Finding the Way Home
The eNewsletter Archive

Below is the archived version of Tom Sherrod's eNewesletter "Finding the Way Home." If you would like to be added to to mailing list, please send a blank email to evangelism-subscribe@worthingtoncc.org.

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Thanksgiving 2009

Give Thanks to the Lord

The psalmist wrote: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good...” (Psalm 118:1)

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. God certainly is good and we have every reason to be thankful. But just how has God been good to us as a family of faith?

Let me remind you of two ways in which God has been good to us this past year — and two ways in which He will continue to be good to us in the New Year ahead:

First, God in His goodness has given us opportunities for ministry.

Life lived for self is empty and meaningless. But God is good and He has given us abundant opportunities to live beyond ourselves in ministry to others.

This past year we have had opportunities to impart faith to children, to disciple teens, to strengthen families, to comfort the grieving, feed the hungry, welcome visitors, partner with local schools, visit prisoners, send missionaries abroad, and most importantly to save the lost. It has not been a burden for us to minister in these ways — it has been a privilege!

And if God continues to be good to us in the New Year (and we know He will be), we will have all of these opportunities and more laid before us in 2010.

Second, God in His goodness has given us resources to share.

The opportunities before us are many. So many in fact we sometimes feel overwhelmed or inadequate. But there is no reason for us to feel this way. The truth is we are not alone or on our own. God is good and He has given us all we need to meet every ministry need.

As a family of faith we have been blessed with abundant spiritual, physical, financial, relational, and leadership resources. God has made us “stewards” of these resources so that we might be generous on His behalf. With that in mind, we are determined not to hold on to our blessings. Having been blessed by God, our desire is to bless others through the sharing of our blessings.

And if God is good to us in the New Year (and we know He will be), we will have plenty more to share in 2010.

God certainly is good. This Thanksgiving, let’s follow the example of the psalmist. Let’s recognize God’s goodness and be thankful. And let’s be thankful not just for what has been — but let’s also be thankful for what will be!

Happy Thanksgiving one and all!