Black Friday

Well, I trust that everyone survived the feeding frenzy known as Thanksgiving dinner.  I did, although I indulged so much that I almost foundered.  What I found interesting during the dining and the immediate aftermath was the conversation between my children, grandchildren and guests about all of the bargains available to be purchased during “Black Friday, Small business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.”  Some couldn’t wait to get to the various stores and part with their money.

If there is anyone not familiar with those sales events, let me just define them for you as being promotions designed to separate people from their money.  Super sales events to entice people to buy stuff they don’t really need but, are such bargains that one would be foolish to pass them up.  And, according to news releases, customers fighting over sale items and causing mini riots at some venues, I think “foolish” is the operative word here.

Anyway, the thought of these sale events and their reason for being (the separation of people from their money) has inspired me to talk a few moments today about that most sought after commodity - money.

Now I realize that the discussion of money and church is somewhat of a taboo subject.  And, I know that it’s a subject that preachers are reluctant to preach on very often because people just don’t like talking about money.  It’s sort of like a couple of other subjects people don’t like discussing - “taxes” and “death.”  But, not being a preacher, I’m just going to jump right out there and mention a few things about money.

I once overheard two men having a conversation in the adjoining booth of a restaurant with their conversation centered on “going to church.”  One of the men was complaining that it seemed like every time he went to church, the preacher was talking about “giving.”  Of course, this “giving” related to money.

Now I’ll grant you that this sort of “giving” is heard during just about every broadcast by radio and televangelists.  What with the cost of air times, wardrobes and lavish lifestyles, a continual supply of money is needed by these “preachers.”

But, in regards to our church pulpit preachers, it’s my observation that they avoid the subject of money as much as possible.  So, when I overheard the man say that “every time” he attended church they were asking for money, my first thought was that he must not attend very often. 

It’s another opinion of mine that “money” is an oft-maligned subject.  And I think that’s because it’s not viewed correctly or, maybe better said, its priority in our lives is misplaced so I’d like to consider some things about it’s priority today.

Sure, we have to have it.  It’s a necessary commodity in our earthly existence.  But like all commodities, the gaining and use of it has to be controlled, so therefore, we need to control it rather than it controlling us.  The misplacing of its priority in our temporal lives puts our spiritual lives in danger. 

That danger is brought out by Paul in his first letter to Timothy.  In chapter 6, verse 10 he writes: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  There are two operative words seen in that verse - “love” and “root.”

“Love,” as used there, means the desire to have which equals “covetousness”  and “Root” equals “the source” of “all kinds of evil.”  One of which is mentioned in that verse as “erring (neglecting) the faith” which then opens the door to other sins and in so doing, “pierces themselves with many sorrows.”  IE: brings injuries to their soul.

That should be first and foremost in our hearts & minds when we consider money.  When we consider what priority it occupies in our lives.   And, in thinking about money being a commodity, as something useful, reminds me of something once said by, of all people, Elvis Presley.  He said: “Sharing money is what gives it it’s value.”

In other words, to be of value to us, it has to be used and here’s a thought; what better way could it be used than by using it to spread the Gospel?    For example,  not many of us can be missionaries.  Can afford to go into foreign lands and teach God’s Word to the lost.  But, in a sense we can do that when we contribute to those who are doing missionary work.  A part of us is going to a mission field.

Now, back to the idea of priorities for a moment.  As Paul shows us in 2Cor. 8:5, we need to first give ourselves to the Lord, then all other aspects of “giving” will follow.  Our first priority is to “love God” and by doing that we can love others.  I encourage you to read the 4th chapter of 1John in relation to what I just said.  Our “giving” follows the same principle.

I guess that what I’m getting at here is that, “sharing” our money is “sharing” our love.  Yes, money is good for many things.  It, in and of itself, is not evil.  But, as already mentioned, the “inordinate desire” for it can certainly bring on evil.

--Ron Covey

Eleanor Porter

It’s Not a Game!

It’s not just a holiday, either! Gratitude should be a way of life.

Tim Gunnells recently reflected on the character trait of gratitude:

The most prominent literary example of this trait is evidenced in the character Pollyanna, from the book by the same name, by Eleanor Porter. Pollyanna is a young orphaned girl who is sent to live with her wealthy, stern Aunt Polly. Aunt Polly stresses about everything, even though she is abundantly blessed with material possessions, prestige, and power. Pollyanna, who has been raised in poverty and now, finds herself void of her parents, stresses about nothing. You see, she has learned to play “the glad game.” She can find the silver lining in any dark cloud. Her attitude spreads slowly, but then picks up speed in a town full of discouraged and downcast adults. In time, her grateful outlook even turns the sour Aunt Polly into a more thankful and optimistic person.

I would think that Pollyanna’s personality was only a myth, were it not for my experiences and my understanding of the spiritual principle of giving “thanks”. You see, the one who wrote the phrase “in everything give thanks” was the Apostle Paul. A man who both the Bible and other historical documents tell us was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned with stones, and ultimately martyred for his faith. He wrote these very words while in a prison cell. Still, he found plenty of reasons to be thankful.

I have known many people who have suffered the loss of jobs, houses, limbs, eyesight, hearing, family members, relationships, and even their reputation who have found something for which to be thankful. I have known scores of people who have faced their own impending death from terminal diseases with a humbling attitude of gratitude for the blessings they had received. In everything (every circumstance) they gave thanks.

I suggest that you try this brief exercise. Take out a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil. Sit down and list your blessings equal to the years you have been alive. You can do it! When you finish, share the list with someone else. Then, bow your head and thank God for the gifts you have been given.

May I help you get started on your list of blessings?

Number 1 on our list should be the greatest Gift ever given: the Gift of God’s Son.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

The blessing for which we should be MOST thankful is the GIFT of God’s Son, who died on the cross that we may have salvation from sin and receive the gift of eternal life. Jesus saves us from the greatest peril and promises to give us the greatest reward!

God will save those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We should be especially thankful for Jesus. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Won’t YOU accept the greatest Gift on His terms and live out the rest of your days in trusting obedience motivated by loving gratitude?

-- David A. Sargent

* Timothy Gunnells, “In Everything Give Thanks,” from his blog: Desert Spiritual in StarttoFinish.org, 11/23/15

David A. Sargent

Thanksgiving Day

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!  Give thanks to Him: bless His name!  For the Lord is good; His steadfast love forever, and His faithfulness to all Psalm 100:4-5 (ESV)

Last Sunday’s editorial dealt with some thoughts on our being “thankful” for some things in our lives and, since Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, I’d like to continue on with more thoughts on “giving thanks” and being “grateful.”

Let me just start off by saying that the words “grateful” and “gratitude” per se aren’t found in the Bible but, the inference or implied meaning of the words sure are.  Here’s a couple of passages that I feel shows what I’m talking about by saying the implication of those words being seen in scripture.

In the 17th chapter of Luke (11-19) we read the account of Jesus healing the ten lepers and only one of them came back to thank Him for being healed.   Only one of them showed “gratitude” (glory) to God for his being blessed.  The second passage is from Rom. 1:21 where the writer, the Apostle Paul, is talking about those who are “ungodly” and “unrighteous.”  That “they knew God” because of all He had blessed the earth with, yet did not “glorify” Him “neither were thankful.”  By implication, they showed no “gratitude” towards God for His blessings.

Let me just cap this portion of our lesson off by stating a truth and that is: ingratitude and Christianity are diametrically opposed to each other.  Said another way, an ungrateful person will not be a Christian, nor will a Christian be ungrateful. 

Something else we find mentioned in the Bible is the word “season/s.”  A lot of times another word is added to it and we find the phrase “due season.”  It’s appropriate to every passage in which it’s found and it’s appropriate to our thoughts today.  Like the Bible says, things happen “in due season.”

When we’re considering the yearly seasons of earth we know that each season comes with its own attributes.  The winter season is the earth’s germination period.  Spring brings the rains and the planting season.  Summer has the warmth and growing and then comes fall with harvest time.

When would be a more appropriate time to celebrate and offer our “thanks” and be “grateful” than this season?  The culmination of the blessings of all the other seasons.  However, in all reality, there shouldn’t be just a “special” time of the year to be “thankful,” should there?  We should be, as Paul wrote in Eph. 5:20,  “thankful” for “everything at all times.”

Others besides the writers of the books of the Bible have expressed thoughts on “thanksgiving” that I feel appropriate to be included in our lesson here today.  As you noticed, I started this editorial with a passage from the book of Psalm.  An author by the name of Jeremy Taylor penned these words: “From David learn to give thanks for everything.  Every furrow in the book of Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving.”

One of our greatest forefathers, Benjamin Franklin, once said, “The heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.”   What that says to me is this; that there is no other way in which we can repay God for all that He has blessed us with than to “glorify” Him by having a “grateful” heart.

For those who like trivial information (although the principle isn’t trivial) the phrase “giving thanks” to God is used (by my count) 73 times in the Old Testament alone.  Although this next quotation, in the form of a prayer, is not from the Bible, it was written by a famous author and expresses a great truth as to our “giving thanks” to God.  It reads: “O Lord, who lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.”  The author: William Shakespeare.

Yes, the fall is my favorite season of the year.  I like the warm days and cool nights.  I like the activities of fall such as the sports played at this time of the year.  And, being a hunter, I like being out in the woods during this season.  I love the fall colors with the leaves of the various trees changing into beautiful reds and yellows.  A lot of painters have tried to capture this picture on canvas, but none can ever paint it like God does.

And, of course, we get to celebrate one of my two favorite holidays - Thanksgiving.  Oh, the feasting (don’t say gluttony) that will go on at the Covey house.  The food will be great (always is) but the best feast to me is that my family (children and grandchildren) and other friends will be gathered there with me.  It just doesn’t get much better here on earth.

I’ve heard and read about a Thanksgiving dish that is becoming popular of late and it’s called a “turducken.”  A chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed inside a turkey.  Never tried one, but sounds good.  However, it’s the combination of two of those fowls that provides us with our closing thought today.  Ducks and turkeys.

A man, visiting a farm, watched the farmer putting his ducks and turkeys in their pens for their protection each evening and was amused by the farmer’s methods in doing this.  He said the farmer would herd the ducks into their pen and this was quite an endeavor.  The ducks would squawk and waddle all over the place and it wasn’t easy keeping them headed toward the pen.  He would eventually be successful and the ducks were in the pen.  The turkeys he simple led them into their pen and had no trouble in doing it.

To me, ducks are pretty birds and turkeys, well they’re just ugly.  However, they do look pretty good when they’re golden brown and lying on a platter.  Anyway, here’s why I’m using the two birds to close with.

As we live our lives, which bird are we like?  Are we like ducks and go running off after anything that catches our attention or looks good: IE: running after “every wind of doctrine?”  And not paying much attention to the one trying to protect us?

Or, are we like the turkeys - obedient to the directions of the farmer.  Are we faithfully following Him into a safe and peaceful home?  Safe from the main “predator” of souls?   I know which one I hope we all are.

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey