Thanksgiving Is A Cousin To Hope

THANKSGIVING IS A COUSIN TO HOPE

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

Perhaps we often say: God is good... all the time...

And all the time God is good...

I. TODAY IS THE ONLY DAY WE HAVE,

TODAY IS GONE,

TOMORROW MAY NEVER BE,

SO WE HAVE TODAY...

WHAT WE WE DO WITH THIS DAY?

A. Often we make human plans without acknowledging the GOD PLAN.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have

set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou

and thy seed may live:

B. TODAY HAS BEEN DESIGN WITH A PLAN AND PURPOSE...

THANKSGIVING, HOPE, AND JOY...

Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be

glad in it.

C. TO USE THIS DAY FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE IS TO ABUSE THE WILL

OF GOD.

D. WE WALK IN PERILS TIMES...

While we walk in hard, dangerous days, these are THE DAYS THAT THE LORD

HAS GIVEN US...

MAY WE EVER RECALL THE DESIGN OF TODAY IS THANKSGIVING AND HOPE...

HOPE IS A GREAT VIRTURE.

GLOOM, DESPAIR, AGONY, DESPRESSION AND DESPAIR COULD BE A FAILURE

TO EXERCISE THANKSGIVING AND HOPE.

II. MOVE A COMMA AND CHANGE THE WHOLE LESSON?

WE TEACH THAT GOD'S WORD IS PERFECT TO OUR HEARTS BUT WE KNOW THE

CHAPTER AND VERSES ARE MAN PLACED... WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT

THE PUNTUATION MARKS ARE MAN PLACE... WHERE THE PERIODS OR A COMMAS

ARE PLACE ARE THE WORKS OF MEN...

A. Many sad and hurtful things are flooding our world...

LIFE IS ABOUT FOCUS...

Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the

rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, (COMMA) the Spirit of the LORD

shall lift up a standard against him.

B. By moving the comma we change the whole meaning...

Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the

rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in, (COMMA) like a flood the Spirit of the LORD

shall lift up a standard against him.

C. I choose to believe: WHEN THE ENEMY COMES IN ----

LIKE A FLOOD THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WILL COME IN AND RAISE THE STANDARD...

III. THERE CAN GROW HOPE AGAINST HOPE...

WHERE THERE IS HOPE THERE IS THANKSGIVING...

WHERE THERE GROWS THANKSGIVING THERE GROWS HOPE...

A. 44 YEARS AGO WHEN I MARRIED MY WIFE, I AUTOMATICALLY HAD A

MOTHER-IN-LAW, FATHER-IN-LAW, NEW SISTERS AND A BROTHER...'

HER COUSINS--- THEY ARE CAME IN A PACKAGE DEAL...

Romans 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations,

according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

Romans 4:18 (NLT) Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—

believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him,

“That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Romans 4:18 (MSG) When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding

to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do.

And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him,

"You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"

B. GOD'S PLAN IS ABOUT US MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES---

IV. WE HEAR ABOUT KISSING COUSINS ---

I GUESS THAT MEANS THERE SOME ARE CLOSER THAN OTHERS...

MY OPINION IS SURE, IF YOU ARE GIVING THANKS THERE FOLLOWS HOPE

RIGHT ON THE HEELS...

V. WE SEEM TO LOVE TROPHIES AND APPLAUSE...

BUT AT DEAD I DOUBT IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITY THAT THE ANGELS

SELDOM ASK WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE?

HOW MANY SQUARE FEET WAS YOUR HOUSE?

A. TELL ME WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE?

B. Does what you say ALIGN WITH WHAT YOU DO?

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life

consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

C. SHOW ME WHAT YOU SPEND YOUR TIME DOING,

I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU...

Luke 12:15 (MSG) Speaking to the people, he went on, "Take care! Protect yourself against

the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot."

VI. HOW SAD IS IT WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU HAVE INVESTED IN ALL THE WRONG

ISSUES? CARNAL VS ETERNAL?

A. So every one has seen you TEAR DOWN YOUR BARNS...

Luke 12:20 (KJV) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee:

then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?