Why Turkeys Are Not
A Willing Sacrifice
First,
I want to thank all those Turkeys who have given their lives for the sake of
the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. I am in deep gratitude that over the course of
the next few days my body fluids will be flowing with a natural sedative in it,
(an amino acid called
Tryptophan. Tryptophan helps the body produce the B-vitamin niacin,
which, in turn, helps the body produce serotonin, a remarkable chemical that
acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a key role in sleep.)
This
is probably why after eating the Thanksgiving dinner my brother and I will fall
asleep on the couch watching football. There is nothing like consuming a well
cooked bird with lots of side dishes to make ones time with family special.
However, there is a part of me that does not appreciate the Giblets. I am one
of those people who has a hard time eating the heart, gizzard, liver, and other
visceral organs of a large Bird. Yet, having a
special meal, with family is part of the thankfulness that comes with the
Holiday. Many people only get to see their families a couple times a year and
this Holiday is one of those times that really bring people and families
together.
As
a follower of Jesus I have a lot to be thankful for. As I grow deeper in my
relationship with Jesus I have become less and less satisfied with
the things this world has to offer. In many ways, I see my old life fading away
and my new life in Jesus becoming more prominent. In fact, I have gladly
said goodbye to many of the activities I used to participate in. Not that they
were that bad in themselves, but the time I spent doing them kept me from
experiencing the abundance and joy of living a life set apart to God.
So
I am thankful I no longer have the desire to base my life around things that
have no eternal purpose. After many years of serving God in the Church in
comparison to being challenged to apply God's Word to my life, I have learned
that the life I live outside of Church is critical ministry, especially
grasping the understanding of being a minister to my own family. For
years I mistakenly spent time in ministry focusing on others while neglecting
the needs of my own family. If I ever get back into Church related ministry I
will remember that my family requires my best in heart felt love and quality
time, and I need to be sure that they get it. When it comes to ministry I can
no longer separate life in and outside the church. Living a life of Worship
means God is to be honored by me in both arenas because every moment plays a critical
role in God's eternal purpose. Each word that comes out of my mouth can
impact the way a person views God and the world. Each thought and
decision I make can either draw me to or away from God. Each act of love and
encouragement can minister to a person’s broken heart.
Part
of the abundance in the Christian life comes from the power of the Holy Spirit who
has enabled me to have discernment in areas of my life where I never had them
before. There were things I used to let slip in my character, in my parenting
and in my marriage. I now have the desire to ask God for wisdom and spiritual
growth in all these areas in order to correct the mistakes I have made in the
past.
Part
of spiritual growth it to take seriously Gods call for all of us to be Holy.
1 Peter 1:16 NIV:
for it is written: "Be holy, because I am
holy."
Even
though we can never achieve Holiness this in this life we, can put this command
at the forefront of how we are to live in the continual presence of God. By
understanding the difficulty in living a Holy life, we then can ascertain the
importance of having a Savior to help us live rightly with the sin nature we
all struggle with. God is so gracious to offer His son Jesus as the once and
for all sacrifice for our sin. And along with Jesus’ sacrifice comes the
gift of faith through God’s amazing grace. Once we have received this gift we
are given the Holy Spirit who become an integral part of who we are. The Holy Spirit
moves in us so we can live differently. So we can live a life that reflects God’s
character and purpose.
What
we need to do is to allow the Holy Spirit reign in us and transform us into
having a Christ like Character. This is part of God's desire for His people and
this is how we can love and carry out the call to share the hope we have in
Jesus' work. Even while we are in the process of being transformed God will
still use us to share the hope we have. Our goal is to share our hope in such a
compelling and loving way so as to shed light on Jesus’ goodness and His character,
all the while representing Christ accurately.
1 Peter 3:15-16 New International Version (NIV)
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so
that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be
ashamed of their slander.
Our
God stories prove that our lives have changed. Our gratitude toward what God has
done for us can motivate others to want to know more about Him. The truth
is, God supernaturally changes our heart and we have become a new person in
Christ.
Ephesians
4:21-24 New Living Translation (NLT)
Since you have heard
about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature
and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your
thoughts and attitudes. Put
on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
To
understand the depth of God’s love we have to understand that God’s original
purpose in creating us was to have a personal and intimate relationship with
Him. We are not one big Biology experiment or study in behavioral science. God
truly desires to have a relationship with each of us even though we are now
tainted with the desire to be the Boss of our own life. Because we are
rebellious and sometimes put God in the back seat of our lives, we can lose
sight of God’s true purpose for each of us. We forget to love God. We can forget
to love others. We can be distracted from doing the work we have been called to
do. We can actually turn away from God. Many in this world have done so. The
Bible describes this condition of separation:
Ezekiel 12:2 NIV
"Son of man, you are living among a rebellious
people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear,
for they are a rebellious people.
Romans
1:21-25 New International Version (NIV)
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as
God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal
human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of
their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one
another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served
created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Even
though many are separated from God due to sin, God all along had a solution for
the sin problem. We see the development of this plan from Genesis all the way
to the Cross, Resurrection, Ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost.
Yet
today most of us still struggle between balancing the selfish desires of our
heart with those things that God has put into us through the work and life of
the Holy Spirit working in us. We sometimes take the good that God has
done in us and through us and allow doubt to enter our minds causing us to question
if God really loves us. Do we really matter to God? Is God really going to
keep His promises? Yet, some doubt and
struggle does not mean we are defeated or that the feelings we have any bearing
on how God feels about us. The truth is God loves us beyond what we can truly
imagine. Jesus proved this through His suffering on the Cross. As followers of
Jesus we are going to struggle with doubt and Spiritual battles, Jesus even reminded
us that in this world we are going to struggle.
John 16:33 New International Version (NIV)
“I have told you these things, so that in me you
may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world.”
But
the good news is we can put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) to
help us fight the doubts and all the things our enemy desires to bring our way.
The beauty of all this is: God uses
suffering to refine us.
Look
at this verse from Romans:
Romans 5:5 NIV
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Also
this verse from James:
James 1:12 NIV :
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because
when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has
promised to those who love him.
Even
when we suffer we have a lot to be thankful for.
Take
time this week to make a list of the things you are thankful for. Then
thank God for all He is doing in your life. Then ask God to show you what
changes you need to make in order fulfill His purpose for your life. Pray
that God will give you the strength, wisdom and desire to make these
changes. Watch to see how God will orchestrate the events in your life to
help you. Act on your Faith and Belief that God will keep His promises. Look
back to the day you acted on your faith and see what God has done since then.
We
have a lot to be thankful for. One way to show our thanks is to give God His
rightful place in our life. I pray we will all do this as the Church and
as the Community of Believers.
So
even though Turkeys have not made a willing sacrifice for our benefit,
Jesus has. And for this one act of amazing love I am eternally grateful. Sorry
Turkeys, Jesus has done one better, and when we sit around the table on
Thanksgiving Day let's not forget to thank Him.
Just
Sayin………………..Dave
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