So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (Romans 8:1–3).

In a world filled with people who feel they do not measure up even to their expectations for themselves, these words breathe life into our souls.

The fact that there is "no condemnation" for those who are in Christ does not mean it doesn't matter what we do . . . it means we can be free from the shame and feelings of inadequacy and realize we are welcomed into God's family, clean and forgiven! We are free to live in the fullness of what God created us to be.

Don't stop here! Read on . . . the way we have been set free from our sin is Christ died in our place, paying the penalty for our sin, so we could be forgiven and delivered from the wrath of God which we so justly deserved!

You have received an unfathomable gift. The more you ponder it, the more grateful you will be and the more enthusiastically you will use this freedom, forgiveness, and acceptance to live joyfully for the One who gave His life for you.

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

(Matthew 6:19–21).

Traditionally, today is called Black Friday. It is a monument to consumerism (shopping). This year, with Covid restrictions Black Friday has not been canceled. . . it has been spread out!

We are bombarded with ads that show us that "thing" we desperately need to "bring happiness" into the life of the one who receives the gift. I, for one, am a sucker for a good sales pitch.

Jesus calls us to see things differently. He says we should spend more time laying up treasures in Heaven than looking to fill our homes with stuff that will be out in our garbage in a few years (if we are lucky). In other words, He would have us find our satisfaction in Him. He wants us to cherish people more than stuff, and to crave for a deeper walk with Him rather than for the next temporary "high" of a new purchase.

For every ad we see, it would be prudent to view it as a prompt to "lay up treasures in Heaven." It should remind us to see beyond the temporary "fix" of the world, and instead pursue what lasts forever.

In that day you will sing:

“I will praise you, O Lord!

You were angry with me, but not any more.

Now you comfort me.

See, God has come to save me.

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

The Lord God is my strength and my song;

he has given me victory.”

Isaiah 12:1–2.

It is tempting this Thanksgiving to focus on what we have lost or on how things are different. It would be better to focus on the blessings.

For the follower of Christ, we can say with Isaiah "you were angry with me but not any more." Wrath has been swallowed up by grace. Despair has been replaced with joy-filled anticipation. We are made new in Christ. This is a blessing we too often overlook but it is the greatest reason for thanks this holiday.

O Lord, you have changed our lives. You have taken all of the broken pieces and put them together into something more wonderful than words can express. Thank you for forgiveness, hope, rest, peace, the power of Your Spirit, the promise of life eternal, and the sweetness of your presence every moment of every day. Even in the midst of darkness, Your light shines bright. We praise You and give You our deepest thanks.

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

(Matthew 22:36–40).

Most of us can quote these verses. But are we heeding them? We put a great deal of emphasis on part 2. Everyone wants us to love each other. But what happened to the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind?

The key word is ALL. We are happy to pay lip service to the Lord but to love Him FIRST and FOREMOST in our lives? We quickly move the Lord to a secondary place in our lives when our desires don't match up with His Word. We do the same if He asks us to do something difficult.

We say we would honor the Lord more if we had time. We DO have time . . . we are simply choosing to put something else before Him! The only person we are fooling is ourselves.

So, here is the challenge: of all the commands in the Bible the best place to start is with the first one.