I am headed to Vermont this Thanksgiving, the only place I know as home, and spending a few days in these beautiful fields and hills. It is beautiful there this time of year and I am very grateful, though life isn’t perfect, to be spending my holiday there. Here are some paintings I’ve recently done that capture the heart of Vermont. As I ponder my thoughts on thankfulness this season, one theme seems to stand out above the usual sentiment of this time of year. Be thankful today, no matter what your circumstance. For tomorrow may never come. Today is your chance to be grateful. Not tomorrow but today. With all that encompasses this day, find something for which to rejoice, ever be it so small. Find something. Its there if you look.

Oh to be thankful. Today is the day to express thanks. If we take a minute and think about it, there are so many things great and small for which to be grateful. Life will never be perfect. Sorrows will always come, always be there. For if we wait until all sorrow is banished, gratitude will never emerge. But if we can look beyond life’s imperfections, disappointments, and utter heartbreak to find something for which we are grateful, appreciate, enjoy, we can overcome the greatest tragedy of all, going through life and never seeing all the blessings we have been given.

In John the third chapter, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Marvel not that I say unto you, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou heareth the sound thereof, but canst’ not tell whence it cometh, and wither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.”

In the natural mind we cannot understand the work of God. We can’t see it, nor can we comprehend it. This is because it is not a work of this world, nor a revelation humanely discerned. It is a work of the Spirit of God. It must be revealed by the Spirit of God, not religion, not an eloquent speaker, nor some vain show of works in the flesh.

Truth is given by God. His very name is Truth. Man, in the flesh, can only make up lies. Man can only see according to his own image, and seeks to conform God to this lower image, thus making him understandable in human terms. This is idolatry, and a lie. God cannot be understood by the carnal mind. His love, his infinite love, his free grace, from the carnal mind is rejected and disbelieved.

It takes the Spirit, a rebirth, as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, to see the work of God and to begin to see who He really is. A death to our carnal mind and a complete work of the Spirit is our only hope in discovering who God is. He must be revealed to us, not through religion, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ reveals Him!

“The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19: 1-3

Trust in the Lord. Rest in Him. Rest in His magnificent and precious promises! Though days can seem long and hope at times darkens, the Lord is with you, if you have trusted in His Son Jesus Christ for the eternal salvation of your soul. He says, “anyone who comes to Him, He will in no wise cast out”. He promises, all who come to Him, will He raise up on the last day, He loses no one! You have His word on this. It is a certainty! Just rest then, though at times the world seems to spin out of control, rest. He has you in His hands.

He overcomes!! His power overcomes the world!

The struggle we face is that we simply don’t feel Him all the time. What we feel is our flesh, the sinful world around us, our part in it, and our fallen condition in this broken society. The Lord reminds us, ” in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world” . We cannot overcome it but through Him! He has done what we could never do. He atoned for our sins and gave us His perfect sinless record to be accredited to our account. Its called imputed righteousness and it is our blessed hope. We overcome this world and the wickedness therein by simply placing our faith and hope in Jesus Christ. Does this mean that life becomes a garden of paradise, Eden as He originally planned. No , we live in the fallen state of a curse brought by our sin. But once we’ve believed on the only Son of God for our hope, our salvation, we become his children , his purchased possession. In the end, this world and all it’s sorrows has no victory over our souls, and death has no sting, but becomes the door through which we pass to eternal life, eternal love and eternal joy.

We must wait. Wait for Him, our Saviour. He is coming and we must be watching, constant in prayer. This life has many hardships, the reality is, it may not get any better, these dark days. Yet the promise of One, who has purchased us with His blood, is that our redemption draweth nigh.

Keep looking to Him. He is faithful who has called you, He will bring it to pass.

Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He is God and He was a man, and He was tempted in all points as we are, yet He did not sin. He was fully human, and at the same time fully God. He was a man of no reputation, and not comely the Bible says, that we should desire Him. Jesus had no place to lay his head.

He was betrayed by His best friends in the darkest hours of his life. He was mocked, beaten, and ridiculed by wicked sinners for whom He came to die, and save from the punishment His divinity was forced to execute because He is God and must judge sin. The very people He came to save, because He loved them so much, rejected Him, mocked His love, and killed Him. His precious blood was shed, and as it was, it atoned for every evil deed ever committed in His creation by evil men, women and children.

He rose again in three days and nights, just as He said He would. He revealed himself to over five hundred witnesses, and then ascended into heaven. As He did, He promised He would return in like manner, and instructed His followers to go and preach the gospel, the good news, that the Saviour of the world offers redemption of the sins of the world to mankind freely, without cost.

When He left, He did not leave us alone but promised He would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to lead us into all truth. This He did, and the Holy Spirit resides today in the hearts of every single believer as we await His return to rapture His bride, the church, in the clouds, in the air.

This is our blessed hope, the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The whole world lieth in wickedness, but one day Jesus will return, and establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem. We will be with Him, those who have believed on His name forever more.

Yes Jesus on this earth carried sorrows, just as we do. He wanted us to know that He understands our afflictions. His Spirit gives us hope. He will one day dry every eye, and wipe away every tear. We are His children, the redeemed bride for which He will return. Though He was a man of sorrows, as we also experience great sorrow in this life, He will on the last day, raise us up to immortality and eternal joy.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning, for those who have wholly placed their faith and hope in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Some things will never make sense. We have this deep need in our natures to understand, to piece the puzzle together, even if it’s painful, we need a complete picture from which to draw comfort, solace or understanding. Yet often, so very often, this is the very thing that is denied, and our only option left is to trust, have faith, let go.

We could torment ourselves with why’s. There are certainly enough of them in this life! Why is life so unfair? Why did this person betray me, or why did my loved one die, why did I have to get sick? Why have my well laid plans ended in ashes. Life doesn’t always give us the answers we long for. We are rather left with pieces to our puzzle that are missing some major parts, while we endure terrible losses, and strain to see the big picture. This is painful, and frustrating. It may just be that God knows we dont really want to know these answers, for we cannot bear them now. When we cannot trace God’s hand and we are left in a fog, we must yield to trust, and resign to hope.

The truth is there are a whole lot of things we simply don’t know, and we will never know. Some events will not be explained, and in these moments we must find the patience within ourselves to let God be God and wait. He promises to make everything right one day. We can take tremendous comfort in the fact that even if we don’t know, He does. Does He ever! He knows all about it and more than we can imagine. He is way ahead of us and at these times we must remind ourselves. HE is in control. We don’t get it, but He does.

Have you ever fumbled in a dark room looking for something. You can’t see and it’s not where you thought it was, whatever it is that you are looking for. Then the light comes on, and suddenly relief! Your searching is over. Going through life with this vision impairment feels a little like this at times. We can’t see the whole picture yet. What we can see and trust is the faithfulness of God. This is revealed in His word. He understands all of his creation perfectly. He knows! One day He will turn the lights on, and we will see what He sees and what He has known all along. It will make sense. He will explain His purpose, and we will see that it was love, it was all love.

“For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.” 1st Corinthians 13:12

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“For surely there is an end, and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou my son, and be wise and guide thine heart in the way, Be not among winebibbers, and riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad and she that bare thee shall rejoice. Proverbs 23:18- 25

My hope is in Jesus Christ. He is all my hope. In this world we will have tribulation and sorrow. Jesus has overcome the world. “He that hath ears to hear, Let him hear”, Jesus says.

There is a whole lot of nonsense and hypocrisy that goes on inside the church, and if one takes their eyes off Christ discouragement and bitterness can take hold. We are warned that the love of many will grow cold in these last days and when you see the folly in high places while truth takes a low seat, it can bring sorrow of heart and a longing for the Saviour to “come quickly”. Some things won’t change, but in fact will wax worse and worse as time rolls on. Deceivers, we are warned, are of this nature and the admonition to buy truth and sell it not is often the only escape from spiritual charlatans that are everywhere today. Buying truth will cost you something and many do not want to pay the price. So oftentimes to live in lies is just way too easy and more desirable. Buy truth! Jesus is truth! It is His very name, and for those who hold truth to be the excellent virtue that it is, truth will be bought, and sold NOT! Sadly for many, embracing truth is a lonely road, and a test of one’s patience, charecter and resolve. In these times, Jesus is our hope, He is all our hope. Keep your eyes on Jesus and truth will sustain you.

There is lighthouse in this dark world. The light of truth. This light is Jesus Christ. In a world full of liars and pretenders, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the truth, He is our hope. Hope that does not disappoint.

“By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princess rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honor are with me; yea double riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgement: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” ~Proverbs 8: 15-21

Time goes. Queen Elizabeth, God’s faithful servant passed into eternity yesterday. I knew little about her, but I heard of something I believe she once said and I never forgot it. She expressed thankfulness that the word “many” appeared in the verse ” not many noble are called” 1st Corinthians 1:26, as she was referring to her inclusion in the verse for being noble, that it didn’t say “not any” noble. She was a grateful humble servant of God though she was royalty she was not proud, though she was of great nobility, she served the people. She saw herself as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He, the anchor of her soul. As a result of her faith, God gave her great wisdom and blessed her reign and her life tremendously. He greatly honored her and she must have pleased Him immensely. She was 96 years old. He granted her riches, honor and life, long life. She died peacefully in Scotland, at Balmoral Castle.

To live a life of meaning and purpose, to live a life that matters, mattered! To leave a legacy, to be remembered well, not many achieve this. There are so many narcissists today, serving themselves and their own agendas, but few, so very few true servants of God, in the true sense of the word.

God will see to it that those who serve Him are honored, and He honored Queen Elizabeth. I believe she was a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and must have been a very godly woman with a deep abiding faith. A double rainbow descended on Kensington Palace last evening as thousands gathered to mourn her death. Few people have lived a life like hers. She will never be forgotten in the hearts of many. Rest in peace dear Queen, your King has called you home.

“So teach us to number our days that we may incline our hearts unto wisdom” Psalm 90:12

The Bible describes our time on earth as a vapor, here for a little while and then gone. I got to thinking about this verse as I was out on my walk this morning. I looked up at the sky, it was a beautiful shade of cornflower blue, with the streaks of gentle cirrus clouds floating above. I thought of the description of our lives, as a vapor. I looked up at the streaks of white, vapors stretching across the atmosphere. One seemed to perch atop a tree limb, but did not appear to be moving. However as I gazed up at it, sure enough within a matter of seconds the streaks had ascended further in height and clearly were moved from their place. I thought to myself, how true it is that our lives are like these vapors I watch in the sky. The movement seems unnoticeable, yet if you fix your eyes upon them, they are ever traveling and in motion. Soon they are gone. Here, for a little while, yet so quickly they disappear.

Life is passing. Somehow we ignorantly imagine our lives won’t end. We delude ourselves with the magical thinking that we aren’t going anywhere, yet time catches up to us and reproves our foolishness. We are indeed moving every moment of every day towards our departure. In fact , an appointment has been set, and the day soon arrives, as scheduled, as planned.

Our lives are a vapor, what does this mean? In a practical sense, it means everything around us is temporal. Nothing is forever. We are in a constant state of change, and movement, nearing a destination. In pondering this truth, the Bible gives a very profound word of counsel. The writer of Proverbs admonishes us, get wisdom, get understanding, for it is worth more than choice silver, or fine gold. Wisdom and understanding are eternal, they are of infinite value because of the eternal rewards that they bring. For what value does fine gold have to a vapor, here today , but gone tomorrow.

To number our days, to understand our brief walk through this life and the vapor like quality of our time here, is to gain wisdom. To use our time for the glory of God and the communion with His Son Jesus Christ is to gain the highest level of understanding attainable in this life.

One of the greatest joys of heaven will be the revelation of who Jesus Christ really is and that in all of His majesty and splendor, He passionately loves us, you and me, in our frailty and humanness, even in our sin.

To know Him, to see Him as He is in reality, awaits every believer. What knowledge will be revealed, what joy! For we cannot imagine in this life how great a God He actually is. We can’t see it yet. We walk through darkness in this life where so many things don’t make sense. So many questions remain unanswered, so many mysteries unsolved for us. Yet we have His word, a lamp unto our feet to ilumine our journey through this dark world.

We have to take it on faith, that which we don’t know. True faith is born in the darkness of not knowing. For if we could see, no faith would be required. Why is it virtue to merely believe the known facts, but to believe in spite of great opposition, oppression and persecution, this is faith indeed. This is the faith the Father is after.

Behind the curtain of this human experience, is a great and mighty King who rules in eternity. One day our eyes shall see Him! Faith shall become sight! Oh how glad we will be in that day that we believed in the darkness!

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their’s is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:3

The road to poverty is one all children of God will travel, sooner or later. For there is no other way there than to travel this road. It is the way…to the kingdom of heaven.  What is this road? And why must the true children of God travel it?

Poverty is not something we like in rich America, or anyplace in the world. For which one of us does not aspire to riches. Some may not care about money, but we all seek riches in their many forms and fashions. Riches may be strength, health, beauty, family heritage, loved ones, self confidence, self righteousness, a code, a creed, a cherished reputation, a talent or skill, one’s accomplishments, material possessions, or a devoted love for one’s self. It is sustenance in some form that we would hope on, place our trust upon, revel in. But what is the road of poverty? That is another story. A sad one, one where you will mourn, suffer loss, become dependent, feel pain.

The road to Christ, a true awareness and faith in Him from the heart is paved with sorrows, lack and need. For to find Him, in truth, or more accurately for Him to find you, there must be this acknowledgement of our utterly destitute state without Him. It’s the beginning of understanding the magnitude of our depravity in view of His holiness. Just a glimpse, for we can never truly come to a full understanding of this truth in the carnal wicked world in which we live. Only in heaven will we see this truth as profoundly as it is.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Who are they? How did they get there? They are the ones who lack in spirit and know it. They may be the forgotten one, the drunk, the glutton, the homeless person who no one cares about, or that rich widow sitting alone day after day with no friends, no loved ones anymore. It’s that person who suffers need and is desolate. In a word poor. The one who sees how fragile they are, how needy they are, how desperate they are for love, for forgiveness.  These poor souls don’t hope in themselves, or money, or anything or anyone life has to offer, for they have long given up on all of that, they hope in God. For He is their only hope. They are poor! They cannot help themselves. They are blind beggars on the street corner of life, crying  out, to God. God hears them. God sees them and loves them, as they are without money to pay, or works to offer. He sees them in their helpless condition and He loves them and He takes them in His arms, in His care, because they believe on Him. They believe on the Saviour Jesus Christ, with out works to pay for His love and acceptance,  but rather in the freeness of His love for them.

Why do these poverty stricken people find what seems to elude most of the world? Because they need it a little bit more. They are desperate that’s why, a desperate poverty stricken broken heart hungers more, and believes because it’s his only hope, his last hope. They dont have anyplace else to go. That’s why many people come to Jesus finally, it’s their only hope. Because….they are poor. That is why Jesus said He came to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to the poor, because the one trusting in riches can’t get there from here, until they find themselves on the road to poverty in whatever form it takes.

Should you find yourself on the road to poverty, and you recognize the Saviour of the world on this road, because that’s where He is, Rejoice! For if you place your hope in Him alone, your destination will be the greatest wealth you could ever possess.

In the end the reality is that every single person will one day experience the road of poverty, either in this life or the next. Because the truth is, without Christ we are all horribly poor, whether we know it or not.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17