MIND OF CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.
PASTOR THOMAS E. OGLESBY
P.O. BOX 85
NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY 07110
website: mindofchristministries.net
Phone: 973-818-2750
e-mail: mindofchrist@verizon.net
November 2022
“Being Thankful At Thanksgiving”
Dear Believer (s):
We live in a world filled with trouble. America is experiencing many problems today. I am sure that you have had to go through your share of challenges.
Thanksgiving Day was originally set aside as a time when people all over America would gather together with friends and family to celebrate God’s goodness by giving thanks and praise to Him. But Thanksgiving has been turned into a turkey day, a day when the only things that are important to many people are who gets the drumstick, who gets the most food on their plate, and “Can we be finished in time for the football game?” Let me not forget the mad dash to stores for the “Pre- Black Friday Sales.”
Thanksgiving Day should not be dedicated to turkey, football, and store sales. It is a day that should be dedicated to giving praise and thanks to the Lord. Thanksgiving should be a time to reflect on how God has been good to us and how He has blessed us in spite of the afflictions we have faced as Christians.
This year as we celebrate Thanksgiving, no matter what we are facing, let’s remember we have someone to lean on. We have a Savior we can turn to. This should give us a reason to have a thankful heart. God has told us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19) God will deliver us when we put our faith and trust in Him.
As Christians what do we have to be thankful for? We have hope for tomorrow because our hope is in Jesus. We look to Him because He is our total source. Jesus is our source of strength. The Son of God is the source of joy, peace, and love. Our tomorrow will be better than today. Jesus assured us that “He would never leave us nor forsake us even unto the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) This is because He lives within us; we do not face tomorrow alone. No situation is hopeless for Jesus, and He controls all things.
Another reason for God’s people to be thankful is that we have Good News to share. The Good News is that Jesus died for our sins. He died in order that we might live a life of abundance. A life filled with the righteousness of God. We must share the love of Jesus with everyone. There are individuals we know who need Jesus. Surely, they may have rejected Him in the past but offer them the opportunity today to accept Jesus as their personal Savior once more. Do not give up on them, God did not give up on us.
Let’s look at “A Song of Thanksgiving” written by David found in Psalm 67, “God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy !For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”
As it points out in verse 7, “God has blessed us.” God has surely blessed us and is continuing to do so. On Thanksgiving Day set aside time to praise God for what He has done for you. Let us not forget to thank our God. Even if you feel that circumstances are not good, you need to praise God. Our Praising God should not depend on our conditions or situations. Many times, I have praised God when I did not feel like it or the situation did not seem to warrant it. That’s when the battle was won. We’ve got to be in an attitude of praise all the time.
Oh yes, we live in a world that is full of problems, but we have the Holy Spirit to direct, teach, lead, and empower us. We can be thankful to God because with Him, we will not be defeated by trouble and trials. This Thanksgiving we can be filled with joy, peace, and love. We must center our minds and hearts on Jesus. He can help us to rise above the storms of life and have complete victory. My prayer is that you will turn to Him to carry your burdens this Thanksgiving.
God loved us so much that He had His Son to die for us. Jesus died that we might be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life. We should forever give God thanks that we are able to be His children and live a life of abundance in Him according to our faith.
Let us Pray: Dear God, help us to trust you during these difficult times. Let us not put our trust in things, money, and who we are. Let us understand that your love for us and our obedience to you will give us victory over life’s problems. We pray for the less fortunate, the hopeless, and the lost. Lord, we give you thanks for this season and let us surrender our all to you. We pray this prayer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!
I will be in Special Prayer on Thanksgiving Day. Please send me your prayer request. God is doing great and miraculous things. He has a miracle with your name on it. I will join with you and as we pray, believing and expecting, God will answer our prayer. Please send your prayer request to: Mind of Christ Ministries, P.O. Box 85, Nutley, NJ 07110. You can also go to our website at: mindofchristminitries.net
One of the many things I can be thankful for are the friends who support the ministry and allow me to reach hurting and lost souls for Christ. I wish you could see some of the letters that I receive of how God has answered prayers and people are being greatly blessed. It is because of your unselfish giving that I am able to help others. Please, I need your continued financial help in order to move forward with the work of God. Remember when you are giving to God from your heart, no gift is too small. I know that God will reward you for your giving.
As in previous years, I want to caution Believers how the devil uses the time leading up to, during and after the Holiday Season to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil is able to do this because so many people seem to lose their focus on God. They instead concentrate more on the things of the world, rather than godly things. We can avoid the devils’ traps by not rushing, avoiding stressful situations, financial pitfalls, poor planning, overspending, being impatient, and not getting enough rest. As well as, not becoming involved in heated arguments with others. We can do this by godly planning and seeking God’s guidance during these hectic times of over-commercialization of the season.
It’s sad but it is true. Large numbers of individuals will not live to see the New Year. They will be killed by the devices of satan. During the Holiday Season, we experience more killings, robberies, scams by crooks to steal from you, fires, accidents of all types, heart attacks, and other health related problems. We see a large increase in bitter family disagreements, and temper explosions which leads to physical and mental harm. Let us all be led by the Spirit of God.
With Prayers & Thanksgiving,
Thomas Oglesby
Pastor Thomas Oglesby
