Tag: thanksgiving

BE STILL

BE STILL

Still can mean calm, quiet, unmoving, or at rest.  There are passages in the Bible that instruct us to ‘be still’ or to ‘be silent.’

This instruction may have several purposes:  1) to require our silence, so that we will focus upon God, alone; 2) to instruct us to be tranquil and at peace; and 3) to direct us to subdue every instinct to God’s will.

Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  (Ps 46:10 ASV)

But the Lord is in his holy temple.  Let all the earth be silent before him.  (Hab 2:20 CEB)

Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.  (Zech 2:13 ESV)

Being still, silent, and at peace will bring about a great ability to focus upon the Lord.  It’s a good time for prayer and thanksgiving, as well as for a reverential form of worship.  Obviously, there’s definitely a time for joyful, loud, expressive worship, too.  But when the Holy Spirit leads us into a still and tranquil time of prayer, we should be sensitive and responsive to that leading.

One form of “being still” is to step away from our busy lives in order to connect with God.  This is a time to stay focused on God’s vision for our lives and to listen for His direction and guidance.  The obvious follow-through is our obedience to what we hear the Lord saying to our hearts.

What is the purpose of stillness?  Being still before the Lord brings us clarity.  It draws us into the moment and gives us time to clear the clutter and clamor out of our minds and hearts.  It helps us to hear God’s voice more accurately. Stilling our hearts before the Lord helps us to stop striving and to surrender our circumstances to the Lord.  In whatever situation you find yourself today, take some time alone with the Lord.

We Shall NOT Lack

<strong>We Shall NOT Lack</strong>

The Scriptures tell us that we shall not be in need nor have a shortage of daily provisions.  In fact, the Bible says that we who seek the Lord won’t lack ANY GOOD thing.  Wow!  What a precious and powerful promise that is.

The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.  (Ps 34:10 NKJV, emphasis added)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give favor and glory, for no good thing will He withhold from the one who walks uprightly.  (Ps 84:11 MEV, emphasis added)

The verse above goes on to say that NO GOOD THING will the Lord deny from those who walk uprightly.  Hallelujah!  This applies to believers because we are justified through Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Jesus is our righteousness. (Jer 23:6)  Also, spending time reading and meditating upon God’s Word cleanses each one of us daily.  This means that we may claim this verse for ourselves.

. . . for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  (2 Pet 1:3 NASB)

This passage in second Peter, above, is very clear that the Lord has already given to us everything that we would ever need for a righteous and holy life through our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  (Rom 8:32 NIV)

This is a resounding declaration by the Holy Spirit that every believer who has accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord has been FREELY given ALL THINGS.  This is a mighty promise from God the Father to every believer.  Believe it and stand upon it. 

Rejoice in God’s promises and blessing to you, and worship Him with thanksgiving.  You are blessed.

Control Your Tongue

<strong>Control Your Tongue</strong>

We all know that it’s important to control what we say, but that doesn’t make it necessarily easy to do!  The Scriptures have quite a lot to teach us about this subject.

  • Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.  (Pro 4:24 ESV)

Crooked can mean dishonest, corrupt, twisted or unscrupulous.  Devious means sneaky, cunning, or scheming.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we can understand why neither of these would be admirable behavior for us.  The Holy Spirit would never lead us to act in such a way, particularly in light of Matthew 5:37; Colossians 3:9 and 4:6; and Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (Eph 4:25 NIV)

  • All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them.  (Pro 8:8 NASB)

The psalmist is laying his heart before the Lord concerning the use of his tongue.  Let us each remember Psalm 12:6, The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. (NIV)  In imitating our Savior, we should speak pure words, full of righteousness.  Short of that, we should choose to be silent.

  • But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth.   (Col 3:8 RSV)

This Bible verse (above) clearly tells us what type of behavior and conversation that we should reject.  And we are given a clear instruction of what we should communicate in Ephesians 4:29, Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  (NIV)  Our words should encourage, comfort, and bless other people.  In this way, we become ministers of the love and presence of the Lord to other people.

  • If you think you are being religious, but can’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is useless.  (Jam 1:26 CEV)

In the book of James, we’re reminded that controlling our tongues is a basic requirement for believers who represent the Lord Jesus and the kingdom of God. 

  • Obscene language, silly talk, or vulgar jokes aren’t acceptable for believers. Instead, there should be thanksgiving.  (Eph 5:4 CEB)

Thanksgiving is always appropriate.  Having an attitude of gratitude will improve our daily lives and generate a pleasant atmosphere for those around us.  Being thankful to other people, as well as to God for His many blessings, is always appreciated.

To sum up today’s article, here is one more Bible passage:

Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit . . .  (1 Pet 3:10 ESV) May God give you good days and continual blessings!

Trust in God & Be Not Afraid

Trust in God & Be Not Afraid

As followers and disciples of Jesus Christ, we place our trust, faith, and hope in God and in His Word.  But there are various challenging circumstances that we may face in life that might bring fear into our hearts.

Fear is not good because fear involves torment (suffering, torture, persecution).   Even the Bible confirms this fact:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  (1 Joh 4:18a NKJV)

These Bible passages (below) encourage us to trust in God and to avoid fear.  These verses state why we can be faith-filled.

In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?  (Ps 56:4 NIV)  With God on our side, what can a mere human being do?

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?  (Ps 118:6 NIV)  This echoes the same feeling as the verse above.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  (Rom 8:31-34 NIV)  This passage from the Scriptures reminds us of the many blessings that we have received along with our salvation.  We have so many reasons to rejoice and to be full of faith.

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”  (Heb 13:6 NIV)  Be filled with confidence. Just remember that the Lord is the One who is helping us—constantly!

Let us overflow with thanksgiving and praise.

Peace Must Rule

Peace Must Rule

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  (Col 3:15)

Synonyms of RULE:  govern, administrate, lead or control. 

Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace.”  (Isa 9:6)  He is our Savior and Lord, and we must follow Him in all that we do.  We must allow His peace to control and lead everything that we do and everything that we pursue in life and in ministry. 

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  (Ps 100:4)

Praise, thankfulness and blessing work in beautiful harmony with peace.  As we exalt, praise and bless the Lord, thankfulness arises in our hearts.  The overflow of that thankfulness will result in our being a blessing and a joy to other people as we minister God’s love to them.  And peace will be the result.

. . . and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  (Phil 4:7)

God’s peace exceeds and transcends any other definition of the word.  His peace goes so far beyond and is so much better than any human concept of peace that it will always outperform the human version of peace! 

Therefore, allow yourself to be ruled by God’s peace, so that your life will be blessed and others will be blessed in your presence.  Glory to God!

An Everlasting Covenant

An Everlasting Covenant

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.  (Ezek 37:26 NKJV)

From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.  I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.  (Jer 30:19 NIV)

For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.  (Zech 2:5 KJV)

A covenant is an agreement, pledge, bond, or contract.  The Bible reminds us that God cannot lie (Tit 1:2) and that His Word is tested and true.  (Ps 119:140, 142)

God’s promises to His people, based upon the passages above, are that:

  • He will establish us;
  • He multiplies us;
  • He gives us His peace;
  • He lives within us;
  • He will bring us honor;
  • He guarantees that we won’t be disdained;
  • He protects us as a wall of fire; and
  • He is the glory within us.

He will establish us by confirming that our faith us genuine and that our relationship with Him is legitimate.

He multiplies us by adding other believers to our numbers, and by giving us literal children of our own, as well as spiritual children whom we parent as spiritual mentors.

He gives us peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7) because He is the Prince of Peace.  (Isa 9:6)

He lives with every believer because we are individually (and collectively) the temple of the Holy Spirit.  (1 Cor 6:19)

How does God bring honor to any believer?  Some of the ways He will honor us is by hearing and answering our prayers for other people.  When we lead people to accept Jesus as their own personal Savior, we are being honored by God.  When God performs signs and wonders in response to our prayers for someone, he is honoring us.  He is responding to the genuine faith that we are using by praying on behalf of other people.  Hallelujah!

The final three promises are that we won’t be disdained; that He protects us; and that His glory is within each of us.  These are things that we have to simply trust Him to perform.  We don’t need to do anything about them; we just need to continue in our relationship with Jesus Christ and keep on serving our Savior, who is a Covenant-Keeping God.  Glory to God!

Make a Joyful Noise!

Make a Joyful Noise!

Have you ever been in a restaurant where a group of people were clearly having a party, and they were very excited, happy, and noisy?  At first, you might smile at such a group but perhaps after forty or more minutes of the noise, it got annoying.  This is a moment for us to use our self-control and to keep ours emotions in check. 

This is the very same kind of joyful noise that God loves to hear!

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Ps 95:1-2)

God appreciates our joyous thanks and our boisterous, full-bodied praise according to Psalm 95.  When we engage our bodies as well as our voices in praise by dancing or clapping our hands, the reverberation of us expressing our joy in the Lord is heard and echoed in heaven.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!  (Ps 98:4)

When we erupt into joyful singing and praising God, I believe it makes the Lord smile.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!  (Ps 98:6)

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!  (Ps 100:1)

The Word of God instructs us to add musical instruments (trumpets, horns) to our praise and that this sound should occur all over the earth.  Wow!  What an image.

. . . addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart . . .  (Eph 5:19)

Let us occupy ourselves in obedience to this instruction from the Word of God.  When we greet one another with songs and hymns, we are producing a treasured melody from our hearts to the Lord.