Thanksgiving is on the horizon with Christmas a month away. In-between is much time spent with family, friends, and strangers who often have very different belief systems from our own. It is a season that begins with gratitude and ends with the birth of the Prince of Peace. But an unfortunate American tradition for Christians and non-Christians alike is that depression and suicide skyrocket during this particular holiday season.
Our God is the God of second chances. When God’s people are faithful to Him, He showers them with grace. When they turn away from Him and towards self-gratification, He withdraws His grace. For many years, God has been slowly withdrawing His grace leaving us increasingly to face the natural consequences of our choices. What we have before us now is the opportunity for true change, and that begins with us. The question is: are you willing to give up that one thing you absolutely will not give up?
Heroism surrounds us every day. But we can’t praise it unless we first see it; we cannot see it unless we first recognize it. This is our challenge today: find it in your ‘footprint’ on the planet.
The sincerity of our prayer reflects the sincerity of heart, and God responds. The answer to the crisis of today is converted hearts, beginning with our own.
“As I opened my email that morning (9-11), I and others on the listserv had received a cryptic message from a college registrar inside one of the twin towers. All she said was “You can’t imagine how bad it is here. Please pray for us”. It was sent before the buildings collapsed. That may have been her final communication to the world.”
Our society has lost its understanding of the sacred and so instead props up false idols and ideologies. Some create a false sense of sacredness while others are bent on destroying that which is truly sacred.
What is sacred?