Norman Rockwell’s paintings have been a blessing to many over the last eight decades or so. The thing that most people don’t realize is the fact that he had tremendous bouts of depression. He even moved to be near a psychiatric hospital.

D.L. Moody was one of the most profound evangelists and Bible teachers of all time. Moody said once, “I am the most overestimated man in America.” He even started a Bible institute that continues to the present. It has educated a multitude of missionaries and pastors throughout its history. Yet depression almost destroyed him.

There is one thing that these two men had in common.  In spite of depression which haunted them, they were willing to be a blessing to others.

The Apostle Paul spoke of Timothy’s tears:

 2 Timothy 1:4

greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears

Individuals who work to be a blessing to others in spite of the drag on their lives are to be admired.

Philippians 2:3-4 

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Think about it.

Gary

If my heritage came through the Maliseet, Micmac, Penobscot, or Passamaquoddy, I think I’d have a difficult time with the historic reason for Thanksgiving. However, in 2021 it doesn’t matter our lineage, we can be thankful for the country we live in and all the opportunities it has given us. Many have sacrificed much to allow us the many blessings we have today.

For all the individuals tracing their ancestry back to Noah, let us give thanks to our Creator.

2 Corinthians 4:15

For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 

As you stuff your face with turkey, don’t be one. Give thanks to God for all you have.

Think about it.

Gary

If you’re going to get involved in a riot, make sure it pays off in the end. Today we have BLM and WOKE which ignite strong emotions. In the first three centuries of the early church, it was Christianity that evoked such strong reaction. Paul the apostle got caught up into such a fracas in Ephesus because of what the idolaters referred to as the way.  Christianity was what they were mocking.

Acts 19:23

 And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.

Christianity was making inroads into the Roman Empire and the multitude didn’t like it.

This is how Jesus put it:

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Christianity was illegal according to Jewish thought:

Acts 9:2

(Paul)… asked him (High Priest) for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Demon-possessed individuals added their two cents:

Acts 16:17

She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

Some excelled in persecuting the church:

Acts 22:4

I (Paul) persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,

Some came so close to salvation they could taste it, but missed it:

Acts 24:22

Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.”

Some embraced it and we will spend eternity with them:

Acts 24:14

However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,

Which way are you involved in?

Think about it.

Gary

The sixth grader was asked by the teacher to spell Mississippi. His reply was, “Do you want the river or the state?” Now this was a young man who still had a lot to learn.

To get by in this world, there is a plethora of information that needs to be digested and applied.

Of course, you realize I’m heading to the Word of God with this one.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Lack of knowledge can be an embarrassment down the road. Make sure you get it right.

I called out to my wife one time about the spelling of a word. I asked, “How do you spell it?” She replied, “I-t.”

Think about “it.

Gary

“Flowers on the Wall” was a song sung by the Statler Brothers. It was released in 1966. Here is one stanza for the record.

Counting flowers on the wall
That don’t bother me at all
Playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo
Now don’t tell me I’ve nothing to do.

If you play a legal game of solitaire, without cheating, you might win thirty percent of the time. However, if you play with a deck of fifty-one, you can never win.

Playing against such odds is just plain ridiculous. It is especially insane if there is a card missing.

Many are playing the game of life with the link to heaven missing. The missing part is a relationship with God, based solely on the finished work of Christ. The game can never be won apart from Christ. Don’t spend eternity as a loser.

1 Timothy 1:15

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Think about it.

Gary

It was one of those old country and western songs. He didn’t want her anymore, and with that, she figured he no longer should be breathing Ohio air. She put a knife into his chest as in her arms he pressed. His last words were, “My love, don’t you murder me. I’m not prepared for eternity.”

Those are not the last words you want to be saying even if you’re not in your lover’s arms. Eternity is something you really need to consider intently and be fully prepared for. There is a book written about that very subject, and you shouldn’t be relying on someone interpreting it for you.

There is a Lover who will not only get us through the now, but has secured a place for us throughout eternity.

1 John 4:9-10 

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins

Now be careful whom you hug.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I just read an article concerning the eleven things that will never change in life, (no matter how hard you try). It was written by Marian Wright Edelman. Edelman was the first African American woman admitted to The Mississippi Bar in 1964.

Here are the things you can’t change:

1. You’re accountable to someone.
2. You’re not going to live forever.
3. You can’t please everyone.
4. You’ll never catch up to the Joneses.
5. Holding that grudge is never going to have the effect you’re hoping for.
6. Similarly, you can’t control what someone else thinks.
7. Yesterday is over. You can’t get it back.
8. The world… nope, you can’t change it.
9. Where you came from.
10. Nothing is ever really private anymore.
11. You can’t get back what you’ve lost.

These eleven statements are about as close to the truth as is possible under the present circumstances.

However, the Bible does discuss the most important change that is possible in life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Now, there is a change that you can live with for eternity.

Think about it.

Yea Gary