Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

I. The Wheat

In this passage, Jesus presents another parable dealing with a sower and some seed. He wants us to know that when we consider the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to realize that a harvest is involved. If we ever lose our vision of that harvest, we will become ineffective in our outreach.

Jesus didn’t die for the church so that it would become a social club or a place where we fulfill our Christian obligation. He died to reconcile us back to the Father. He made us ambassadors for Christ. We are tasked with the responsibility of reconciling men back to the Father with the message of the Gospel through faith in Christ.

In verses 37 and 38, Jesus explained the meaning of this parable to His disciples.

Matthew 13:37-38 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; . . .

In the parable of The Sower, The Seed, And The Soil (which is discussed in the prior 3 blog posts), there isn’t a specific sower. “The sower soweth the Word.” (Mark 4:14) I believe Jesus was saying that every Child of God should be a sower. Ministers sow the Word. Plumber’s should sow the Word. If you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, you should be sowing the Word.

In this parable, Jesus tells us specifically that the sower is the Son Of Man. That term is used to describe the humanity of Christ. Jesus often used this term for Himself when He discussed His purpose for coming.

Matthew 26:1-2 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

It was Jesus, the Son of Man, who was betrayed and crucified. He was the Son of Mary. He was Immanuel, the Son of God made flesh and dwelling among men. And it is the Son of Man who is the Sower in this parable. He explained that the field in the parable is the world.

We know and believe that the truth of the gospel is the Word of God. Those who have heard the Truth and have believed are the good seed in the parable. We have been planted in this field (world) for a reason. The Sower, Jesus, has planted each of us here with the desire that we would bear fruit. He wants us to accomplish the will and purpose of God in our lives.

In the Gospels, Jesus likened us to various things in describing our effect on the world. We are to be the light of the world shining through the darkness. We are the salt of the earth. We season and preserve the world. It is obvious that in every situation of life, God is intent on our affecting this world. He wants us to be fruitful. That is one of the most important reasons that we are here.

John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: . . .

He revealed that His will is for us and our fruit to endure. Jesus wants us to endure to the end. He also wants those that we win for Christ to endure as well. There is only one way for that to happen. We must abide in Him. We must remain connected to the Vine.

John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

So we are the good seed that Jesus has planted in the field of this world. As we grow, our root system, or the vine, is not of ourselves, it is of Christ. We cannot sustain ourselves or each other. We can encourage and exhort one another but if we are not connected to the Vine, we will die spiritually. If we remain connected to the Vine, we become the branches whose sole purpose is to bear fruit that we might bring glory to the Vine. (to be continued…)

This post is the conclusion of  the 2 previous posts.

III.    The Hedge Way

The intention is to make sure the good plants get all the nourishment they need.  Look at Jesus explanation of this group of people.

 Mark 4:18-19  And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

There is another message in those two verses alone.  Who does Jesus say are those who are described as being among thorns?  They are those that hear the word and the thorns choke it out.  Then Jesus gives us a list of thorns that will choke out the Word of God in our lives.  Things that keep the seed from reaching it’s full potential of spiritual growth in the lives of the hearers.  The first thorn He mentions is “…the cares of this world….” 

If you look back through history, and if you could look into the future, you would find that there are distractions in every generations.  There are so many things that can deter us from what is good and right.  Things that can cause us to look to the left or the right.  Things that can and will draw our attention away from the things of God.

The second thorn that Jesus mentions is “…the deceitfulness of riches….”  Literally, the delusion of possessions.  I have seen so many get so sidetracked by the accumulation of possessions.  They spend well beyond what they can afford and get well beyond what they can manage.  They find themselves so bound by possessions that the things they thought they owned, in reality, own them.  And before they even realize it, they just lose out with God.

The third thorn Jesus lists is “…lusts of other things….”  He was more general concerning this thorn.  Literally, it is the longing for the rest of what we don’t have.  It is longing for relationships that have the potential to draw individuals away from God.  It is longing for social status that will cause the pride of life to destroy us.  It is longing for friends that will hinder our relationship with God.  Jesus was describing any longing that hinders the longing for God.  You see, when the affection is on the things of the earth and not on things above, we are already at a disadvantage and most likely will not survive spiritually.

So there are three types of soil in this parable that do not produce what the sower is longing for.  His desire is a harvest.  He wants His seed to produce fruit.  You can see that all through the teachings of Christ in the Gospels.  He cursed a tree that gave all the indications that it had fruit but when He examined the tree, He found “…nothing but leaves….”

But there is something else that these three types of soil have in common.  The sower didn’t sow there on purpose.  These types of ground were not His target.  They were sown incidentally.  The sower didn’t get discouraged and quit sowing because the seed on the high way wouldn’t grow.  He didn’t give up because the seed on the hard way wouldn’t last.  He didn’t throw in the towel because the seed on the hedge way couldn’t survive.  He kept right on sowing because His goal was another kind of soil and that is where He obtained the fruit that He so desired.

IV.     The Harvest

I can tell you from experience that it is so rewarding to preach a message that you know came from God.  And, oh the joy, when you see that the seed of God’s word is taking root.  Then when you are able to see the evidence of fruit in the life of someone that has heard that message, there is no way to describe the satisfaction.

I think it is interesting that it doesn’t seem to be that important how much fruit is being produced.  It just seems to matter that there is fruit and that it is increasing.  In other words, you may be more fruitful than me but, if I am being fruitful, that is what God wants in my life.

So what is it that makes the good ground good?  The seed is sown and the ground receives the seed.  Then the ground allows it to bear fruit.

There is probably every kind of soil in the hearts of those who are reading this message.  Some may be like a highway.  So many have stepped all over your heart and your feelings through the years.  Now you don’t want to dare to allow your walls to come down.  You think you can’t afford to be vulnerable again.

Some are like the hard way or the stony ground.  You have heard the message of the gospel before and you have known the joy of praying through.  But you wouldn’t allow yourself to be broken so that His word could take root.  At the first sign of trouble, you couldn’t stand the heat of the battle.  You withered and died spiritually.

Some are like the hedge way or the thorny ground.  You have heard the Word of God and allowed it to start working in your life.  But this world and the cares thereof have so distracted you and choked out any spiritual life that was in you.  You can’t bear fruit because you have no life.

If you find yourself in that list as you read this message, there is hope for you.  You don’t have to remain unfruitful.  There is something you can do.

I was looking at this parable in the three gospels in which it is recorded and each writer used a different word to describe what the good ground does with the seed.  Matthew said they “understand” it or comprehend it.  They are able to put it together in their mind.  Mark said they “receive” it or delight in it.  Luke said they “keep” it or seize it.  In other words, they make it their own.

So if you want to turn your well-travelled soil, or your rocky soil, or your thorny soil into fruitful soil, there is something you can do.  You need to take the Word of God that you’ve heard and understand it (put it together – comprehend what it means).  In like manner, delight in it (don’t fear what it will require of your life).  And finally, possess it (seize it and make it yours).

When you hear a message from the Word of God, don’t try to figure out who else the message is for.  Make it yours.  Seize it.  Possess it for yourself and don’t let it go.

If the Lord was taking soil samples and he sampled yours, what kind of soil would you be?  Will you allow the enemy to steal what you have read in this message?  Will you allow the heat of the battle to wither your progress in the Lord?  Will you let the thorns (the distractions of this age, the delusion of possessions, and the unsatisfied lust for what you don’t have) choke out your life and fruitfulness?  Or will you hear His word, understand it, delight in it, and make it yours?  It’s your choice, what kind of soil will you be?

I.                  The Highway

This post is a continuation of the previous post.  Please read “The Seed, The Sower & The Soil – Introduction” first.

 Mark 4:4  And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

The term “way side” means road.  In other words, some fell on the highway.  It was not a paved road, but a well-trodden path.  It was such that there was no earth in which the seed could take root.  The way side was so hard that the seed could not penetrate the hard crust.  Listen to Jesus’ explanation.

Mark 4:15  And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

What is it that could possibly make a person’s heart as hard as a highway?  I believe it happens when people walk through or over our lives.  They are not willing to stay in our lives.  They just are stepping into or on our lives to get somewhere else.  They are using us.

When we open ourselves up to a friendship, and we find out that the other person has an ulterior motive for being our friend, we get hurt.  We come to the realization that they had no interest in being close to us.  When we open ourselves to love someone and they walk all over us, and treat us like dirt, and disregard our feelings, it hurts.  Every time we get hurt, we harden our heart to protect ourselves from even more hurt.

We have no choice about people walking through our lives.  That is a fact of life unless we shut ourselves off from society and become hermits.  For that reason, it is a unavoidable part of life that we get hurt and we get hardened.

The problem is that it affects how we respond to God and His Word.  When we are in an area where the seed is being sown, some of that seed may fall upon the hardened ground of our heart.  Because of the hardness of our hearts, the enemy is able to steal that seed away.  We can even feel the Spirit convicting and drawing us, and yet we resist out of hardness or stubbornness.  We believe that we are protecting ourselves.

The truth is that we are disallowing the seed to take root in our hearts.

II.      The Hard Way

Mark 4:5-6  And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Every time I read this parable, I remember when I was in bible college.  I was helping my roommate build a deck for someone in the area.  In digging the holes for the corner posts, we encountered a problem.  There was only a couple inches of dirt and then it was solid rock.  I remember having to break up the rock and dig it out.  That was the hardest post holes I have ever dug.

It takes a lot of work to have a lawn in areas like that and much more work to have a garden.  When you plant the seed, it may sprout and appear to be doing well, but when the sun comes out, the sprouts will die.  The roots are not deep enough to draw moisture from the ground.  Listen to Jesus’ explanation.

 Mark 4:16-17  And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

I love to see the joy on the face of a new convert.  They have just experienced the joy of having their sins forgiven.  The burden of sin has been lifted.  The guilt and shame are gone.  They finally know what it feels like to be completely loved.  For the first time they are loved not because of anything they have done, or because they are good enough but loved unconditionally.        They get up from the altar feeling like they will never have another problem.  We all know that such in not the way life works even in the life of a the Christian.  There’s an old song that says, “If I never had problem, I wouldn’t know that God could solve them.  I’d never know what faith in God could do.”

It is such an important aspect of growing strong in God when we allow ourselves to be broken and remade.  I have thought so many times when we would sing that song, “I Want To Do Thy Will, O Lord,” the chorus is quite a commitment.  “Take me, break me, mold me and make me.”  That is the kind of surrender it takes for the seed to be able to take root in us.

There are those who will not allow the Word of God to take root in their lives.  They won’t allow it to change them even when they experience the joy and thrill of forgiveness.  They won’t allow themselves to be broken by His Word and His Spirit.  Then when trials come, they cannot stand the pressure.  They wither and die.  (To be continued…)

People Need The Lord

Mark 4:1-9  And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

I have read on occasion how modern farmers use technology and science to increase crop yields.  They send soil samples to the local coop or state agriculture department for analysis.  They are trying to discover if there is anything they can do to make their land more productive.

I want to talk about the Sower, the Seed and the Soil.  The Lord started dealing with me concerning this parable.  I know it is well known and much used in messages and lessons.  But there are some things in this parable at which I think we need to take a closer look.  I believe that this parable is the Master’s analysis of the soil of men’s hearts.

Notice how this account begins.  Jesus was teaching a multitude that was growing in number.  In order to be heard, He boards a boat and casts out just a short distance from the shore.  Of course, the creator would know that such a setting would make a natural amphitheatre with the water being the stage and the crowd on the shore would be able to hear His voice and His words.

When He starts this parable, He calls out to the crowd to get their attention.  “Hearken….”  In other words, He was telling them, “Quiet down, please…I have something important to say.  There is a lesson that I need to teach you…”

And when He begins the story, it is with a simple statement, “Behold, there went out a sower to sow:”  That stands to reason because that’s what sower’s do – they sow.  And while it would be easy to take this parable and say that the sower is a preacher so preachers need to be sowing, there is no basis for that assumption in this parable.

I believe that the minister is a sower but sowing is not limited to ministers.  The seamstress and the barber and the teacher are all sowers.  The gas station attendant and the electrician and the student are all sowers.  The landscaper and the coal miner and (put your occupation in the blank) are all sowers.  All Christians are sowers.  We should be sowing everyday and everywhere.

Most people will know what I mean when I mention a broadcast spreader.  I’ve seen them used to sow grass seed on several occasions.  I have seen some that attach to a lawn tractor and some that are on wheels with a handle to pull behind you.  The one that I’m the most familiar with straps onto the sower.  As the sower walks around the place where he wants to sow the seed, he turns a crank to throw the seed out of the spreader which broadcasts the seed – spreads it far and wide.

Sowing grass seed is not an exact science.  You don’t plant the seeds a certain distance apart and you don’t have to cover the seeds up with dirt.  It’s also true that when you use a broadcast spreader, you don’t have perfect control of the seed.  Some is going to end up on the sidewalk, some on the driveway, some on the street, etc.  So are you getting the picture in your mind?

When Jesus started expounding on the meaning of this parable, He said this short but very important and profound statement…

 Mark 4:14  The sower soweth the word.

 I believe we ought to broadcast the seed of God’s Word.  We need to sow the seed of His Word at work and at school.  We need to sow the seed of His Word when we are shopping or travelling.  We need to sow the seed of His Word everywhere we go.

So we all are sowers, and we should be sowing the seed of God’s Word.  That brings us to the soil.  Jesus mentioned 4 different types of soil in this parable.  All of them received some of the seed that was sown, but not all of them had the same results.  (to be continued)

Matthew 13:10-17 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

In this passage, Jesus has been teaching the multitude from a boat while they are gathered on the shore. He had just told them the parable of the sower. Obviously, we don’t know all that He taught them that day. However, for Matthew, Mark and Luke, the most memorable part of His teaching was that parable.

Later, after the multitude was gone away, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him why He was teaching in parables. This was their Master. They were following after Him. I don’t believe that they were questioning His methods. I think they were truly wanting to understand.

They were probably looking back at such messages as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. There were no parables there. It was just a proclamation of the truth. What changed? Why use parables now if He didn’t use them before? His answer was so interesting, I thought we should take a closer look.

I. The Privilege

Matthew 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Most of us seldom realize what a privilege we have in serving God. God has given us the Holy Ghost to enlighten us. We have an insight into the Word of God that the world does not have. We walk in the knowledge of the mysteries of God. There are things that are hidden from those that do not believe that are opened up to the mind of the believer. We are a privileged people. We need to be careful that we don’t neglect that privilege.

I understand that there are mysteries that are beyond our grasp. We can’t even begin to know the enormity of eternity. We can’t understand the generosity of grace. We can’t fathom the miracle of mercy. Of course there are many other things that we cannot get our finite minds to comprehend.

Paul said that the things of God are unsearchable. In other words, the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know. I have been a Christian for 43 years. I have studied the Word of God personally and formally. Every door that opens to my understanding reveals so many more avenues that need to be explored.

I think it is interesting what Paul had to say about God’s wisdom and knowledge and justments.

Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

In Ephesians, he says that he is less than the least of all saints. Yet, he tells us that he has been chosen and grace has been given unto him. The result is that he is able to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Ephes. 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

He was telling us that sometimes he preached what he didn’t even understand because of a grace that God had given him. There are times that he was asked questions that he didn’t know he had the answer for until the time came that he needed the answer. You ask me, “how do you know that?” All I can tell you is that I have experienced that very thing.

It has happened before that I have been preaching out of a passage of scripture when the light of revelation opened up the passage beyond what my study could have ever revealed. I have been in the place where people asked me questions to which I didn’t realize that I had the answer until God opened my eyes at just the right time.

Jesus said that it is the privilege of the believers to know the mysteries of God. It is ours to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. As Paul put it, that is a grace. It doesn’t make us any better than anybody else. We must realize that it is a gift of God to those that believe upon the name of Christ.

The world doesn’t understand the things of God because the flesh cannot understand the things of the Spirit.

1 Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Look at what Jesus said concerning those who would hear His teachings.

Matthew 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Those who are seeking to understand, they are going to understand more and more. And for those who don’t even try to understand, I will hide the mysteries even deeper. The world rejects the message of Christ because they do not understand it.

We need to realize that with our privilege comes responsibility. God has promised to open up the mysteries of heaven to us. We must be seeking to understand, that is the key to solving those mysteries. Otherwise, we will walk around in the dark while saying that we are walking in the Light.

II. The Prophets

In the Old Testament, God’s people had the prophets. Many times, they brought a message straight from God to His people.

When you read about the visions they saw and read the messages they heard directly from God, You realize that God spoke to the children of Israel in parables in Old Testament times.

Many times, the hearers rejected the message of the prophet and sometimes they rejected the prophet as well. They didn’t realize (or maybe they did) that in rejecting God’s prophet and God’s message, they were rejecting God.

They were often cruel to the prophets. Some were beaten, some were imprisoned, and some were killed. All of this was because people did not understand the message of the mysteries of God.

Jesus said that such a lack of understanding His teaching was prophesied by Isaiah.

Matthew 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

Isaiah prophesied that those that could hear would hear and they wouldn’t understand. And he said that those that could see would see and they wouldn’t perceive the mystery of God that would be revealed in Christ.

Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that the lack of understanding or the inability to understand is often deliberate. They don’t want to understand. If they understand, it will mean that they have to change from what they are now.

Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

It is so hard to admit that we need a Savior. That would mean that there is something wrong with us. That would mean that we are lost. That would mean that we need to surrender our will to someone else. That would mean that we need to repent; to turn away from the road that we are on.

If we see the truth with open eyes, we will understand with the heart. And when we really understand the truth, we will realize that we are spiritually sick. We will realize that we need healing and we will surrender to the call of the Savior.

The enemy does all he can to keep you from understanding the truth. That is true for those who have never been saved, those who have been saved and have forsaken the Lord, and those who have served the Lord for years. We must be careful that we are not closing our ears to His voice or closing our eyes to His truth or we will be no better off than those that rejected the prophets of old.

III. The Parables

But if we will listen and see and believe, there are things we will see that others only dream of seeing.

Matthew 13:16-17 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

The truth is that we have the Word of God. That is something that the prophets and children of God did not have. We don’t have any excuse for our unbelief. We have so much more at our disposal than any of those heroes of the faith that we find in God’s Word.

Jesus was told the disciples that He used parables to take Old Testament truths and New Testament truths and reveal them through illustrated sermons. He was using terms and situations with which His listeners were familiar to bring the truth to light in their eyes. He was trying to get them to open their ears and eyes to the message of Christ.

Earlier, I mentioned the answer of Jesus when the disciples asked Him why He was speaking in parables. He talked about the privilege we talked about earlier

Matthew 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

The word translated that is translated “given” in “…it is given unto you to know…” literally means granted or offered. It is a privilege that had been bestowed upon them as disciples.

What was the privilege that had been bestowed upon them? “…Because it is given unto you to know…”, literally, to perceive. It is their privilege to understand.

And what will they perceive? It is “…the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven,,,” or literally the secrets of heaven.

That was the privilege the disciples had at their disposal. They could know and understand the very secrets of heaven.

Jesus said there was only one way that those secrets could be revealed to unbelievers. It was through His telling the parables and opening the secrets of heaven through the illustrations of earth.

Some of us have the testimony that we have received the Holy Ghost. We have the privilege of spiritual guidance into the truths of God’s word. Some have rejected or neglected that privilege much like the children of Israel rejected the prophets and rejected the message of God.

Some may have never known that privilege. You have closed your ears and eyes to His call. Jesus told parables in His word to try to open your eyes and ears. Why don’t you open your heart to His call now? Ask God to help you open your eyes and ears to His Word. Don’t turn away His message to your heart just to keep from feeling His conviction

No matter how long you have claimed to be a Christian and no matter how long you have been a Christian, you need a Savior. That is why Jesus was using parables. He was working to reveal that need in the hearts of His listeners. Heed His call, open your eyes and ears to His truth.

Matthew 5:1-16 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Verse 16 is one of my favorite verses. There is no way to over emphasize the importance of letting our light shine in this dark world. It is not enough to your light shine in church. It must shine outside the four walls of the church.

I think that it is interesting when Jesus declares that the manner in which our light shines is through our good works. And then He makes it clear that even though it is our good works, they must glorify God and not our selves.

But in this message, I want to focus on verse 13. I have preached on this verse before but not in this context. Jesus told us in this verse that we are the “…salt of the earth…” And then, in the next verse, He told us that we are the “…light of the world…” Both of those messages are so important in the life of the Christian.

When you look at the context of these two statements, you have to realize the real meaning of these declarations for the Christian. Jesus has just listed the characteristics of the “blessed” or happy man. When you look at that list, it is not what most people believe is necessary to make someone happy. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, those hungry and thirsty for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted (as long as it is for righteousness sake), and those who are reviled, tortured, and slandered.

Isn’t it amazing that more money, more time off, newer cars, bigger houses, a boat, etc. are not found on the list of things that Jesus says will make us happy. And how is it possible that persecution and slander and all of those terrible things can make us happy? Verse 12 says that we should even rejoice in those times of being mistreated. The reason Jesus gave us is a wonderful promise that has been the comfort and encouragement that many martyrs for the cause of Christ have rested their faith upon; “…for great is your reward in heaven…”

If you look at the things that Jesus listed, the things that make us “blessed,” you will notice that the Beatitudes are an explanation of the progression of natural growth of the Christian. From realizing our poverty of spirit (the bankruptcy of our souls) to the place where we can rejoice in persecution, each step causes the world to take notice. They will want to know the reason for the peace and the hope and the joy in our life.

If we are depressed and down and discouraged when we go through trials, we are no different than those in the world. It is when we have joy in the time of trouble and peace in the middle of the storm that will make them want to know, “Why?” That is part of being the salt of the earth and the light of the earth.

However, for the first time, I noticed that verse 13 says more about salt that is not fulfilling its purpose or salt that has lost it’s savour than it does about good salt. That intrigued me and caused me to start meditating on the reason for such a warning

In the past, I have preached about salt and its function in life. It doesn’t matter who you are, salt is a part of your life. Salt is a seasoning that makes things taste better and more interesting. It is a preservative that can keep meat from spoiling for extended storage without refrigeration. It is also a de-icer that melts ice and makes the pathway much safer. And there are spiritual application for each of those functions of salt.

If the salt has lost it’s saltiness; it’s savour, it cannot fulfill any of those purposes. And in the life of a Christian; if we are the salt of the earth, it is of the utmost importance that we do not lose our savour.

In my lifetime and in many of yours, you would have to concede the point that we, as the salt, have lost much of our savour. The church has become so wrapped up in itself that we are not affecting the world in the positive manner that God intended. God wants to season and preserve and melt the hearts of the world through His church but that cannot happen if we have lost our savour.

Jesus said that if that happened, the salt is “…good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” It is not even worth it’s existence.

In the natural, I am not aware of any process by which salt that has lost it’s saltiness can be repaired or revived. There is nothing that can be done to make it salt again. And yet, as it pertains to the church having lost it’s savour, I believe it can be revived. It is my belief that it doesn’t take some great complicated strategy. The salt can be revived if we take 3 simple steps.

I. Prayer

Paul told the Thessalonians in 1 Thes. 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” In other words, there is no time to stop praying. We used to sing a song that encouraged us that we should pray no matter how we felt.

When you don’t feel like praying, pray. When you think you just can’t get through, pray. Precious to the Father’s ears are three words, Lord I’m here. When you don’t feel like praying, pray. (Pray written by Kyla Rowland)

There are some very important reasons why we need to “Pray without ceasing.”

The world is depending on our prayers. I mentioned earlier that salt is a preservative. I feel very strongly that one of the main reasons America has avoided the full impact of the judgment of God is because of a praying church. If God would spare Sodom and Gomorrah for 10 righteous, I choose to believe that our prayers and righteous living are essential if America is to be spared.

Our families are depending on our prayers. Recently, I witnessed a change in a 69 year old man whose wife had been praying for his salvation for over 50 years. Last summer, he surrendered his life to Christ. I have to believe that his salvation was a result of his wife’s and our church’s prayers. If there had been no family to pray or request prayer for him, things could have been so different.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ are depending on our prayers. There have been more times than I could enumerate that someone has walked up to me and told me that they were praying for me and it gave me the strength to hold on a little longer. And there have also been times when I could feel the prayers of the saints as I was going through a difficult time. Most of you know what I am talking about. We depend on the prayers of our brothers and sisters.

It is only when we start interceding for our friends and families and neighbors and brothers and sisters that we will be fulfilling the purpose God intended for us as salt. We must stand in the gap and make up the hedge. That is what salt does.

Prayer has all but been eliminated out of the lives of most Christians. The prayer life of many consists of altar service of services that they attend. In other words, the salt is losing it’s savour. We are in danger of failing to fulfill God’s will for our lives

There is a parable at the beginning of Luke 18 that Luke introduces in this manner:

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

The parable was about the widow who kept coming back to the judge time after time. The point of the parable was that God is not an impersonal judge and if we will continue to pray, we will not faint. If we continue to pray, we will not fail in our purpose. If we pray, our saltiness, our savour, will be revived in us.

That brings us to the second simple step to reviving the salt.

II. Fasting

It is my belief that fasting is one of the most misunderstood teachings of the Bible. There are so many who fast to get God to do something for them. They use fasting to get the attention of God. I can say with certainty that this is not the purpose of fasting.

Fasting is much more about crucifying our flesh than it is about getting God’s attention. Because, if God loves us so much that He gave His only Son, and if Jesus was willing to give His life for us, and was willing to suffer all of the torture and shame of the cross, doesn’t it stand to reason that we already have God’s attention. If God sees every time a sparrow falls, how much more do we have God’s attention?

When we fast, we are humbling ourselves before God. We are crucifying our flesh to natural desires and giving God more access to us. We are making ourselves available for His use.

We all are familiar with the account where Jesus told the disciples about the power to cast out evil spirits was only attained through prayer and fasting. It was because that when we pray and fast, we give God access to use us. We are making ourselves available to Him

And when Jesus was teaching about fasting, he was very specific as to how we are to approach fasting. We shouldn’t fast to gain the honor or respect or attention of others.

Matthew 6:16-18 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Notice in verse 16 that it is not, “…If ye fast…,” it is “…when ye fast…” Jesus spoke to them concerning fasting as if it was an accepted and expected part of the life of His followers.

And when we fast, it shouldn’t be apparent to those around us. We shouldn’t mope around and look like we lost our best friend. We should have the appearance that all is well because we don’t fast for the purpose of impressing anyone. If we are humble in our fasting, God sees our sacrifice. He sees our efforts to surrender more of our life to Him and He rewards us by working in and through our lives.

He is better able to utilize us to bring about His will in our families and community. He revives the savour of the “…salt of the earth…” and we will have a greater impact on our world.

In addition to prayer and fasting, there is another element that is necessary if the salt is to be revived.

III. God’s Word

Paul wrote to young Timothy and gave him wonderful advice that has been counsel and encouragement for ministers young and old alike from that time until now. He told Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:15,

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

If we are ever going to restore to the salt it’s savour, we are going to have to study and know the Word of God. If we don’t know what God’s Word says, we will be making major life decisions with incomplete information.

There are some that are reading this message that never open your Bible except when you are in God’s house. It is not my intent to browbeat or scold but let’s think about this. Don’t you think that there is something terribly wrong when we have trouble paying attention to a 20 or 30 minute message and yet we can sit and be entertained for hours without losing interest.

I’m afraid that our salt has lost it’s savour. We have become “…lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God…” and the result of this condition is “…having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”

We have got to realize the state of the salt in our generation. We need to get down to business with God and realize the seriousness of our situation. If we are going to revive the salt in our generation, we are going to have to pray, we are going to have to be fasting, and we are going to have to be studying God’s Word.

Peter told us the importance of studying God’s Word. In 1 Peter 3:15, he said,

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

The world is longing and seeking for hope. They try every avenue available to them but find emptiness at the end of every road. The truth is that we have the hope that they are seeking for. We need to study and know God’s Word so that we will be able to give an answer to anybody that asks us the question, “Why are you so happy even when things are so bad?”

Some quick-witted answer is not going to be good enough. We need to know why we have hope and we need to be able to show them in scripture where our hope comes from.

I want to challenge you, please don’t let the salt lose any more of it’s savour in your life. And let’s work together and do everything in our power to bring about a revival of the salt.

I believe with all of my heart that the church of Jesus Christ is under attack. Sickness is affecting some of the great current day heroes of the faith. The laws are changing and evolving in such a way that the church may very soon face persecution and harassment from the government. This is not a coincidence. It is not just the way of life. We are under attack.

The enemy would like to keep us from making a difference in our communities. If he can keep us weighted down with our own conflicts, he has accomplished his mission in sidelining us from being the salt that the world so desperately needs us to be. The salt is losing it’s savour.

But if we rise up and come together, in other words, if we close ranks…,

We can pray. We can pray for one another. We can intercede for our families and friends and our country.

We can fast. We can crucify our flesh and make ourselves available to be used by God.

We can dig deep in God’s Word and let our affections be on God and not the pleasures of this world. Be sure we can tell others about our hope

If we do those things, the salt will be revived and we cannot help but make a difference in our world.

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Luke 1:26-33 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,  To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

One of the most important elements of the Christmas story was Gabriel’s announcement to Mary. We are all familiar with the message he gave her.

I. The Proclamation

I believe I know what my reaction would be if an angel appeared to me. I would be troubled at his presence. I have no doubt that I would be afraid. For that reason, when I read this account, I was intrigued by the fact that apparently Mary was not troubled by the fact that there was an angel. She was troubled, but not by his presence.

When the angel greeted her and told her that she was highly favoured, she was troubled at the saying. She knew that being born and raised in Nazareth, the angel could not be calling her highly favoured. There must be some mistake. What could possibly cause Gabriel to think that a young girl from Nazareth was highly favoured?

Gabriel then proceeded to give her the news that she was going to have a baby – before she was expecting. That is not the way it usually happens.

I remember the excitement both times we found out we were going to have a baby. But the Dr. did not tell us we were going to have a baby until we were expecting. And when we got the news, we were so anxious for that baby to be in our arms. The waiting was almost unbearable.

An amazing thing about that time is that I was just as excited as Tammy about announcement and all of the preparation. And the process of getting from the announcement obviously changed Tammy’s life more than mine and yet she was still so excited.

I cannot even imagine how this proclamation that she was going to have her first child, while she really was just a child herself, affected Mary. She must have been excited and happy and afraid.

The Bible tells us that Mary went to visit with Elisabeth. When Elisabeth saw Mary, she prophesied concerning the child to which Mary would give birth. One of the most notable sayings of Mary was her response to that prophesy.

More than likely, Mary did not have a full understanding of what was in her future but she did not know she had been chosen of God. The proclamation and the prophesy were the beginning of a fearful and exciting time for her.

Luke 1:46-48 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

II. The Problem

Now going back to our text, look at Mary’s response to Gabriel after he told her she would have a child.

We cannot even start to imagine the enormity of this problem in her day – because of the lack of morals in the society of our day. At the time of this account, an unmarried woman who was expecting a child was either guilty of adultery or fornication – both punishable by death. So along with all of the blessings and excitement at the time of the great proclamation, there is a real problem with her being unmarried, espoused to Joseph and expecting a child.

Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Joseph knew his integrity and his own purity. He knew that the child was not his. It was not just Mary that was going to have to suffer the stares and comments of those around them for the next nine months. Joseph’s life was going to be very different as well.

But that is not even the problem. Mary has not been with a man to bring about this conception. How can a virgin have a child? Who is going to believe such a claim?

In Mary’s response to Gabriel, I can almost hear the unspoken accusation, what you are promising me just doesn’t make sense. It is impossible for you to give me what you promised me.

The truth is, no matter how impossible a situation seems, you can trust God. Take Him at His word.

III. The Promise

At Mary’s objection, that is basically what Gabriel told her. Take God at His word. Trust Him completely. He just said it in a different way.

Luke 1:35-37 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Gabriel was not just giving Mary a promise. He was giving her something to which she could attach her confidence. He gave her two hooks on which to hang her faith.

First of all, Mary, your aged relative, Elisabeth, who is too old to bear children is with child. She is six months along. Think about that when doubt tries to tell you that it is impossible for God’s promise to come true in you.

Second of all, Mary, you need to understand a very important truth and build your confidence squarely upon it. There is nothing that is impossible with God.

Every one of us have the same two things at our disposal. We have the testimony of God’s miraculous power in our lives and in the lives of others. And we have the promises of the Word of God that tell us it is impossible for God to lie, and He will never leave us nor forsake us, and we could go on and on. The impossible is well within His realm of power.

We need to let the story of Christmas cause our faith to increase. Let the hope of the season take hold in our hearts. Immanuel, who came way back then, still comes to us and abides with us. The promise of Gabriel to Mary still holds true today – With God, nothing shall be impossible.

The truth is, that promise came hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. The proclamation of Gabriel was just the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise…of that prophecy.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

What are you facing that would take a miracle bigger than the virgin birth?  Christmas ought to remind us of the power of God to do the impossible.

When the rich young ruler had come to Jesus wanting the secret to eternal life. Jesus told him about keeping the commandments. The young man thought he did not have any problem with any of them. But when Jesus told him there was one thing lacking and told him to go sell what he had and give to the poor, the young man walked away sorrowful because he had great riches.  Jesus took that opportunity to teach the disciples a very important principle.

The things that we see as impossible may be impossible with men, but with God all things are possible.  Always remember that the promise of Christmas is the message that the angel gave to Mary that night and the same message that Jesus told His disciples that day and the same message is for all of us today.

Matthew 19:23-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

The Promise of Christmas is, For with God, nothing shall be impossible. Yes, …with men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible…

It was the same promise given to Abram when Isaac was promised.

Genesis 18:11-14 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

What a question the Lord asked Abraham, …Is anything too hard for the Lord?… Jeremiah seemed to have an answer to that question.

Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

If you are having trouble believing that God is able to take care of the impossible in your life. Step outside on a clear night and look up. Contemplate the One who put all the stars in place and established the orbits of the planets in our universe and who caused the Earth to rotate on an invisible axis at just the right speed to make gravity work properly. Or take a trip to the mountains and look at the beauty of a mountain stream or the majesty of the mountain peaks. God did that and started with nothing. Then measure your problem in light of the enormity of the miracle of creation and the spectacular miracle of the virgin birth and believe again. It is amazing how small our problems look when measured against His power.

Take hold of the promise of Christmas and make it your own. Let God do the impossible in your life today.

There is a phrase in Psalm 26:7 that caught my attention: “…the voice of thanksgiving…” That sounds like a voice that I want to be acquainted with. Because being thankful is all about being on the mountaintop, right? Wrong!

I did some searching and found that phrase only one other time in the Bible in Jonah 2:9. The writer was anywhere but on the mountaintop. I think you would have to agree that the belly of a great fish in the depths of the sea is not the place you would expect to find the voice of thanksgiving.

Jonah had been there for 3 days and 3 nights. He had cried out to God for forgiveness and deliverance. He was sitting with seaweed wrapped all around him, in the digestive juices of a fish that God had prepared to put him back on the right track. He was sitting in the darkest of darkness. Maybe that is why he speaks of the voice of thanksgiving in this way: “I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving;…” It couldn’t have been easy to be thankful in his situation.

It’s interesting to note that when he found that voice (that place of thankfulness in the midst of the darkest, deepest despair) was the very time was when his deliverance came. Jonah 2:10 says, “And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” In my mind, there is no doubt that these two events are connected. Jonah sacrificed with the voice of thanksgiving and he was delivered out of the belly of the fish.

I believe it is a principle that you will find in God’s word: whenever you sacrifice anything to the Lord, the resulting blessing is far greater than the sacrifice. And who knows? Your deliverance may be God’s response to your sacrifice. Whatever the outcome, there is no doubt that a sacrifice of thanksgiving will always be worth whatever it costs.

Going back to our text in Psalm 26:7, notice how David wrote about this voice of thanksgiving. “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.” There is a sound to the voice of thanksgiving. It is a publishing (proclaiming, spreading forth, broadcasting) and a telling of what God has done for you. There is no such thing as a stealth Christian. You may appear to give thanks in the house of God. However, if you never talk about His goodness outside of the churches walls, outside the company of other Christians, you obviously know very little about the voice of thanksgiving.

There is no denying that there are things in the life of every Christian that are worth publishing. We need to let the world know about what God has done for us. It is worth telling and telling again and again. The world needs to know how thankful we are for what God has done for us. They need to know what it is that He has done for us.

In reading Psalm 26, I thought it was interesting how David prepared himself to be able to publish with the voice of thanksgiving. Telling the world about God’s wondrous works doesn’t happen by accident and it shouldn’t be attempted until you have prepared yourself in the same manner as David.

He told us in the first part of the Psalm that he was walking in integrity. How desperate we are for a revival of integrity. David was walking right when no one else was around. He was trusting in the Lord to preserve his walk. He was walking in truth. He was being careful with whom he spent his time. He avoided close relationships with people who were fake and contrary.

But then in verse 6, he got down to the fine detail of what it takes to be able to publish with the voice of thanksgiving. He said, “I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:” David knew that he had to wash his hands in the purity of God’s holiness. He also knew that his life had to revolve around the altar of the Lord.

If you truly want to have the voice of thanksgiving, if you want to publish all of the wondrous works of the Lord, and to affect the world around you, you must walk in your integrity. Who you are when you are in church or among Christian friends makes absolutely no difference if you are someone else when they are not around.

You also have to realize that the only way you can preserve a holy walk is to trust in the Lord. Because He alone can preserve you. You have to walk in truth. Don’t let it be said of you that you have a deceitful tongue. Stay away from those who twist the truth and are quick to debate every matter.

Most importantly, if you want to have the voice of thanksgiving, you must purify yourself in God’s holiness. Sanctify yourself by conforming to His word and be sure your life revolves around the altar of the Lord. If the only time you pray is in church, you are not ready to publish with the voice of thanksgiving. There are so many who want to enjoy the times of worship. They want to lift their voice in thanksgiving when the presence of the Lord comes by. And yet, their life does not revolve around the altar of the Lord. They don’t realize the depth of relationship with the Lord that they are missing.

If you remember, earlier we were looking where Jonah talked about sacrificing with the voice of thanksgiving. There are some that believe that this relationship, this walk, is all about emotion. They believe that it is all in the shout. If that is the way you live, your walk with the Lord is a very shallow walk. The truth is there’s not a whole lot of shouting that goes on in the valley.

That doesn’t mean you are not as close to God as you were on the mountaintop. If God leads you to the valley, He walks with you through the valley. I have found that it is in the valleys that I learn to walk closer to the Lord. It is in the valley that my life gets reoriented such that I am drawn to the place of compassing His altar.

If you want to find out what it is like to really walk with the Lord, center your life around the altar of the Lord. Separate yourself from the things of the world. Understand that to walk with the Lord, there will be times when you have to sacrifice unto the Lord with the voice of thanksgiving. If you can be thankful when circumstances defy you to do so, the world will take notice. They can’t help but be affected by your unexplainable joy.

This month, we are going to celebrate a national day of Thanksgiving. Most Americans have never known or have forgotten what that is all about. They have made it a day of eating and visiting with family. Many have made it a day filled with entertaining themselves. Let me challenge you to be different.

It doesn’t matter what your current circumstances may be. You may be on the mountain top or you may be in the valley. I want to challenge you to do whatever you have to do to be able to publish with the voice of thanksgiving this week and every week. Tell one and all of the wondrous works of the Lord. It will make a difference in those around you. And you will find that it will also make a difference in you. Happy Thanksgiving.