Greetings, friends.
As Thanksgiving is almost upon us, I hope you are finding much in your life to be thankful about: the fact that your name is written in heaven, that you are a child of the King, that you have been granted eternal life, the gift of the Spirit, and an inheritance that will not perish, spoil or fade. In addition, you belong to a church family that cares about you and loves you, and you have been given gifts, abilities and interests by God to be used in growing His kingdom and His Church. To that end, may we set our hearts resolutely, unswervingly, steadfast and immovable in service to our great King.

Along those lines, I was reading about Paul in Acts 21, as he set his heart and focus resolutely on the city of Jerusalem. Although warned repeatedly that this would be the beginning of the end for him, yet he remained undeterred. He knew the course God had for him, and he replies to those trying to talk him out of going, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13) What a different attitude from years earlier when he was putting followers of Christ to death. What a confidence he possessed, and a boldness in the course he needed to follow in service to the Lord. As it turns out, this was the last step of “freedom” he would ever take, for from Jerusalem on, he would be imprisoned and eventually executed.

Friends, I want to likewise encourage each of us to be steadfast and immovable in service to our great God. 1 Cor. 15:58 challenges us: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” It will not always be rewarding, comfortable, popular or the “safe” choice, but our calling is to be soldiers in the Lord’s army, forcefully advancing His kingdom (Matt. 11:12). We’ve been given weapons of warfare and opportunities to engage, and now let’s use them courageously to win the lost, disciple the found, beat back the gates of the enemy and glorify our awesome God! May God give us the grace to follow Paul’s example, and the example of our Lord Jesus, who were steadfast and immovable to the end.

Please join me in praising God for an enduring legacy of men and women who have preceded us in holding steadfast and immovable in their service to the Lord. Let us give thanks for the many blessings we have received from God – physical and spiritual, and do this every day of the year.
Pressing on,
Eric