Birthdays: Leonard Qualls – Nov. 24th | Kip McMillan – Nov. 28th Robert Margeson – Nov. 30th
CHRIST'S GREAT WORK
"I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do" (John 17:4). What was His work? The work which the Father gave Him to do; the work covenanted from before the world began; the work that shall crown Him with glory and honor for ever and ever; the work of fulfilling, of magnifying, and of honoring the holy law of God; the work of satisfying and of sheathing the sword of inflexible justice in His own heart; the work of vanquishing the powers of darkness, bruising the old serpent's head, spoiling principalities and powers, taking away the sting of death, and removing the curse forever from all the election of grace. That is the work of God; that is the work of Christ, and it is freely given to the believer.
—Joseph Irons
All our works before repentance are dead works and these works have no true beauty in them, no matter the gloss that may appear to a natural eye. A dead body may have something of the features and beauty of a living body, but it is but the beauty of a carcass, not of a man. Since man, therefore, is spiritually dead, he cannot perform a living service. As a natural death does incapacitate for natural actions, so a spiritual death must incapacitate for spiritual actions.
—Stephen Charnock
It is so sad when people feel within themselves that they have nothing for which to thank God. We need to consider that the very breaths we take are gifts from God. But what is more tragic and sad is when a sinner claims to be saved by the sovereign mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus and fails to thank God through worship, service, and love. If this is the case, there is something seriously wrong in the heart. —Copied
“IN EVERY THING GIVE THANKS”
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18). We all have much for which to thank the Lord God. Our thanksgiving should extend from our hearts as we acknowledge and live in the truth that all the good things we have, ultimately, are gifts from God and not due to any goodness, merit, or power within ourselves. It is all of grace!
Thanksgiving Day is a day in which we can enjoy time with our family and friends, and we can and should give thanks to God for all that He has done for us, especially if He has saved us by His grace in Christ Jesus. But let’s all remember that thanksgiving is not just a day for God’s people. It is a way of life! We are to be “giving thanks ALWAYS for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20). Remember also that giving thanks is more than simply saying, “Thank you, Lord.” It is also what we do in honor of God as He has revealed Himself to us in Christ Jesus. Thanksgiving is expressed in worshipping the Lord and serving Him as motivated by grace, gratitude, and love, all while trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as our whole salvation. Thanksgiving is delighting in the assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ and in our complete justification before God by His righteousness imputed and received by faith. Thanksgiving is a yearning of the regenerated heart crying out in sincere wonder to the God of all grace and in appreciation of all that He has freely given us out of His sovereign goodness and mercy. —Pastor Bill Parker
“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:14-15). This offering is the sacrifice of praise. This should be offered up for all mercies, temporal and spiritual, and unto God, because they all come from Him; and because such sacrifices are well pleasing to Him, and are no other than our reasonable service, and agreeable to His will. They are offered up aright when they are offered up through Christ, the great High Priest, by Whom they are acceptable unto God, and upon Him the Altar, which sanctifies every gift, and by faith in Him, without which it is impossible to please God. —John Gill