Thanksgiving Day Gratitude

On this Thursday millions will gather together to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. For many, it will be a time for food, family visits, laughter, and entertainment. Folks will have a good time giving thanks for what they find important in their lives.

As I think about what I'm going to do this Thursday, I'm reminded of what really makes this holiday a holy-day for me. It is the fact that my sins have been forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. That's what I am supremely grateful for. It is the reality that on Calvary Jesus Christ took on Himself my sins and bore the wrath of God in my place. I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful that the perfect life that Jesus lived made Him an acceptable and perfect sacrifice which was received by God making atonement for me. I am so grateful.

In Christ I now have everything -- everything pertaining to life and godliness, and for that I am thankful. O' what a Savior. He has brought me to God by sealing my pardon, healing my diseases, rescuing me from the pit, lavishing me with covenant love and tender mercies, and satisfying my soul with His own presence. Jesus will be the centerpiece of the table upon which I dine tomorrow. For it is His sweet sacrificial love for me that makes me so thankful.

So yes, I'm certainly going to enjoy food, my family, and some football, but all of that will pale in comparison of my enjoyment of being right with God through my Savior Jesus Christ. And I hope that as Christians we will all be reminded of the blessed benefits of our great salvation.

A New Day: Musings from Election Night

Well, it's official. Barack Obama is in fact the new President of the United States of America. He is the first African-American to be such, and as Americans, we should cherish this profound moment in our Nation's history.

As I watched Obama's acceptance speech with my family, I was filled with a mixture of emotions. I was experiencing joy, concern, pride, and a sense of sorrow as well. My joy was due to the triumph of the human spirit as Barack Obama accomplished something that I'm sure he was told he could never do. And as I watched him I rejoiced that God has set in the human spirit an ability to strive and endure and persevere beyond one's own imagination, and that brought me great joy as I was reminded of the strength of the human spirit. I was concerned as well; partly because of Obama's political left-wing leanings, but more acutely, because of the apparent shift in the American view of the world. It seems clear to me that the conservative values that held sway in this country for so long have now been abandoned and defeated. The culture war is over. Conservatism is dying a slow death, and there is indeed "change" in the air.

Pride welled up in my heart for obvious reasons. I'm African-American and so is Barack Obama. To see that black man walk across that stage stimulated something deep down within my heart that cried out, "Yes!" That ol' glass ceiling has finally fallen, and thank God I lived long enough to see it along with my children, especially with my sons. Dare I say, "Yes we can." And finally, my sense of sorrow was due to the memory of the recent death of some old saints who would have loved to see a black man become president. It would have been nice to share this moment with them.

So, it has begun. The new day. The new era. We are indeed living in interesting times. My prayer is that President Barack Obama will carry the weight of history with dignity, integrity and strength. For as I'm sure he must be aware of, just as he has opened a door for generations to come, he could also shut that door if he fails.