Campfires are about the nicest things there are.  They add a lot to makin’ the uncomfortable…comfortable.”
              –Lou Bradshaw  (Agular)

    “The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.”
              –Isaiah 32:17 (NKJV)
———————-
Are you saved?  I mean, do you actually know and are assured that if the trumpet should sound and Christ return for His Church that you would go in the throng?  Are you saved?  Then first of all, if you cannot answer that question, now is the time to do so.  Repent and get right with God for you never know the hour of His coming, or the hour of your death.
    We do not “feel” saved, though at times there may come that wonderful movement down in our souls.  Feelings are nice and fine, but they do not mean we are saved or not saved.  The words of Fanny Crosby’s hymn ring in my mind:

         “Blessed assurance, Jesus in mine!
         Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!
         Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
         Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.”

There is that “blessed assurance” exclamation mark!  But let’s look a little further at our assurance.
    First, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36, NASB).  On the day we accept Jesus as the Son of God, that He died on the cross and rose the third day, we have assurance.  God cannot lie, we are saved.
    Look at your life.  There you will see the second assurance of your salvation.  As we are attached to the true Vine we should begin to bear fruit.  We should begin to see the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24).  Our attachment to this world will begin to diminish.  We will begin to long for the things of God.  People around us will notice a difference and if will cause them to react.
    The third way that we know the “blessed assurance” is found in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” (NASB)  What is this assurance?  “It is the fact that somewhere deep inside of us, we who have accepted Jesus as our Savior–at times it is as wonderful as the rolling sea–somewhere, deep inside of each of us, there is the witness of the Holy Spirit to our own spirit that we are the children of God.” (Francis A. Schaeffer)
    Let me not stop there for assuredly there are times when we are broken, when we don’t “feel” the witness of the Holy Spirit.  “When we’re broken, when we have fallen into sin, when Satan our adversary has beaten us again, sometimes this third assurance becomes feeble indeed.  At such times, we can go back to the great objective promises.”  (Francis A. Schaeffer)  What are those promises?  Look back at the first two assurances.  This is the time when faith comes into play–we must rest assured in the fact that we are saved because the Word of God declares that we are.
    When we live in the confidence of His Word, when we rest in the promises and faithfulness of God we can then continue on and live in “blessed assurance.  

         “This is my story, this is my song,
         Praising my Savior all the day long;
         This is my story, this is my song,
         Praising my Savior all the day long.”

Live in the assurance that you belong to Him.  Then begin to be thankful, begin to praise Him, and be glad that you have the blessed assurance.

There was something about the mountain air that made one want to inhale deeply…it was like fresh, clear, cold water in the throat.”
              –Louis L’Amour (Shalako)

    “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”
              –Acts 3:19 (NKJV)
———————–
         Prayer:  “Lord Jesus, when my heart succumbs to sin, like David, I have no song to sing.  Only when I bow to Your will and purpose do my praises ascend.  May I not be so foolish as to starve my spirit in order to satisfy my sinful human cravings.”
                 –George O. Wood

    As I was reading this prayer I had to stop and ponder it some.  I had never thought that when I fulfill my personal sinful cravings and lusts that I am actually starving the real me.  Last week, we ate and ate at Thanksgiving, we weren’t starving to death, but we were fulfilling an appetite.  It seems that when we “eat” of our sinful desires we are doing the same.  But when doing it the spirit man suffers, the righteous man is now hungering.  In fact, Jesus makes the statement, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6, NASB).
    This is a good time to finish Psalm 51, David’s prayer for forgiveness and cleansing.  Keep in mind the words of the apostle John when he wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NASB).  The King James says that God is “faithful and just.”  It takes a righteous God, a just God to not only forgive us, but to also cleanse us.

    13 – Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
    14 – Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
    15 – Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
    16 – You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
    17 – The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.  God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.
    18 – In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build the walls of Jerusalem.
    19 – Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.  

    Only when we have repented and are right with God will our lives be that “living epistle” that men can look at and read.  If we persist in our sin, and do not repent (remember, David had the choice when the prophet came to him) then men will despise us for our hypocrisy.  Once there is repentance then we can properly give praises to God and people will see by the outward expression of our life what has taken place inside.
    I have often wondered, especially now that I am doing some writing, about the idea of verse 14.  There is much in the writings of the prophets concerning the shedding of innocent blood and the judgment that it brings.  But what about the shedding of blood in bringing justice, doing God’s work, so to say?  David was known as a “bloody man” and therefore, God would not allow him to build the temple.  There was a price to pay.
    Much too often, there is jumping and hopping around the church (I dare not say, “altar”)  but has there been repentance first?  David is not against sacrifices, but he realizes that all the sacrifices will not cleanse his heart.  The only thing that will bring cleansing is true repentance–“a broken spirit…a broken and humbled heart.”  The King James and NASB use the term, “contrite heart.”  I have been told that contrite means to be broken down and crushed to powder.  Then, and only then, will God accept our sacrifices.

              “Lord, I confess to you, sadly my sin;
               All I am, I tell to you, All I have been;
               Purge all my sin away, Wash clean my soul this day;
               Lord, make me clean.”
                      –Horatius Bonar

Oh to be clean.  The freshness that comes to our whole being after a refreshing shower or a hot bath when the dirt of the day has been washed away.  The same is true of the spirit, when we come to the Lord and ask for a spiritual shower of His love and mercy.

You just never know what’s over the next hill.”
              –Lou Bradshaw  (Texas War Lord)

    “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
              –Colossians 2:7 (NLT)
————————
The little church where we attend has an unofficial theme song.  It is sung at every other Sunday.  It’s a good song, and because we sing it so often the words often come to me during the week.  

         “I woke up this morning feeling fine
          I woke up with heaven on my mind,
          I woke up with joy in my soul
          Cause I knew my Lord had control…”
                 -Mosie Lister

What a reason to be thankful!  The Lord has everything under control!  Don’t fret, don’t worry, don’t sweat the small stuff, in fact don’t even sweat the large stuff.  The Lord is guiding my life, ordering my footsteps, and giving me calm assurance that He is not threatened, worried, or anxious about things here on earth.  Be thankful!
    God often told the Israelites to remember what He had done in the past.  It would give them faith, and it would help assure them that He would do the same in the present.  Take a little time for memories this Thanksgiving.  Remember how blest you have been because of the Lord and how He had taken care of you in the past.  I mentioned to Annie regarding our first Thanksgiving together fifty years ago.  I took her to visit my family in Colorado.  We lived in an old two-story brick house.  Now back in the 1960s, Boulder was known as a windy city, my wife to be stayed in the room with my Aunt Bern, notorious for her snoring.  I thought I lost my wife-to-be as one of those wind storms came up, and my Aunt tried to outdo it with her snoring.  Ah, but now, it brings a smile.  Memories, lessons, the leading of the hand of the Lord–be thankful!
    God is still working, He is still involved with us today; right now!  Despite a virus run rampant, despite serious storms, fires, and other natural calamities, God is working.  His keeping-power is with us.  Perhaps He is trying to wake some of us up, telling us to get ready.  Don’t be afraid of the day.  Don’t let the devil, or circumstance steal your joy, trust in the Lord for He has control.  Be thankful for this day!
   The future?  Who knows what will happen?  The crazy liberal left will take charge of the government.  Do you think that God is worried?  Do you think He is scared of liberals, and that He might run and hide and not protect His children?  Bah, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Look to the future with assurance that He will lay out a path for you to follow.  If we go by the grave, or if we are caught up with Him when He comes, we can always trust Him and recognize that He is in control.  Be thankful for His unfailing grace in the days ahead.
    So enjoy Thanksgiving, your family and friends, your turkey, dressing, and all the other fixin’s, plus plenty of pie.  Enjoy, but also be giving thanks.  Make it a day of truly being thankful.  The Scripture admonishes us to be thankful in all things, then you can:

         “…There’s a light that always shines
          Down inside this heart of mine,
          I’ve got heaven on my mind,
          And now I’m feeling mighty fine.”

Good people, caught up in bad times.  I’m afraid that’s been the way of the world since the first days.  We won’t see the end of it in our short span upon the earth.”
              –Elmer Kelton  (The Buckskin Line)

    “But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”
              –Jonah 2:9 (NKJV)
———————
    “You are the man!”  How would you like for a prophet to stick his bony finger in your face and make that declaration?  How would you react?  Would anger seethe within you?  Would you strike out in anger?  Or would you break down and acknowledge the fact that before God you are a sinner?  Look are David’s response in Psalm 51.

    1 – Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.
    2 – Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
    3 – For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me.
    4 – Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight.  So You are right when You pass sentence;
You are blameless when You judge.
    5 – Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
    6 – Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and You teach me wisdom deep within.
    7 – Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
    8 – Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
    9 – Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.
   10 – God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
   11 – Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
   12 – Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.  (HCSB)

David realized that the only hope he has is in God.  Right from the start, he makes three requests of the Lord.  He recognizes the need for the Lord’s mercy, or as the HCSB “faithful love.”  He then asks for the Lord to “blot” out his sin.  Then he pleads for God to cleanse him.  There is stain left when we sin, we long to be clean and only God can bring the cleansing that we need.
    David knows he must repent.  “Repentance leads us away from our failures into God’s plan for our tomorrows.” (Wood)  There are several things that we see in this Psalm that happens when we repent.

         1)  A pure heart (vs 10)  Only God can give this:  the work of personal repair lies outside any human effort.  The old heart is too clogged with sin to ever function well.
         2)  A renewed spirit (vs 10) When my conscience is clean, I can live energetically in the face of constant pressures–God gives a steadfast spirit.
         3)  Presence with the Lord (vs 11)  David knew the sting of banishment from Saul’s court.  He wants no exile from God.
         4)  Infilling of God’s spirit (vs 11)  The Spirit struggles with us while we are in sin.  He did not cease His faithfulness in convicting us of sin; now, He comes to indwell and empower us for service.
         5)  Restoration of joy (vs 12)  Joy in God vanishes during our season of sin.  When we repent, God puts the lift back into our hearts.
         6)  Readiness to please God (vs 12)  The forgiven person needs no external compulsion to do good, but desires a willing spirit to serve God.  (George O. Wood)

    Many might say that they are too sinful to go before God, and they are correct if they do not get the sin taken care of.  It is at a time such as this that we must go to God in repentance.  We fall before Him realizing that we cannot do it within ourselves, we must have God.  “This kind of prayer requires a certain kind of God.  No man will go to God just because he knows how poor he is in sin, unless he knows how rich God is in mercy.” (David Redding)  God is full of grace and mercy; He is longsuffering and kind; He is faithful to us and loves us despite our failings.  Yet it is up to us to call upon Him.
    There is one more thing I see in verse 12.  I have to think that David was a “New Testament” man.  Notice his cry, “Restore the joy of my salvation”.  He doesn’t say, “save me again,” but he realizes that the joy is gone.  He is down and out.  Then he asks for a willing spirit to obey.  Obedience to the will of the Lord brings joy.  Repentance restores joy.

         “Lord Jesus, you see that I patiently wait;
          Come now, and within me a new heart create;
          To those who have sought you, you never said, ‘No.’
          Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
                  –James Nicholson