The Fruit of Thanksgiving

The fourth Thursday of November is almost here. A lot of people have made plans for this holiday. You've probably been part of such conversations yourself. 

Thanksgiving Day is a fun public holiday. People talk about the traditional turkey and dressing dinner, along with things like sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.

I’d be surprised, however, if you’ve heard much about fruit for Thanksgiving. It’s a specialized individual item, but sharing it with others multiplies its pleasure. That’s why I’m encouraging you to include fruit this year.

Some of you think I’m talking about fruit salad. I’m not. I’m talking about what the scriptures call “the fruit of our lips, giving thanks” (Hebrews 13:15 NKJV). The question is how and when will you bring it out?

Hopefully, you won’t do what I did. I once served a beautiful well-planned dinner. The accolades of my guests made me feel great.

All that changed later when I opened the refrigerator door. Staring me in the face was a big bowl of fruit salad. Fruit is not known for its longevity, and it would have been so much fun to share. Timeliness is important.

The challenge this year is to purposely include some fruit. Remember, the fruit of your lips is giving thanks to God. This is open to all people regardless of age, social standing, or financial limitations.

Decide how you and your guests can share the encouragement of the fruit of your lips this year.

Need a starter phrase? Just say, “I’m thankful for (name it).” People can share fruit at the table or away from it. It’s Thanksgiving Day, remember?      

Candles and Flashlights

Last week I was watching TV when suddenly the lights went off. I had not been without electricity for years. Two things surprised me---the stifling feeling of complete darkness and the overwhelming silence.

I sat in my recliner, considering the situation. I thought I can see why people in solitary confinement might go crazy after a while. But a few minutes later I started to think now what shall I do?

First, I turned on my cell phone flashlight. God bless the person who designed that option. I used it to retrieve the flashlight on my desk, then I located the special candle created in a jar, plus some matches in my kitchen.

The furnace was off, so I bundled up in a blanket. Then I thought my cell phone works---I’ll make some calls. I even received a couple of calls, though they were surprised to learn I was sitting in the dark.

Later on, the flashlight helped me read. When that became tiring, I decided to rest. I figured the lights would come on eventually. If not, at least I could count on daylight.

The darkness was a wake-up call. But about ninety minutes later the lights came on as suddenly as they had gone off. The first thing I did was turn on the furnace. Then I located a flashlight in each room.

My stifling darkness had been alleviated by light in various forms and different sizes. I was thankful for each of them.

Light comes into our world in different ways, too. The psalmist David declared, “The LORD is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1).

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world (John 8:12 NKJV). He further declared that His followers were to let His light shine through them in good works, not for their glory, but to the glory of God (Matthew 5:16).

Don’t say, “I’m only a small candle.” Don’t even think I’m only a flashlight. Just shine! Follow Jesus and do good. Even a tiny light pushes away the darkness and brings hope around it.        

 

 

Just One Little Candle

Have you ever been in the dark? Light is something easy to take for granted. Just flip a switch and there it is---light!

I have rarely been without it in my lifetime. The few times I have been in the dark, I have been grateful for one little candle. It didn't matter if it was a single tall taper or a fat round pillar.

Light has always been a major factor in the world. In the Genesis story of Creation, the first thing God said was, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3).

Read further and you see light specialties---sun for the day, moon and stars for the night. Beautiful, yes, but practical. Their purpose was to mark seasons and the passing of time. I wouldn't want to give up any of them, would you?

God is always into light, not darkness. He expanded light in different ways. He sent His Son who was declared "The Light of the world" (John 8:12). People, who chose to believe in Jesus, would no longer walk in spiritual darkness.

God's light was further expanded as Jesus instructed those who believed in Him to be lights, too. How? By their good works as they followed His teachings. They would bring glory to God (Matthew 5:16).

Over the centuries there have been lights that brightened the lives of millions. For example Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, William and Catherine Booth, Father Michael McGivney, Corrie Ten Boom, and Jan Karon.

Have you heard of Sister Gaynel, Pastor Joe and Carolyn, Grandma Weber, or Mom Mullins? No? Oh, I know why! Their lives of good works and good words brightened MY small world.

All these people have one thing in common---humility. Whether praising Mother Teresa or Billy Graham, each would insist, "I'm just one little candle." Mom Mullins and Grandma Weber would say the same.

Two important principles remain at work: (1) Someone is waiting for just one little candle to shine in their darkness, and (2) I am not called to shine where you can shine, nor vice versa.

She Lived to be 100!

As our pastor gave an open invitation to a memorial, my curiosity kicked in. I kept waiting for him to say the name, but he just said she had lived a little over one hundred years.

I decided to attend. It was my first opportunity to celebrate a centenarian. Yes, I know . . . a friend reminded me that people live way longer than that nowadays, but I’ve never met any of those either.

Her big, beautiful family, including great-grandchildren, impressed me. It reminded me of Proverbs 17:6: Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children (NLT). The memorial reflected their love for her.

During the slide show, I realized I knew this lady, though I had never met her. I had often observed her walking slowly toward the church, holding onto the arm of her daughter-in-law. She was obviously a senior, but I would never have guessed her to be one hundred.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed they parked far out. The pastor said, “One day I asked why they didn’t drive up closer and use our portico?” Their reply? “She wants to walk.”

Imagine the changes this lady lived through. From the end of the horse-and-buggy era into the space age, for one thing. And think of the changes from wall-mounted party-line telephones, to desk-top rotary-dial models, to current pocket-sized cell phones.

During World War II she took her place in a factory to help with the war effort. She lived through the Depression and several recessions. Is it any wonder this was the verse on the front of her memorial brochure? The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deuteronomy 31:8).

One comment on her life stuck with me. While sharing the accomplishments of this Christian wife and mother, Pastor said, “There were many changes during her life, but one thing remained constant---her values.”

What a statement! 

I hope people will be able to say that of me. 

What about you?

Principle for a Good Life

I think I was a little spoiled as I was growing up. Mom sewed for me and made things fit beautifully. She even sewed my wedding dress while I was attending college in another state.

A few days before the wedding, mom arrived with the dress, prepared to let it out or take it in. I took it all for granted.

During my growing years, if the dress was too short or the bodice too tight . . . no worries. Mom would let down the hem, or let out the bodice.

Emotionally we do things like that daily. We make allowances for things that bother us and keep us on edge. We let them remain in our minds and they give us no peace.

People look for personal peace in different ways. Some try to "let" it in their lives through alcohol or drugs---short-term solutions. Even TV becomes boring after hours and hours, too much sleep is not refreshing, and neither is constant snacking.

All of these things miss the principle of a good life. Long-lasting peace does not come from things. It comes from a person who understands everything about us and the world we live in.

Let's hear it from Jesus, himself: Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27 NKJV).

In John 14:1 He said it again: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 

If you are worried that He won't hear your prayer for peace, consider His words in John 6:37: The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

If that's not encouraging, what is?

Our world has always been full of troubles. Jesus' peace comes on an individual basis. Do you want it?

Step one: Do not let your heart be troubled any longer. Step two: Ask Jesus to give you peace, the kind that only He can give.

 

Daniel, The Lion Tamer

A few weeks ago, our pastor preached on “Jesus at the Watering Hole.” When I realized it was about Jesus talking with a woman at the city well in Samaria, I had to smile. The off-beat title got my attention.

That’s why I decided to write about “Daniel, The Lion Tamer.”

As a young man, Daniel was a captive carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon. He and other promising young men were put into a top-notch training school. Graduates were presented to King Nebuchadnezzar for private interviews. He would decide how they could best serve him.

As a graduate in service of the King, Daniel was known to go to his room and pray toward Jerusalem three times a day (Daniel 6:10).

Later on, the Persians overcame Babylon. Daniel rose to the top in service to King Darius, and jealous peers concocted a scheme to pull him down.

Their plan worked. Daniel was tossed into the lion’s den, but God sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths. It’s a great story. Read it for yourself in Daniel, chapter six. The power of prayer cannot be discounted.

Prayer is never out of season, but people seem more drawn to prayer in hard times. Today we hear much about the call to prayer in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

God said He would hear prayers and have mercy if His people would do three things: 1) humble themselves before Him, (2) pray and seek His face and (3) turn from their wicked ways.  

Daniel said a prayer like that for his people. Read it for yourself in the Old Testament Book of Daniel, chapter nine.

The Apostle Paul wrote that the weapons of our (spiritual) warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty (2 Corinthians 10:4).

James, another apostle, declared we show our faith by our works (James 2:17-18). Each of these men would have found in Daniel a fellow believer.

Today’s threats are not lions, but prayer still makes a difference.

Are you a person of faith? How do you show it? 

A Matter of Will

We are born with the ability to choose. It's a matter of will.

Proverbs 20:11 says, "Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right." This is true of adults, as well as children. 

Of course, deeds are not always pure and right. Despite the negatives, I think our will is an ability worth celebrating. That's why I wrote the following:

Dear Will,

It's a pleasure to write this letter. I appreciate having you in my life.

Thank to you, I can make thoughtful decisions. You make it possible for me to choose what to do, where to go, and what to say.

I appreciate the freedom you give me. You wait patiently as I review information and search things out. You always desire that I make a good choice.

I'm captain of my own ship, in many ways, because of you. Storms of life may cause me grief and troubled times, but I don't have to bob along on unsettled waves. I can decide which life-saving actions to pursue.

Experience has shown me that you can be quite flexible.

If I need strength and boldness, you rise to the occasion and people call me "strong-willed." If I shrink back, letting circumstances and others' choices control me, I get labeled "weak-willed." Either way, you stick with me.

Others may threaten to affect my life in uncomfortable ways, trying to pressure me to do their will. You respect me by waiting in the background. Then when I've made my decision, you help me follow through.

Thank you for being a companion, not a dictator. When wrong choices cause discomfort, you remain loyal, hoping I will see the error of my ways.

I thank God for you, Will.

Not only have you helped make me who I am today, but you will continue to impact my life right to the end.