Quote of the Week

Prayer is not intended to change God's purpose, nor is it to move Him to form fresh purposes. God has decreed that certain events shall come to pass through the means He has appointed for their accomplishment. --A. W. Pink

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God's Minute

November 11

Ye shall see Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.--Jeremiah 29:13

O THOU, with Whom to dwell is the light of life and from Whom to depart is the shadow of death, grant us the joy of Thine abiding presence this day, that in us there may be no darkness at all. We are not children of the darkness, O Father, but our paths this day may lead us into the midst of human sorrow and strife and sin. May we walk as befits the children of the Light!

Give us, we pray Thee, open and alert minds to discover Thy will, and a holy purpose both to love and to do it. Help us to be true in the midst of all that is false, pure where evil most abounds, friendly to the friendless, and bearers of our brothers' burdens for our Saviour's sake. Take away, we pray Thee, all the guilt of our sin, and give us the joy of the victorious life through our divine Redeemer.

At the close of this day bring us, with spirits untroubled and unashamed, to our own firesides, where, by Thy grace, we may find rest, and the peace that passeth all understanding.

All of this we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Saviour.

Amen.

William Hiram Foulkes, D.D., LL.D.,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Giving Thanks in November

• November 10 I am thankful for my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer. It makes nice, stiff meringue peaks effortlessly.

• November 9 I am so thankful that my mother's foot surgery is over and that there were no complications and everything went just as planned this morning. I'm thankful that she's home, resting comfortably, and that my sister can be with her.

• November 8 Today I am thankful for two things. First, for the new patch of sunshine streaming through my window and illuminating a new spot in the afternoon, made possible by the now leafless tree outside the window and second, that the dust that it is illuminating is above eye-level.

• November 7 It's election day in America and I am thankful to live in a country where I can vote! I am thankful that it is God who raises up leaders and places them in positions of authority and that, even when I don't understand or agree with the decisions that are being made, I can gain comfort in knowing that He is ordering all things according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glory.

I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,'
Isaiah 46:9-10

• November 6 Today is Jacob's birthday. He's twenty-two years old today. Every year on his birthday I remember the tramatic events of his birth with thanksgiving for God's faithfulness and nearness during that time. As with all my children's birthdays, I remember all the stages of his life. Here's a picture taken when he was two and John was five. The boys used to love running through the sprinkler. I can remember how they would giggle!
  

• 

Jake and John

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.
Psalm 126:2-3

• November 5 It's Sunday and this morning I am thankful, again, for my church. I am looking forward to seeing my students in Sunday School. I am thankful for the two new students who have been coming regularly. I am thankful for my Pastor. I'm looking forward to this morning's sermon and to all the hymns of the faith that we will sing together. I am always thankful for the fellowship I enjoy on Sunday mornings with friends and visitors, but today I am most thankful for the fellowship I will enjoy as I celebrate the Lord's Supper in communion with God and the church.

• November 4 I'm excited and thankful this morning! I'm going to have breakfast with my dear, dear friend, Ann Marie. I haven't seen her since John and Beth's wedding in May. I am so thankful for friends who have remained close through all our various moves over the years. I'm thankful, too, for those who may not be as close as they once were, but who have made an eternal impact on my life.

• November 3 Today I'm thankful that it's Friday. Most days are about the same around our house. Up around 6 or before, homeschool and housework until about 3 or 3:30, then supper preparation. Tom comes home at 5:30 and dinner is ready to set on the table. But Fridays are different. Most Fridays Tom comes home around 5 and dinner is somewhat later. Sometimes I don't even have it started. We kind of ease into the evening with a glass of wine and some winding down time together. Friday dinners are usually simple. Frequently we have leftovers or something I made ahead and put in the freezer. On Fridays we're tired after a busy week and ready to relax. I'm thankful for the end of the week and for slowly easing into the weekend on Friday nights.
  

• November 2 I am thankful that Christ has conquered sin and death. Today I meet with my ladies' small group discussion. We're almost ready to wrap up our study in Sinclair Ferguson's A Christian Life. Today's lesson is on death. I am thankful that, as Ferguson says: "Death, when its sting is drawn and its powerful fears are rendered harmless, is but the means ofour awakening on the morning of a new day in the presence of God."

• November 1 I am thankful for Rebecca. Rebecca is one of my longest standing internet friends. We met at a discussion group on Crosswalk many years ago and over the years I have learned so much from her! Her patient, thoughtful interactions with others have always been a great example to me. Years ago, she was one of the people who patiently answered my questions about theology and challenged me to study deeply. Hers was the first blog I ever read and it was only after a few weeks of reading it that I made the connection that she was indeed, the same friend I had known on Crosswalk. I'm thankful for the positive impact she has had in my life and am grateful for her ongoing friendship.

I'm taking up Rebecca on her invitation to give thanks each day in November. Won't you join me?

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God's Minute

November 10

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High; to show forth Thy loving kindness in the morning and Thy faithfulness every night. For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work; I will triumph in the work of Thy hands--Psalm 92:1-2,4

OUR loving Father in Heaven, we come to Thee as the good Father that cares for us here below, realizing our many wants, but "our God can supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ." Teach us also, dear Lord, to realize fully our many infirmities. "Teach me to know how frail I am," and notwithstanding all, may we go to Thee as children to an earthly parent--trustfully, believingly, and in full confidence that Thou wilt lead our steps aright. Bless our children, loving Saviour, and as they grow up to manhood's and womanhood's stature, may they grow into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ. Prepare us today for all that Thou are preparing for us. Make us patient, loving, thoughtful and helpful. Bless each one of us, and, what is far better, make us a blessing. For Jesus' sake we ask it.

Amen.

Rev. P.C. Cameron, B.A.,
Berlin, Ont., Canada

God's Minute

November 9

Be not afraid, only believe--Mark 5:36

OUR Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the child's right of approach and of expectancy. Humbly pleading Thy promises, relying alone upon the merits of Thy Son, we pray; in our sorrow, send the Comforter.

In our helplessness, supply efficiency for service. In our ignorance and loneliness, show us the way wherein Thou wilt walk with us.

Dwell Thou within us, that we sin no more against Thee, that Thy will be our pleasure, Thy cause our masked passion. Give us the courage of faith, the consolation of conscious forgiveness, and the blessed assurance that underneath are the everlasting arms. Make us to cleave to that which is good, and abhor that which is evil.

Above all, O Thou Giver and supreme Lover of life, we pray for ourselves not only, but for all men and women, and particularly for all children, that Thou wilt give everlasting life--saving spiritual life, vigorous physical life, pure social life, beneficient mental life--all the life there is that is worth having, for we ask it in His name Who lovingly confided to us, "I am come that ye might have life, and that ye might have it abundantly."

Amen.

Ira Landrith, D.D., LL.D.,
Boston, Massachusetts