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.

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.

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

For the Glory of God

Pastor Judy and Chaplain Harry

"Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Rom 15:7

My family and I were welcomed quite warmly yesterday at Christ Lutheran Church in Bunnell, Florida. I was installed as their new pastor by Chaplain Harry even as he was saying good-by as their interim pastor. But, as pastors come and go, that does not mean that the relationship is ended. Even when we are not physically together, we remain united through the blood of Jesus.

I often think of how Jesus' first followers dropped everything and literally followed him around the countryside to share the Good News. Jesus' ministry prior to his crucifixion included a lot of traveling around. St. Paul's ministry also included more than a bit of travel - at least during the times he was not incarcerated. All of that moving; all of that separation; all of that coming together, for the glory of God.

May God grant that wherever he calls us; all that we say and think and do is for His glory. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J