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The King’s Business: April 2020

The King’s Business

by John O’Malley April 2020

World Wide accepted me for missionary service in 1993. As a 29-year-old, I knew God’s will for me. I know His will now. My calling is to serve God in my generation and advance the Great Commission.

Since 1993, I have watched Brother Wingard, Brother Whetstone, and many other leaders and workers in my association with WWNTBM. I work with wonderful servants. I learned from these servants that the Lord’s work requires my best. (Numbers 18:29)

Do you realize what it takes for you to be at your best? Are you aware of what you need to be at your physical best? Do you consider the minimums you need for your nutrition, sleeping, and exercising? Do you recognize which spiritual practices you need daily to be at your best? Do you focus on which mental disciplines you need to be at your best?

These questions are what I ask myself and the missions office. When we make sure we are at our best, we serve you better. We bring the Lord glory when we are at our best.

I wonder how often I am at my best in this work I am supported by churches to do? God’s acceptance of me and His willingness to work with me makes me want to be at my best.

Our Great Commissioner does not seek extraordinary people. He seeks willing people. He takes available people. He uses flawed people. He is most pleased with people who have faith. (Hebrews 11)

In our office, we are on a five-year pursuit to study, embrace, and practice five disciplines of when we are at our best. We listed what we need to do to be at our best. We believe we are at our best when we serve others. Our goal is to practice five disciplines in every communication. In our staff meetings, we look for these values in you and in ourselves. We hold ourselves accountable to these values.

We want to be at our best for God’s glory. We have, at every desk in our office, these values etched on a glass plaque. We also had these values printed on canvas. We hung this canvas in the hallway between the offices. We quote these values in every staff meeting.

The five disciplines are an acrostic of the word SERVE. We are at our best when we are Selfless, Eager, Responsible, Valuable, and Exceptional. I will write more on these values each month in my article of Headquarter Happenings.

We want you to catch us at our best. We want to catch you at your best. When either of us is not hitting the mark, will you give grace to us? We will give grace to you.

The King’s business requires our best, not just our haste.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know.

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From the Memo Board: April 2020

Dates to Know

April 10 – The Office will be closed in celebration of the Resurrection.

May 1 – March Financial Reports will be due.

May 1 – Quarterly Reports for Foreign Non-Profit Organizations will be due; please see more information below.

June 1 – April Financial Reports will be due.

June 15-18 – Family Fellowship Week in Kinston, NC.

WWNTBM’s Response to COVID-19

With the growing awareness of the COVID-19 virus, we wanted to take a moment to encourage you. The Missions office is still open. We plan to continue working in the office as usual, until further notice.

We are taking the recommended precautions to keep our office staff healthy. We are requesting no visitors to the Office through May 1, 2020, in compliance with the NC Governor’s recent executive order. If more serious restrictions occur, we have provisions to get your support to you. Pray for our staff’s health, safety, and strength.

We are planning on holding Family Fellowship Week. We are monitoring the federal and state legislation and the capabilities of the host churches. Please continue to monitor your email and http://familyfellowshipweek.com.

Please know that we are praying for you. We are aware that this virus is affecting everyone in our missions family to some extent. Please let us know if there is any way we can assist you during this time.

Click below to view a message from Bro. Jeremy Lockart about the coronavirus. Click here for a transcript of that message.

Tax Impact of COVID-19

Extended Deadlines: In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the US Government has extended tax filing deadlines for all individuals until July 15, 2020. Please click here to read information from our tax attorneys on how this change may affect you personally. We recommend that you still speak with your tax preparer about the ability to file as soon as possible if you expect to receive a refund.

Families First Act: In addition to the extended deadlines, our CPA has informed us that the recent Families First Act released on March 18 may have implications and benefits for those who are self-employed. All of our US-Citizen missionaries fall into this category. Our CPA’s advice was to recommend that you speak with your tax preparer to discuss how the Families First Act can benefit your personal situation.

Doctrinal Agreements

If you have submitted your doctrinal agreement statement, your new card for 2020-2021 is now available for you to download and print from your SecureCloud folder. If you have not yet submitted your annual agreement, please click here, or email Naomi Torberson as soon as possible, indicating that you have read and are still in agreement with our Articles of Faith. If you have questions or concerns, please contact John O’Malley.

Family Fellowship Week

In Mark 6 we have the record of Christ sending the apostles forth into ministry. After their journeys, they returned and reported to Him about what they had done. Christ’s first response was an invitation for them to come apart and rest, as they were so busy they had not time to even eat. This is one of the goals for our annual Family Fellowship Week. We realize that you are busy with the work to which you have been called. We seek to provide an opportunity for you to come apart and rest, in an environment where you can be physically rested and spiritually refreshed. If you will be in the US and have not yet done so, please contact Rebekah Tolley to register for the week. We hope to see you in Kinston, NC, June 15-18. If you are planning a furlough in 2021, now is the time to add the date to your calendar for next year! This meeting always begins on the third Monday of June. Current information is available at https://familyfellowshipweek.com.

Quarterly Reports for Foreign Non-Profit Organizations

If you have gone through the process to have your foreign ministry certified with our CPA, the first Quarterly Report representing January to March of 2020 will be due on May 1. You should have received an email with details about how to submit the report. If you have questions please contact Naomi Torberson.

If your ministry has been chartered and established as a non-profit organization, we recommend getting a bank account in its name and then going through the process of certifying it as a Foreign Non-Profit Organization with our CPA. This process takes several months and costs around $400. The purpose is to show that your ministry meets IRS standards to be considered a public rather than a private charity. With this status, funds for purchases such as land may be able to be sent directly to your ministry, thus eliminating your personal tax liability. Please note that there are limitations to this option. If you are planning to raise funds for the purchase of land or buildings, it would be advantageous to have this step in place before funds arrive in our office for such a project. Please contact our office for more information.

Travel to and from the United States

US Citizens should be aware of the REAL ID Act and how it may affect your airline travel within the United States. Click here to view the latest information from the Department of Homeland Security. As a result of COVID-19, the current effective date has been moved to October 1, 2021. Missionaries may wish to update their driver’s license to obtain the REAL ID while they are in the US on furlough. Otherwise, plan to have your passport with you for all domestic travel.

Non-US Citizens: In advance of planning any personal or ministry travel to the US, please contact Laura Cmaylo to discuss the visa and financial implications involved with Stateside travel so you and our office can be fully prepared.

New Schedule for Uplift Calls!

We are nearing the 3 year anniversary of our weekly Uplift meetings! We are excited about the feedback we receive from our missionaries, and our staff looks forward to this time of connection. To better accommodate various timezones, we are changing our normally scheduled Third Thursday meeting to Third Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. While the Friday morning calls are typically geared towards those on deputation, everyone is welcome to join at any time. Meetings take place on the following schedule each month:

Every Friday at 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time
First Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Second Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Third Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Fourth Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time

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Prayer & Dates: March 2020

March Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for March. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

 

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From the Memo Board: March 2020

Dates to Know

March 15 – Please register for Family Week by this date, or let us know if you are unable to attend.

March 16 – Please contact John O’Malley by this date with any feedback on changes for our National Missionaries.

April 1 – February Financial Reports will be due.

May 1 – March Financial Reports will be due.

May 2 to 13 – Prayer letter services will be suspended; please see more information below.

June 15-18 – Family Fellowship Week in Kinston, NC.

Celebrating Fifty Years

Scripture is full of illustrations where God instructed men to come together for the purpose of remembering His goodness to them, and specifically, to annually memorialize great deeds He had done. These times of remembrance were often times of gathering, celebrating, and even feasting. In 1971, God answered the desire of Pastor Wingard’s heart and enabled him to start World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. That first year, Calvary Baptist Church in New Bern, NC, hosted what would become the first annual Family Fellowship Week. This summer, we will again gather at the 50th Annual Family Week, where we will recount God’s blessings of the past, and look forward with anticipation to His blessings for the future. Please make plans to join us at New Testament Baptist Church of Kinston, NC, from June 15-18. Full details are available online at familyfellowshipweek.com.

Microsoft Excel

We request that all users complete their financial report template using Microsoft Excel rather than Apple’s Numbers or other programs. Although Apple’s spreadsheet application does export to Excel, doing so removes many key features that our staff relies on to review the reports. Similarly, Google Docs is not structured to handle many of the formulas in the template and often creates problems with the figures. If you need to purchase a copy of Microsoft Excel for Windows or for Mac, we can obtain these for you at a discounted rate. If switching to Excel creates a hardship for you, please contact us. If you have any questions, please let us know. We appreciate your assistance in this area!

Changes in Ministry and Your Financial Report

Changes in ministry can affect the typical expenses you list on your reports from month to month. For instance, someone on deputation will primarily have travel expenses, while someone on the field may have more costs related to renting a building or purchasing snacks and Sunday School supplies. Someone coming home on furlough will be dealing with meal allowances and lodging costs they do not usually see when on the field and may be using a borrowed vehicle, which must be recorded differently from a vehicle they own. We suggest that you click here to review our checklist of commonly overlooked expenses and make sure you are claiming all allowable deductions. If you have questions about your financial reports, please contact Naomi.

Prayer Letter Services

Due to staff vacations, our prayer letter editing services will be unavailable from May 2 to May 13. Please submit your letters to [email protected] anytime before 4:00 PM EST on May 1, to be sure it is sent out in time. Letters received after this date will be edited on May 14, when our normal processing schedule will resume. Please schedule your upcoming prayer letters accordingly. Thank you for your help with this!

Birth Announcement

Benaiah William Tyndale Folkers was born on February 18. He weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces. Benaiah is the first son of Seth and Kaitlin Folkers and joins his older sister, Atarah, who is 18 months. The Folkers minister in Cameroon, where they assist with mobile Bible College training. Pray for them as the country is in much turmoil at this time.

See the Harvest

WWNTBM has partnered with Ambassador Baptist College to lead a missions trip to Utah this summer for young people ages 16-30. We realize that many small churches do not have the resources to provide opportunities for their youth to see missions first hand. If you know of someone who would benefit from this trip, please direct them to our website at seetheharvest.com.

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From Our President: March 2020

Danny Whetstone

Dear World Wide Family,

I am very pleased to bring you some changes that took place on February 25, 2020. During our scheduled board meeting, I proposed to the Executive Board that Brother John O’Malley be made President of World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions and that Brother Jeremy Lockhart be made the General Director. The men accepted my recommendation and voted to appoint these men to those positions.

I understand when changes like these come, it is often assumed that there is a problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was my desire when Brother O’Malley came to work with us twenty-six years ago that this day would come. The Lord has graciously given us Brother Lockhart as well, and he proved himself to be capable during Brother O’Malley’s recovery from heart surgery.

What will I do? I will do much of the same things that I have done for the last thirty-five years. Darleen and I will continue in missions conferences and traveling overseas, and I will remain as Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of World Wide. It has been my joy to serve at the pleasure of the Executive Board in each capacity that they have given me. That will not change.

Fifty years ago, the Lord called Pastor Wingard to establish this mission. It has been my greatest pleasure to serve alongside of him with the hope that in some small way, I could help him fulfill our Lord’s desire for this work. That is still my hope. Be assured that I did not make this proposal without first talking to Pastor Wingard. We are in agreement. I am blessed to have a wonderful relationship with him, as well as with Brother O’Malley.

This decision is effective immediately. Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask me, Pastor Wingard, Brother O’Malley, or any board member.

In His Service,

Danny A. Whetstone

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. Whetstone here to let him know.

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Tax Time Reminders

Tax season is once again upon us! Here are several reminders concerning tax issues that you may face. We trust that this information will be useful to you, both in giving you a better understanding of your reports and helping you to be aware of items that may affect your personal taxes.

Change from W-2 Forms to 1099 Forms This Year

World Wide Missionaries have always been considered dual status, in that you were self-employed but received a W-2. Following advice from our CPA and tax attorneys, starting with the tax year 2019 we are no longer issuing W-2 Forms, but began instead to issue 1099 Forms to our missionaries. When completing your tax return, you may want to ask your tax preparer about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TJCA) affects self-employed individuals. It is our understanding that you may be able to submit an amended return for the year 2018 if you did not fully take advantage of the TJCA benefits when you filed last year.

Tax Paperwork for 2019

Tax-related paperwork generated by WWNTBM is in your SecureCloud folder. This includes your applicable 1099 form, MFR Summary Report, Tax Detail Letter, and Tax Receipts (if you gave through WW in 2019.) Please be sure to look at the second page of the MFR Summary, to see if there are any specific notes for you and your tax preparer. The Tax Details letter is a vital document for you to provide to your tax preparer if you had a housing allowance or if WW submitted estimated taxes for you. If you requested that we submit your tax information directly to your tax preparer, please note that those documents will be sent in mid-February. This is to ensure that there is time for us to include any forms that may arrive in our office from other sources. If you have any questions, please contact Naomi.

1099 Forms from Other Sources

If churches issued funds payable to you in excess of $600 during the year 2019, they may issue you a 1099 form. If those funds were either mailed to the office or included on Line 2 of your MFR as extra income, they are already included in the total of your 1099 from World Wide. Our office can assist you in verifying whether the funds were included in your 1099. Your tax preparer can assist you on your return in recording this so that you are not taxed twice on the same income. We recommend that you request churches to make checks payable to WWNTBM to avoid this issue in the future.

Foreign Tax Exclusion

In order to claim the foreign tax exclusion, you must be out of the US for 330 days over a 12 month period of time; however, these days do not have to be in the same calendar year. In order to gain the full benefit of the foreign tax exclusion, your tax preparer may be able to revise your returns based on the actual time you have spent overseas. Because of this, it is vital to provide your tax preparer with all of your travel dates to and from the US. You may also wish to discuss with them what the best travel dates would be when planning to leave for the field or return on furlough, as this could affect how much you are allowed to claim under the foreign tax exclusion.

It is our understanding that, while the Foreign Tax Exclusion does benefit many of our missionaries, it may not always be the best solution, as there are other situations which may give a greater benefit. Some of those options may affect taxes not only for this year but for future years as well. This is another reason we recommend consulting a tax professional who can advise you in relation to your unique circumstance.

Healthcare and Your Taxes

Our financial report gives a location for you to track ‘health insurance costs.’ However, each individual situation is different. Some use this area to record traditional health insurance, some use it to record expenses through the Marketplace, and others use it to record details for a health care sharing ministry such as Samaritan Ministries. While all of these are health-related costs, each of the examples affects your taxes in a different way. Please be sure that your tax preparer is aware of the details of your health coverage, as it may affect how they complete your tax return.

Estimated Tax Payments

Missionaries are considered to be self-employed and are therefore subject to self-employment taxes. Submitting quarterly estimated tax payments throughout the year will help to prevent having a large tax payment due each April. In addition, if you will owe at least $1,000 in taxes, the IRS requires self-employed individuals to submit quarterly estimated tax payments. Estimated tax payments can be submitted on your own, or, if you are interested, you may contact Kim O’Malley for information on how we can submit them for you.

Tax Paperwork for those with Foreign Bank Accounts

US Treasury Department regulations require that if you have any foreign bank accounts, and if the sum total of all of your foreign accounts has ever been $10,000 at any given time during the past year, you must complete the IRS Foreign Bank and Financial Account Form (FBAR) and give it to your tax preparer. This includes all foreign accounts on which you are a signatory, such as a ministry account. This form, and further information about it, is available on the IRS website at www.irs.gov. Please refer to the IRS website and your tax preparer if you have any questions.

Utilizing a Tax Professional

Studies have shown that the average person who uses a tax professional, instead of filing their own taxes, receives a much greater tax return. The savings far exceed the amount spent to hire a professional. Many have also found that using tax software does not always compare to the benefits of using a professional, either. In many instances, it is not that the software or the self-filer is wrong, but that other choices may be better. (Information is taken from daveramsey.com.)

It is also good to note that not all professionals are familiar with tax situations that might affect you. We encourage all missionaries to use a certified tax preparer who is familiar with special tax situations that affect missionaries and those living overseas. A listing of tax preparers used by other missionaries is available on SecureCloud, under the Forms and Manuals section.

Items to Provide to Your Tax Preparer

In addition to your 1099 Form(s), MFR Summary, and Tax Details Letter from World Wide, you may wish to provide the following to your tax preparer as it will assist them in filing your taxes.

  1. List of dates you were in the US vs out of the country during the year.
  2. Details of all housing-related expenses, to be used in addition to the amount of your Approved Housing Allowance, for use in completing Worksheet 1 of IRS Publication 517.
  3. Information on any retirement plans you have contributed to during the year, or that you have received distribution from during the year.
  4. Names and Social Security Numbers for all family members.
  5. Names and dates of any family births or deaths (children or spouse), as well as whether you were married during the year.

You may need to submit taxes in your foreign country, as well as in the US. Consult with a local tax preparer about this possibility. This may be especially true if you receive funds from that country.

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From the Memo Board: February 2020

Dates to Know

February 17 – You should receive an email with the new 2020 MFR Template, including the new mileage rates.

February 17 – All U.S. Banks will be closed in honor of Presidents’ Day

February 24 – Bank transfers may be limited as our bank will be performing website maintenance procedures

March 1 – January Financial Reports will be due.

April 1 – February Financial Reports will be due.

June 15-18 – Family Fellowship Week in Kinston, NC.

Benefits of Financial Reports

The Monthly Financial Report (MFR) is the tool that missionaries can use to become accountable to WWNTBM for their reimbursable expenses, rather than having all funds listed as personal earnings. Over the course of 2019, 81% of those eligible chose to submit MFRs. By doing so, they were able to reduce their 1099 Personal Earnings by a combined average of 33.63%. If you are not currently utilizing MFRs and would like information about how to begin, please contact our office.

Financial Status Report

We have uploaded a Financial Status Report to your SecureCloud account, showing figures for the fourth quarter of 2019. This is meant to show you the financial details that we have on file, such as your support estimate and the average amount of support you received this past quarter. This is the information we provide to pastors who may call about your ministry. We ask that all missionaries update their support estimate once every four years, or as their lives and ministries change. Please review this information and contact us if you have any questions.

Retirement Accounts

As self-employed individuals missionaries have available to you and/or your spouse these Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) options:

1. Traditional IRA
2. Roth IRA
3. SEP-IRA
4. SIMPLE IRA
5. Solo 401(k)

You are also able to open an account with any investment firm of your choice.

Click here to read an article that helps in understanding the benefits of each account.

Another helpful article from Dave Ramsey is available by clicking here.

You may want to speak with someone about your retirement options. David O’Malley, Bro. O’Malley’s brother, is an advisor for Edward Jones. He has offered to assist our missionaries in any way, even if they are not a client of his. His offer is a no-cost unbiased consultation. His phone number is 561-833-9123.

Most investment firms offer the above IRA options to independent contractors. (Independent Contractor is the term the IRS uses to describe your relationship to WW as a self-employed missionary.) You will need to discuss your options with the firm. The investment firm will have specific instructions for you once you make the choice of what type of account you want. When you have opened your account, you can contact Kim O’Malley and she will be happy to send your monthly contribution in for you.

Speaking with an investment advisor and/or your CPA can help you in choosing the best plan for you and your family. There are more options available to you than ever before. Please do not delay. Adding retirement investing to your monthly budget means preparing for your family’s future. Kim O’Malley is now a certified Master Financial Coach and is available to assist our missionaries with this topic.

Registering Your Ministry

If your ministry has been chartered and established as a non-profit organization, we recommend getting a bank account in its name and then going through the process of registering it as a Foreign Non-Profit Organization with our CPA. This process takes several months and costs around $400. The purpose is to show that your ministry meets IRS standards to be considered a public rather than a private charity. With this status, funds for purchases such as land may be able to be sent directly to your ministry, thus eliminating your personal tax liability. Please note that there are limitations to this option. If you are planning to raise funds for the purchase of land or buildings, it would be advantageous to have this step in place before funds arrive in our office for such a project. Please contact our office for more information.

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. These recordings for our missions family contain the Uplift calls in their entirety, including prayer requests and challenges to our missionaries. We hope they will encourage your heart.

Health and Fitness on the Road and Field by Josh Wagar

A Great Door by Mike Norris

10 Thoughts on the Life of a Missionary by Rick Osborn

Commitment by Josh Wagar

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From Our President: February 2020

Danny Whetstone

Simon Peter preached an amazing message in Acts 2. Three thousand people trusted in Christ following that sermon. Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” The word fellowship speaks of “participation” or “to share in.” Those who were saved that day saw the need for even new believers to participate in the faith.

Later, Paul will write to the church in Philippi using this word. Philippians 1:5, “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” Think of those early members of this church. There was Lydia, the Philippian jailer, and possibly the young damsel. They did not merely want to fellowship with the church. They wanted to participate in the church. Do you remember when the Lord called you to serve Him full time? More than likely, you were already deeply involved in the work of our Lord. Still, the next level was probably both exciting and frightening.

Do we find our Lord’s work exciting and frightening today? I remember others telling me when I began training at Bob Jones University that Bible college would be one of the easiest places to backslide because my study of the Bible would become academic. We must be cautious in the service of the Lord. If we are not careful, our labor of love could quickly become a mere professional endeavor. There should always be an air of excitement about the prospects of accomplishment in our work. It encourages us to strive to do better. We grow, we learn, and we make adjustments to take our life’s work to higher levels. Otherwise, we become complacent, lazy, and satisfied.

There should always be a measure of reverential fear. The Lord calls us to stand between the living and the dead. Your ministry is going to be the difference between heaven and hell for the many lives that you will touch. We must not approach the Lord’s work with arrogance and pride. But realize that without Him, we can do nothing. Reverence for the Lord and love for His work will go a long way toward helping us to be successful in fulfilling His purpose for our calling.

Pause to remember what you felt in the early days of your ministry. Add to that the important lessons that you have learned since then. Now dream about all that God is capable of doing through you in the days ahead.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. Whetstone here to let him know.

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Prayer & Dates: February 2020

February Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for February. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

 

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Featured Article: Abounding Therein with Thanksgiving

Bro. Tim Germano and his family have just completed their first term serving in the Dominican Republic. We hope his article about abounding with thanksgiving will be a blessing to you as you begin the new year.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7

Paul penned these verses to a church that he had not met yet. He was encouraged by what he heard from the city of Colosse, and he desired to help them even more through his epistle. He told them in Colossians 2:6 that since they had received Christ as their Savior, then they ought to walk in him. The word walk means conducting oneself. It means progress. The church was to be moving forward for the Lord and modeling their lives after his life. He described this walk in Colossians 2:7. I want to focus on the last part of the verse. He said, “Abounding therein with thanksgiving.” God desires that we abound in our walk with him. He does not want us to just “coast” through life and get by.

I know that believers, myself included, too often are content with just checking off the boxes in their Christian walk. I go to church. I try to pray and read my Bible. I want to be a good testimony. But, God desires for us to do more than solely trudge along. He wants us to abound! The word abounding in the Greek means “to be over and above” (Strong’s Concordance). He wants us “to be over and above” in our walk in him. He wants us to be fruitful in this life. He wants us to abound in the qualities of a Christian who is conformed to the image of Christ!

Paul finished the thought of the verse, “Abounding therein with thanksgiving.” One of the ways that we abound in our walk with the Lord is in our thanksgiving. As we think of Thanksgiving this week, may we remember to abound in thanksgiving the other fifty-one weeks of the year! If we want to abound in our Christian walk, we must abound in gratitude to the Lord for who he is and what he has done. Paul told the Thessalonian believers, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” God’s will for each and every believer is thankfulness in everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly!

As we thank the Lord and dwell on Him, we will walk as He walked. When we are thankful, it is hard to be negative! When we are praising the Lord for who He is, it is hard to criticize our brother! When we are offering gratitude to the Lord for what He has done, it is difficult to complain about our circumstances. May we abound in our Christian walk, and may we do so with thanksgiving in everything each and every day of the year!

If this has been a blessing to you or you would like to share your thoughts with Bro. Germamo, you can contact him via email here.