He Deserves Our Thanksgiving

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 KJV

It is a peculiar thing about the human race. All of us in one way or another have a tendency to put ourselves first. We are selfish from the womb (See Proverbs 22:15). Without the Lord in our lives we are bent on sin. Some of us dwell on our failures. In this way we are preoccupied with ourselves and do not care for the needs of others as we should. Others seek to gratify themselves and have a tendency to be prideful. The cure for both types of selfishness is Jesus.

When we come to Christ confessing our sins and bowing before his throne, we receive God’s gift of eternal life. For this, we should overflow with thanksgiving. But it is not only salvation that is a gift from God. Our sanctification, or growing up in Him, is also a gift from God. We cannot claim any right for any ounce of spiritual maturity that we may possess in the Lord. It is all a gift. Sure we must work with him to grow in our faith, but even our ability to follow Him is given by God. Our talents and our treasures are also a gift from God. So there is no room for boasting.

If your walk with God seems more like a limp, if you are prone to falling, know that God is close to the brokenhearted. He loves you and His promise is that He is faithful to help us overcome. All of us fall. All of us sin at times, but the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him. Because of his mercy we can be thankful.

So let’s thank God for his many blessings in our lives. Let’s not be proud like the world believing that all we have is because of our own striving or intellect. Let’s choose to be humble and thank God for his many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Glorious Praise

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Psalm 98:4-6

We are to make his praise glorious (Psalm 66:2b). The praise and worship we offer God is not only to be offered in quiet tones. Sometimes our praise to the Lord should bring the roof down. Believe it or not there is a place for joyous shouting in the house of the Lord.

There is also a place for various instruments. Some denominations do not believe that singing to the Lord should be accompanied by instrumentation. I strongly disagree. The scriptures speak of a variety of instruments such as drums, trumpets, harps, lyres and tambourines. These instruments were used in bringing praise to the Lord. During a church service, each musician should add to the worship experience. There should be melody and harmony. There should be a beautiful flow of expression under the authority of the worship leader. In order for this to occur, the musicians need to be skilled at their craft, and they should possess a humble spirit.

There is no place for glory-seekers on a praise and worship team. Each member should submit to the leader’s direction and each member should have a strong desire to worship God.

The corporate worship experience is not just dependent upon the praise and worship team. Each member of the congregation is to enter into the worship of the Lord. It is not important that these members have any singing talent. The Bible says to make a joyful noise. God is interested in our hearts not the quality of our sound, that is, unless you are helping to lead in the praises of God. It should be the desire of every member in the church to glorify God during their worship and praise of him.

Beyond the worship in our church gatherings, we should spend time worshiping God at home. This should be a daily practice. When we all worship God on a regular basis, our corporate worship will be infused with power.

Let’s allow God to develop within us a love for him so strong and so bold that we learn to worship him without abandon. This is something we can grow into. As we abide in the truth of God and as we learn to live for Him, our praises will become a natural and meaningful expression of our lives to God.

Dear Lord of Heaven,

It is my desire to be a worshiper of you. I long to give myself over to you in heartfelt praise. Help me to grow to a place where my worship of you is free and bold. I want my praises to you to be glorious. I thank you for helping me to love you the way you love me. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Come to Jesus

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Psalm 73:24

Death comes to all of us. The only exception is for those who are believers during the rapture. I believe in healing; I believe in miracles, but God has the final say in our lives and in the lives of those we love.  As I write these words, my father’s health is failing. He is a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease, and he may be transitioning to God’s kingdom very shortly. He has experienced God’s healing along the way. Severe bedsores, over a relatively short time, improved greatly. He walked with assistance, for a time, after an injury to his back. This is after he was bedridden. These healings were answers to prayer.

But I believe Dad’s future now lies beyond this life. About a year and a half ago, he gave his heart to Jesus. This quiet but strong man bowed his heart to the King of Kings. He accepted Christ’s unmerited forgiveness. He surrendered his unrighteousness for the righteousness that can only be found in Jesus. For so many years, he was resistant to the gospel. Now he is a child of the King. Thanks be to God heaven is his home. A glorious eternity awaits him.

Have you been putting off the most important decision you can make – the decision to embrace Jesus and his salvation for you? Will you bow your knee to the Savior. He died and rose for you. He has a wonderful plan for your life. Don’t wait till your twilight years to come to God. Come to him now. The scripture says, “Today is the day of salvation.” Invite him in your heart today. Tomorrow may be too late.

Giving Thanks Well

My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. Psalm 71:8

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:15

We should make it our aim to glorify the Lord with our lives. One way to do that is to offer praise to him, and that praise can be offered with our spirits or with our understanding. To pray with our spirits is to pray in other tongues. This explanation fits the context of 1 Corinthians 14.  In 1 Corinthians 14:17 the scripture says that when we pray in tongues, we give thanks well.

God has given us the gift of tongues for many reasons, but one primary reason is to praise God. I often start my morning praying in tongues and carry it on throughout the day. I do it quietly to myself. No one but God knows I am praying this way. 

I believe this gift of tongues is offered by Jesus to every believer. It is the initial sign of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Some excellent scriptures to study on the matter are: 1 Corinthians 1:5, 1 Corinthians 14, Acts 2:4, Acts 19:6, Acts 8:14-17, Mark 16:17, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 and 1 Corinthians 13:1. 

Like salvation, the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a gift of grace.  We cannot earn it. Although I believe every Christian has the Holy Spirit living in him or her, not everyone is controlled or filled by him. We receive infilling of the Holy Spirit by asking God for it (see Luke 11:13). His power in our lives also enables us to be better witnesses for him (Acts 1:8).

There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding this subject. That is one of the reasons why I have included so many scripture references dealing with the topic. If we disagree on this subject, we can still get along.  Praying in tongues is not a prerequisite for our salvation. God loves those that have a prayer language and those that do not the same. However, I believe that if we receive this gift, it opens the way for us to flow in the other gifts of the spirit, and it makes us bolder witnesses for the Lord.

If you would like to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, please pray the following prayer…

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me and to save me.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. I believe He rose from the dead. I declare that He is my Lord! Jesus, I ask you to fill me with the Holy Spirit to overflowing. I acknowledge that my salvation and this infilling of the Holy Spirit is a gift of grace.  I praise you and wait on you. I believe that I have the gift of tongues because I receive it by faith. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Now focus on the Lord and let him give you foreign words to say that you do not understand. He will not force you to pray. You must do the praying, and when you do, you will give God thanks well.

There is a Peace

There is a peace that can insulate us from the chaos

The clamor of our “cling-clang” world does not have to deafen us

We can rise above the rat race

Though its speed be super sonic

We can rest in the arms of the Almighty

Find our peace in Him

As we behold His serene and loving face

Oh Prince of Peace You set this prisoner free

Gave me feet to dance on hills of adversity

You bring calm to my confusion

Ease to my dis-ease

And You rejuvenate me

As water cascades down the mountain

Lead Me to the Rock

Lead Me to the Rock

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.  Psalm 61:2-3

We all go through trials.  It is during these times that we become more desperate for the Lord to act.  When trouble leans upon us and its shadow lurks, our hearts can grow faint.

We must ask the Lord to lead us to Him.  He will help us to look up to that higher place where Jesus is seated.  With His help we can stand upon the rock.  He will cover us.  He will hold us and protect us.  When we are in Him, we are surrounded by a mighty fortress.

He causes us to stay still amidst the storm.  Here we can speak to the mountains in our life and watch the Lord move them out of our way.  In Him we are strong and not weak.  Through Christ, we can do all things. Nothing shall be impossible to us in prayer as long as our will agrees with the will of our Creator.

Dear Lord My Refuge,

I cry out to you.  Help me to trust in You when I face trouble.  Lead me to Your high place and teach me to rest in Your loving arms.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

We Will Not Fear

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  Psalm 46:1-2

During the summer of 1998, I took a missions trip to China with five other people from our church.  We ministered in the underground churches which are not sanctioned by the Communist government.  A friend of mine and I traveled to Shanghai where we were asked to preach in an underground Christian gathering. At the end of the service, a group of us went to a house in the village.  It was late at night and the owner of the home suddenly warned us all to be quiet and to go into one of the bedrooms. 

Outside, the Chinese police combed the area with flashlights. My friend and I prayed quietly and put our trust in the Lord. We were the only white-skinned individuals in the area.  Our lives were probably not in grave danger, but if we were caught for proclaiming Christ under the Communist regime, we could be forced out of the country. The Chinese Christians who were with us were in much greater peril.

We waited in silence for about 20 minutes till we were told that the officers had passed us by.  Then my friend and I called for a taxi and made it back to our hotel.

God protected all of us and, although adrenaline rushed through my body, I was not afraid.  I believed God would take care of us.  We later learned that a minister friend of ours in the States was praying for us at that exact time. I am sure my lack of fear was a direct result of our friend’s prayers. 

You too can trust the Lord in difficult situations.  He promises to take care of you.  God is forever faithful.  When trouble comes, we can choose not to fear.

Dear God My Refuge,

I thank you for always being there for me.  No matter what, you never leave me.  Help me to place my trust in you during difficult times.  I thank you for your hand on my life and your peace in my heart.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.