“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
What I’m Truly Thankful For…
My Family
My wife who has stood by me through the thick and the thin and has been a solid rock to me and our family. She is truly my Proverbs 31 woman, and without her love, support, and friendship, I would be less of a man than I am.
My three beautiful Proverbs 31 daughters – who are on loan to me from the Lord as they are actually His – their loving husbands, and my three amazing grandchildren are all a crown unto me (Proverbs 17:6), and of such great joy.
My Mom, my sister and her family, and the many other relatives who have impacted my life and given me unconditional love throughout the years.
Are we a perfect family – all lollipops and rainbows? Absolutely not! Like the church, we are a family of saved sinners, growing in love and thankfulness for our God and Savior and learning from our mistakes along the way.
Thank you, Lord, for giving them all to me. I pray that not one be lost and that I’m able to present them back to you, one day in my own little way, as the people You created them to be.
The Opportunity to Serve Christ and His Church
The ministry the Lord has given me has opened a door to serve Him that I would have never thought possible. When I consider what the Lord has done for me and my family, I tend to get a little speechless. It’s hard for me to fathom that the Creator of the universe would allow someone like myself – so flawed and undeserving – to be His hands and His feet.
The mystery of how the Lord uses His people for His will can never be truly understood. May He give us all His strength to carry out His mission in our lives and in the lives of others. May we all be about His business of Answering the Call of The Great Commission.
RaptureReady.com and FaithWriters.com
My gratitude and thanks to the ministries of FaithWriters.com and Cindy, Terry, and Todd at RaptureReady.com could not be overstated. Through these wonderful ministries, I have been able to reach untold amounts of people with my teachings, interpretations, and scenarios on Biblical eschatology and theological Bible studies.
My New Friendships
Through my writing ministry, I have developed long-lasting, fruitful, and edifying relationships with brothers and sisters from all over the world. I would have never expected such a beautiful thing, yet here I am, a very blessed man because of these godly friendships that have resulted from this amazing ministry the Lord has given to me.
May I never let Him – or you, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ – down. Your friendships – though I have never met any of you personally – I am confident will last an eternity. What joy!
Prayers, Encouragement, and Edification from the Body of Christ
I can’t thank those enough – you know who you are – who have taken the time to email me with words of encouragement, love, and edification. You can’t imagine what this means to me. I’m eternally grateful for you all and how you have lifted me up, certifying that the Lord is using such a tarnished vessel as myself to uplift the body of Christ and that He has me right where He wants me. Whether you realize it or not, you are following the leading of the Spirit when you bless your brothers and sisters with your loving words of encouragement.
My God and Savior Jesus Christ
Lastly, yet always first in my life, is my thankfulness for the One true God who saved me from an eternity in the Lake of Fire, a destiny I most assuredly deserve. But through the grace of the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, He reached down and delivered me from the wrath to come. Not only that, but His Son, Jesus Christ, paid for all of my sins on His cross, which is really my cross, as this was the punishment I justly deserved.
I’m truly thankful for the Word of God and all that it is. I know that while on this earth, in these frail bodies and a fallen yet regenerated state of mind, we can only scratch the surface for what the Scriptures truly declare. This is why I am also thankful that Jesus Christ – the Word of God Himself – will be teaching us more and more about His amazing Word for all of eternity. I so look forward to this!
What About You?
I pray that the reader is truly thankful for many of the things that I am, especially the Lord and His love. May we celebrate our thankfulness together in His precious Name.
But I also realize that there are many brothers and sisters who are hurting in this world, and especially at this time of year. If you, dear Saint, fall into this category, please believe that you are not alone. You have Christ, and you have us – your loving brethren.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are feeling lonely and/or in despair, need guidance and/or direction, or just need someone to talk to, please feel free to reach out to me. I’ll make every effort to point you in the right direction and to help settle your soul, which of course, will always be the Lord and His Word. I’m no miracle worker, but we know the One who is!
May we all count our blessings, not the least of which is our God and Savior’s love and sacrifice for our salvation. That we praise Him with all we are and rejoice in our future – that we will always be with Him, together, as one loving family.
My Prayer for the Saints
Heavenly Father God (Elohim Avinu), Son of God, Jesus Christ (Yeshua ha’Mashiach), Holy Spirit (Ruach ha’Kodesh); One God, Three within the One, working in perfect love and harmony:
Thank You for Who You are, what You have done, what You are doing, and what You will do – All glory, honor, and majesty are yours, and to You do we bow the knees of our hearts in thankfulness and awe. We love You because You first loved us and brought us back into fellowship with Yourself, something we could never do for ourselves.
I pray for every brother and sister in Christ from around the world – those who I’ve met and those who I will meet in heaven.
I pray that they draw closer to You as You draw them closer to Your Son and His will for their lives. I ask that You shower them, through the presence of Your Holy Spirit residing within them, with Your everlasting love, amazing grace, unlimited mercy and lovingkindness, and Your shalom that surpasses all understanding.
May Your will be the focal point of their lives in everything that they do, say, and teach. May their prayers be powerful for Your children and for those who are lost. That, by their witnessing and preaching Your Son’s glorious gospel, they may reach others with salvation that can only be found in Christ Jesus, a message of hope for the hopeless in a lost and dying world.
May Your joy be theirs; may Your love be their crown; may Your righteousness be their garment; and may Your will be their cause in everything they do for Your Holy Name. May Your truth be the standard by which they live as they serve Messiah Yeshua, in the Holy Spirit, Who is always faithful and true.
In Jesus Christ’s Holy Name I pray – Amen.
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!
➢ Email: mab10666@yahoo.com
➢ If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ and are seeking answers about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and salvation, please email me at mab10666@yahoo.com for information.
➢ I am still taking questions for the Questions from the Body of Christ series. If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you.
➢ A listing of past articles may be found at my Article Listings on Rapture Ready or my Home Page on FaithWriters.