Contents
Thanksgiving is an Event
Thanksgiving should be a special event, but for many it is reduced to a ho-hum, hum-drum knot in a string of otherwise endless days. For those people, Thanksgiving merely means ingesting and digesting another traditional turkey before watching another traditional football game. Either might cause indigestion, but neither will be remembered beyond the leftovers and instant replays. Praise God, we have more to look forward to than plastic zip-lock bags that seal in the memory of too much food! In Jesus, the Thanksgiving holiday becomes a thanks-giving event. Holidays have rituals of intensification to remind us of our commitments and thus become occasions to strengthen those commitments. For those who lack commitments, holidays mean little more than a few decorations and a fuller-than-usual stomach. Perhaps most of all, holidays provide opportunities for that most important of all human endeavors: worship. But unless we are in touch with the Creator of all, holidays become the occasion to adore and worship ourselves and our own.
Few seem to realize that acts of true thankfulness transform us. To the beginner, GIVING THANKS is an entrance to a new and deeper walk with God. To the mature believer, each act of thanks-giving is a step upward to the higher life —a giant step forward toward the delightful destiny God has for each of us who love Him. The true celebration of Thanksgiving will last forever because no matter where we are in our walk with God, it dramatically changes us. HOW DOES THANKFULNESS TRANSFORM US? THANKFULNESS BRINGS US FACE-TO-FACE WITH GRACE. To be truly thankful, we have to acknowledge the source of every good thing: we have to realize that our health, our family, any abundance, even luxuries we may have are from God. Moreover, we have not earned His blessings, but He lovingly chose to bestow them. Each gift from God, whether it is a new house or a new friend, shows that the Giver knows who we are and what has meaning and value to us. When we are truly thankful, we can't help knowing and declaring that God is so much better to us than we deserve. And that leads to the second change. THANKFULNESS HUMBLES US. There is a strong link between grace and humility. Perhaps God gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34 and 1 Peter 5:5) because humble people are thankful people who know how to recognize grace. Why give a person something they can't understand or appreciate? Pride fades when we sincerely believe that everything good comes from God. (Have you noticed that pride flares when we expect people to take note of us instead of looking to God for the attention and everything else that we need?) And pride pretty much disintegrates when we realize that God has given us much more than we deserve. (Have you ever noticed how many of our prideful comments begin with the unspoken but implied preface, "I deserve better ...?") Thanksgiving also humbles us because, strive as we might, in the balance of fairness we are forced to admit that we depend upon God for every good thing in our lives. Pride is closely tied to a spirit of independence. Thankful people realize that our independence is an illusion and our real strength is in the fact that the Almighty invites us to depend upon Him. Thankfulness humbles but never humiliates us. We gain humility by acknowledging all we have, all the good we are, all the good we might accomplish is due entirely to God's enablement. True humility produces a dauntless dignity — because it is based on an unshakable understanding of who God is and how He values us in Christ. THANKFULNESS MOTIVATES US. When I go to a church to speak, I spend time with the pastor of the congregation before the service. I frequently ask the pastor, "When you are alone in prayer, what do you find yourself asking God to do in your church?" The answer to that question helps me know how to prayerfully approach the congregation with the message of the worship service. Often pastors tell me they pray for their congregations to have a "higher level of commitment," "willingness to witness," or "more love for one another." THE PROBLEM I MOST OFTEN NEED TO ADDRESS FROM SCRIPTURE IS LACK OF SPIRITUAL MOTIVATION. Lack of spiritual motivation is at the root of most problems in the life of a church or an individual. People who are not spiritually motivated usually lack one thing: the ability to sense God's reality. That's right, the one thing that can spiritually motivate, mobilize and empower us to feats of faith is sensing the reality of God. The best possible path to gaining that reality is the path of praise and thanksgiving. In order to know that God is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, we need to see the many acts of God in our lives. We need to number, mark and be aware of the manifold benefits He has bestowed upon us. A simple song phrased it this way: Count your many blessings, THANKSGIVING IS AN ACT THAT SPRINGS FROM AN ATTITUDE OF THANKFULNESS. WITHOUT THE ACT OF THANKS-GIVING, THE ATTITUDE OF THANKFULNESS EVENTUALLY DRIES UP AND DISAPPEARS. It's one thing to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving or to stand up in public and say, "I thank God for..." But songs are easy to sing and statements are easily uttered. Both can soon be forgotten because they cost us little. If the act of thanksgiving costs us no more than the breath we expend to utter, sing or speak words of thankfulness, it just won't go very far in showing us the reality of God that we so urgently need to sense. IF A PERSON WANTED TO INTENSIFY THE ACT OF THANKSGIVING, WHAT COULD SHE OR HE DO? WHAT COULD YOU DO? God gave us something to do. We don't even like the word that describes the act, because it points to the high cost. Regrettably, many of us shop for bargain basement spirituality— something that looks good enough to be acceptable and can be gained at a cheap price. But God has provided a more authentic way to intensify our thanks to Him. The best way to exercise thanksgiving is through SACRIFICE. If God seems remote and you want to draw close, maybe you need to make a sacrifice. OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PLEASED THAT WE CARE TO GIVE TO HIM. IT IS AN AWESOME THING TO PLEASE HIM. I remember the first real gift I ever gave. It was a birthday present for my mother. I didn't get a weekly allowance, but I earned pennies for doing errands for neighbors. I saved those pennies and bought her a gift with my own money—a potato peeler that cost me a big 15¢. My mother realized that was a lot for a nine-year-old. She knew I could have bought 15 pieces of candy, and the fact that I had bought something for her with money I had earned made her grin with approval and enjoyment. That smile was worth the sacrifice of 15 small candy bars or the toy I might have bought! Years later I learned that flowers or a handkerchief or something more personal and less suggestive of kitchen drudgery might have been more appropriate. Yet my mother had been totally appreciative. She had been thrilled to have a son who wanted to do something nice for her on her birthday. I believe the heart of the Almighty is truly touched by our small tokens of love. He could create mountains of gold for His treasuries, but the widow's mite means more to Him than those mountains of gold because it comes from a person who, in the midst of her need, says, "I love you Lord. I trust you to take care of me. So, here ... take this." I think that's what Thanksgiving is all about. It involves acknowledging God's goodness and care by taking the occasion to say, "Father, I love you, I trust you. Here, take all that I have, and again—thanks!" SACRIFICE IS A TANGIBLE GIFT, WORK, OR DEED THAT SPRINGS FROM A THANKFUL HEART. Sacrifice brings us into fellowship with the Almighty. It realigns our hearts, it reassigns our priorities, it helps us realize a deeper plane of existence. Sacrifice gives us a sense of the reality of God. When we sacrifice something, it isn't the size of what we give that matters—it's how much we deny ourselves and what we want. For some, $100,000.00 is no sacrifice because they deprive themselves of nothing. They can still have and enjoy whatever they desire. For others, to give $100.00 would cause them to miss meals, and the missing of meals is the sacrifice. As the former executive director, I sometimes felt bad to see people depriving themselves of things I felt were essential—things myself and my family had not given up—in order to give sacrificially to Jews for Jesus. Once, I was so touched, I felt compelled to send back a sizable donation from a pensioner because I feared that he was doing without food and heat to give it. In a letter, I told him that we were far from desperate, and that he needed the money more than us. I received back a correctly indignant letter reminding me that the gift was not to Jews for Jesus, but to God. The fact that I was in comfort was irrelevant to this man. He told me that he had given such sacrifices to God on many occasions throughout his life, and suggested that if I was uncomfortable with that, maybe I should examine what I could sacrifice. That man taught me something: One must look to God and ask Him what He would allow us to sacrifice. God does not receive great sacrifices from just anyone. He prepares the hearts of those He loves and who love Him to give big and deny themselves. The important thing is, whatever we sacrifice must be entirely in agreement with God and His provision for our lives. Otherwise, we might give beyond our means and then be tempted to try manipulating God into intervening on our behalf. He does not like us trying to force Him into doing miracles. But what a sweet, stirring thanks-giving event is possible when you approach God with your all, your everything, your life—and with a smile, say: "What will you allow me to present to you as my token of appreciation and love?" And the Almighty smiles back and says, "If you really mean it, this (and He indicates something to you) would be nice."
TRY IT; YOU'LL LIKE IT!
MessiahCamRecently in the Wall Street Journal there appeared an article saying there would be a webcam to capture the second coming of the Messiah! It was put in place by a Richmond, VA, evangelical Christian group called Daystar International Ministry. It is called the "MessiahCam" and is trained on Jerusalem's Eastern Gate to capture the Messiah's entry into the city. Christine Darg, President of Daystar, said, "Virtual watchmen can call up our website and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, right over the computer." She says she was inspired by a passage in the book of Isaiah that calls for watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, who won't rest until the city is at peace. She also said it is designed for armchair pilgrims who can't be there for the real thing; they can call up our website and pray for the peace of Jerusalem, right over the computer. . . just a mouse click away. Ms. Darg said the MessiahCam has been set up in the vicinity of the Mount of Olives but the exact location is secret for security reasons.
MessiahCam Scripture tells us "every eye will see Him..." when He comes!
An article came out recently in THE DALLAS MORNING
NEWS, usually not a source of much information on
true Christianity, which defines a subject we have
discussed in this newsletter. Readers have noted
that I am criticized by Catholics, Protestants, and
Jews for what they take to be my views but are actually
purely Scriptural views. The writer below tries
desperately to invalidate Scriptural Christianity, but
the definitions presented through the article are
very clear. By the way, I don't know that any evangelicals
are divided over how literally to take the
story of Creation. Evangelicals issue joint doctrinal platformBy Richard N. OstlingThe Dallas Morning News New York — Leaders of evangelical Protestantism, who rarely speak with one voice, have issued a joint statement of doctrine defining what unites the movement and what distinguishes it from other forms of Christianity. Among other things, the statement reaffirms the evangelical belief that Jesus Christ "is the only way of salvation. . . . The Bible offers no hope that sincere worshippers of other religions will be saved without personal faith in Jesus Christ." Some other Christians have promoted a more liberal and universal concept of salvation. Evangelicalism—a conservative wing of Protestantism representing, by some estimates, one-fourth of Americans—is a network of denominations, congregations and independent ministries. Evangelicals generally share the same outlook, but the movement rarely takes joint action. Many of evangelicalism's best-known figures, including religious broadcasters Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, Pat Robertson and Charles Stanley, endorsed the statement. The 129 signers also include Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ and prison evangelist Charles Colson. Billy Graham did not sign, but one of his top aides was on the 15-member drafting committee. The text—which appears in the June 14 issue of Christianity Today magazine—was also endorsed by leaders at four of the most important evangelical seminaries. Christianity Today executive editor David Neff said that evangelicals "have never put forth a large-scale defining document about the gospel." The project began as a bid to define conservative Protestant views of salvation in contrast to those of Roman Catholicism. But it quickly took up other topics, including disagreements with more liberal strains of Protestantism. The text states that the Bible is infallible but says little about how to interpret Scripture. Evangelicals are divided, for example, over how literally to take the story of creation.
The evangelical movement differs with Catholicism on the role of faith
and good works. Both groups teach that all people are sinful, but the
evangelical platform denies that people have any inherent righteousness.
Catholicism has a slightly more optimistic view of humanity.
PA Offers Jerusalem Housing LoansThe Palestinian Authority (PA) is offering loans from $20,000-$50,000 on extremely favorable terms to Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, to encourage them to purchase new homes or renovate existing ones. According to the Hebrew weekly YERUSHALAIM, the PA now has a $30 million annual budget for purchasing Jerusalem property, contributed by a Saudi Arabian bank. This PA activity in Jerusalem has been all but ignored by Israel, but when wealthy American Jews have contributed large amounts of money to purchase land in East Jerusalem for Jews, it has brought loud, and sometimes violent protests by the Palestinians, not to mention international condemnation.
According to the Oslo Agreement, the Palestinian
Authority is not allowed to operate in Jerusalem, but
because of the extremely delicate political situation in
the city, Israel usually looks the other way to avoid confrontation.
Zola's Bulletin Board
You won't be able to recall a time when Zola cried, "Wolf!" or "Crisis!" Fortunately this ministry has had neither, though we have had some brushes with Satan and have paid a few bills late occasionally. We recently committed to broadcasting Zola's primetime prophecy special on New Year's Eve on the Family Channel at midnight on both coasts, 11:00 PM CT and 1:00 AM MT. To put it bluntly, this will cost us an arm and a leg but will reach more people at once than we ever have in our twenty-year history. Please tell your friends about this special program, entitled Is This the End ...or Just the Beginning. And please know that this is one of those very special times when we truly need your gifts. Thanks.
In Pensacola, FL, WHBR will now be broadcasting "Zola Levitt Presents" at 10:30 PM Fridays. In Columbus, OH, WSFJ-51 will resume our 5:00 PM and 9:30 PM Saturday broadcasts on November 27.
If you're receiving duplicate copies of your newsletters, PLEASE let us know. Also, if you're moving, please tell us at least a month before to save us return fees and allow you to receive your newsletters uninterrupted. Last of all, our letter opening machine chokes on paper clips and staples, so we prefer loose items instead of paperclips or staples. Thanks for making it easy to serve you — and Him.
If you don't have access to the Internet, but know someone who does, then here's a special opportunity. Ask him to use his computer to help you visit Zola's web site at www.levitt.com. You will see an incredible variety of interesting pages compiled entirely by volunteers. You may want to allow an hour or two to sample Zola's music, see our slide show of Israel, browse through our newsletter archive or use the word search feature that transforms our web site into a magnificent research vehicle. You'll have a terrific time and expose your friend to something wonderful, for which he'll be grateful.
If you would like to get our newsletters so fast that they aren't even hot off the press yet, then visit www.levitt.com and give us your email address. Of course we will keep your email address confidential, just as we do your snailmail address. You will get a short email each time we add a new newsletter to our web site so that you can read your Levitt Letter before the hard copy even leaves Dallas. A Note From Zola
Dear Friends, I almost have the month off in this column because Washington and the media are concerned about the election campaign, and they have temporarily stopped tormenting Israel about the peace process. Notice how little news there is about the "emergency" of creating "peace" over there when we have pro-wrestlers, Hollywood stars, and Pat Buchanan to think about. Of course, everyone is calling the new route connecting Gaza and the West Bank a "safe passage" for the Palestinians. That's a term of propaganda. Palestinians move safely throughout Israel and always have. The only unsafe people were the Israelis they occasionally blew up. With that said, I would like to devote this column to a surprising letter I received in regard to an upcoming speaking engagement.
Dear Ruth [my events planner]: I wasn't too clear on whether it was a lack of funds to fly me a long distance or the objections to my criticism of such Messianic congregations in past newsletters. I answered as follows:
Dear C.A.B., MOSCOW: Sixty Jews for Jesus missionaries who distributed over a million fliers in a five-week campaign in Moscow and St. Petersburg provoked a backlash of violence and abuse—not from the hundreds of thousands of Jews they were targeting, but from Russian anti-Semites incensed by their pitch that Jesus was a Jew. "They tried to grab the literature away from our people," says Irina Schnitzer, of the group's Moscow office. "Sometimes they hit them." In one instance, she recounts, a member of the neo-Nazi Russian National Union came up to a girl and asked her: "Are you a Yid?" When she said yes, he started to strangle her. A bystander intervened and she escaped with a bruised neck. (from THE JERUSALEM REPORT) Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus, told me that the Russian police look the other way during such demonstrations. Perhaps the following letter, an example of the most respectful attitude toward traditional Judaism, might present a commentary on the above. Here is a writer who simply loves rabbinical Judaism to a degree that makes her call the Great Commission "insensitive and wrong-headed." If indeed she loves the Jewish people, why would she want to be separated eternally from them? The Bible is full of promises to the Jewish people, but it clearly says that the Jews must accept Jesus for salvation like everyone else, otherwise they will be separated from God forever.
Wrong-headed campaign While this country is busy with its collection of presidential campaigners, why don't you slip off to Israel and see what's really happening in this world? There may not even be an American election next year—not because there's no one of interest to elect, but because the government of the Antichrist may well be in charge by then! If we are even half right about prophecy, the end can't be far off. Remember to view our special on New Year's Eve on the Family Channel (FAM) at midnight ET and PT, 11:00 p.m. CT, and 1:00 a.m. MT. Get an unsaved friend to watch; don't just try to please him by making little noise about Christ. And as to that trip to Israel, please know that you can still get on our Christmas tour (Deluxe is Dec. 11-21, Grand is Dec. 11-26) if you immediately call Diana at 214-696-9760. Our next tour after that will be April 24-May 4 for the Spring Deluxe Tour (which visits all the major Biblical sites in Israel), and April 19-May 4 for the Grand Tour. The Grand Tour visits the same Biblical sites as the Deluxe tour, and it has an extension to Greece, where we visit the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and Mars Hill in Athens, tour Corinth, and cruise to the Greek islands of Patmos, Rhodes, and Mykonos. We also visit Ephesus, Turkey, where Paul preached to the Ephesians. Spring in Israel and Greece is too beautiful to be missed! Join us if you can. And remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Your messenger,
Nothing is as old as yesterday's newspaper! Headlines that rocked the world are soon forgotten. Who still thinks about the dramatic overthrow of the Shah of Iran or about the men who walked on the moon? Princess Di's death shocked the world but it has passed. Dr. Martin Luther King's nonviolent revolution and the bloody Vietnam War have become history. Sportsmen such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Montana, and movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean moved thousands of people to ecstasy. Today, others take their places.
Cities like Athens and Rome that yesterday were world-class
cities, are today attractions for tourists who want
to see the ruins. Jerusalem, on the other hand, remains
the center of the world, the focal point of revelation, the
city of the great King, making headlines yesterday,
today and forever.
Israel: No RegretsHaving led more than sixty Israel tours, we have yet to hear a single pilgrim say that he was sorry he went. To the contrary, each day spent in Israel amounts to some of the most precious our passengers have lived. When you look back on your life, if the Lord tarries and you get to visit the Holy Land, you will thank God that He allowed you to eat, sleep, breathe and pray in the Land of the Bible. If you call immediately, you can still get on our Winter Tour (Dec 11-21/26). Our next tour is April 19/24-May 2. For your free color tour folder, please call Diana during office hours at (214) 696-9760 or 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377) anytime. [or click here]
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Copyright © 1999 by Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All rights reserved. Brief passages may be quoted in reviews or other article. For all other use, please get our written approval.
The Ever Living God designed thanksgiving (the act, not just the
holiday) so we could show how much we love and appreciate our Creator
and Provider. In order for us to be properly thankful, might help to
reflect upon the quality of the soul that we call "thankfulness."
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