CHURCH OF GOD FAITH FELLOWSHIP
  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent >
      • Psalm 120
      • Psalm 121
      • Psalm 122
      • Psalm 123
      • Psalm 124
      • Psalm 125
      • Psalm 126
      • Psalm 127
      • Psalm 128
      • Psalm 129
      • Psalm 130
      • Psalm 131
      • Psalm 132
      • Psalm 133
      • Psalm 134
      • Psalms of Ascent Chiasm
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
    • Sabbath School 2023
    • Sabbath School 2022
    • Sabbath School 2021
    • Sabbath school 2020
    • Sabbath School 2019
    • Sabbath school 2018
    • Sabbath School 2017
    • Sabbath School 2016
    • Sabbath School - 2015
    • Sabbath School 2014
    • Sabbath School: July-December 2013
  • 2023 Calendar
    • 2022 Calendar
    • 2021 Calendar
    • 2020 Calendar
    • 2019 Calendar
    • 2018 Calendar
    • 2017 Calendar
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
  • Newsletter
    • 2023 Newsletter
    • 2022 Newsletters
    • 2021 Newsletters
    • 2020 Newsletters
    • 2019 newsletters
    • 2018 Newsletter archives
    • 2017 Newsletter archives
    • 2016 Newsletter archives
    • 2015 Newsletter archives
    • 2014 Newsletter Archives
    • 2013 Newsletter archives
  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
      • February photos
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct

Yes! There Is Good News!

Bill Rollins has been publishing each week a column in the local Elk Horn, Iowa paper for the past several years.
Note the original publication date on each blog post

Yes! There is Good News!                Nov 22, 2019

6/29/2022

0 Comments

 
We are approaching Thanksgiving Day and perhaps this article is in your hands as we anticipate that special day. I feel that maybe we should consider what it means to be thankful.

Someone gives you a gift and you say, “thank you.” OK, fair enough, is that statement just a reaction or do you truly feel gratitude? Growing up, I was told that it is polite to say thank you for the things people may present as gifts. Even if I didn’t care for the gift, Mother told me to write a thank you note and express some positive sentiment. That isn’t always the case anymore. Perhaps children are not taught the societal norms these days.

But we have a day coming up that has been designated by our federal government as a day to give thanks. Now that is curious. Our Government, which tries to teach us that we mustn’t be too religious when out in public, actually has assigned a day in the year to give thanks. So to whom do they expect us to be thankful, if not to God the giver of every good and perfect gift?! Sounds as though our forefathers had it in mind to set aside a day to give thanks to the true God!

Do you know something? Not every gift given to our friends and relatives is a meaningful one. But the reality is, it is not always about the giver or the receiver; it is about the thought behind the gift. Lying behind every gift we have received is a sacrifice, a sacrifice of time and or money (well yes, money is related to time). And so we appreciate the thought, time and money spent. I am sure you are all with me on this, so let’s talk about this day approaching.

In the scriptures it says that, the earth and all that is in it belongs to the LORD (Psm. 24:1). So who are you going to thank? Do you have land to farm on? God lets you use His land. Do you have a nice house to live in? God grew the trees, etc. to make it possible to build that house. Do you sit down to a splendid meal on this particular day? God caused the food to grow and He created the turkey for our appetites. Everything we have has been given to us by our Creator!!

But oh, there is one more thing! Earlier I mentioned that lying behind every gift we have received is a sacrifice. God’s sacrifice for us is so much more than mere time or money. So let me suggest something we should be thankful for this upcoming day of giving thanks. Jesus, just hours before He was to give of Himself as a pure and perfect sacrifice, knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed, “My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” The bible says He prayed this three times. (You will find this episode in Matthew 26:36-56.)

But something else He said should catch our attention. When faced with those who would arrest Him and Peter drew his sword to start the battle, Jesus told Peter to put away the sword because, “I can call upon my Father and He will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels.” At that point in time the 72,000 angels, if called for, would have done more than stop the threat of arrest. They would have destroyed the world. This world, and all that is in it, is nothing without the Son of God as its Savior and we can truly give thanks that “He laid down His life for His friends!!!" What a friend we have in Jesus!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Bill Rollins resides in Elk Horn, IA, with his wife, Sally, and has pastored the Church of God of Omaha, NE for more than 35 years.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent >
      • Psalm 120
      • Psalm 121
      • Psalm 122
      • Psalm 123
      • Psalm 124
      • Psalm 125
      • Psalm 126
      • Psalm 127
      • Psalm 128
      • Psalm 129
      • Psalm 130
      • Psalm 131
      • Psalm 132
      • Psalm 133
      • Psalm 134
      • Psalms of Ascent Chiasm
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
    • Sabbath School 2023
    • Sabbath School 2022
    • Sabbath School 2021
    • Sabbath school 2020
    • Sabbath School 2019
    • Sabbath school 2018
    • Sabbath School 2017
    • Sabbath School 2016
    • Sabbath School - 2015
    • Sabbath School 2014
    • Sabbath School: July-December 2013
  • 2023 Calendar
    • 2022 Calendar
    • 2021 Calendar
    • 2020 Calendar
    • 2019 Calendar
    • 2018 Calendar
    • 2017 Calendar
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
  • Newsletter
    • 2023 Newsletter
    • 2022 Newsletters
    • 2021 Newsletters
    • 2020 Newsletters
    • 2019 newsletters
    • 2018 Newsletter archives
    • 2017 Newsletter archives
    • 2016 Newsletter archives
    • 2015 Newsletter archives
    • 2014 Newsletter Archives
    • 2013 Newsletter archives
  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
      • February photos
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct