We have much to be thankful for this year. One of those things is family. Not all families are the same; yet, in our own way we can build a lifetime surrounded by those we love.

This year, many of our people will be visiting family and traveling out of State, because there’s something about being home that brings comfort to us. When Jesus came to this world, he had family but no permanent dwelling place. He was born in someone’s barn with the smelly animals and whether there was snow on the ground or not (I doubt it seriously in that region although I’m not a weather expert) is irrelevant. The one thing that we can be sure of: they were on the run from Herod after he was born and they had no permanent dwelling. When I thought about that today, I tried to understand the events from a spiritual view.

No permanent dwelling. Think about it for a minute. We are so blessed in this nation, most of us have adequate housing and we have an abundant supply of resources. Spiritually, we are the house that Jesus dwells in. We house his Spirit in us. Jesus in us the hope of glory! Truly amazing.

Is the temple that we provide for the Savior adequate? Good question. To answer the question on an individual basis requires us to seek his face in prayer, I know that I sometimes feel that my temple is inadequate, because I’m made of flesh and blood, and I have made monumental mistakes in my past. If I didn’t have Jesus’ blood covering, and If I wasn’t baptized in Jesus’ Name, I know that I’d be LOST!

So what in the world was he thinking when he chose me as a vessel? I’m no one special, yet he chose me. When I had lost all hope, he gave me the missing part of my life that I had searched for, for decades. It only took me stopping and realizing that I needed God more than anything else, and if my life was to count, then I had to make good decisions to turn around and stop running away from God. We have the power to change our direction and turn toward the one who gave us life and a purpose.

His mercy endureth forever. I am not now, nor will I ever be worthy to be a chosen vessel of Jesus Christ, but he is worthy. In all the years that my life was wrecked by sin, he remained steadfast and he waited for me to open my heart to him. You see, Jesus never rejected me, I turned away because of my guilt and my shame. The church welcomed me with open arms.

The Lord has kept his promise to me to restore my health and to heal me of my wounds. He didn’t leave me unpunished altogether because it was my sins that caused the incurable bruises on my spirit, so the only way to be healed was to repent of my sins. When I yielded to his will, he gave me a new heart. Since I became a new creature in Christ, I hold to his promise in Jeremiah 30:22, that says, “And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Family is important and I’m glad that I’m a part of God’s family because it is eternal. Spend time with your family, and may the Lord richly bless you.