...too small a thing...

Thankfulness

I have not written any verse in a while but this morning I do have a thankfulness in my heart and wanted to write a few words. My hope is someone will read and realize how blessed we are and acting upon this will share our blessings with others. Of course our greatest Blessing is to know the Living God through the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thankfulness

 

Pushing buttons and watching pixels appear on the screen,

Is a daily  occurrence in these modern times.

Our heated homes have modern and stylish décor,

We tend to have what we want

And if that is not enough then we go get some more.

 

The abundance of our life is really quite easily seen,

We view it on television, movie, and of course the internet.

Ours news is what is happening now, no matter where.

So our in order to get people to watch,

Our media uses every event to give us a scare.

 

Our lives are really quite comfortable when we consider it all,

And look around the world with a willingness to see.

Not everyone lives in the modern affluent style.

Billions of humans have not a clue,

How to use a computer, or homes with clean bathroom tile.

 

We have a great day in America, when we celebrate our heritage,

And remember our ancestors who founded our nation.

They had it quite rough in the infancy of the States.

And at the first celebrations

Daily there was not as much on their plates.

 

There was something special in this celebration meal that they shared,

An attitude or knowledge that was in every pilgrim’s heart.

They were thankful to God for all that they had.

And they shared it with others

And the sharing, for them was much more than a fad.

 

This spirit of thanksgiving is still alive in our country today.

The USA gives more and does the most to bring help to the world.

There is no doubt at all to who has designed our story.

While our people do work hard,

And enjoy all the nations bounty, the truth is To God be the Glory!

 

When you gather on this holiday as you enjoy your thanksgiving meal,

May God truly grant you what the pilgrims gave to  our nation.

For the thing that they gave us is not just turkey or a pie.

It is much more than some tradition,

 It is thankfulness to God, and a passion to help others know why.

Reaching Your Full Potential

As we venture on in life day to day serving Christ often times there is a thought that comes to mind. Am I reaching my full potential? Am I doing all I can to be the best I can as a servant of the Lord? Am I a worthwhile human being created in the image of God who really does make a difference in the world? Now I do not want to give the wrong impression that I am consumed with this thought and worry myself to sleep at night with this powerful and a little troubling thought.

If you really think about it no one is living up to thier full potential as the Bible reminds us that "There are none that are righteous, no not one." (Romans 3:10) So if no one is good and no one lives up to full potential then we are a bunch of losers. And the reality of life is I realize my own faults and know my mistakes and my problems and so I see how far from the mark of full potential I am off. It can be very depressing if you are someone who is seeking to do good and to make a difference by reaching a great level of success.

Now the real issue here is who defines what "full potential" is for any person. For some full potential may have been reached years ago with a High School football game won and life is downhill ever since. Some may feel if they go on a mission trip that once that is completed full potential has been achieved. Some others my keep changing what it is that makes for full potential. This elusive thing of full potential is very confusing to many.

Psalm 37:4 has a neon sign flashing the answer. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  It is simple reaching full potential is found not in what you do but in what God has done. When we are in Christ we are a son of God. "As many as receive Him to them, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12) Here is full potential. Being a child of God is the top of the pile of humanity. We should not measure ourselves against each other, and decide if we are reaching full potential by comparison with others but by seeking our Lord and being content with life as we serve Him.

This is a pretty profound thougth that takes a little chewing to swallow. It does not excuse laziness or lack of achievement in any way. But it lets a person come to a realization that when we are in Christ and are led by the Spirit and seek His face we are at that moment living up to our full potential. As we fall (sin has a way of rearing its ugly head in my life) we have an advocate with the Father and righteousness is restored when we seek Him. Once again we are put on the path to full potential by following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Reach your full potential today. Seek the Lord for He is near.

Russian Opportunity

At the GBC Missions Volunteer Banquet I had the great honon of sittning next to two wonderful men of God from Russia. Pavel is from St Petersburg Russia (the most beautiful city on earth so he says) and Misha from Moscow Russia. These men are Baptist Pastors and they were here in GA to formalize a Partnership with Georgia Baptist to open ongoing short term mission of churches helping churches for the next 5 years. There witll be a Vision Trip by the GBC in January and another in May to encourage Georgia Baptist to find opportunity to serve in Russia. Begin praying about if the Lord would use you to reach people on the other side of the world with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.