Dear Fellow Children of God,
I once purchased a book containing
statements of faith by the leaders of our country. From that book I copied The First Proclamation
of Thanksgiving by President George Washington in 1789
"Whereas it is the duty of all
nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be
grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection, aid and favors. .
.Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November
next, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great
and glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that
is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our
sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of
this country, and for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us." - George
Washington, 1789
Next Thursday, November 23, our
country will observe Thanksgiving Day.
Though, these days when people speak of Thanksgiving I hear more about
turkeys, and parades, and football, and Black Friday. I hear very little, in
public speech at least, about Almighty God.
Yet,
as people of faith, we know that our Lord calls us to give thanks. In Psalm 136 the Psalmist repeats again and
again, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his
steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1) God is
good. Therefore, we give thanks!
Jesus
spoke to the one leper who returned to him after he had healed 10 lepers, “"Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and
give praise to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:17-18) Jesus indicated that all who had been blessed
by healing should give God thanks and praise.
Our Heavenly Father reminds us through St. Paul, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Did you hear that? For believers in Jesus we are called to be
thankful “in all circumstances!:
But, do you ever have
difficulty giving thanks? Do you ever
wonder, “What is there to give thanks for?”
George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other presidents called the
nation to thank God. But today a person
in public life can get in trouble for even talking about God.
Recently in the
congregation where I am serving as pastor I asked people in the church to fill
out a “Counting God’s Blessings in My Life” page. I asked God’s people to consider and to write
down His Spiritual Blessings, His People and Family Blessings, His Opportunity and
Career Blessings, and His Material Blessings.
Even though I allowed 5 lines for each category, I confess to you I counted
many more blessings from my Lord than I had lines on which to count them. Let me share just some of the reasons I have
for thanking my Heavenly Father, in spite of the disappointments of life. I am thankful for:
·
My Savior, Jesus, who loves me,
forgives me, and saves me, in spite of my rebellious and selfish heart!
·
God’s Church, and the
congregations where I have belonged and served, and the faithful children of
God who have served alongside me.
·
The Scriptures, to give true
guidance when my faulty guidance system would lead me astray.
·
My family – I am so blessed to
have had Christian parents, grandparents, and relatives. I am so blessed to have a faithful and loving
wife. My children and my grandchildren
bring joy to my heart!
·
For faithful Christian mentors,
a ‘cloud of witnesses’ – So many have helped me in my walk with Jesus!
·
The opportunity to travel, to
fish, to hunt, to golf, to read, and to experience the world which God has
made.
·
That God keeps His promise and
provides – Early in our married lives Kathy and I did not believe we would ever
afford a house, and we were fine with that.
But our cup overflows with the material blessings which God gives.
·
My friends – My only regret is
that I have friends in Alaska, in Florida, in New England, and around the
country and I cannot be in all those place at one time.
·
And I could go on, and on, and
on . . .
As I quoted Psalm 23
above, “My cup Overflows.” (Psalm
23:5) God is so Good and loving! Ultimately, that goodness comes to us through
Jesus. Do you know Romans 8:32? “32 He who
did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with
him graciously give us all things?” God gives us all things we need.
Thank you, Lord!
George Washington
wrote, “. . . it is the duty
of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.” It
may indeed be our duty. God Himself
calls us to give Him Thanks. But, when I
count MY blessings, thanking God is a JOY!
For what are YOU thankful?
A Child of God, My
Heart Overflows with Thanks at the Goodness of God!
Pastor Jonathan
ESPECIALLY FOR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH.
P.S. The Service of “Remembering God’s Blessings
in the Life of Robert Besalski” will be held at First Lutheran on Saturday,
November 18. There is visitation at 1:00
p.m., followed y the service at 2:00, and then a reception in the Besalski
Fellowship Hall. Please plan to attend
and celebrate God’s blessings in your life!
P.P.S. CONSECRATION SUNDAY is
coming to First Lutheran on Sunday, November 19. In worship on this day we will have an
opportunity to respond to the love of God in our lives by placing a commitment
on the altar. Then, after worship, we
have a wonderful meal prepared by Christa Vigil and helpers. The menu includes stuffed pork loin, roasted smashed potatoes, Fall vegetables,
Winter salad greens, and dessert, including cookies, cake, and apple galette! Over 100 people have made reservations. PLEASE
plnn to attend! P.S. I will provide
below the document “Counting God’s Blessings in My Life.”
FISHING - J
P.P.P.S. I only went
fishing once this past week, but I played golf 3 times. Here are some pictures from a fishing trip
with UF college student, and First Lutheran attendee, Alex Walenjus. https://photos.app.goo.gl/RcGSh7jRqbAaL8LU9
*******
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired
at the end of August 2019 from serving as full-time senior pastor of St. John
Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was
writing a weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the
Pastor." When I retired many asked
me to continue writing these devotions.
So I have continued writing.
However, with life's changes I now call this weekly devotion
"Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St.
John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who asked to receive it. (Currently I am serving as Vacancy Pastor for
First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL.)
So, if you stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive
them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution
list. My e-mail address is
jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help
each of you in your daily walk with our Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan
Rockey
Child
of God
Husband,
Father, Son, Grandfather
Vacancy Pastor, First Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL
Pastor
Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church, Palmer, AK
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
COUNTING God’s BLESSINGS in My Life!
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in
all things at all times, having all that you need, you will
abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
I I am Thankful for the following People and Family Blessings which God has given me in my life. (Parents? Spouse? Children? Friends? Other?)
2 ________________________________________
3.
________________________________________
4. ________________________________________
5. ________________________________________
God’s BLESSINGS in My Life!
I am Thankful for the following Spiritual
Blessings which God has given me in my
life. (Faith? Forgiveness? Church? Other?)
1. ________________________________________
2 ________________________________________
3.
________________________________________
4. ________________________________________
5. ________________________________________
COUNTING God’s BLESSINGS in My Life!
has
given me in my life. (Education? Jobs? Travel? Recreation?)
1. ________________________________________
2 ________________________________________
3.
________________________________________
4. ________________________________________
5. ________________________________________
God’s BLESSINGS in My Life!
I I am Thankful for the following Material Blessings which God has given me in my life. (Homes? Finances? Transportation? Hobbies?)
1. ________________________________________
2 ________________________________________
3.
________________________________________
4. ________________________________________
5. ________________________________________
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in
all things at all times, having all that you need, you will
abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
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