Michael Link

Until the End

by Michael Link

The power to withstand something challenging defines the word endurance. This is what God had in mind when He chose specific people to fulfill His purpose; when He called people out of this world to an understanding of His plan that only He could reveal to those who answered His calling.  An everlasting commitment of obedience is the requirement to obtain everlasting life while also ruling with God the Father and Jesus Christ, as part of their Family, here on earth in the Kingdom of God, in the coming time ahead (compare Matthew 19:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; Romans 8:7; Revelation 20:4-6).

This tremendous calling, however, shouldn’t be taken lightly and for granted; rather, it requires obedient effort, perseverance and endurance until the end. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

We will be blessed when we endure UNTIL the end.  This is a life-long commitment of living God’s Way of Life. If we have chosen to live this Way, by keeping ALL of His commandments, taken the necessary steps to becoming truly baptized, then we are in it for life.

If we haven’t, then even our physical life we are living now could be in jeopardy!  “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth” (Revelation 3:10, NIV).  It should be quite evident that we must have much patience in our lives—especially when going through problems and hoping for answers right away.  The test we are faced with is whether we have the trust and confidence in God to deal with our situation and whether we have the belief that God will provide the answer in His due time, IF we let Him.

There is much worry in the world today.  Everywhere we look, what we hear about, what we read about, in some way or another involves concern. Satan is doing his job.  There may be temporary relief of “happiness” but a permanent outcome of joy is not possible without God in our lives. That is why it is highly important that we keep going, doing what is right, not letting distractions hinder us and prevent us from reaching our ultimate goal. The world will soon find out just how awful things will get, with conditions so horrible that if Jesus Christ wouldn’t return to put an end to all this destruction, NO ONE would be saved! Because we KNOW this, blessed are we who endure UNTIL THE END.

Hate! But Do Not Hate!

What does the Bible say about hate? There are in fact many things that God hates but He is also the God of love. How and in what way is it acceptable to “hate” and how is it not?

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Don’t Delay

What is it that we should be focusing on and preparing for so we are not caught off guard in the soon coming end times, while the rest of the world, especially the English speaking nations, are sound asleep? How can this be and what does the Bible say about this very fact? What is prophesied for 2019, especially what’s happening in Europe which can cause things to develop very quickly?

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Strength Within

by Michael Link

We are constantly put to the test. If we have chosen to live this Way of Life, that is, a life pleasing to God based on what He commands, then we face many challenges and our inner strength will also be put to the test. To conquer our weaknesses is the challenge. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Here was Paul, an apostle of God, admitting that he had weaknesses and only through his weaknesses could he become strong. The weakness he had didn’t make him strong, but overcoming it gave him that strength. He knew of course that only through God’s help could he attain that strength. God gave him His strength, because without it, he could do nothing, but with it, he could do everything. This is very relevant for us today since we all have weaknesses that we must fight to overcome. It is nothing that is easily overcome, but only through faith, prayer, and repentance. If we didn’t have any weaknesses, then we would be perfect, and we know that that is not the case, since none of us are perfect.

Every person in the Bible had a weakness, even some of the greatest, who were men of God. They too had to struggle continuously to overcome their weaknesses and they also had to experience punishment by God to make them stronger. Many of them went through trials that seemed impossible to get through, but strength was on their side.

Job had many trials. He lost everything – his family and his possessions, and his health was also affected, but even after all that, he wasn’t angry towards God. However, he did have a weakness and that was his self-righteousness, which he did eventually overcome by acknowledging God’s power, and as a result, received back more than he had before his trials.

Samson had an incredible gift from God, which he took for granted. His weakness was women. They were more important to him than God, and every time he got into trouble, he never looked to God for help, but decided to fight his own battles instead. As a result, he lost his life. But before he died, he realized what his sin was and repented of it. He had finally overcome his weakness.

Moses had a weakness, that of anger. It is very easy to get angry and anger could be very difficult to control. Do you consider yourself easily tempered? Do we sometimes make others angry by what we may say or do? Have we noticed that it is more work to be happy than to be angry? Why is that? Because we are living in Satan’s world, and he is just the opposite of peace and tranquility. Have we noticed how much more of an effort it is to maintain peace? When something goes wrong, what is our initial reaction? Do we have thoughts of doubt, worry and discouragement during tough times? It’s all about how we control ourselves. What would Christ do in this situation?

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously… Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For ‘[h]e who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it’” (1 Peter 2:21-23; 3:8-11).

Unfortunately, there were some who were not strong enough, and as a result, they just gave up completely, like that which happened to King Saul. We have to make sure that we don’t fall into that category. Judas had a weakness that he did not overcome, and that was money. He betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15). He was greedy for money, and that was very dangerous because riches had the better of him—just like the one individual who asked Christ in Matthew 19 what he could do to inherit eternal life and when Christ told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, he didn’t want to do it because money was more important to him.

Sometimes, we may feel that when times are really tough, we aren’t being blessed, but think of it as more of a test that we need to overcome. And remember, we DO have help from God (compare Romans 8:26-27). Each one of us is unique. We all have various strengths and weaknesses. Each one of us is aware what they are and we all know what it is that we must work on. If there is a certain weakness we have trouble with, we should make it a priority to overcome it. Satan is very intelligent, let us not forget that. He will attack us on the very things where we are most vulnerable.

We are called out of this world for a reason and Satan knows it, which is why we need to be vigilant at ALL times. But he can only do what God allows. Think of what happened to Job. God allowed Job’s trials to teach him a lesson! Yes, we are all going through trials, and yes, there are reasons for them. Again, we are the few that God has chosen and Satan knows that too, and the trials that we go through are different than those outside the Church of God because when we have been called to the Truth, we are in a separate category and we are not controlled by time and chance. God is aware of everything we go through, every trial, for our benefit. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We still need to overcome our weaknesses and replace them with righteousness. And once we do that, God will be pleased, and so will we.

A Future Hope

There are many things that we hope for in this life but what is it that we should hope for in the time ahead?  How is our relationship with God and how should we be living our lives at this moment so we can hope for and be part of a much better future?

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Does the Bible Allow or Prohibit the Celebration of the National Holiday of Thanksgiving?

The word “thanksgiving” is mentioned several times throughout the Bible. Depending on which Bible translation is being used, in the Authorized Version or the King James Version, it is mentioned 30 times; 32 times in the NIV (New International Version); and 38 times in the ESV (English Standard Version), just to give a few examples. Of course, there are many more Scriptures throughout the Bible where the theme of “giving thanks” or “thankfulness” is mentioned. 

The history of the American Thanksgiving Day is quite interesting as it contains origins of religious traditions, similar in ways to what the Bible alludes when referring to God’s annual Fall Holy Days. According to Wikipedia, “Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in Canada, the United States, some of the Caribbean islands and Liberia. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Similarly named festival holidays occur in Germany and Japan [as well as other countries like the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and the Philippines].”

In this Q&A, we are only concentrating on the celebration of the American Thanksgiving Day and, in passing, of the Canadian Thanksgiving Day. The comments herein may or may not apply to Thanksgiving Day celebration in other countries, which might have incorporated pagan customs in association with the original worship of pagan gods and goddesses.

Continuing with the above-quoted article:

“Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, and around the same part of the year in other places. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well.

“Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times. The Thanksgiving holiday’s history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.

“In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VII and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to attend church and forego work and sometimes pay for expensive celebrations. The 1536 reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27, but some Puritans wished to completely eliminate all Church holidays, including Christmas and Easter. The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting or Days of Thanksgiving, in response to events that the Puritans viewed as acts of special providence. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgment from on high called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings, viewed as coming from God, called for Days of Thanksgiving. For example, Days of Fasting were called on account of drought in 1611, floods in 1613, and plagues in 1604 and 1622. Days of Thanksgiving were called following the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 and following the deliverance of Queen Anne in 1705.”

When focusing on Canada, “According to some historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred during the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher from England in search of the Northwest Passage. Other researchers, however, state that ‘there is no compelling narrative of the origins of the Canadian Thanksgiving day.’

“The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are also sometimes traced to the French settlers who came to New France in the 17th century, who celebrated their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing food with the indigenous peoples of the area. As settlers arrived in Nova Scotia from New England after 1700, late autumn Thanksgiving celebrations became commonplace. New immigrants into the country—such as the Irish, Scottish, and Germans—also added their own traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the US aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey) were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.”

In the United States, “Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress, each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes. As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, ‘as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God.’”

Other nations celebrate this day in their own unique way with their own customs (some, if not many, originated from pagan worship practices). However, when giving thanks to our Creator is emphasized, without mixing this with inappropriate religious pagan customs, it is in a stark contrast to pagan holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, for example. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible? Man’s Holidays and God’s Holy Days,” and especially the chapter on Thanksgiving Day (pages 36-39).

The American Thanksgiving Day is a holiday specifically based on biblical principles and commands, although not directly mentioned in Scripture. Neither are the Feast of Purim and the Feast of Dedication which are based on events being described in the book of Esther (compare Esther 9:17-32) and the (apocryphal) books of First and Second Maccabees (compare also John 10:22-42), but it has been understood by God’s Church that especially for the Jewish community, it is not wrong to observe these days.

Thanksgiving Day is a day which can be spent with family and friends, honoring and thanking God for the bountiful blessings He provides.

We have much to be thankful for, but we must not forget whom we need to thank. It is God the Father whom we need to thank every single day through Jesus Christ for everything He has done for us and there are several ways in which we can thank Him.

We thank Him through Prayer. We thank God for all that we have. Colossians 4:2 tells us that we must pray earnestly and be vigilant with prayer. We shouldn’t underestimate the power of prayer. We all go through problems and sometimes we may not have the answers we are looking for, but one thing is for sure: God has the answer and He will reveal it to us in due time. It is quite normal to be frustrated if an answer does not come right away and since we are human, we may allow worry and doubt to creep in, but God tells us in James 1:6 that we should ask in faith without doubting. Also, every time we pray, we give thanks to God, no matter what the situation is. Who else knows better than God Himself about the tests that we go through, for it is also He who tests us continuously to see how we respond: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). 

We shouldn’t take anything for granted. We give a prayer at the beginning and end of each church service.  Even Jesus Christ prayed to His Father before He preached, in Mark 1:35-39. 

God has a plan for each and every one of us. He knows everything that goes on; what we do and what we think about, even before we think it. And if we want to be close to God, it is vital that we pray ALWAYS because prayer defines our relationship with God. This is where we have a private conversation with our Father (just as Jesus did when He prayed to His Father), by giving Him thanks and letting Him know what is on our minds, but we also have to be careful for what we pray and how we pray. The Bible instructs us the way we should pray in the example of the model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, and in many other ways throughout the Scriptures (For more information on Prayer, please read our free booklet on “Teach Us to Pray”).

We wouldn’t even be here and everything we have wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for God. We have all been blessed throughout our lives, with all that we have done and experienced. Being called by God to the Truth is definitely a huge blessing, and those who have chosen to live His Way of Life have an advantage over the rest of the world.  

Because of these blessings, there is yet another way we show God that we are thankful for what He has done for us. Those of us who know the Truth and have the knowledge of God’s plan, also offer Him thanks through our tithes and offerings. It is a blessing that we can observe the Sabbath and the Holy Days, which all picture His plan. God made them all, and He requires of us to pay Him back 10% from the increase that we make, and we do it with thanksgiving. Hebrews 13:15-16 says: “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” God is pleased when we are giving and helping others.

David understood how God’s plan worked and how God was working with him.David showed his thankfulness towards God in Psalms 116:16-17 by offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving: “O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD.”

Focusing on the church services on the Sabbath day, we thank God during the opening and closing prayers and we also show Him our appreciation by singing to Him with hymns, with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” And in Psalm 95:2 it says, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” Further in Psalm 100:1-5, “Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”  Also in Psalm 147:7, “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving.” We thank God through the singing of His Word.  

As we can see through the history of how the national day of Thanksgiving came about and also the many examples throughout the Bible which address the spirit of “thanksgiving,” there is no reason why this day can’t be celebrated by us with our families and friends. We have so much to be thankful for and we should not forget what God has done for us and what He continues to do for us. We have to give thanks to God always for and in everything (Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). We should continue to be thankful always, especially towards God since it is He to whom we owe our lives. 

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen” (Revelations 7:12).

Lead Writer: Michael Link

Ready At ALL Times!

How are we supposed to prepare at all times? How are we to live our days and how important is prayer?  What should we pray for? Are we ready if Christ were to come back tomorrow?  Are we worthy enough? Is God our first priority and can we trust Him to take care of ANY situation that we are faced with? Do we truly understand how important God is in our lives and if we shut Him out, what would the consequences be?

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Don’t Be Late or Unprepared!

by Michael Link

Have we ever been late to an event by not getting there on time and were not able to get in due to their “door closing” policy at a specific time?  How did that make us feel? Especially when we thought we had prepared ourselves, giving ourselves enough time? Perhaps we were careless with our time, and something along the way became a distraction, causing us to get there “late” and were then prohibited to get inside.  It’s a frustrating feeling and thoughts of what we should have done differently may enter our minds, even though we were aware of the rules stating that we must plan and prepare accordingly and those who were not “on time” would be unable to enter.

Christ spoke about ten virgins, but only the five wise virgins were allowed to enter the wedding. The five foolish virgins were not prepared and ready. And when they finally arrived, the doors were closed.

Or, did we ever experience a situation when we were invited to a special occasion and refused to attend, even though we should have been there, or when we attended, only to find out that we were not prepared for the same? Christ delivered a similar message in Matthew 22 in a parable of the wedding feast where several who were invited to the wedding by the king were unwilling to come. And so the king sent out servants again to remind those who were invited: “‘See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business (verse 4).”

These were guests who were “called” to the wedding. They had some knowledge of the Truth and God’s Way of Life and they had a choice to make, to be at the wedding. The king tried two times to invite them to the wedding and since they didn’t want to come, he stated in verse 8 that “those who were invited were not worthy.” The servants went out and invited others to come to the wedding and they responded.

But one person came for an improper purpose and with dishonest motives, even though he knew better. We read in verse 11, “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Here was someone who didn’t respond in the way that God expected but rather was untruthful and rebellious. God dealt with this person severely. There are many examples in the Bible of people who were rebellious to God’s Law, who knew His Law at first but then decided to take matters into their own hands, thereby forgetting about God (1 Samuel 15:23; Romans 13:2; Isaiah 1:19-20).

The Bible contains many warnings for TRUE Christians today.  If we have been called out of this world, responded and made the commitment to live God’s Way of Life FOREVER by CHOOSING to become baptized, then we must understand the absolute importance and responsibility that we have to live righteously or we will lose our crown to eternal life (Revelation 3:11).

The time will come when many will proclaim to Christ that they “knew” Him, “knew” about God’s Way of Life, yet they deceived themselves or they weren’t dedicated enough to LIVE that Way and DO what He commanded on a CONTINUOUS basis.  And Christ will respond, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23). It is for LIFE and we say it over and over again: Be Prepared NOW before it’s too late!

LGD 2018: Attention!

How are we to be “sober and vigilant” in this world today?  What about in the Church? Is what we should be doing RIGHT NOW have any significance with what our immediate future holds?

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