11-29-2016

Good Morning All,

           Deuteronomy 6:12; “be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

     I am tired of turkey.  It’s only been a couple of days but I am tired of turkey and stuffing and stuff.  We tried to send some home with the kids when they went home.  They didn’t take any food but everyone is home so it is calm again.  Thanksgiving is over and, unfortunately, I am glad.

    Doesn’t it seem like we feel like that more and more?  We look forward to a holiday and then we seem to want it over as soon as we can.  Sometimes this is because we try to do too much in a short amount of time and fail to relax and enjoy it.  I ate a month’s worth of turkey in 48 hours.  Sometimes we let the world define our expectations and we miss the truth of what we want.  Sometimes we lose sight of what we are truly celebrating.  Sometimes we just simply forget.

    That was a problem that the Israelites had; they were forgetful.  They forgot about all the wondrous things that God had done for them.  They forgot how God had preserved them and then saved them from slavery in Egypt and brought them out of Egypt by his gracious hand.  Yet soon, they forgot this miracle and only thought of their belly.  First it was no food and then it was food that wasn’t good enough.  They complained because they forgot about God and his gracious gifts to them.  They forgot about God’s blessings on their lives.

   We often do this as well.  We get so used to God’s gifts that we soon take them for granted and may even come to look upon them with a certain amount of disdain.  We forget the Lord, who brought us out of slavery, our slavery to sin, and thus bestowed upon us all the blessings we receive.  We miss the great truth about how God continually blesses us.

    For many of us, these blessings include the abundance of food, the joy of family, the fellowship of friends, the peace of the land.  These are a few blessings that we have but do we remember the Lord or do we assume that we, somehow, deserve everything we have.  For many of us, we have so much that we begin to despise some of the gifts.  We have an abundance of food so we despair about the exact food.  When my grandson got tired of turkey, he told his grandma, “I want sumpyelse.” When asked what he wanted, he didn’t know.  How often do we go to God and want “sumpyelse” and despise his gifts?

    Forget not the Lord.  Don’t ever forget God’s love for you; it is plainly displayed to us in the open and empty tomb of Christ.  Death could not hold him and it cannot hold us.  Don’t ever forget or take for granted this wonderful gift.  It is what we should truly be thankful for.

Father, too often I forget your grace in my life.  Forgive my sin and heal my heart.  Be with those who fail to see this is the one thing to always be thankful for as we have eternal life.  Continue to bless your people with your mercy; keep us safe in your loving arms.  Thank you for your grace.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret