–Psalm 97:12 (NKJV)
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               “God is so good,
                God is so good,
                God is so good,
                He’s so good to me.”
                         –unknown

And, let me tell you friend–He’s good to you, too!  Tomorrow, while the turkey is roasting, while the pies are baking and all of the other wonderful food for the dinner is being prepared think on the goodness of God.  
       Some people may be under dire circumstances, I want you to know that God is good.  Many may have lost a loved one this past year–God is still good.  He sustains us, His grace is always there and His mercy endures forever.  God is good!
       God is good in the happy times, when we often forget Him, and He is good in the bad times when we run to Him in despair, or become bitter because He doesn’t do what we want Him to do.  
       God is good in the midst of the storm; when we think He is off somewhere sleeping.  He is there in the storms with us.  God is good even when we cannot see what He is doing in our lives.  He is good when we get upset with the way things turn out, because He sees the road ahead of us.  He is good even in those many times that we do not understand.
       Think of that little song we used to sing in Sunday School–God is so good.  Never lose sight of that fact.  In closing this little note for Thanksgiving I want to take you to the grand little song by James P. Sullivan.  It’s another one of those songs that came out of the Great Depression.

               “There is a song in my heart today,
                Something I never had;
                Jesus has taken my sins away,
                Oh!  say, but I’m glad.

               Wonderful, marvelous love He brings,
               Into a heart that’s sad;
               Thro’ darkest tunnels the soul just sings,
               Oh! say but I’m glad.

                       Oh! say, but I’m glad, I’m glad,
                       Oh! say, but I’m glad;
                       Jesus has come and my cup’s overrun;
                       Oh! say, but I’m glad.”

       Our Pastor preached a great Thanksgiving sermon last Sunday.  In it he mentioned something that I’ve always believed (though, not always practiced).  It is wonderful that we have this national day of Thanksgiving.  A day when families can get together, a day when people throughout this country are doing the same thing–giving thanks.  But truly, honestly–everyday for the Christian should be one of Thanksgiving!  “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NKJV).
                      

                         –Kenneth S. Pratt  (The Wolves of Windsor Ridge)

       “I will make them and the places all round My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.”

                         –Ezekiel 34:26 (NKJV)
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          1 — God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us,    Selah
          2 — That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
          3 — Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
          4 — Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!  For You shall judge the people righteously.  And govern the nations on earth.      Selah
          5 — Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
          6 — Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.
          7 — God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
                               –Psalm 67:1-7 (NKJV)

Why should God be merciful to us?  Give one good reason?  Is it for your self-satisfaction, or self-promotion?  Verse 2 tells us why, so that His way will be known.  We should want God to bless us so that we can be a testimony.  “God puts His name on us to advance His own agenda in this world.  He wants me to be Christ-centered rather than self-centered.”  (George O. Wood).
       There used to be a chorus sung in the church back in the 1970s and 80s, “I’m blessed, I’m blessed, I’m blessed…”  Really what most Christians were singing and not realizing it was, “I’m spoiled, I’m spoiled, I’m spoiled…”  It was “bless me Lord.”  Not “bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me…”  Far too often we want self-gratification, after all we’re God’s children.  Ah, but children must learn the lessons of life–the lessons of the Spirit.  God’s blessings are not to spoil us, but to build the kingdom of God.
       We forget that the Lord paid a dear price for our salvation–His precious blood.  Ponder that, He paid for us.  Hmmm, that speaks of ownership.  Oh my, not a popular thought in this day.  Being owned–God owning us.  We need to get to the point of being able to truthfully and honestly say, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).  When we finally give our lives over to Him, when we fully surrender everything, then we will realize the depth of God’s blessings.  They come because of our obedience; they come because of His love.
       Understand that part of being thankful is praising the Lord.  This week of Thanksgiving take time to genuinely thank the Lord for His blessings.  Take time to name them, then praise Him and thank Him for them.  You’ll be amazed.

                    “Let all the world in every corner sing, ‘My God and King!’
                     The church with psalms must shout; no door can keep them out.
                     But more than all, the heart must bear the longest part,
                     Let all the world in every corner sing, ‘My God and King!'”
                               –George Herbert

                    –1 Timothy 4:1-2 (Phillips)
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                    “We are living in an age, in a generation, when men and women are deliberately sinning, deliberately flouting all that is moral and good and clean and pure and uplifting, deliberately setting themselves out to sin, putting their backs into it, as it were ‘drawing iniquity unto themselves’, in sit of all that they have as a moral heritage.”
                                   –D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

       A few weeks ago I wrote from Isaiah 5 concerning the first two woes.  Remember them?   Judgment will come because of the first woe:  materialism and worldliness, those who are interested in material possessions and a worldly lifestyle.   The second woe of judgment is:  intemperance with regard to pleasure; men and women drunk on pleasure and live for it.

                  “Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope.”
                                   –Isaiah 5:18(NKJV)

We are in a continuous state of crisis.  If it is not the virus then it’s the vaccine.  If it’s not a trial run by corrupt prosecutors, then it’s a liberal judge releasing criminals.  Then there is the border situation, the problems with voting.  BLM promising to burn down a town.  Crisis, after crisis, after crisis!  And that is not to mention the troubles with other nations and the threats of war.  Who can you trust?  The government?  Dr. Fauci?  President Biden?  For that matter any politician, lawyer, loan officer, or car salesman?
       Notice this verse is speaking of those who are involved in the deliberate, willful element of sin.  They are “drawing iniquity.”  This is not accidental or a sin of ignorance.  It is not done because of temptation, but they were preparing themselves to sin and making provision for it.  This people “were not living in the darkness of paganism; they were not unenlightened…they were going out of their way to do the very things that they had been taught not to do.  They were defying the great moral teaching of which they were heirs.” (Lloyd-Jones)
       These people were used to a certain moral standard, but they were mocking it and laughing at it–they were drawing iniquity to themselves.  Too many Christians are involved in this malady today.  They have become involved with the world system.  They do not recognize or do not want to recognize that the world is under the power of the evil one–the devil.  Phooey, they scoff at the thought of a mystical, unseen, spiritual world.  That is just not “woke.”  Oh, but are they drawing iniquity to themselves?
       A friend of mine wrote in his blog, “Elisha understood the reality of powerful, unseen spiritual forces.” (David Jeremiah Study Bible).  Oh, that we had the eyes of Elisha; that we had the understanding of Elisha.  Perhaps the Lord is shaking His head saying, “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?
(Mark 8:18, NKJV)  Friends you need to understand that there are forces working in this evil world that we do not see or understand.  Terrible, evil, wicked forces that seek to undermine the Kingdom of God.  Do not join them.

               –Exodus 18:23 (HCSB)
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How To Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NLT)

If you have noticed all the problems that the school systems are having then you will certainly understand the purpose of these lessons.  CRT, abuse, molestations in restrooms, bullying–this is a world in which we better teach our children how to survive.  I recently saw a picture with the following caption:  “In a world ruled by Satan; you better arm your kids.”  Don’t teach them the way of the world–teach them the way of God and how to survive in this evil world.

               “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
               By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
                              –1 John 4:16-17(NASB)

       John doesn’t expound on these verses, he doesn’t explain them, he just states it and takes it for granted that we know we are to abide in love–in Christ.  It is the opposite of the world; it is the attitude of Cain.  Remember the words that Paul wrote to Titus,

               “For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”
                              –Titus 3:3 (NASB)

Our attitude toward others, toward circumstances, was that of the world?  We were controlled by that, but now we are controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Our attitude toward others is not determined and controlled by what they are, but by the love of Christ that is in us.  We must see others as souls, and this at times is very hard to do.  Aren’t you glad God’s love is not controlled by us?  My mercy, what troubles there would be.  Jesus said, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?  Do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:46)
       Love is abiding, it is not spasmodic or spontaneous, it is constant, steady.  We need to look at love, perhaps from a different perspective.  Love says, clean the wound first, then apply the oil that will soothe it.  Realize what God has done for you, then proceed to do to others.  And I will say, sometimes it is downright hard to love the unlovely in whatever form they may come.  To do that we need the Holy Spirit to operate in us and through us.  We need to know the Lord more and better and to do that we must meditate upon Him and His Word.  Face each situation in light of the cross.
       Instead of automatically reacting in the flesh, that’s the world, we must discipline ourselves.  We must deal actively with ourselves and mortify those things that are contrary to love within us.  One of those things that seem to get us in trouble is the tongue.  If you do not say something you will find that you stop thinking it.  “Put a watch upon your lips and upon your tongue–that is one of the first things in this life of love.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)