Some have found it difficult to verbalize what it means to have revival.  Simply put, revival brings us back to a place of rejoicing in God.  There are several things that will cause us to lose our joy in God.

• Sin.  Sin will cause us to lose the joy that we have in our relationship with God.  David said in Psalm 51, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation….  He recognized that His sin had caused him to lose the joy of knowing God.
• Lack of Surrender.  Walking in the Spirit is allowing the Spirit to have full control of our lives.  The result (or fruit) of this surrender is outlined in Galatians 5:22-23.  You guessed it, joy is on the list.

I am thankful that at the revival this week, we saw our church family give up sin and surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  But the emphasis on prayer by Dr. Beckum helped us realize another joy.

 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.  John 16:24

Now we can rejoice in what God has done in our lives!

As we have entered into this new year, our church has rallied around a new theme verse, Luke 10:39.

It is so easy in this life to be filled with business and the cares of this world that we miss out on the most important thing in life, a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  Even if you have established that relationship, it is easy to neglect it for our busy schedules or priorities.  If we don’t spend time with our Saviour daily, we miss the most important moments of our day.  Happy New Year!  Let’s spend 2010 at His Feet.

Last night at the Thankgiving Feast I shared with our churh family some thoughts on Thanksgiving.  Some of those things I have put down here for you to read…

*The First National Thanksgiving

America’s first national Day of Thanksgiving occurred on September 25, 1789. It was the nation’s first official act set by Congress after that body completed the Constitution and Bill of Rights. According to the early equivalent of the Congressional Record:

 Mr. [Elias] Boudinot said he could not think of letting the session pass without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them. With this view, therefore, he would move the following resolution:

Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer. . .

 Mr. Roger Sherman justified the practice of thanksgiving on any single event not only as a laudable one in itself but also as warranted by a number of precedents in Holy Writ [Scripture]. . . . This example he thought worthy of a Christian imitation on the present occasion.

 President George Washington heartily concurred with this request to thank Almighty God at the birth of the new Constitution. He issued the first federal Thanksgiving proclamation, declaring in part:

 Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor. . . . Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving from MRBC!

*Excerpt taken from Christian Law Association Email

10lbs. 2oz.

Joseph Allen