“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thessalonians 5:18).”
Our daughters are all adults, and most of them have moved on their own and established their own Christmas traditions. When we gather as a family, they reminisce how we would sit around the Christmas tree on that special morning and have Bible Study before opening any gifts. We would take the time to express what we were thankful for that year. Considering this month, we will celebrate Thanksgiving; I thought I would dedicate this article to this topic – giving thanks.
This year 2022 has been an incredible one for me. We began the year with our Annual Consecration services focusing on our theme for the year – I Am Seeking the Fulness of God. The services were incredible, the Lord met us tremendously. As the year progressed, I was blessed abundantly.
My wife and I took a mini-vacation and travelled to Canada to see one of the Wonders of the World, Niagara Falls. Last month, we found ourselves in Israel, following the footsteps of Jesus. There were several highlights, but undoubtedly the most memorable for me was being baptized in the Jordan River. Not only was I baptized, but several others in our tour group asked me to baptize them! But there is more!
Last month, our Church’s Special Use Permit application had its first preliminary public hearing, and the vote was unanimous for approval. I sat teary-eyed as each Planning Commissioner commented on the excellence of our church regarding our record of community service. They applauded me for my leadership and the members of the church for their hard work. But there is more!
The Lord blessed several of the women from our church to travel to Kenya and do mission work. Later in the year, He allowed another group of missionaries from Holiness Tabernacle to travel to the Dominican Republic and conduct Vacation Bible School for a group of young women at the Journey Center. Even now, as I write this blog, Mrs. Pruitte is in Monrovia, Liberia spreading the Gospel of Jesus. But there is more!
I forgot to thank God for the head cold I experienced during the Israel trip. I forgot to thank God for my car breaking down at 5:35am on my way to early morning prayer at the Church. I ended up praying on my cell phone as cars whisked by. I forgot to thank God for the tough experience I went through, when I felt overwhelmed and almost succumbed to bitterness, loneliness, failure, and depression.
You may be a little confused by the previous paragraph, but it is not a misprint. When Paul wrote the referenced scripture, he was in jail, admonishing the saints to give God thanks for everything. We do not thank God for the bad that happened, but we thank Him for the good that will result from the bad. Because I am seeking God for His fulness, I will never understand His fulness if I only find pleasure, or if I only thank Him for the good things in life. Real Christian growth, real maturity comes when we learn to “count it all joy” when we experience difficult times because God is working something good in us. In another Scripture we are reminded that, “all things work together for the good.”
My friends, this year when you gather with your friends and family, remember to give God thanks for EVERYTHING!! I bless you in the name of the Lord.
On behalf of Mrs. Pruitte, the Holiness Tabernacle family, and I, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!