As we approach yet another holiday season of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and the start of a new year, I can’t help but find my heart thankful. I consider myself a blessed man, and I believe each person who possesses the Holy Spirit should also consider themselves blessed.
Ephesians 1:3 reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” In Christ we have been richly blessed. However, I don’t believe the story ends there. We must ask ourselves, “Why are we blessed?”
When God called Abram in Genesis 12, He told him, “…I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Our blessing does not end in being thankful for being blessed but rather using that blessing to bless others. 2 Corinthians 5 states that we are ambassadors for Christ and that God is making His appeal through us. What an honorable and important identity we have!
God has blessed us in Christ, and then has decided to use us to make His appeal to a lost and dying world. I encourage you this holiday season to not only rest in the blessings of Christ but diligently examine how you can use the blessings the Father has bestowed on you to be a blessing to others.
"God has blessed us in Christ, and then has decided to use us to make His appeal to a lost and dying world."
In addition to my thankfulness for salvation, I am thankful for the sacrifices of the saints for the global advancement of the gospel. A component of the LIFT Campaign is to send and support 20 long term workers (missionaries) by the year 2020. I am so thankful for the saints who are sacrificing dreams, comforts, and safety to take the gospel to foreign lands where the name of Jesus is not currently preached.
The sacrifice is great, the road is long, and their faith is deep. I am equally thankful for the sacrifices made by saints of Walnut Creek Church, both financially through the LIFT Campaign, and through prayer, to support those that are taking the gospel overseas. All involved are co-laborers in the advancement of the gospel.
It is such a joy to labor alongside those who count their life worth nothing. Those who eagerly seek to honor Christ with a sacrificial way of living so that the lost may be won to Christ. The blessings of salvation, coupled with the faith of the body of believers of Walnut Creek Church, continually push my heart toward thankfulness. Thank you for your faith. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your prayers.