Benefits of Thanksgiving

I have written many times on this blog about thanksgiving, but I received a refresher course this morning when I woke up glum.

God commands we give Him thanks in everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

God commands we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. (The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving)

We are to thank Him, praise Him, magnify Him, glorify Him, worship Him. (Thanksgiving Prayer)

Obedience in this, as in everything, brings us blessing. (Remembering Cures and Fuels)

So, anyway, I woke up glum.

My routine is to read a Psalm very shortly after I wake. Today’s was Psalm 50.

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:23)

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. (Psalm 50:14–15)

In obedience, I sat there thanking God. There are so very, very, very many reasons to thank Him, both spiritually and earthly. Almost immediately, I was joyful and praising God. He rescued me from glum.

I am determined—AGAIN—to give Him thanks in everything.

Join me?

It is easy to forget how much God loves those who are His. The noise and problems of the world can drown out His infinite heart of love for us. Jesus prayed that we would know that God loves us, “even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23)

We, those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior, are God’s beloved. (Colossians 3:12 and many more)

Here are some elements of God’s love for us, His redeemed children.

Great love.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). (Ephesians 2:4-5)

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. (1 John 3:1)

Perfect love, Complete love, To the max love, love to the full.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)

Unbreakable love.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39)

Protective Love.

[We] are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)

Giving Love.

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5)

Empowering love.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…  (Ephesians 3:20)

For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. (Colossians 1:29)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

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Wow! And, of course, there is much much more including:

Faithful, steadfast love,

Interceding love,

Merciful love,

Sympathetic love,

Compassionate love, and

Forgiving love.

Our God is infinite in everything, including His love.

Thank You Father. Help us know and live by Your great love. Please remind us when we forget.

God does EVERYTHING for the sake of His name. He deals with evil on His own schedule, for His holy plan. He warns us of impending judgment for His name’s sake. Some are saved for His name’s sake. He  takes responsibility for His redeemed ones, His adopted children, for His name’s sake.

For us who have received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, who are God’s adopted children, it is breath-taking to reflect on what He does for us for His name’s sake. After we become His, He is responsible for us now, and to bring us to glory (but our own responsibility continues for our thoughts, words and deeds). We are always on His mind.

For His name’s sake, He leads, guides, delivers, and forgives His redeemed

For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me. (Psalm 31:3)

He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3)

For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake. (Psalm 79:9)

But You, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me. (Psalm 109:21)

For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. (Psalm 143:11)

God works for our good and His name’s sake

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

We have assurance because He acts for His name’s sake

Because He acts for His name’s sake, our eternal future is assured. We are guaranteed heaven.  

We have peace because we know our infinitely powerful, sovereign, loving Father acts for good for us, His adopted children.

While we are responsible, it is God Almighty who is in control. The good He gives us is for His name’s sake, NOT because we deserve it or have earned it. It is for His glory.

We can relax. We should not worry.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–7)

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Also, He acts in wrath for His name’s sake. That was too much for today, but I hope to post about that later.

July 4^th was usually at the beach or cabin (My Favorite Place on Earth), celebrating the birth of the USA, and my wonderful maternal grandmother’s birthday. Gram was actually born on Christmas Day, and, while beloved by her husband and five daughters, her birthday was mingled with Christmas. She usually would get combined Christmas and birthday presents, and Christmas was prominent.

After she retired, she moved in with us. The first Christmas with her, my mom and two aunts discussed what to make for Christmas dinner desert, and decided to bake a birthday cake for Gram.

After dinner, when they brought in the birthday cake, candles blazing, Gram burst into tears … it was her first ever birthday cake. After all these years, I still get teary thinking of that.

On July 4^th, her birthday cake had sparklers rather than candles. We loved making her special.

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Thank You, Father, for family. Help us love them with Your love and for Your glory.

He hopes he will catch a fish.

The dictionary says hope is: “To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment; to look forward to with confidence or expectation.”

In this world, we hope for a lot of things: I hope I get that job, I hope I get an A, I hope I don’t get sick, I hope our children … We hope everything will be alright.

The problem with secular hope is that we don’t know for sure. We want a specific result without being able to guarantee it. Not everything will work out.

There are things we can do to increase the likelihood that we will obtain what we hope for. He can use bait that succeeds at that lake, which makes it more likely he will catch a fish. We can study, making it more probable we will get an A. But there is no certainty.

However

When we hope for something God promised, it WILL happen. We can (and must) have confident expectation. We must trust Him.

God cannot lie. God knows the end from the beginning. His promises are sure things.

Godly hope

We hope with certainty in God’s promises. We hope because we trust God. God fulfills ALL His promises. All we have to do is believe, trust, and wait.

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Father, help us know what You have promised. Help us believe You, trust You, rely on You. Help us confidently and joyfully wait for You.

Be of good cheer!

Yeah, yeah. There is a very serious war in the Middle East. There are threats that the US and other countries may be attacked. There are riots in various US cities. There are credible threats against the US and UK from internally-placed foreign forces.  

Yet!

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

John 16:33 in The King James Version reads: Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Christ has overcome the world

The Future

We know how the story ends. Christ comes again, evil is dealt with, the righteous are glorified. Believers will be in eternal bliss in heaven.

His kingdom will come.

Here and Now

Our sovereign God is in control of the evil we see, the fraud and corruption, the disasters of wars and riots. It is awful, but we have to keep in mind that God is working His holy plan. Because of these terrors, God is revealed in His wrath. Everyone is warned. Some are being saved.

In addition, we believe God’s promises to us (believers). Through hard times, through disasters, He is with us. He guides us, strengthens us, helps us. He works all things for good for His redeemed children.

Believe

Believe in God, His victory, His triumph.

Believe it will be just as He promised.

Be of good cheer.

Iran, for many years, has pledged death to America and death to Israel. Iran’s nuclear weapon capability and long-range missiles were nearly operational. Israel attacked Iran, targeting Iran’s destructive ability.

The Bible, over and over and over, tells us that God will act decisively, finally, eternally, against the wickedness of this world. Christ is coming again.

When? How close are we to God’s ultimate wrath? How close are we to Christ’s return? What time is it?

We are warned

One way God shows His love for the whole world is to warn us of His impending wrath and tell us of the possibility of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.   

For Christians, take stock. Are you ready to see God? Are you ready for Christ’s judgment seat? Is there anything you need to do?

For those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, it is urgent that you turn to Him. If you don’t, God’s wrath includes you. PLEASE take this warning to heart.

See Becoming a Child of God.

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God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—You are Holy. We praise You for Your sovereign, righteous justice. We praise You that You love the world so much You sent Your beloved Son so that we who believe will have eternal life. Help us honor You.

Those of us who have received Christ Jesus Son of God as Lord and Savior, believe IN God, believe IN Jesus Christ. We also need to believe God, to believe what He says.

The world is very noisy. Our own voices are loudest of all … either when we tell ourselves truths or tell ourselves lies.

We need to intentionally learn what God says (study the Bible!), and determine to believe what God says.

God says over and over and over in many ways He loves us, His believing, redeemed children. Believe God!

God told us He would never leave us or forsake us. Believe Him!

God told us He would work all things for good for us. Believe Him!

Apply these truths to yourself. For example:

He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5–6)

Hallelujah!

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Father, please help us diligently study Your Word, believe what You say, speak Your truths to ourselves, and live in the light of what You say. Thank You!

Death and Homecoming are on my mind.

The anniversary of my brother’s death was a few days ago. A life-long friend died a few months ago. My mom and dad each died in the spring. Kay Arthur, the co-founder of Precept Ministries which was key in my spiritual growth, died a few days ago.

Grief. Grief. Grief.

And Yet!

And yet, my grief was Homecoming for each of them, believers in Christ.

Grief here and Joy there at the same time.

We are told not to grieve like the pagans do.

[Do] not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Those of us grieving over the death of a believer ALSO know:

They have been glorified.

They are holy and blameless.

They are more alive than ever. Truly alive.

They are in bliss we cannot imagine.

They see Christ face-to-face.

We (believers) will see them again.

Those truths do not eliminate grief, but our grief is changed by knowing their joy and the certainty of our (believers’) Homecoming as well.

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Are you positive that your death will mean heaven? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Do you believe He died for your sins and was resurrected, proving He is the Son of God? If you don’t, you will die in your sins. Read Becoming a Child of God.

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Father, help us live in the hope of heaven. Help us be certain about the joy of our deceased loved-ones’ joy. Help us demonstrate to others Your truth, love, and power through our simultaneous grief and joy.

We all know, or know of, people that are hard to please. Is God that way? Is God hard to please?

Faith

Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

All religions, other than Christianity, teach that you have to earn your way to God through works. Those who are trying to earn God’s acceptance through works fail. They will die in their sins.

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)

Belief in Jesus Christ, however, means Christ-followers have faith and therefore please God.

Growing in Pleasing

The entry point in pleasing God is faith. If you have received Christ as Lord and Savior, you please God.

And, then, through our lives, as we grow, as we are sanctified, we learn more and more how to please God.

trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:10)

We learn how to walk in a manner worthy of Him.

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. (1 Thessalonians 4:1)

Motives

Over time, we learn how to bring our motives in line with what God wants.

Thought, Word, Deed

Over time, we learn how to think, say, and do what God wants.

Make Pleasing God our Ambition; Our Driving Goal

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)

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Father, thank You that we, believers in Christ, can please You. Help us please You more and more.