Sermon during the Swahili Thanksgiving Service:

                      By Rev. Aba Mpesha

Portage Michigan, July 15,

1. What do you have to remind you that God is at work in your life?

Please do remember that: “God wouldn't give you the ability to dream without the ability to make your dreams come true.”

For those of us who thank we do not have something special to thank the Lord for, let us meditate over the words of devotions found on the internet by my wife this week. It is about giving thanks. It reads:

I am thankful:

1.  I can walk that There are those who have NEVER taken their first step

2.  I can see the beauty all around me. There are those whose world is ALWAYS dark.

3.  My heart can be broken when there are those who are so hardened they cannot be touched.

4.  I have been loved when the rare those for whom no one has EVER cared …

5.  For the opportunity to help others There are those who have not been so abundantly BLESSED as I.

2. Joshua has a lot to thank the Lord.

In the passage we read from Joshua 23, we know Joshua had a lot to thank the Lord for and that the Lord has been faithful to fulfill every promise he made to Israelites. Joshua declares before his death:

“You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”

Also Joshua knew the nation’s weak spots. He called the people before he dies and gave them a commands in 3 areas to help them where they were most likely to slip.

a)  Follow that which is written in the Book of the Law of Moses without turning aside:

b) Don’t associate with the pagan nations or worship their Gods;

c)  Don’t intermarry with pagan nations.

These temptations were right in their back yards.

Note: It is very important to remember that our associations and relationship can be a temptation to us as well. It is wise to identify our weak spots before we break down. Then we develop strategies to overcome these temptations instead of being overcome by them.

Now down to ourselves: What areas are likely to move us away from God?

a)  No Time for matters of God such as, reading the Word of God and not having time together with other believers to worship God.

b) Materialism- Joining the American band wagon of materialism- the thirst for more and more STUFF

2. Joshua’s Thanksgiving was followed by a promise:

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24: 15