up. We struck up a conversation and learned that he was 78 and had a painting business that all the family worked in—as well as a produce business that he started to help his grandchildren pay for college. We talked about how much of the joy of Christmas was in seeing children delight with toys and gifts. He then said that he had lost a fifty-some year-old son in the past year to cancer, and that Christmas would be difficult for them. We discussed where he attended church (Methodist) and some others things. Then his wife came and led him away to look at something else she had found. He left his place in line willingly and with a big smile on his face.
Well, I left that brief meeting with positive thoughts about what we were doing there in that crowded store on a beautiful, late-fall afternoon. There had been some jarring economic times, and many were hurting financially. But lots of people were getting out early, trying to take advantage of some “good deals” and making sure that, though times were tough, there would be some little ones whose eyes would still light up on Christmas morning, after Luke’s gospel chapter 2 had been read and the Christmas gifts were opened.
The older gentleman, still smarting from the loss of his son to cancer—but with a broad smile on his face as he pushed his overflowing cart through the checkout line—ministered to my heart that Saturday afternoon. Yes, the crowds were almost suffocating, the economy was in the tank, the world was filled with nations at war, and the Senate was about to vote on a 2,000 page healthcare bill that no one could possibly understand. But here was a dear old grandfather out, even before “Black Friday,” getting deals, buying toys for his great-grandchildren, and chuckling with apparent pleasure all the while because, though saddened by his deep loss, there were still some little ones he could bring some joy to once again on Christmas Day. I left that store that day inspired.
Ellen is always that kind of parent and grandparent, too. She plans, she prepares, she prays, and she prioritizes Christmas. She spent many a Christmas without a lot of special memories. Times were hard for her parents, and Christmas was just not a big deal, apart from a special church service and a bag of candy for the children. In my teen years, my mother became convicted over the commercialization of modern Christmases, and our family stopped celebrating the day cold turkey, so to speak. When we married, though, Ellen slowly revived a true, Christ-honoring keeping of Christmas; and, through the years, she has made it a very special day for all, in part by picking just the right gift for each person. I am thankful for this dimension of the holiday that Ellen has recovered for our family. Christmas means loving, family, giving, sharing, blessing—all because of the unspeakable gift and the God-giving that we are the recipients of, by grace, through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
So, here it comes—ready or not. And we will, God willing, be ready. We will put up some simple decorations. And, on Christmas morning, we will gather around Luke 2 and read the blessed story once again of His humble coming to be born amongst us. And, we will open gifts and share laughter and think about our grandson David, now in Heaven. And, in spite of the wars, the economy, the political chaos, and the fears of an uncertain future here, if this Christmas is like all those of recent years in our house, we’ll go to bed one week before the first day of the New Year with peace ruling in our hearts and laughter ringing in our heads for the joy, love, cheer, and sheer enchantment of another Christmas Day. We wish the same for all of you, our dear readers.
“A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” (Luke 2:32—The prophet Simeon holding the baby Jesus in the Temple)
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:”
Knowing God Who is a “great God, and a great King above all gods.” (Ps. 95:3)
Acceptance in the Beloved, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:6)
Prayer privileges (Hebrews 4:16)
A Bible to read in my language
The Comforter (Holy Spirit) within me at all times (John 14:17)
Hope wrought of patience (Romans 5:4)
A Bible-preaching church to attend
Ellen!
Ellen’s cooking and house-keeping
Sandy, Marti, Theo
Anthony, Tim, Parker, Audrey, Amy (grands!)
Wyatt, Ashley (more grands!)
Dale, Rick (sons-in-law)
Sisters, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law
Shelter
Clothes galore
Transportation (reliable)
Books galore
Friends—so many, near and far!
A church family
Our family physician
Excellent health care
Great hymns to enjoy
A computer
A cell phone
Pastor friends
Missionary friends
Teachers
Co-laborers
Pastors and their families
Wikipedia
Freedom, Liberty and the U.S. Constitution
Voting privileges
Soldiers protecting us
Armed Forces, USA
Popcorn
Mission Boards
TRBC missionaries
Faith Promise
Generous Ministries such as Samaritan’s Purse
Wise counsel and wise counsellors
Coffee
Faithful Deacons
Prayer warriors
Christian Schools, Bible colleges
Blessed Memories
Christian heritage
Erasers (spell-check!)
Regular readers of “You and God”
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 13th 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)
YOU and GOD 