Mortify therefore your members which are
upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence,
and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which
things sake the wrath of God cometh on
the children of disobedience: in the which
ye also walked some time, when ye lived
in them. But now ye also put off all these;
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth. Lie not
one to another, seeing that ye have put
off the old man with his deeds; and have
put on the new man, which is renewed in
knowledge after the image of Him. Where
there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision
nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond
nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Colossian 3:5-11
Yes, I am taking this day, this blog to write about Thanksgiving a day set aside especially to remember all that we have to be thankful. Let us remember that this day is not a day commanded by God for us to celebrate. Anyone, both Christian and non-Christian can celebrate and be thankful. Do not make this a Christian religious festival! We all, that is, if we take the time, to be thankful for something. Maybe it is a job, family, friends, living in this country that has freedoms that no other country has, or for good health, even for the ability to go through terrible times, all things for which we can be thankful. As for Christians we can add the last three words written in the opening verses: CHRIST IS ALL.....!
Now that is something to be thankful for for Christ is all, and in all, therefore we have something to be thankful for that non-Christians do not have: a living creator, who came to earth to die for sin, and by His death, and our belief in Him, we can have Christ who is in all, and is all, in our very being. No matter our circumstances we have Jesus Christ Who is all and in all, in us, and we through the Holy Spirit that resides in all Authentic Christians to lead us, guide, and give to us remembrance of all that God has done for all who He elects to have all the promises that He promised. Looking back, at least for some of us we can see how our old life was in opposition to God, but when we have come to that place where we know that we are sinners, deserving of death, eternal death, and know that Jesus Christ gives life, eternal life, not because of who we are now, or in the past, but because He came to earth to pay this debt of sin and we can be recipients of this vicarious death. What is there not to be thankful for, we have Christ Who is all, and in all?
Jesus Christ is God! Some will object, but they object what they will not believe. Jesus Christ created all things, and there is no place in Scripture that says that He was a created being. The Godhead, three Persons in One, the Father, the Son Who is the Wisdom of God, and the Holy Spirit, all of the same essence and all having a part in the workings of God. So when Jesus Christ is said to be all, He is all, God is all, but more, Jesus Christ is in all, not Pantheism, no, but through the Holy Spirit God resides in all who have put their faith and trust in Him.
God lives in no-time! God is eternal, and God did not sequentially create Jesus from Himself, nor the Holy Spirit from Himself, they all existed before time because they are God, the Godhead. God sees all, from the beginning to the end without the aid of time, so then, He knows who will believe in Him through their belief in the One He sent to earth to make it possible for those who believe to have what God intended for man: eternal life. In the Wisdom of God resides the eternal counsel of God. There was a time when nothing existed but God, no material thing, all did not exist. God created angels, and God created all material things and this by the Wisdom of God Who is known to us as the Word of God. By the Word of God all things were created and we know from the Bible that the Word of God is Jesus Christ (John 1:1) and that the Word of God created all things that were created (John 1:3-4). God knew that sin would enter the world and had prepared salvation before time began, God knows all things. Man then being a weak vessel needed to know this God who would save them, forgive them, redeem them, and give to them life, life eternal, so God reveals to man Himself through all who were to write those inspired words of God so that we, even though weak could know God. To make it better for us to know God, God sent His Wisdom, the Word of God, to earth to take on humanity, and by this Humanity we learn how to live for God and to come to know that God has kept His promise from the fall of Adam and Eve that through them salvation would come.
You have all that there is to have to be thankful so that on that special set aside day called Thanksgiving you can be thankful to God that He saves.
As the opening verses pointed out that we were once sinful, doing sinful things, so that we needed a Savior if we were to be saved. We cannot become perfect in this life, no, not until Jesus Christ comes again to end this world but we can know and I believe that we do know even if we refuse to admit it, we are guilty. When once you know that you are guilty, that is admit it to yourself then change your plan, learn to trust Jesus Christ, and to it more and more everyday. Learn to strive to do more, do not sit back and life on Jesus Christ, prove to yourself that Christ is all and is all to you, realize all that Jesus Christ is doing, and feel the peace, and you will grow in holiness, not for man, not for any other reason that Jesus Christ is all.... and if you do this you can be thankful, truly thankful for by your faith, your renewed life one day you will see Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:14b).
BE THANKFUL......YOU HAVE ETERNITY AHEAD OF YOU WITH GOD.
I cried with my whole heart;
hear me, O LORD: I will keep
thy statutes. I cried unto thee;
save me, and I shall keep
thy testimomies.
Psalm 119:145-146
Enjoy your Thanksgiving
Richard L. Crumb
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