WFA.org

Today is a special day! Proverbs 5:18 says “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.” I will do just that, for today is the anniversary of the birth of the wife of my youth!

I am blessed – because the Lord has given me the greatest blessing, other than my salvation, by allowing Carolyn to be my wife. I cannot even begin to imagine what my life would be like without her. It was through meeting her that my very young faith in Christ grew through receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I was on a life-course to be a high school band director. That immediately changed, as I recognized a call into the ministry, and pursued that with all diligence.

Proverbs 12:4 tells us that “a wife of noble character is her husband’s crown...” so, just as a crown identifies the position of a king, my wife identifies me as the person I am. I thank the Lord for the many virtues wife has, that have more than compensated for my inadequacies. I have most certainly found favor with the Lord, as Proverbs 18:22 tells us “he who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.”

There are many things that our parents provide for us, and I thank the Lord for my mother and father. But, as Proverbs 19:14 says, “Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.” There is no one on this earth who understands me like Carolyn. I thank God for that!

Nothing I have is anywhere near as valuable Carolyn (Proverbs 31:10). For all my life, she does good for me; “she treats me generously all her life long (Proverbs 31:12, The Message).

I wish my wife a most happy birthday today! Thank you, God, for the gift you have given me in my wife. Thank you, Carolyn, for being such a blessing!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.47. Live for God, on purpose, giving thanks to Him for all His many blessings!

God’s Will for Giving Thanks

Without question, when asked, nearly every Christian will say that they desire to be in God’s will. More specifically, they wouldn’t want to be out of God’s will, nor would they ever desire to do something that would be contrary to the will of God. However, there is one area in particular where many believers miss the mark in obeying the will of God – and it is particularly evident as we Americans prepare to celebrate our annual Thanksgiving holiday.

Across our nation, we will be encouraged to take time this week and give thanks for the many blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us. This is a good thing to do. But – perhaps we need to re-think about what we consider to be blessings. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that we are to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” But, consider also Ephesians 5:20 which says we need to be “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What is God’s will for giving thanks? Yes, we need to give thanks in all circumstances, but additionally, we need to learn that it is God’s will for us to give Him thanks FOR all things – even those things which may at first not seem to be blessings at all!

As we begin Thanksgiving week, this Sunday at WFA we will consider five specific areas in which it is God’s will to give Him thanks! Be sure to join us for this timely message!

How Good God Is!

by David Jeremiah

“The goodness of God endures continually.”
— Psalm 52:1

Corrie Ten Boom once remarked about the goodness of God, saying “God is good when He sends good weather, but God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death in a German concentration camp.” She remembered when she was discouraged and told her sister that she felt God had forgotten them. “No, Corrie,” said Betsie, “He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: ‘For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him’” (Psalm 103:11). In that moment, Betsie taught Corrie about the reverential reflection of God’s goodness, even in her darkest hour.

Often, we mistakenly believe that our circumstances reflect God’s goodness and that if times are tough, God has turned away from us, but Scripture tells us that He”...is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8); His goodness is certainly no exception.

Whether you are struggling through a low point in life or experiencing showers of blessing, take time to meditate on Scripture that tells of His goodness and love, for it will surely strengthen and sustain you.

from Dr. David Jeremiah’s “Today’s Turning Point” daily devotional. www.TurningPointOnline.org

Worthship

by Tom Goodman

Do you live a God-oriented life?

Almost everyone I’ve met thinks about God from time to time. They wonder what he’s like; they wonder what he expects; they wonder if he’s happy with their lives; they wonder how to get him to meet their needs. But someone who lives a God-oriented life operates differently. That person...

...is stirred by the greatness of God
   ...is moved by the grace of God
      ...expects the activity of God
         ...hungers for the word of God
            ...longs for the glory of God.

We have to constantly challenge each other to orient our lives to God like a compass needle drawn to the North.

God promises us, “Those who honor me I will honor.” According to Scripture, you honor God in four commitments.

We honor God with our worship. In public services and in private times, we should praise God and thank him. God said, “Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me” (Psalms 50:23 NLT).

We honor God with our giving. The Bible says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10). When we give a portion of our income to our church, it isn’t like paying dues to a local club; it’s the way we honor God.

We honor God with our prayer. The poet of the Old Testament said to God, “I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer” (Psalms 63:4 NLT). When we’re faced with problems, pains and decisions, asking for God’s help needs to be a “first response” rather than a “last resort.” When we depend on God, we honor him.

We honor God with our lifestyle. The Apostle Paul wrote, “God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT). From what we access on the Internet to how we react in traffic to the choices we make in entertainment to the promise we keep in a marriage — believers should aim to honor God with a life well-lived.

As seen in the November 19th issue of “Winning Ways.” Tom Goodman is the pastor of the Hillcrest Baptist Church in Austin, Texas.

Trust God’s Strength

If you have ever struggled through a very difficult or trying time as a believer, then you probably know the supernatural strength that God has promised to give those who trust in Him. God’s strength is usually accompanied by His supernatural peace, and that should be an encouraging truth for you as you face whatever today holds!

Learn to say, “God, I’m going to trust and serve You every day even when things don’t seem to be going my way.” As you wait on God, He will give you all the strength you need to fight the good fight of faith. And even when you go through difficulties, He’ll give you a supernatural peace right in the midst of those problems.

God’s Will for Us

Just to be tender, just to be true;
Just to be glad the whole day through;

Just to be merciful, just to be mild;
Just to be trustful as a child;

Just to be gentle and kind and sweet;
Just to be helpful with willing feet;

Just to be cheery when things go wrong;
Just to drive sadness away with a song;

Whether the hour is dark or bright;
Just to be loyal to God and right;

Just to believe that God knows best;
Jut in His promise ever to rest;

Just to let love be our daily key;
This is God’s will, for you and me.

Grace and Mercy

by Gerald Whetstone

The English language is a verbose language. Not only are there millions of words, many of them are interchangeable. We call them synonyms, different words that mean the same thing. Certainly all languages have synonyms, but English seems to have more than its fair share. There is really no problem with this, except, sometimes we consider words synonyms that are not, or we interchange synonyms without thinking about any differences that there might be between them.

Two biblical words that this often happens to are “grace” and “mercy.” We see them as interchangeable, thinking of “mercy” as the Old Testament word and “grace” as the New Testament word, but, essentially having the same meaning. Such thinking is somewhat accurate, but as closely related as these two words are, there is a difference and that difference reflects the character of God, as well as the nature of our need.

Ephesians 2:1-5 wonderfully clarifies the uniqueness of both grace and mercy. “We were by nature objects of God’s wrath. But, because of His great love for us, God, Who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions it is by grace you have been saved.” (3d-5) Being objects of God’s wrath and dead in our sin, we are in need of both God’s mercy and grace. This is one reason why the writer of Hebrews implores us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Mercy flows from God’s withholding nature. He holds back what we deserve. We are objects of His wrath and deserving of it. But in love God withholds His wrath and offers us grace. Grace flows from the giving nature of God. He gives us what we don’t deserve, salvation. It is His unmerited favor towards us. God not only withholds His wrath, He makes us new creatures by His grace, so that we may walk in reconciled relationship with Him. Our need requires both mercy and grace, and God, “because of His great love for us,” offers both. Through faith His mercy and grace are applied to our lives, making us “new creatures in Christ Jesus; saved!” (Ephesians 4:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17) No longer dead, we are alive. No longer condemned, we are pardoned. No longer objects of wrath, we are objects of grace.

Scripture is replete with the call for us to thrust ourselves upon God in view of His mercy and grace. In light of our desperate, helpless, hopeless, state, and God’s mercy and grace, the most reasonable act is to approach His throne and “receive mercy and find grace.” Indeed, in light of this, the most rational response is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices unto God, devoting ourselves to His way, the way of holiness. No boasting, only service to God in loving gratitude for His withholding what we do deserve and giving to us what we don’t.

Beloved, to the throne of grace let us go “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

as seen in “A Pause To Ponder God’s Word,” written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene.

The Last Impression

Jane got a new job as a stylist at a beauty salon. During her second week on the job, a bald woman walked into the salon and said to Jane, “I’ve tried everything to make my hair grow and nothing works.

I’m a rich woman – I’ll give you $25,000 if you can make my hair look just like yours.”

“No problem,” said Jane, and quickly shaved her head.

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I just want to take a moment to express my thanks to each of you for being a part of the ever-growing list of firstIMPRESSIONS readers! I thank to Lord for this weekly opportunity to share nuggets of inspiration and humor with each of you. What began as simply a way to share thoughts with some folks from WFA has grown to multiple thousands of readers around the world, including other pastors, missionaries, and ministers from scores of churches and organizations. I am thankful that God uses this simple email to bless so many!