Thanksgiving Reflections

The portrait to the left hangs in my office opposite my desk.  It was the first Christmas gift I received from my wife while we were dating the year before our wedding.  It is truly one of my most cherished possessions. It reminds me that every leader must be humble, trust the promises of the Bible, and accomplish everything through prayer.  Lincoln accomplished many great things as President of the United States.  Today, we are reminded of one of his lasting proclamations.  On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln set forth the precedent for our National day of Thanksgiving.  The proclamation is as follows:

 

Why We Must Go Into All The World

There are over 6 billion people in the world.  Some estimate that 3.5 billion have never had a chance to hear the Gospel.  Add to this the number of those who have heard the Gospel yet not trusted the Lord and the total is astronomical.  Here in Kentucky, I drive by church after church every day.  Many of these churches have no vision for the world.  They struggle to keep the doors open and turn inward as a result.  Praying, giving, and going all suffer as a result of unhealthy churches.  However, there has been a resent revival, of sorts, among younger Christians.  They have  a renewed vision and passion for the world.  They understand that there is a greater need there (oversees) than there is here.  The truth is that most of the money and effort stays here in the states and very little gets to the nations.  I am reminded every day that Mark 16:15 challenges us to “go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”  I want to take a few paragraphs to remind us why we must go into all the world!