Thanksgiving Every Day

 

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Col 3:17 KJV)

Happy Thanksgiving!  Today is the day set aside for all people to give thanks to God for all that He has given us. One day! Wah!  Is that enough!? 

According to St. Paul's letter to the Colossians we ought to be showing our thankfulness to God in everything we say and do. Being thankful should not be relegated to just one day a year.

Today would be a good day, though, to take the time to count your blessings. Consider all that God has given you. I know that as human beings we tend to complain a lot about what we don't have. While spending time and energy focusing on complaining and being angry and blaming others we are not able to appreciate and care for the people and the things that we do have. We forget that we are sinful human beings; full of greed and envy; full of anger and jealousies. We forget that without Jesus these attitudes would consume us. But; because of Christ, our sins have been wiped out. He bore those sins upon the cross for us and saved us from the penalties of our sins. For this above all other things we give thanks to God in Christ Jesus.

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." 

                                                                        (Isa 12:2-6)

Give thanks to God! Shout it out! Praise Him! Let the world know that you are thankful for His love and mercy in all that you say and do and not just today; but, every day.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love The Lord

Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. 

                                                                                            (Deut 6:1-9 KJV)

Loving and serving the Lord is not just for the hour you might sit in a church building one day a week. We are called to love him with our whole hearts, our entire souls, and with all of our might all of the time. Do the people around you know that you love and serve him? 

Our love is evidenced by what we say and do. 

Praise the Lord in all things; in what you say and do and at all times that others might in turn come to love Him as well.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do Good; Seek Peace

Psalm 34:12-22 KJV

What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

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Depart from evil; do good and seek peace! What person would not want that? I suppose even a person whom we might consider does a lot of evil desires peace in their life. They may desire it; but, don't know how to go about pursuing it. Do they really know that the evil that they have been pursuing not only harms those they perceive as their enemies as well as themselves? Do they know the difference between what is good and what is bad; what is sin and what is not sin?

We are all sinners. That is a fact. However, those who trust in the Lord; those who listen to him; have contrite spirits and they seek peace with him. They not only seek it; they receive it for they are promised that those who trust in him are redeemed. The Lord delivers them. They shall not be desolate. Their lives shall be full. Their spirits will be at peace as they live life in the presence of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Worship In Spirit And Truth

The Samaritans worshiped God at the mountain in Samaria. The Jews worshiped Him in Jerusalem. But, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well:

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

                                                (John 4:23-24 KJV)

It does not matter where we are or who we are, we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. God is bigger than the temple in Jerusalem and the mountain in Samaria. According to St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians there is: "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph 4:6)

There is no place that God is not. We are to worship and give Him glory whenever and wherever we are. All things are done for His glory!

It is not about a certain place or a certain such as Sunday morning. It is not about bricks and mortar or even mountaintops. It is about worshiping Him at all times and in all places in spirit and in the truth.

May God help us to worship and to give Him glory in all that we say and think and do.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do What Is Right

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

                                                                                       (Titus 2:11-15 KJV)

We do indeed have freedom of will. We can choose to do whatever pleases us. We must also understand as we make those choices that there will be consequences one way or another.

I confess I get very uncomfortable when I hear people talking about breaking laws or doing something that will in the long run make their lives miserable rather than enhance their lives. I get so uncomfortable that I often let others know why I am uncomfortable. I am free in this country to speak what is on my mind. I am also commanded by God to exhort and rebuke and speak the truth.

No, this does not always endear me to others. But, it does help to keep my conscience a bit clearer.  Years ago, I worked on a military installation overseas. One of my duties was to deliver speeding tickets to people who had been caught on a camera. One morning, I delivered a speeding ticket to a Petty Officer who was caught on camera speeding on his bicycle. I joked about it. It seemed kind of petty to fine someone for speeding on a bicycle. That afternoon as he was speeding in that very same spot he was hit by a car and killed. He left behind a wife and children. The guilt I felt for making light of his speeding hit me hard and for quite some time. 

Being godly includes at least attempting to obey the laws of this world. As Christians we hope to be good examples to the world around us. None of us are perfect. We are all sinners and we will break laws now and then simply because we may view those laws as petty ordinances that get in our way. 

But, we do know the difference between right and wrong. The grace of God has been delivered to us through Jesus. The law of God has been written on our hearts. 

"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;"

                                                                                        (Heb 10:15:17)

We know in our hearts the difference between right and wrong. Let us do what is right as much as a sinful person can do right even as we look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do Not Fear; Your Father Is With You

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7 NIV)

At times it feels like we are all alone with no one where to turn. The "not knowing what to do next" can cause a lot of anxiety. Thoughts of what might happen to us and to the people that we love run rampant through our minds causing our hearts to leap in fear. 

When we get in these tight spots it is good to recall the words of Jesus, "Don't be afraid." Indeed, God loves you. He loves you so much that He knows everything single thing about you. He even knows how many hairs that you have on your head; even how many you have lost today. He values your life and will be with you to guide you in all of your ways. Trust Him and follow wherever he leads you through good times and hard times. Do not fear. Trust that your Father in Heaven has a good plan; the best plan for you. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

God Is With You Everywhere You Are

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:7-10

I often hear things coming out of the lips of Christians that make me wonder if they truly realize that there is nothing we can do or say that God is not aware of. If Jesus were standing right in front or beside you, would you do what you are doing; say what you are saying?

The reality is that he is right beside you. There is no place in the world that you can go to hide from the Spirit of God. He is with you always to guide you. Listen to him. Follow in his footsteps; wherever they will lead you.

May the Lord, our God, make known his presence to you.

God's Peace - Pr. J