God’s Unfailing Therapy!
Greetings from Clearwater! Today, Pastor Brake and I will be of service to this lovely company of believers as we rejoice with them in the opening and dedication of their church building. They are a small group in number but giants of faith. They acquired, renovated, refurbished their new and beautiful place of worship and are debt free. What an achievement and a miracle story – Praise the Lord! Please keep them in your prayers as they witness for Jesus in this gorgeous little town.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I kindly suggest that we consider God’s goodness through the transforming life experience of the heroes of faith as revealed in the Word. The Bible portrays Abraham, the “father of faith,” lying to save his skin. David is called “a man according to God’s heart” despite his adultery and murder. Elijah is introduced as a prayer warrior, courageous, and determined but he asked God to take his life when fleeing from the wicked Jezebel. Peter was even willing to die for Jesus but in a matter of hours he denied Him cowardly. Paul, the great apostle, and Barnabas, a faithful servant of Christ, could not solve a domestic dispute. The list goes on…
What is amazing about the stories of these people? The answer is clear: God’s grace and forgiveness as found in the Bible. It tells us that God is not interested in our past because He is more focused on our present and future – what He can do for us today and especially what we can become tomorrow. When the enemy comes to tells us that there is no hope for us because of our past, he does that to discourage and hurt us. Satan is the master of the past because he has no future. However, you and I have a future with God, just like Abraham, David, Elijah, Peter, Paul and Barnabas among many others. Yes, the Scriptures unveil an ever-present God Who wants to transform and save all of us! (Eph. 2:8)
My prayer for this season is that we humbly present our hearts to God as a gift of gratitude for His love for us. “Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise… Then let us educate our hearts and lips to speak the praise of God for His matchless love.” (EGW, MH, 251, 253) Yes, let’s count our blessings!
Happy Sabbath & Happy Thanksgiving!
In His Service,
Wesley Torres
President
