Are you looking for another reason to be thankful today?

 

Pamela and I have some precious friends in Tulsa who work a second job in order to give more to missions. Around 9 or 10:00 pm each evening they go into an office building and begin to clean—empty trash cans, sweep, mop, vacuum, wipe down the Break Room, refresh the bathrooms, etc. Even the neatest workers leave a mess, but when our friends have finished their work, everything looks and smells great for the next day.

 

Keep that picture in mind and think with me. Many Christians strive each day to do their best. You probably are one of them. Your desire is to honor, please, and glorify Jesus. Yet, when the day is done, you realize that there were some messes left behind—a harsh word, a hard look, an undone kindness, an unprayed petition to the Lord, etc. Despite your best effort you were still not perfect.

 

This is where the devil likes to put his “two cents” into our thought life. “You are a terrible Christian. You ought to be ashamed to show your face at the church, God is angry with you. Are you sure you are even saved?’ All of us can identify with these depressing thoughts. Sometimes we drag this miserable feeling around with us. It is as if we are trying to pull a heavy bag of garbage everywhere we go.

 

If that is the way you feel, I have some good news for you! David discovered this good news and wrote, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” [Psalm 23:6] God’s mercy, His loving forgiveness, follows us. Our friends clean up messes left in office buildings. In the same way, as we seek to walk with our Lord and as we repent of our sins, God’s mercy follows us [comes behind us] and cleans up the messes we make. The devil wants to make us ineffective Christians by causing us to drag around that garbage. However, if we will allow it, God’s mercy will take that garbage and throw it away daily and forever. Jeremiah reminds us of one of God’s wonderful promises: [31:34] “I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more”. If God’s mercy has cleaned up your sin and if God has forgotten it, you do not have to drag it around and wallow in misery. HALLELUJAH

 

Our friends leave cleanliness behind and the office workers return to a fresh building every morning. Likewise, in Lamentations 3:22, 23 we read that “God’s compassions fail not and His mercies are new every morning”. Jeremiah 33:11 reminds us that “His mercy endureth forever.” Precious Believers, we have a wonderful, merciful High Priest and Heavenly Father. Let us leave the messes behind and walk in freedom,in victory, and in power!!!!

 

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS 

1. Sanctuary service–Sunday at 10:00 am–Celebrating Communion.

2. Adult Bible Study–Wednesday–6:30 pm

3. Offering for Baptist Children’s Homes was $200 this past Sunday. This brings our total gifts to $3245. Thank you for your loving generosity. Sunday, November 29, is our last Sunday to add to this wonderful total.

4. Thank you for voting to spend the money we did not use this past year on Homecoming, Easter Breakfast, revivals, etc. as a mission gift for the West Stanly Christian Ministries Day of Sharing with the needy in our community. Our total gift was $2300. AWESOME

5. Remember to have the pajamas you are buying for nursing home residents, wrapped and at the church by Sunday, December 6. Thank you for blessing others.

 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us praise and thank our LORD for His many blessings to us. 

Pastor Ed and Deacons of Barbee’s Grove Baptist Church