Giving Thanks to God

Posted on by josiahkagin

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It seems like the rush of the holiday season that Thanksgiving has been nearly run over by the mad rush toward the busy Christmas shopping season. Black Friday is the focal point. It is like the stores forgot that Thanksgiving was on the calendar and jumped right to advertising and pushing Christmas gift buying. However, no matter what the world does, it is necessary for God’s people to stop in the midst of it all and reflect on all that God has graciously given. It is easy to look around and find things that are not going our way and to get down. Yet if we will take the time to think over the past year, we will be able to count our blessing and be amazed at what God has done. Here are some of the blessings I am thankful for:

  1. My Salvation—the longer I live and serve God the more I am amazed that He loved me enough to sacrifice His Son for me. He is amazing!
  2. My Wife–talk about a gift from God. She is exactly what I need and such a help to me. She is my friend and the love of my life. 
  3. My Children—they are so much fun! They keep us laughing. Sometimes when times are tough it is something they say that cracks us up. I am thankful for the new one on the way as well. God sure does answer prayers. 
  4. My Church—I count it a huge privilege to be apart of Grace Baptist Church. It is vibrant, growing church that is seeing God work in mighty ways. The unity of spirit is awesome. I appreciate members and their heart to follow Christ.
  5. My Ministry—I thank the Lord for calling me to preach and pastor. I love serving the Lord and leading others to follow Him. I am thankful for the new opportunity to be a volunteer chaplain at our local police department. God works it ways that are beyond our imagination.
  6. My Parents—they have been consistent servants of the Lord for many years. They have given a godly heritage for which I am thankful.
  7. My In-Laws—they have shown the Lord’s grace though the trials that they have endured this past year. What a testimony of following the Lord even through the storms of life.  

I am glad that we have a day to stop and reflect on the goodness of our God. Lets not let the day pass without letting Him know how thankful we are. 

Granted Desires

Posted on by josiahkagin

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Psalm 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 

I was blessed recently to have a fresh realization that the Lord truly does give the desires of the heart when we delight in Him and commit our way to Him. 

As a teenager I had a desire to be apart of law enforcement. My goal was to be an Indiana State Trooper. I headed this direction until the age of 17. That is when God unmistakably called me to be a preacher of the Gospel and a pastor. At first I wrestled with the call but then submitted to God and I am so glad I did. I do not regret the direction God’s will has taken me and enjoy everyday that He graciously grants me to serve Him. What I will share next did not happen because I was seeking it, but rather it was all of God. 

It was our church’s 30th anniversary and Pastor Shaw and I wanted to meet with some of the city officials to invite them to attend the special day. Our first meeting was the the Kettering Chief of Police. As we spoke with him another officer came into the meeting and was introduced to us as the officer over the chaplaincy. He briefly expressed to Pastor Shaw and I that the Kettering Police had a vibrant chaplaincy program and currently had an opening due to the retirement of one of the chaplains. I was intrigued and I told him there that I would like to set up a meeting to talk more about it. Pastor Shaw encouraged me to take the opportunity if I could. God continued to open up the doors and on October 18, 2013 I was introduced to the police department as a new chaplain. 

You see, while God did not allow me to become a police officer for life, He has now allowed me to be with police officers and endeavor to be a blessing and help to them spiritually. When I was 17 I could never have dreamed God would have worked it out this way. God takes our desires, abilities and life experiences and carefully crafts a call for us—it is always amazing. Don’t hesitate to delight in who God is and commit all your way to Him because I guarantee you He will give you the desire of your heart. If you will trust God, He will amaze you!

 

God Uses Children

Posted on by josiahkagin

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At Grace Baptist Church we are just one week away from Vacation Bible School. I am so excited to see just what God will do during this week in the hearts of the children and parents that attend. We have been actively, prayerfully preparing for this week of intense evangelistic outreach.

This Wednesday evening I will be preaching to the children in our Wednesday Children’s Program in preparation for VBS and God has burdened my heart to challenge them with this thought, “God uses children!” John 6:1-15 gives us the story of Jesus feeding the multitude of men, women and children with just five barely loaves and two small fishes. Tucked away in this story is the marvelous truth that God uses children. The story opens with a big need — the people were hungry and there was no food. Then there was a small boy. Evidently this lad wanted to be close to Jesus because Andrew was able to spot him. He noticed his humble lunch that perhaps his caring mother packed for him before he ran out the door to see Jesus. Andrew brought the lad to Christ and it should be noted that this little guy was willing to give up his lunch (Something little boys are not likely to do) for Jesus.  He would have not had an understanding of what Christ was about to do, yet he was willing to give up his lunch anyway. Here we see our amazing God. Jesus commanded the multitude to be seated and then thanked God for the food. I can only imagine what must have been going through the lad’s mind. I can see his eyes widened as his lunch keeps growing as the disciples walk throughout this huge crowd serving his five loaves and two small fishes. The multitude along with this little boy were stuffed. Jesus had done what no man could do and He allowed a little lad with a little lunch to help Him do it.

The fact is, God still uses children and don’t forget this as you approach your Vacation Bible School or other summer children’s ministries. Challenge the children of your church to let God use them too. Let them know that they are valuable to God. Involve them. Encourage them to invite their friends. Children will never forget being used of God!

I Thank God

Posted on by josiahkagin

Bob Jones Sr. said, “When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart, that man is well-nigh hopeless.“ One characteristic I never want to allow to grow cold is gratitude. As I was thinking about what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving, I thought of three things. I am thankful to be:

  1. A Husband – I remember the day that I was engaged to my wife-to-be. It seemed like a dream. I mean, is God really blessing me with such a wonderful woman? I remember the day that she became my wife and knowing then and everyday since that God had been so good to me. I thank God for my wife.
  2. A Father – I love my two children so much. They are a blessing to me. I have learned so much about my relationship with my Heavenly Father through my relationship with my children. The prayer of my heart for them is that they be saved at an early age, love God with all their heart, marry the spouse that God has intended for them and serve Him all their lives. I am thankful for the privilege of being called daddy.
  3. A Pastor – Along with being a husband and a father, being a pastor is my life’s calling. God has taught me so much in my short time in the ministry and I stand in awe of His graciousness to call me to serve Him with all my life. I concur with the Apostle Paul, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;” (1 Timothy 1:12)

I feel incredibly privileged to be called these things and I am thankful to God. Consider this Thanksgiving taking a moment to sit down and write down what you are thankful for and share it with someone. Let’s keep gratitude ablaze in our hearts.

Encouragement for You

Posted on by josiahkagin

This devotional (below) was a blessing to me today in light of the election day outcome. I hope it is to you as well. I am glad that I serve the God of Heaven whose position upon His throne is completely unaffected by the elections of the United States of America. Yesterday was no surprise to Him and furthermore His thoughts and plans for you and me have not changed. Be encouraged and strengthened in our God who is in full control.

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” — Isaiah 49:16

No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word “Behold,” is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, “The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me.” How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God’s favoured people? The Lord’s loving word of rebuke should make us blush; he cries, “How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?” O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people. He keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt him. He never faileth; he is never a dry well; he is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. “Behold,” is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of his hands. “I have graven thee.”It does not say, “Thy name.” The name is there, but that is not all: “I have graven thee.” See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee upon his own palms?

Triumphant Faith

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You have probably said at one point or another, “That’s impossible!” The truth is we all face impossibilities that apart from faith in God will remain impossibilities. So it is in the well-known story of David and Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:50 “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.”

What an astounding verse! When you ponder this situation with the overwhelming giant, the discouraging critics and the real odds, David had no possibility of victory apart from faith in God.

Listen to a sermon I preached at Grace Baptist Church entitled “Triumphant Faith.”