One Word by Gene Kissinger

Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the premier authors of his day, he had mega hits that made him a very wealthy writer, he wrote Treasure Island and kidnapped, he also had plays like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and so many others that were massively successful. It was reported in a paper that he was worth one British pound per word. One up and coming author who was a bit jealous of the reviews and accolades that Mr. Stevenson was getting, ended up sending him a letter saying in which he put a pound note and said, It's reported that you get one pound per word, here's my pound, where's my word? , Mr. Stevenson sent back a reply with only one word on the page "thanks"! I know I've probably told you that before, but I want you to remember that even though Thanksgiving is over, Thanksgiving should still flow from our lips. If you had to buy each word that came out of your mouth, if it cost you, if it cost you $100 per word, you'd be wise to make them thankful words. If you want to change your life. One of the best ways to change it is at the end of each day, write down three things that you're thankful for that happened that day, because chances are many things happen that day, some good, some bad, but if you can focus on the things you're thankful for, it will elevate your mood and your spirit, you'll begin to find life getting a little better and a little brighter. And if you want to add to that, there's another life hack that you can try. Write down after those three things that you're thankful for one thing you're looking forward to the next day. That's a kind of Thanksgiving but it's also a sense of anticipation and excitement and you'll begin to find your mental state transforming your emotions being innervated by this simple concept. So if you had to pay one pound per word, make that word thanks,

Thanksgiving Prayer by Gene Kissinger

Contentment. "godliness with contentment is great gain was how Paul put it over 2000 years ago but this timeless truth is still a revolutionary reality  right now. Contentment doesn't mean that we don't want to better ourselves or out lot rather it is the realization that mere gain will not necessarily mean growth in our level of happiness. So if I can find joy in this moment, even if it is labeled a lack time in my life then I will also be happy if I am granted more. But if I am unhappy in my current situation I will most likely be unhappy even if granted "more".

Dear Father above we are so prone to grumble and quick to complain. Please forgive us and redirect our lips and lives to thanks and praise especially on this day.  Today as a nation we collectively gather to remember your goodness to us as a nation and in our lives. This great nation was founded to worship freely and you have blessed us beyond measure. We live in warm houses and have access to transportation.

    We want to pause our thanks to petition you to move in our national situation.  We ask for Jobs for the unemployed and housing for those who are homeless as well as healing for those who are profoundly sick from this virus and a host of other maladies. Guide out leaders to bring our nation back from the brink. Please awaken us to our need of you as individuals and as a nation.

 Thanks for even the hard things in our lives because they force us to grow. Be in a special way with those not able to gather around the family table as they are defending us or keeping us safe and secure, like the military, and first responders. Be with family that have lost loved ones this year we know these holidays can be hard on them, give a peace that passes understanding.  Help us all draw close to each other as we be never know how long we are loaned our loved ones. Most of all draw us all close to you we need you so much more than the stuff we will be buying during this next month. Help us find the truth godliness with contentment is great gain.

We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus

Amen.

Gene Kissinger #RTTBROS

Debt Of Gratitude Paul Chappell

#MorningGlory
RTTBROS
The Debt of Gratitude
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."

2 Thessalonians 2:13-15

In 2006, the United States government received a payment of $83,250,000 from the British government. It was the final installment to pay off the loan for the military equipment and supplies furnished by America to our allies through the Lend Lease program to help them in the war against the Germans. England’s Treasury Secretary expressed his appreciation for the help so many years before and said, “It was vital support which helped Britain defeat Nazi Germany and secure peace and prosperity in the post-war period. We honor our commitments to them now as they honored their commitments to us all those years ago.”

The Apostle Paul said he was “bound to give thanks”—that he owed an obligation to be grateful—and this is true of us as well. God has done so many wonderful things for us, and none of them are deserved. Gratitude guards our hearts against pride and selfishness, for if we remember that the good things we enjoy are blessings from God rather than something we are owed, we will remain humble before Him.

It is also important for us to express our gratitude to those who have made investments in our lives. There is an old saying that applies here: “If you see a turtle sitting on a fence post, it’s pretty safe to assume he didn’t get there by himself.” Recognizing that others have helped us get to where we are, it is only right to thank them.

Today's Growth Principle:
Express your gratitude today, both to God and to those who have helped you in your life.
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Remember The Mana God Gave You

#MorningGlory RTTBROS "Memories Of God's Goodness" Heb 9:3-5

Mana would be all of the good things God has brought into your life over the years. Take time to thank God today for all the good he has brought into your life.

Read and think about this timely reminder to remember to thank God for his past Goodness to us.

The Memory of Manna

by Dr. Paul Chappell

And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Hebrews 9:3-5

To meet the needs of the Israelites in the wilderness, God sent manna six days a week. This practice continued day after day, year after year. The people were not allowed to keep any overnight to provide for the next day, except on the day before the Sabbath. Yet, they were never left without provision. When they finally crossed the Jordan River and had access to the food in the land, the manna stopped. “And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year” (Joshua 5:12).

Though the manna was no longer falling daily, God did not want the people to forget what He had done for them. One of the reminders He instructed the Israelites to keep was a pot filled with manna that was kept in the Ark of the Covenant. There would be difficult days the people would face. There would be times that they would not know how their needs would be met. But in those moments, they would be able to look back on what God had done for them in the past and be encouraged. The thanks that we offer to God for the blessings we receive are good, but they must not just be in the moment. We should remember what He has done with us in the past to help us face the future.

Today's Growth Principle: 

Remembering what God has done for us in the past strengthens our faith for the needs we face in the future

Thanksgiving and the hereafter. 1 cor. 15:57-58

But Thanks be to God … Life is not Finished 

Do you ever think … “I’m finished!  I’m through I hate tomato & squash pie!” 

Consider Alexander who spent time in the Russian Gulag. 

In "The Prison Chronicle" he says, as few of us can, "Don't be afraid of misfortune and do not yearn after happiness. It is, after all, all the same. The bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don't freeze in the cold, and if hunger and thirst don't claw at your sides. If your back isn't broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms work, if both eyes can see, and if both ears can hear, then whom should you envy? And why? Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purify your heart and prize above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well."  (Illustration from AutoIllustrator at biblestudytools.net) 

ILL. One pastor said, "Problems are a part of life. All of us are going to have problems right up to the moment we die. And some of you are going to have problems after you die."

We should all agree … and as true as it is … we need to remember … this life isn’t the finish line!  The victory celebration is yet to come! 

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 51Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

There is an inheritance of change coming! 

• From Corruption … to Incorruption  

• Decay & perishable … to unending existence. 

• From Mortal … to Immortal 

• Liable to die … to becoming deathless 

John 17:4  "4I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." 

John 19:30 30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Because Jesus finished the work of  our salvation … that means we are not finished in this life! 

Philippians 3:20-21   20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

But thanks be to God … life is not finished! 

There are times, we must admit that life takes on the appearance of being futile, foolish and finished. 

"Pride slays Thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. - A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." (Henry Ward Beecher) 

The truth is … we are getting more than we deserve!  Let thanks become a forethought in all facets of your life … for it is not futile, foolish or finished! 

1 Corinthians 15:57  57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Amen! 

Thanks Be To God. Rom 6:17

Saying thanks should not be an after thought, but a forethought.  

ILL. The young man was feeling very proud of himself. As a brand-new college graduate he had taken the C.P.A. Exams & passed with flying colors. Now he was a full-fledged Certified Public Accountant.

His father had been an immigrant to the U.S., & now owned his own little business. Filled with self-importance, the young man began to criticize his father’s way of keeping books. He said, “Dad, you don’t even know how much profit you’ve made. Over here in this drawer are your accounts receivable. Over there are your receipts, & you keep all your money in the cash register. You don’t have any idea how much you’ve made.”

The father answered, “Son, when I came to this country the only thing I owned was a pair of pants. Now, your brother is a doctor, your sister is an art teacher, & you are a C.P.A. Your mother & I own our home. We have a car, & we own this little business. Now add that up, subtract the pants, & all the rest is profit.”

The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 brings giving “thanks” to the fore front of our lives. 

1 Corinthians 15:57  57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When you begin to really look at your life … “But thanks be to God … life is not futile, foolish or finished.” 

At times we humans tend to think our lives are foolish.  But consider this …though your life may not be all you want it to be … most of the time it is more life than others have. 

• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.  

• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.  

• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week 

• If you can attend church meetings without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion in the world.

• List 3 things each day you are thankful for, it will turn you life around

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