With thoughts of Thanksgiving and what to be thankful for I would like to tell you about a book we received this past week as a gift. Opal Carney shared a box of books with us as do many of you here. I am very THANKFUL for you and your generosity. I am THANKFUL for the friends and our church to worship with freedom. I am THANKFUL for the Lord Jesus who died for my sins that I may live eternally in Heaven.
I am THANKFUL for the freedom we now have in the USA. As I was saying, the book donated is one of my favorite. It is a 2 in 1 book that Guidepost published. The first is called, ‘THE NEVERTHELESS PRINCIPLE’ by Marion Bond West. She is writing a biography of her account with the death of her husband and cancer. The second half is “ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER” by Gloria Chisholm. These are similar in one big way: How to live our beliefs in God. We cannot help others until we have a firm conviction and understanding of who God is and what He has done for me. Marion West faces the “What ifs” in her life and learns to praise God rather than give up hope. “What ifs” are all around us everyday and can rob you of your JOY. Read some of these scriptures to see what the Bible says about “NEVERTHELESS”:
Gal. 2:20 Nevertheless I live by the faith of the Son of God….
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth…….
Mark 5:5 Nevertheless I will let down my net…..
The next part of the book is about ENCOURAGEMENT. How to be encouraged yourself and how to encourage others around you. Jesus gave us the commandment to love our neighbor and this is one way to obey HIM. From Hebrews 10:24 we see that we are not to give up meeting together to encourage one another until the end of our days. Encouragement can be a “strong arm”; a loud cheer; a warm hand; a gentle prod; an understanding smile; a loving embrace or a disciplined word. We all need encouragement in the hard times. Be the one that cares when all seems lost. This is an uplifting and helpful book for us all. May you have a wonderful and safe in the arms of Jesus THANKSGIVING. Be thankful for books, especially the BIBLE.
Shirley Olmstead