LIVING THANKFUL
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:18
The Bible gives us a multitude of reasons to be thankful to God. In the Psalms, we learn that we give thanks to the Lord for He is good. The psalmist also declares that we ought to give thanks to God because His mercy endures forever. Moses wrote in Exodus 20:6 that God shows “mercy to thousands of generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Another reason we give thanks to God is because He is the sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth who provides for His people. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17 that God “gives us richly all things to enjoy.” Once again, David writes in Psalm 37:23-26: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful and lends; and his descendants are blessed.” The psalmist gives thanks to the Lord because He redeemed his life from the pit, and because every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights (James 1:17), who establishes justice and shows mercy to His people forever. The Bible has a whole host of things for which we ought to give thanks to the Lord and so the Apostle Paul simply says: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Did you notice the all-inclusive words in our text? “In everything give thanks!” There are many favorable circumstances that happen in each of our lives, which giving thanks to God is altogether appropriate, and rather easy to do. But what about the times when things are not so pleasant? Are you willing to give God thanks when in His good providence pain, suffering, hurt, turmoil or death touches your life? How then do you respond to God? Are you one who seeks the blessings or the Giver of all blessings? Paul says in our text that we are to give thanks to Almighty God in everything.
We may not be able to understand every little detail God is doing in our lives, or why He has done certain things the way He has, but we do know He has promised to work all things together for our eternal good. This should make us thankful to God in all things, even the evil that He sends upon us in this troubled life! If we really believe God causes all things to work together for His glory and our eternal good, then we can be thankful no matter what situation we may find ourselves. We must look to the end of what God is doing, and the word of Scripture to us is simply that we must trust our heavenly Father even though we may not understand what He’s doing. As we read in Hebrews 11:8: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Walking by faith in the promises of God enables the child of God to give Him thanks in every circumstance. Take time today to praise His holy name!
Tuesday Encouragement: November 19, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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"Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles."
~Proverbs 21:23
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WE FAITHFULLY ATTEND CORPORATE WORSHIP
"Hunger for the Word in church is expressed publicly by faithful attendance at church worship services. Hebrews 10:25 says we must not forsake assembling ourselves in corporate worship. Christian worship fills us with the Word. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Charles H. Spurgeon (1834–1892) writes, “There is no worship of God that is better than hearing of a sermon. It stirs all the coals of fire in your spirit, and makes them burn with a brighter flame.”
—Dr. Joel R. Beeke
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A PRAYER FOR EVERY BELIEVER
My Father and My God,
Bless Your people this Lord's Day as we gather to honor, reverence, obey, and adore You through Your Son, Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Grant us zeal and resolve to live for the glory of Jesus Christ. Cause us to give to You the glory due Your name (Psalm 29). Humble us in Your sight. Protect us from ourselves as we struggle against "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:15). Grant that we cast off our pride and arrogance and humbly gather as those who are not worthy of the least of Your blessings and truth.
Blessed Holy Spirit, fill the souls of Your sheep with Your Presence and Power as we hear Your Word and bow our knees in prayer to our sovereign God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit! Prepare our hearts to worship in Spirit and Truth on this Lord’s Day! Cause our hearts to be flooded with wonder, love, and praise as we commune with the Triune God and one another as the body of Christ! By Your awesome and ineffable power and Word, cause us to fight off anxiety, discouragement, and depression! Make us joyful people as we reflect upon the redemptive work of Jesus! Holy Spirit, cause Your blessed fruit to flow through our lives as we minister to others for their good and Your glory.
Lord Jesus, cause us to keep our eyes focused upon You (Heb. 12:3) so that we do not grow weary or discouraged in this fallen, sin-cursed world! Bless us to reflect upon Your atonement, the inexpressible anguish, pains, and terrors that You suffered in our place on the cross so that we might have abundant life in this world and eternal life hereafter! Grant that we confess our sins to You, know the assurance of pardon, and cheerfully sing praises to You as did the saints in Revelation 5:9-10: "And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth."
Heavenly Father, cause us to always remember that Christ fulfilled all the Laws demands for our righteous standing before Your holy throne. Bless us to proclaim the Gospel to ourselves every moment of every day so that we are never led astray by remaining, indwelling sin and the deception of Satan! Cause us to faithfully sing, “To God Be The Glory, Great Things He Has Done!” To Him be all the glory, honor, and praise!! Humble us when we obey, discipline us when we stray. Cause these truths be a reality in every believer's life so that Christ might be exalted in the Church!
In Jesus' Name!
Amen!
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SELF-DENIAL: A MARK OF A TRUE DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
—Matthew 16:24
These words strike at the heart of the self-centeredness we see so often today in the Church of Jesus Christ. There are many people who profess to be Christians and are members of a church, but their only concern for the church is what they can get out of it. The words that come from their lips are, “What’s in it for me?” They’re what we call consumers. They take as much as they can for themselves, but they never contribute to the life and health of the church. They don’t understand what Jesus teaches about true discipleship and how He calls every believer to live a life of self-denial. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
Self-denial is a mark of a true disciple of Jesus Christ, and it’s a principle Jesus taught many times to His disciples. However, we must understand that Jesus is not saying to His disciples, ‘I will love you and save you if you deny yourselves.’ Rather, Jesus is saying, ‘Because I’ve set my love on you and saved you by my grace, therefore deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.’ Jesus is not talking about how to be saved, but rather how those who are already saved demonstrate the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in their heart by living a life of self-denial.
Jesus teaches His disciples the principle of self-denial. The word "deny" in our text means to disown or renounce one’s self. Jesus is teaching His disciples what it means to be in union with Him. In other words, to be a believer is to be spiritually united to Jesus Christ by true faith, and because of this union you now live a different life. You’re a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17); you’re born from above by the Spirit of God (John 3); you’re a true branch engrafted into the vine (John 15). Simply put, you now belong to Christ, and as a result you begin a life-long journey of forsaking your sinful passions and desires to follow Jesus. As a true disciple of Christ, you recognize you are not your own, but you belong to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all your sins (Heidelberg Catechism #1). 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” Does your life demonstrate that you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ? “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
Friday Devotional: November 15, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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