Today I thought of Daddy bringing home a huge dead turkey, feathers and all, and Mama making pumpkin pies, dressing, and the works.
Before some of the older children left home, we rubbed elbows around the Thanksgiving Day table. You had to be brave to fork a piece of turkey from the platter, lest you get forked.
Another thing, sometimes I trod to the out-house just to have piece and quiet. I don't mean to complain. I'm thankful for all my brothers and sisters. And then there was the time when we got home from church and my older brother Clarence was missing. Daddy drove back and found him asleep on a pew.
I'm thankful for my upbringing. Too many families today pass their unbelief in God to their children, thus the blistering effect on our society. People need The Lord.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Did all those church services make us perfect? No, but that's where we learned about Jesus, and what a difference it made in my life.
In Revelation Two, Jesus accused the busy, separated, sacrificing church of Ephesus of abandoning their first love. Their works, labor, and patience were not motivated by a love for Christ.
What is "first love"? Its the devotion to Christ that so often characterizes the new believer -- fervent, personal, excited, and telling others. Its the "honeymoon love".
"First love" can be restored. First, we must remember (literally keep on remembering) what we have lost and cultivate a desire to regain that close communication once again.
Then we must repent -- change our minds -- and confess our sins to The Lord. We must restore the original fellowship that was broken by our sin and neglect. For the believer, this means prayer, Bible reading and meditation, obedient service, and worship.
Only the Head of the church, Jesus Christ, can accurately inspect each church and know its true condition because He sees the internals, not only the externals. He gives each of the seven churches in Revelation an X-ray of its condition. But Jesus is also speaking to us.
Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches . . .
Churches are made up of individuals, and it is individuals who determine the spiritual life of the assembly. Before Christ judges the world, He must judge His own people (1 Peter 4:17).
In Revelation 2, the church at Ephesus enjoyed pastors like Paul, Timothy, and the Apostle John himself. But The Lord reminded them that He was in control of the ministry, placing them where He pleased.
How easy it is for a church to become proud and forget that pastors and teachers are God's gifts who may be taken away at any time. Some churches need to be cautioned to worship The Lord and not their pastor.
I smiled this morning to find the Book of Revelation the next reading on my journey through the New Testament. Matthew through Jude blessed me immensely. The awesome drama of Christ's earthly ministry, his parables, love, and sacrifice drew me close to God. The missionary work of Paul and his letters to the churches fed my spirit with instruction, hope and praise.
Though I read it many times, I'm excited about studying the great Revelation. I've learned to pause and ask God to enlighten me as I read. When Jesus asked John to write down what he saw and heard, He wanted us to read it two thousand years later. In fact, Jesus promised to bless the readers.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand.
Written to seven local churches in Asia, the book is not only prophecy with symbols, but it is also about the glory of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God -- the beginning and end of our faith.
Don't let this wicked world depress you. Prayerfully study this exciting Book. At the end, we win.
