With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching I was suddenly surprised with a reminder of just how much I have to be thankful for. It happened the day before yesterday as I spoke with a man who just lost his wife and two daughters. By “lost” I mean she and the children left, moved out of state to her parents home, because of his sins. He made no excuses, confessed his sins, and took full responsibility for the consequences.

Although he made a profession of faith and appeared to be deeply sorry for what he did, the damage was done. Although his sins have been forgiven the consequences continue. Although he is now part of God’s family, his family is broken. Hopefully over time God will heal the hurts and restore his marriage. Meanwhile the whole family suffers. I hope you will pray for them, but I also hope that we all can learn something from this sad story.

When we sin, we often do things we can’t undo. Avoiding sin is much better than trying to deal with its aftermath. Resisting temptation is far easier than trying to restore things after the damage is done. As I told the man, “When God saves us, He forgives us, accepts us into His family, and assures us of heaven, but He doesn’t remove the scars for our body, pay our gambling debts, etc.

I rejoiced that this young man trusted Christ as his Savior, but my heart was grieved to think about the pain he and his family are experiencing. However, I was blessed, and I am hopeful, because his story reminded me of mine. I know from experience what God can do. He can turn defeat into victory. Out of the ash-heap of sinful failure, God can bring forth beauty and blessings beyond what we can imagine. When we parted ways, I left with the prayer that God will do for him what He did for me.

I don’t know who might be reading this–you might have fallen or you might be the victim of someone else’s sin, but in the Lord there is hope for you! That hope, however, isn’t found in trying to bargain with God –” I will- – – if you – – -“. It’s one thing to say, Lord if you put my marriage back together I will serve you the rest of my life”, and another to say, “Lord, I love you, trust you, and will serve you the rest of my life–regardless of what happens”. The latter gives us the best chance for success. I don’t know for certain that this man’s marriage will be restored, or that your problem will be solved, but I do know this–you ought to serve God regardless of the cost, circumstances or consequences. Think about it!

Just like people, every church is different, and in some regards that is just fine. However, there are certain things that should characterize every church. There are certain doctrines that must be believed. These truths are set forth in what is commonly called the “Articles of Faith”– a description of things believed regarding major doctrines.

The problem is that many people have never studied these doctrines. Even worse is that some preachers have never taught them. And they see no need in doing so. That leads to serious problems –problems that are very obvious to the close observer. For example, they sing “It’s all about you Jesus”, when in reality it’s all about them. They are more interested in their feelings than they are in the fundamentals of the faith. The songs they sing are selected on the basis of how it excites them emotionally, rather than what they say about the person and work of Christ. Some are admittedly bored with the grand old hymns of yesteryear. The “preaching” they enjoy is not that where the Word of God is faithfully expounded. They want to be entertained, not enlightened. Even when the Bible is mentioned they pay no mind as to what version is used. They have no idea why one version is better than another– and they don’t care. Their concern is not for what is right or best, but for what is most pleasing to them. While they won’t admit it, everything else is secondary to that.

Even those who are involved in “Christian service” or church related activities are not exempt. They will do a lot of good things if it gains them pleasure or popularity. They love the limelight and will do almost anything to get attention. They give no consideration to why they do what they do other than that. But, motives matter to God. Some people will travel around the world and even subject themselves to hardships to get what they crave, yet they never lift a finger to help a neighbor in need. Some teach Sunday School because they love to teach, not because they love those they teach. Motive matters. If your motive is wrong all you do is wrong. If it’s not for the glory of God and the good of others you’re doing it for the wrong reason.

Most of all, truth matters! Having a good motive and being sincere is not enough. We need to know the truth, love the truth, and obey the truth. It is the truth of God’s Word by which we all shall be judged. I realize that this brief message is not going to change everyone who reads it, nor wake up every liberal preacher, nor shut down every cult that is called a church. I simply pray that that it will provide some food for thought and encourage someone, anyone, to set out in pursuit of the truth. The Bible is the only sure guide and only true churches can be said to be “the pillar and ground of the truth”(1 Tim. 3:15). Only true churches are endowed with authority and endued with the power of God’s Spirit to carry out God’s plan. Don’t be deceived by imitations. Counterfeits might look good, but they will get you in trouble. It’s the truth. Think about it!

I knew it was true, but I was still shocked when I read this headline- – – –
“About 40 Percent of all Food In The United States Is Thrown In The Garbage“
Now, here’s the article:
“Could that headline actually be true?  Do Americans waste about 40 percent of all the food that we produce?  That sounds like an absolutely crazy number, but it is actually quite accurate according to a study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council.  What the NRDC discovered is that approximately 40 percent of our total food supply is either thrown into dumpsters by grocery stores, is discarded by restaurants, never gets harvested on our farms, or is thrown into the garbage by consumers in their homes.  Even though 47 million Americans are on food stamps and millions of children go to bed hungry in this country every single night, we continue to waste approximately 263 million pounds of food every single day of the year.  One day people will look back and regard us as probably the most wasteful society in the history of the planet.( “The Economic Collapse”, by Michael Snyder)”

What a shame! Do we actually think that God will not hold us accountable for this waste? My parents went through the “Great Depression” and from the time I was born it was made clear that we were not to waste food—or anything. We ate leftovers until nothing was leftover. I can remember my mother eating whatever remained on our plate rather than throw it out. Most of us wouldn’t think of doing that today. Of course we haven’t had to do without either. Prosperity is more dangerous than poverty. Living in the lap of luxury we have lost sight of our need of God. I suspect there will be no great turning back to God until we are stripped of our goods and become desperate again. That might give you a hint as to what to expect in the future. Think about it!