Thankful and Blessed
Bro. Ron Smith * • Pastor, Hurricane Baptist Church, Lebanon, Tennessee • June 6, 2024
" Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; because His mercy endureth forever." (Psalm 118:1)
There are many things for which I want to give the Lord thanks. The most important is the salvation of my eternal soul through the shed blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. In Matthew 10:32 Jesus said "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father who is in heaven." Jesus promised me that He would claim me as His child when I stand before God to give account.
The second thing for which I am thankful is the blessing of being raised by Christian parents, a Christian mother and also a Christian father.
The third thing is the added blessing of growing up in a community which loved the Lord. It was a small rural community with only one church, which every family attended. Every adult in the community loved all the children there, not just their own. My teacher in the Sunday school beginner class wanted every child to know the love of Jesus, and her husband was my primary, junior, and intermediate class teacher, and he wanted every child to be saved.
I am writing these thoughts on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, remembering the 165,000 US troops who stormed the beaches at Normandy and the 4,500 who died there. I am thankful to have the blessing of being a citizen of the greatest nation in all history.
I am thankful for my wife of 50 years, my 3 children, my 6 grandchildren and my 3 great grandchildren. And Finally, I am thankful for the entertainers who have blessed me over the years. Singers like Pat Boone, a dedicated Christian who could sing beautiful songs without vulgar lyrics, and comedians like Red Skeleton who could make me laugh without vulgarity and profanity. And television shows like Combat, which depicted real heroes and taught values such as courage, patriotism and self-sacrifice.
* Brother Smith has preached the word of God for more than 55 years. I have personally known him for several years and he truly is a Faithful servant of God and friend who loves and serves the Lord with all of his heart.
Thanks for “Taking 5" • Gary Waddell • Victory Ministries Middle Tennessee
www.iamnotashamed.com • God bless and bless GOD
