Category Archives: Pastors Blog

A Time to be Thinkful!

      Thanksgiving is a great season! I am sure that many of us appreciate time with family and friends, great food and a lot of it, a day off and most of all the chance to be “thinkful” for what the Lord has done in our lives. No, that is not a typo, but an intentional new word to describe the believers holiday mindset of “thinkfulness!”

     I was struck by a reading this morning from Colossians that touches on several key aspects of the believer’s unique thankfulness in life. So since I created a new word, let me define it. Thinkful describes a person that is intentionally and consciously thankful for their relationship with Christ and His work in their life. It is important to that thinkfulness is intentional. The follower of Jesus takes time to celebrate God’s blessing in their life. It is on something that we need to do consciously. The truth of Jesus’ work on the Cross not only secures our relationship with Christ, but changes our perspective and mindset on everything we do.

     Paul shared several key truths for us to be thinkful this Thanksgiving. He writes, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13–15) Let me just sketch out several great truths in these verses.

     First, God touched us when we were untouchable. He uses the word “dead in your trespasses.” I don’t know about you but I have never seen a dead person do anything. What a powerful metaphor for our inability to have a relationship with our Creator. It reached us in our “uncircumcised” state, speaking of the inability of religious works to bring about spiritual change. Thankfulness results from thinking about God’s love and His intention to bring me to Himself.

     Second, Paul reminds us of God’s transforming work within us, “God made alive together with him.” He remade us from the inside out into a new creation. This work of God impacts every aspect of our being so that we are no longer the same! Another reason for us to be “thinkful!”

     Third, the work accomplished by Christ’s death and resurrection, “canceling he record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.” The reality is that the believer is truly free in Christ! It reminds us that the demand of a holy righteous God and His law were completely satisfied by Jesus’ substitution for us on the Cross.  It also reminds us that our sins are forgiven, past, present and future. This is something else to be “thinkful!”

     Fourth, He delivered us from the evil powers that are at work within our world by, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities.” We are free from the evil influences that drive the cultural thoughts, opinion and actions. The result is that we are able to think Biblical and in turn live God honoring lives is a broken world.

     I would encourage you to read all of Colossians 2. Let me leave you with one final thought on being “thinkful” this Thanksgiving season. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2)

  -Pastor Joe Parkinson

The Return on Obedience

      The story is told of an elderly missionary couple who were returning home on a ship after many years of sacrificial service in Africa. On the same ship was Theodore Roosevelt, who had just completed a highly successful big game hunt. As the ship docked in New York harbor, thousands of well-wishers and dozens… Continue Reading

A Thought on Blaming God

      It never surprises me how quickly we can be to jump to conclusions and assign blame. Several years ago, while traveling to an event with a couple guys, the conversation turned to a recently revealed million-dollar highway construction error discovered in a recently constructed ramp for the Sprague exit on Highway 16. The newly… Continue Reading

Following Christ is Hard!

      I was recently reflecting on different areas of life. I am reminded at how hard each phase of life can be. The married phase represents one of the greatest challenges, living out an intimate relationship with someone different than ourselves. It does not stop there. We could ponder the challenges of the sleepless nights… Continue Reading

Why Do I Do What I Do?

      Many years ago, I heard the story of a gal that was cooking a Christmas dinner. She planned on carrying on her family’s tradition of having ham. She planned to prepare the ham as her mother had done for decades. Her mother always cut off the ends of the ham before putting it into… Continue Reading

I Will Walk in Integrity!

      There is not a week that bad news does not douse our lives. It could be an unexpected diagnosis or the latest current events pour through our media feeds. It seems like the believer’s soul is under constant deluge of the preponderance of manifested evil. During these times that we must find our joy… Continue Reading

Each Day, A New Opportunity!

     I have reached that stage in life that I benefit from wearing glasses. My wife is frequently asking if she can clean my glasses. While I greatly benefit from these additional “extra eyes,” I often don’t realize that my view is being obstructed. Often the smudges of life’s challenge keep us from seeing the… Continue Reading

The Lord Desires to Work in My Situation!

     I am thinking that one description of “life” could be a never-ending parade of situations. It could be issues with ourselves, other or just life itself. Life is a never-ending line of concerns. The opportunity is to see these not at obstacles but as an opportunity to a fuller life. I was recently reminded,… Continue Reading

Why is Prayer So Hard?

     There are some things in life that just seem to be harder than others. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to do those things that require discipline? It could be shedding a few pounds or doing that chore that you just do not enjoy doing. All of us have something that takes… Continue Reading