Romans 10:8-13
It’s the day before a very special Holiday in the United
State of America; in fact it is my favorite of all the days on the
calendar. We call it “Thanksgiving” it’s
a time of reflecting on the blessings we have received and for my family, it’s
the One who has blessed us. Unlike a
birthday, where the one who is experiencing it is the focus, Thanksgiving is
not about us, but what our great Lord and Savior has given us.
Now I do understand words mean things so your definition of
Thanksgiving may take on a different meaning, shall we look first at the
dictionary meaning; (Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving
Day) (in North America) an annual national holiday marked by religious
observances and a traditional meal including turkey. The holiday commemorates a
harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, and is held in the US on
the fourth Thursday in November. A similar holiday is held in Canada, usually
on the second Monday in October. It is a
time of expression of gratitude, especially to God.
I’m sure Ted Allen’s view of Thanksgiving is shared by many,
but it is not on being, but on doing, “The funny thing about Thanksgiving, or any big meal, is that you
spend 12 hours shopping for it then go home and cook, chop, braise and blanch.
Then it's gone in 20 minutes and everybody lies around sort of in a sugar coma
and then it takes 4 hours to clean it up.”
After looking at Romans 10:8-13, my
mind went to a young man of 27 full of fear and very unhappy with the choices
he had made in life. He was religious to
a degree, a Baptist in name and viewed himself as a loser in many aspects of
life. He had not made a sale that day,
so he went to the bar hoping it would bring some relief to the emptiness he was
feeling and came back to his hotel took a shower and saw the Bible on the
desk. Not looking for anything special,
but knowing in his heart he needed help, he opened the Bible to Romans 10, and
began to read and as he read Romans 10:9-13, he did something for the first
time, he ask God a question, “Will you take a person like me, for I have not
one thing you need?” And by the grace of
God and the faith God gave to this young man, he believed that Jesus tells the
truth, and he confessed his sin of unbelief, and received the free gift by
believing in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that night he
was born again, that night he entered into Christ and Christ entered into
him. I am that young man.
So tomorrow I will once more confess how
thankful I am that God loves you and me so much that He gave His only Son to
pay a price we could never pay, and set us free from the control of sin. I’ve copied Romans 10:8-13, as a reminder of
my greatest blessing, Christ’s Spirit coming to live in my earthsuit.
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in
your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because,
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses
and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who
believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is
no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing
his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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