To Whom Do We Give Thanks
1 Chronicles 16:8-10 (NRSV) 8 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him,
tell of all his wonderful works.
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Larry and I just returned from a visit up north to our son and daughter-in-law. As a pastor, I was asked to give thanks for our Thanksgiving meal and, of course, was glad to do so. It was a rare treat to visit our family in Maine, and we had a great time.
I have been thinking a lot about giving thanks. This particular scripture is an account of the festival celebrating the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The praises offered here give us a model for the manner in which we should praise the Lord our God.
When we give thanks to God we are to call on His name. Too many people today, if they give thanks and praise at all, choose to thank the universe, or perhaps some unknown entity. I entered into a discussion on Facebook over the Thanksgiving holiday regarding the level of discomfort people who are not Christians are made to feel when dining with Christ followers. Whether they are atheists and have no belief at all, or agnostic and simply claim not to know enough to believe or disbelieve, they made it quite clear that they can hardly stand to be in the presence of Christian prayer.
Instead, they prefer to thank “Mother Earth,” (say yuck three times) or the “Source of all”, and any mention of Jesus, the Christ, sends them spinning. I stated I had a difficult time understanding how we give thanks to a being that has no name. You see, to me, one of the wonderful things about being a Christ follower is the intimacy of the relationship we are offered.
After hearing the point of view of those who have a great disdain for Christians and our traditions of praying before our meals, I purposed that from now on, if I am in a gathering where people of other faiths (or no faith) might be present, I will offer my prayer of thanks to my God, but preface my prayer by offering those who do not believe as I do a moment of silent prayer. You see, even though our challenge is to spread the gospel throughout the world, we will never make a difference by utilizing our faith as a stick with which to beat unbelievers over the head!
David had one of the most intimate relationships with God that can exist. He was the apple of God’s eye as we see in 1 Samuel 16. Was David perfect? We know he was not, yet he had a perfect love for God. When David called his people together to celebrate the return of the Ark, he did so with prayer and with singing, extolling God for all of His wonderful works. And, he reminded us that if we seek God with our hearts, then the necessary response is to praise Him with all of our hearts. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, today we come to you offering the thanks that you deserve. While our minds are limited by our ability to understand your ways, our hearts are filled by the Holy Spirit and it is He Who illumines our understanding. May our hearts be full of praise each and every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Seek the Lord early…
[Isa 55:1-9 RSV] 1 “Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. 6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I LOVE Isaiah. Traditionally, the book was thought to have been written by one man. However, current thinking is that there were three different writers of this book. Why? Over the past two hundred years, scholars believed that, because the book spans so many years in Jewish history, it could not have been penned only one man. I will tell you it matters not to me whether Isaiah was written by one man or a dozen men. Isaiah is one of the richest books in the Bible and there is wisdom and encouragement throughout.
Isaiah is divided into three groups–Chapters 1-39 include Isaiah’s call to be a prophet (Isaiah 6) and continues to warn Judah of the consequences of turning from God. Beginning with Chapter 40, Isaiah is speaking to those in Babylon and he begins by telling them their bondage is almost over. This section continues from Chapter 40 to Chapter 55, where we will find several allusions to Jesus Christ. The last part of Isaiah is found in Chapters 56-66, and during this time frame the Israelites are trying to rebuild Jerusalem.
Notice how Isaiah begins the 55th Chapter, “Ho, everyone who thirsts come to the waters…” This language would be similar to our saying, “Hey,” or “Listen to me!” He begins by calling out to those who have no money but are hungry and thirsty. Doesn’t that remind you of Jesus? I love how we find Jesus in every book of the Bible.
Isaiah then warns not to spend our money on things that do not satisfy. You see, trying to fill our longing with things instead of with Jesus is not a 21st century problem, it is a human nature problem. And then God, through Isaiah, says to listen to Him, seek Him out while He may be found. Don’t you love that?
I have considered this beckoning by God and the advice to seek Him while He may be found. We know that God is always near, but there are too many occasions in our lives where we are distracted and unable to focus on God. However, it is imperative that we approach God from a place where we recognize who He is and how much He loves each one of us. The covenant God made with David is not so dissimilar from the covenant of salvation that He has made with each of us through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah ends this section by reminding us that God’s thoughts and ways are so much higher than what we can imagine. Yet, even today we continue to try to make God into our image instead of allowing Him to make us into His likeness. I would ask that each of us read these verses not once, not twice, but three times. And then just meditate on how our God, our Creator, never ceases reaching out to us. And, know that just because we have limited understanding, God is never limited. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, we ask that You would give us the desire to seek you, to find you, and to follow you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Happy are those who follow…the Lord
Psalms 1:1-3 (NRSV) 1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; 2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. 3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
David’s lesson in this first Psalm could well be called “Choices.” There is a clear distinction in Psalm 1 about saints versus sinners. It has always seemed odd to me that David begins by using a negative (Happy are those who do not) rather than just beginning with “Happy are those whose delight is in the law of the Lord…). But David leaves no doubt that we can only be blessed if we eliminate the behaviors associated with our former sinful life, and begin to develop new habits that will help form our new life in Jesus.
You see, when we continue in the darkness of sin even after we have received the light of salvation, something happens. The communion with those who prefer the darkness over the light begins to seep into our spirits. Although the light of God can and does overpower the darkness, we must we willing to step out of the darkness.
God wants to bless His children, but He cannot do so unless we choose to delight in His Word, and when we take pleasure in His Word we will begin to think, consider, and ponder about the meaning of the Word and how it can change our lives for the better.
David says if we do these things we will be like trees planted by the living waters. How awesome is that? Trees planted close to the water have deep roots, and those roots take in the nourishment that comes from the water, they soak up the sun and serve to prevent erosion of the waterbanks. If we allow the living waters of the Holy Spirit to constantly nourish us, then we will become stronger in the faith and we will be able to strengthen those around us.
The final blessing is that everything we do will prosper. Prosperity has wrongly been intertwined with the gospel message for at least fifty years. Some preachers will tell us that we can have what we speak, that God wants all of His people to be wealthy. True wealth comes not in what we have, but what we are able to give on this earth and build up in heaven. We prosper not by hoarding riches on earth, but by creating in others the ability to attain their most high faith.
The blessings God has in store for us are truly unimaginable. Let us commit to make the right choices today and every day. May you be blessed now and forever in the reading of God’s Holy Word. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, this thing called salvation is so simple to receive, yet we sometimes make it so hard to live. May we remember that God sent Jesus to earth not just to restore our broken relationship with You, our Father, but to show us how to live godly lives. Help us today and every day to lean on your, soak up your Word, and then show everyone around us what it means to be an intentional Disciple, one who seeks holiness above all else. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Bless the Lord at all Times
Psalms 34:1-3 (NRSV) 1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
David wrote this psalm when he was pretending to be crazy to escape Abimilech. Notice how he begins: I will bless the Lord at all times. David was not a fair weather follower of God. He praised Him in the good times and in the bad. My thoughts immediately go to Job, whose initial response to the loss of his family was, “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.” Can I tell you it takes practice to develop this level of faith?
I love the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk lived in the 7th Century B.C., and he is known as the “Questioning Prophet.” God prophesied through Habakkuk that He would raise up the Babylonian armies to destroy the Southern Kingdom of Judah because of their idol worship. Habakkuk asked why God would use someone more evil than the Israelites to punish them. In fact, every pronouncement from God was met with a question. This went on for twenty years, until finally Habakkuk’s heart is changed and he proclaims that regardless of the loss, or the lack in his life, he will rejoice in the Lord.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NRSV) 17 Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
Don’t you love the faith of Habakkuk? While Job’s faith was strong at the beginning of his trials but seemed to wane and his tragedies multiplied, Habakkuk’s faith was weak but then grew strong. One of the questions Habakkuk asked was, “Why do you make me look at evil every day?” Do you ever feel this way? Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up one morning and there would be nothing but good news on the radio?
I would like to encourage each of you today to look for the good news. Where can it be found? Well, we used to refer to the Gospel as the Good News. What if we began to share the Good News with just one person? I’m not talking about knocking on doors. I am suggesting that you begin to develop an actual relationship with the person at the check-out lane in your local grocery store, or the person who seats you at your favorite restaurant. Let them know that you care about them with a kind word and a smile. The people who were once casual acquaintances will begin to see that you care for them, not just by the words you speak but by your actions.
I would like to share a poem written by Edgar Guess.
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day, And I’d rather one walk with me, than merely show the way. For the best of all the preachers, are the men who live their creeds, and to see their good in action is what everybody needs.
I can learn to do it, if you let me see it done. I can watch their hands in action, but their tongues too swift may run. And the sermons they deliver may be very wise and true, but I’d rather get my lesson in watching what they do.
For I may misunderstand them, and the high advice they give. But there’s no misunderstanding in how they act and how they live.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Carol
Father God, today we have a chance to be the good news in someone’s life. We ask that you would lead us to the people whose hearts have already been prepared by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Living by Faith
James 5:13-20 (NRSV) 13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
We have reached the end of James, and after practical instruction on living the Christian life, we have come to my favorite part of this letter. “If any are suffering, pray…” Some have asked me why we have to suffer, and the biggest question is always why do bad things happen to good people. We suffer because when sin entered the Garden of Eden, along with it came sickness and death and disappointment. Why do bad things happen to good people? Jesus said in Matt 5 the rain falls on the just and the unjust. The umbrella of salvation does not keep us sheltered from the storms of life.
Jesus told us in John 16:33 (KJV) “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” So, it is not a question of if we are suffering, but how we respond to the suffering. 1 Thessalonians 5:13 tells us to give thanks in everything. Did you know when you keep a thankful heart, it is almost impossible to moan and groan about your circumstances?
The next big question is, “Pastor, I have faith. Why haven’t I been healed?” The only thing I can refer you to is Paul and the “thorn” in his side. Three times Paul prayed for this issue to be resolved, and three times the answer was “no.” Did Paul not have enough faith to result in his healing? I doubt that was the reason.
God will heal, but sometimes the healing occurs in heaven. Please don’t question your faith if your prayers for healing go unanswered. There are things we will never understand while on earth, which is why we must continue to live by faith and faith alone.
James finishes by telling us what a wonderful thing it is to be able to help restore someone to the Christian faith. I can tell you as a pastor, I have received more joy when someone is restored than when they come to faith for the first time. Why? Because the person brought back to the faith remembers what they had and what they gave up. It is a wonderful reunion of body and spirit with the Lord Jesus Christ and one that person is not apt to walk away from again!
There is a hymn by James Wells written in 1918. For some reason it is not in the Methodist hymnal, but read the words and I think you will find them comforting.
- I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain,
The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,
And all of my worries are vain.- Refrain:
Living by faith in Jesus above,
Trusting, confiding in His great love;
From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.
- Refrain:
- Though tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise,
Obscuring the brightness of life,
I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies—
The Master looks on at the strife. - I know that He safely will carry me through,
No matter what evils betide;
Why should I then care though the tempest may blow,
If Jesus walks close to my side. - Our Lord will return for His loved ones someday,
Our troubles will then all be o’er;
The Master so gently will lead us away,
Beyond that blest heavenly shore.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, I pray that as we walk with you, we would be content with whatever state we are in, knowing that you are right beside us. Help us to live by faith in all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Seeking Holiness 