The Central Moment

Sometimes it’s a challenge to remain thankful in times of difficulty. But maybe we’re just coming at this the wrong way. Your circumstances may not be good, but the Lord is good. You may not be grateful for a difficult time, but you can be grateful for the one who will make all things good in his time. That posture of gratitude toward Him can be a source of strength.

It’s Thanksgiving Day… a day when many of us come together with those we love, and in some cases, with those we might not always agree with. It’s a great reminder that there is power in unity, but that unity is not conformity. We may come with differences in the ways we think, and may even disagree on some issues, but we unify under the covering and saving grace of Jesus Christ.

God’s mercy and forgiveness doesn’t just deserve our gratitude, it models an attitude of generosity we should show to others. A generous heart is enriched in every way, but not as a reward, rather as a means to continually give in a way that points others to Jesus.

God broke the power of sin and shame in our lives through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and his generosity is more than any of us deserve. Yet so often, we let shame replace the gratitude we should have for his grace and mercy. Instead live free in his forgiveness, with a thankful heart for what he has done.

Thanksgiving is more than just a cultural tradition. It’s a practice that science has proven healthy physically, and the Bible tells us is healthy, spiritually. But are we practicing that gratitude regularly? Maybe this is a fitting week to start. Here’s Pastor Anthony Matrone with more, on today’s Central Moment.

God is holy. His holiness means that he is set apart from all that is evil and profane. It is out of his holiness that his love and justice flow. And as we follow him, the work of Jesus is to make us holy as well – holy in our behaviors, holy in our relationships, and holy in our affections.

This life is going to pass away, but eternity is ahead of all of us. Hell will embody the full implications of choosing to keep God away. There will be no goodness, no relief, no hope – only judgment. But for those who have been washed clean from their sin by the blood of Jesus, heaven will be their inheritance.

The Lord is our healer – the healer of our souls, the healer of our relationships, and the healer of our bodies. Jesus paid the price for our healing at the Cross – “by his wounds you have been healed,” God’s word declares. Let your faith rise to receive today. The Lord is present to heal.

Are you in need of God’s guidance and direction in your life right now? God’s word is full of promises that he will, indeed, lead us if our hearts are turned towards him. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows the calling that he has placed on our lives. And he knows how to guide you.

The goodness of God pervades all of creation. Every good thing comes from him. And yet those things that are not good can either make us doubt his goodness or blind us to it completely. It is then that we stand on the truth of Scripture and hold to the fact that God is both real and responsive to us in our need.