Dear Brother or Sister in the LORD:
Thanksgiving! What a blessed celebration. It’s when families and friends become the focus rather than gifts and events. Each family has its own traditions which are important remembrances. As the name Thanksgiving implies, this special day should be about giving thanks.
That being said, we would like to give thanks to the LORD for permitting us to reach believers worldwide because of funds He has funneled through many hands to enable us to produce materials to teach others on a wide variety of doctrinal issues. This has been through the ministry the LORD initially laid upon my heart in the 1970s.
As a part of our Thanksgiving, we would like to send you a complimentary copy of our latest book, Finding Loopholes in the Bible on Divorce and “Re-marriage” is like … Riding a Bike to Jamaica. If you already have a copy and don’t want a second one to share with someone else, please let us know if there is another of our publications you would rather have. See the listing of our publications on our website: Materials.
Send your mailing address to RestorationOfTheFamily@gmail.com with a notation that you would like a copy of the above-mentioned book or an alternate choice. This offer ends December 15, 2019 and is ONLY for those with United States postal addresses.
There are some important guidelines for our giving thanks.
The following teaching is quite a departure from our normal Thanksgiving message, but hopefully it will add an additional dimension to your examination of (1) the quality and (2) the appropriateness of your Thanksgiving as it involves God’s gifts unto us. The LORD tells us to: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except [unless] ye be reprobates? 2 Corinthians 13:5
The LORD has taken me to two books of the Bible as the springboard for this Thanksgiving message: the Old Testament book of Hosea and the New Testament book of Romans. Again, this teaching, initially, may seem to be unrelated to Thanksgiving; however, please read through to reach the conclusion.
God choose Hosea, as He does many of us, to illustrate the price of sacrificial love.
The book of Hosea is a love story of a faithful husband, Hosea, with a dual application between that of Hosea and his wife, Gomer, and that of God and His spiritual wife, Israel. The LORD asked an 8th-century BC Northern Israel prophet, who authored the book bearing his name, to marry a wife named Gomer. Gomer later became unfaithful, totally spurning Hosea’s love for her. This was after bearing their three children. Yet, sadly, Gomer became an adulteress, a harlot with many lovers, and she “married” at least one of her lovers.
One thing we learn from Hosea’s writings is that God’s plan is for forgiveness and reconciliation and that He has a deep love for each of us. He illustrates this in many different ways through His faithful servants (even today); and of course, through the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus gave on the cross for every person.
Thus, even after Gomer had played the harlot with her lovers (Hosea 2:5) and married one of her paramours (just as had the nation of Israel in her apostasy against God by worshipping other gods), God told Hosea to buy back his wife who had, by this time, been sold into slavery. However, if you study Hosea 3:1, it is clear that Hosea was not only to buy back his adulteress wife, but he was to continue to extend a deep love in his heart for Gomer; that is, to love her with the kind of love God exhibits for even you and me when we sin:
Then said the LORD unto me [Hosea], Go yet, love a woman [Gomer] beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. Hosea 3:1
Gomer gave thanks!
With that background, now switch “channels,” so to speak. Gomer did something that many of us do but out of perhaps different circumstances. She gave thanks for her provisions; however, she didn’t give God credit for them; that is, for her food, clothing, etc. She had totally lost sight of the LORD; not only morally, but spiritually and in the midst of her adulterous lifestyle, she totally not only lost sight of her covenant husband but of the One Who was her provider: God.
Notice, however, that even when Gomer was playing the harlot, she gave thanks that someone had provided food and clothing for her; yet, because of her seared conscience, she gave credit to her lovers rather than to God: … I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. Hosea 2:5
God clearly lets us know that even when Gomer was living a sinful lifestyle, her provisions were coming from His hand: For she did not know that I [God] gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold … Hosea 2:8
You see, even in the midst of our horrific sins against God, the LORD reaches out to His creation, hoping we will understand the depth of His love, even when we turn from Him to the idols we create in our lives (sports, jobs, material possessions); including our accomplishments for which we often boast rather than giving credit to God for the talents He has allowed to pour through our hands.
Why does God continue to provide for those who reject Him?
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4
However, God will not strive with sinfulness forever. He will, as He determines, remove even some basics: Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. Hosea 2:9
Why do I succeed?
When God tells us to give thanks in all things, the thanks are to be directed toward Him because He is our provider and sustainer, as taught in the book of Hosea and elsewhere. Yes, we are involved in our successes; however, it is God Who has given, as one of His many gifts, the abilities to succeed.
Even though we have the funds to purchase food to eat, gas for our cars, and money to pay our monthly bills; these provisions are from God, and it is He to whom our thanks belong such as when we put gas in our vehicles, partake of a meal, or make one of our many purchases. However, do we, each time we purchase a need or want such as gas, pause to thank Him for the gas, etc.?
Misplaced thankfulness comes in many different packages.
Let’s look at one more example of misplaced thankfulness for consideration. This time, study the words the LORD gave to Paul to pen as recorded in the first chapter of Romans. Paul is helping us to understand not only that no man is innocent in his choice to sin against God, but there can be even horrific repercussions when we lose sight of giving thanks to the LORD.
We know the difference between right and wrong because God GIVES each of us a conscience; however, we often abuse this gift by choosing to do that which is wrong in the sight of God; that is we … hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18), often to the point of becoming so blinded to our sin against God that we sear our conscience so that it no longer “tugs” at our heart to stop doing what we once knew was wrong:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith … Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. 1 Timothy 4:1
Continue to study this important first chapter in Romans by focusing on verse 21 as it relates to our giving thanks:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Romans 1:21-22
Neglecting to give thanks to God not only sears our conscience but blinds us to sin. In so doing, we lose sight that all good things come from God and the fact that His ways are always in our best interest. Instead of thanking God for His Biblical guidelines and direction, man thinks he knows better than God and devises his own ways of doing things. Thus, God, being just, eventually “rewards” unthankful man by letting man do those sinful things he feels are best for himself.
You CAN have it YOUR WAY!
Through the pen of Paul, we are given a list of some of the behaviours resulting from doing things our way instead of being thankful for God’s precepts by living by them. Some of these man-instituted choices are listed in Romans 1:28-31.
These are lifestyle sins that overtake us when we do not give thanks to God but listen to our own “vain” imaginations and partake in foolish behaviors. Because we do not examine ourselves by God’s standards, but insist on our own “vain imaginations” as to what is right or wrong, God turns us over to a reprobate mind—that mind in man which rejects God, sears his conscience, and transforms his soul into exhibiting some of the following sinful lifestyles:
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. Romans 1:29-31
So what do Hosea and Paul have in common in their writings?
Both Hosea and Paul are warning against giving misplaced thanks but each with a slightly different spin. Gomer was deceived into thinking her food and clothing was being provided by her lovers. However, it was God reaching out to her, even in the midst of her life of prostitution.
Those with reprobate minds, about whom Paul wrote, also didn’t give thanks to God. Instead, their thanks became narcissistic: toward self, prideful. They became puffed up thinking they knew better than God in what lifestyles they should live; perhaps with a little bit different “spin,” but with much the same result as Gomer: rejection of God for self-pleasure and self-indulgence.
Thus, their turning away from God resulted in their becoming filled with all unrighteousness including fornication, murder, haters of God, disobedience to parents, covenant-breakers (divorce and adulterous relationships) sodomy and all kinds of wrongful personal relationships. (Study Romans 1:28-31.)
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened and … God gave them over to a reprobate mind … Romans 1:21, 28
So let each of us examine our heart. Yes, we should thank others, but we also must never forget where and from whom all good gifts come—from above: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father … James 1:17
Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Perhaps you are familiar with the song, “Give thanks with a grateful heart.” It can be a song with lyrics to help us keep a proper balanced focus on our giving thanks on this very special day.
Below is a link for this song followed by the lyrics. Perhaps you might sing this at your Thanksgiving gathering:
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
Give thanks …
Happy Thanksgiving. We are so grateful to the LORD and for each of you.
If you have questions or would like prayer, please contact us.
In Christ’s Service,
Judith Brumbaugh
President/Founder
Restoration Of The Family, Inc.
www.RestorationOfTheFamily.org PO Box 621342 Oviedo, FL 32762-1342
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