Month after month, we have heard the daily news reports affirming the weakness and instability of our economy. Many have lost life savings in the stock market; the government continues to bailout banks; and automotive giants hover on the brink of bankruptcy. Now as we head into the holiday season, many ask the questions, “Will this be a happy thanksgiving and a merry Christmas?”

As Christians, our joy should not be dependent on our possessions or circumstances. Our joy is found in Jesus Christ! May I suggest a few ways to cultivate a grateful spirit during this holiday season.

1. Meditate on the goodness of God.
Our God is a good God! In the busyness of this Thanksgiving season, take time to reflect on God’s goodness in your own life. Consider His gift of salvation and His plan for your life. Psalm 107:1
 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

2. Thank God for the gift of health.
As I write this post, I have just returned from visiting one of our faithful members who has just been hospitalized. In fact, for many years our family has made it a tradition to deliver pies to church members who are hospitalized during the Thanksgiving holiday. This is a way to remember and be thankful for the good health God has given to us. When my wife and I began this tradition years ago, we could always see a noticeable difference in our children’s attitudes and demeanor after we left the hospital. So many problems in our lives suddenly seem insignificant when you consider those who have spent their day in a hospital bed.

3. Thank God for your children.
Having two of my own children now married and one more getting married in December, it is tough to find time in everyone’s schedule to get together. This Thanksgiving will be the first Thanksgiving in three years when all of our four children and their spouses will be together. We are greatly looking forward to spending time with them. These are cherished times for my wife and me. Thank God for your children.

4. Don’t compare yourself with others.
Second Corinthians 10:12 teaches us that it is unwise to compare ourselves with one another. Don’t get caught in the trap of envying another persons’ possessions, ability, or opportunities. This will only result in bitterness in your own life.

5. Look back to who you were.
Every Sunday as I look out across the our congregation, I see families that apart from the grace of God, wouldn’t be a family today. I see men and women who have had their lives transformed by God and now have a new direction and purpose. When all is said and done, I am just a sinner saved by grace! From where has the Lord brought you since your salvation? Take time to thank Him for making you a new creature.

6. Rejoice when others are blessed.
It is a biblical principle to rejoice with those who rejoice. I have found that oftentimes we don’t know the full story. We can see how people are blessed, but we don’t always know how they have sacrificed. Usually those who are blessed financially have put to practice good biblical stewardship. Rejoice when others are blessed, and you’ll get a blessing out of that!

7. Avoid the “God owes me” mentality.
I have met people who believe that because they tithed for two years and still lost their house, God now owes them. This is a dangerous place to be! If this is your mindset, then you have just promoted yourself above God’s plan and purpose for your life. We deserve nothing but an eternity in Hell apart from God. God owes us nothing, but rather we owe God everything! Paul said it this way, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Psalm 100:4-5
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

The information age has brought with it a world of great possibilities, as well as a host of potential problems to the ministry and to the lives of individual people.  As a pastor, I have seen firsthand many lives ruined because of something said or done on the internet.

Recently, I came across an article written in the Readers Digest regarding online rumors:

“Smear someone in a traditional media outlet, like a newspaper or a talk show, and you can end up in court. But the law that Congress passed in 1996 establishing basic Internet regulations prevents website hosts from being held responsible for what outsiders post on their sites. In other words, the law says that the kind of defamation that would get the New York Times sued is fair game on JuicyCampus.

“In June 2007, two women filed a federal defamation lawsuit against the dozens of anonymous AutoAdmit users who made comments about them. By subpoenaing Internet service providers, the women have acquired some of the users’ names; last August they named one publicly and are threatening to out more.

“Maybe more cases like this one will make cowardly creeps attacking people from behind their keyboards think twice, lest they see their own reputations ruined in the end. ”

Click here to read the full article.

In an age when people use resources like the internet to spread gossip and lies, may we choose to use these resources to promote the truth of God’s Word. And in doing so, commit to avoid the traps of online gossip and sin.

May the Lord give you wisdom and discernment in this information age and may you use that wisdom for His honor and glory!

Just a few days ago, the WCBC girls volleyball team headed to Omaha, Nebraska, to compete in the National Championship Tournament of the American Association of Christian Athletics. Under the direction of their coach, Miss Melodie Shaw, who just completed her first year as head coach, the lady Eagles set out to win their first national championship tournament.

Once the tournament play had begun, the girls went undefeated, winning their final match against Crowley Ridge College by a score of three games to one. This was a great victory for our team and a wonderful conclusion to this year’s season.

I am very proud of our team this year. Each of these ladies has had a tremendous testimony both on and off the court. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for each of their lives. Congratulations Lady Eagles on your national championship victory!

Throughout the year, the Lord has given our ministry the opportunity to conduct several Striving Together Conferences across the country. Earlier this week, we conducted our final Striving Together Conference of the year in Great Falls, Montana. The meeting was held at the Heritage Baptist Church where Dr. S.C. Schearer, a good friend of mine, has pastored for many years.

While in Montana, it was a thrill for me to meet with several pastors who are doing great things for God in that region of the country. Their testimony of faithfulness was an encouragement to me. This was truly a time of iron sharpening iron.

As we drove toward Great Falls late Wednesday afternoon, I couldn’t help but admire the wonderful creation of God. The sun was just beginning to set while a couple hundred antelope grazed in the distance. It was a reminder to me that in the most difficult times of political and economic instability, we can rest in the fact that our God is greater than our every problem. May we not forget that He is great and that He is in control!

II Chronicle 2:5-6a
And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him?

As I read the newspaper on November 4th, it was interesting to me to note that on the same day as our nation headed to the polls to cast their ballot for President, Catholic and Muslim leaders met together at the Vatican to discuss their two religions.

These leaders, including Pope Benedict, met with the purpose of focusing on the commonalities between their two religions, which combined represent over 2 billion followers.

The fact that these key religious leaders are willing to lay aside doctrinal differences and come together for the cause of unity is alarming and is a significant step towards a one-world religion.

As the meetings came to a close today, European newspapers hailed the success of the summit as “beyond expectations.” Another reporter credited the “Obama Effect” for the favorable outcome of the meetings since Barack Obama is a professing Christian from a Muslim family.

One Vatican reporter said these meetings represent the beginning of a “new chapter in a long history,” and Pope Benedict said the meeting was just “one more step along the way towards greater understanding.”

As Christians, we recognize that these events are simply setting the stage for a one-world leader. May we each vigilantly watch and pray as we continue to tell others of Christ in these last days.

Read the full story here.