Thankfulness, Part 2

I read an article a few days ago that reminded me of the need to purposefully remember the blessings of God.  Life has a way of bringing "spiritual amnesia" to each of us as we face the challenges and struggles of daily living.  We fail to consider the need to remember and reflect on the numerous times that God has ministered to our lives and to the lives of our family.  How often do I fail to put into perspective the full scope of my life rather than just select a few "snapshots" of struggles and use these struggles to measure the faithfulness of God to me?  I remember a hymn of the church that declares, "...Count your many blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings and see what God has done..."  We understand that it would be impossible to actually count our blessings but it is not impossible to remember many of those blessings that God has provided for each of us throughout our lives.  During this season of Thanksgiving take some time and remember many of those provisions that God has placed in your life.  We will be blessed and encouraged as we reflect and remember specific times in which God revealed Himself powerful and triumphant in our individual walk with Christ.  It is no wonder that the Psalmist David cried out in Psalm 150, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!"

Thankfulness

One week from today we will celebrate a national holiday that we refer to as "Thanksgiving Day."  This is a day set aside for families and friends to gather for a large meal (usually accompanied by over-eating), watching football games, and possibly looking at the newspaper for all of the "deals" as the stores prepare for the shopping season of Christmas.  I am not against any of the above mentioned activities and I will personally participate is several of those activities.  Oh, I failed to mention that naps are also a part of our celebration; it just seems that food and naps go hand in hand!  But I feel that I need to offer a gentle reminder that Thanksgiving is more than just a Holiday on our calendar.  Thanksgiving should be an attitude, attribute, and characteristic of each believer that confesses Jesus Christ as our Savior.  Some of you may stop reading this blog after that statement because you are agreeing with my words through a nod of your head and an agreement in your spirit that I have stated the truth.  But don't we think that God needs more than a "nod of approval"?  I believe that God deserves more than just an "agreement" in our spirit.  God is worthy of our praise, adoration, and worship.  He deserves to hear your voice and my voice declaring His greatness and declaring our thankfulness to Him for all that He has provided in our lives. 

 

Listen to the Psalmist David's words in the following Psalm and let those thoughts resonate in our lives today!

 

Psalms 145:1-7: ¹I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever.  ²I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. ³Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. ⁴Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. ⁵I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. ⁶Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness.  ⁷Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness. (NLT)

Veteran's Day

I was unable to make a post yesterday due to a medical procedure. But I did not want to overlook the recognition of those brave men and women who have served our nation in the Armed Forces. I am truly thankful for these men and women who have placed themselves in harms way so that we could enjoy our freedoms in America. I want to offer my respect and appreciation to these men and women who have given much for each of us in this great nation. We must never forget their willingness to serve our nation during some very critical times in our history. I would also like to make a personal recognition of my Dad who served in the infantry during WWII. He still offers his service to the community of Decatur, Alabama. Him and my Mother visit the hospitals, nursing homes, and the private homes of people who are in need of assistance and encouragement. They continue to share the love, care, and compassion of God through their acts of kindness and concern to those who live in their community. I am both blessed and honored to call them my parents and to recognize their heart of servanthood in this modern day and time. Our country is blessed as we recognize people all around our nation who offer their assistance to people in their time of need. May God continue to bless America with people who will care about one another!

Blessed Assurance, Part 3

I have been walking in the promises of Blessed Assurance over the past few weeks. That is one of the reasons that the song by that title spoke to my heart a few days ago. I am always amazed at the "freshness" of the promises of God that we sense and feel as we face those trying moments in which we need special strength from God. I have faced and continue to face some medical issues (all of the tests results are not in as of yet) but I can sense and feel the assurance of God. I realize that I am not alone (not just physically, I am surrounded by a wonderful family and an awesome circle of friends) but that Christ is with me every step of the way. Ann and I have sensed the strength of God and much of that has been revealed through the prayer support and encouraging words of the family of God. We can rejoice in the fact that God is alive and that He is at work in our daily lives. I give God praise and honor this morning for His wonderful presence.

 

The Blessed Assurance of  God reminds us that His love is eternal. In difficult times, we can remember that God will meet all of our needs, is always with us, and loves us forever. Though Jesus said we would face troubles in this life, He offered encouragement: The ultimate victory is His. So keep in mind that trials are fleeting, whereas our Father's love is forever. Regardless of our circumstances or poor decisions, His care is unconditional--even when we face those daunting challenges in our lives.  We can certainly trust in the love of God that is revealed in His Blessed Assurance.  I can encourage you today to place your confidence in God and realize that His Love is not fickle or short-term.  God's Love will be consistently revealed to each of us as we take the time to recognize His presence.  Look for the revelation of His love today and watch your attitude change as you face your set of daily struggles and challenges.  The Love of God is real and the Love of God will make a definite impact in your life.

 

 



Blessed Assurance, Part 2

Christians do not have to depend on their own strength or abilities.  We are able to rely upon the promises of God as we walk through our personal journey called life.  I am thankful that I have the assurance from God and that His presence is with us at every turn on our journey.  We find "Blessed Assurance" when we see the presence of Christ revealed in His Word.

 

Second, we can remember that we are never alone.  God promised to be with us always (Heb. 13:5). It is during the difficulties of our lives that the enemy seeks to make us feel separated from God and from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Loneliness often accompanies hardship, so we may feel deserted or opposed by family and friends.  It is during those moments that we must turn our attention to God and His Word and allow them to speak the revelation of truth in our hearts.   The Word of God reminds us that we are not alone and that our Heavenly Father has sent His Spirit to be with us and in us, until the day He brings us to heaven (John 14:16-17). He is all we need--our advocate, guide, helper, and comforter. Recognizing His intimate presence gives us confidence in the midst of trials.

 

The Presidential election is behind us.  The decision of America has been made.  How will the people of God react and respond to the decision that was made?  We must respond in a Biblical manner regardless of your or mine political affiliation or persuasion.  We must continue to pray for our governmental leadership.  We must intercede on their behalf and realize that Christ is where we place our hope and trust.  He still reigns on His throne and He will direct our path if we will choose to follow His direction. 

 

Christ is our Blessed Assurance!!!

Blessed Assurance

The Call to Worship song at New River Worship Center on this past Sunday morning spoke to my heart and is still speaking to my heart this morning.  The song was the old hymn, Blessed Assurance.  The soloist shared with me that the Lord had placed that song on her heart earlier that morning as she was preparing her heart in the presence of God.  Isn't God simply amazing and He is always very present in the time of our need.  All of us face those moments in our lives in which we need to be reminded that God is with us at all times and in all circumstances.  No one of us is exempt from those moments but it is during those times that Christ assures us that we are not alone in our trial or challenge.  We can trust in the assurances of the promises of God and realize that the Word of God is true and steadfast.

 

Let us look at one of the "assurances" that we can find in the Word of God.  First, God will always meet our needs.  This is a wonderful and powerful promise found in Philippians 4.  This doesn't mean He provides everything we want.  This does not mean that we can give to God our "wish list" so that we can receive everything that we desire.  That type of promise could lead us to asking for things that are not necessary but also what we wanted may not be beneficial to our spiritual lives.   Instead, the Lord will bless us with all that is necessary to fulfill His purpose for our lives.  His goal is to sanctify us, not simply to satisfy each immediate desire.  I believe that He will provide what we need to live a successful Christian life of service.  The provision of God goes far beyond those temporal things that we think we need so that we can live a life full of comfort and ease in this world.  Let us rejoice in the fact that Christ is alive in our hearts and that we can rest assured that He will not leave or forsake us regardless of our circumstances.

Thankful

We have turned the pages of the calendar to the month of November.  It is difficult to imagine that we only have two months left in the year of 2012.  What will I do with these remaining hours of this year?  How will I handle the daily challenges of life that will come into my life?  How will I assist others as they face their own set of unique situations?  How will I prepare my heart to minister the Gospel over the next two months?  I had something else on my mind when I prepared to share my thoughts on the blog today.  But it seemed that the Spirit quickened my heart to thankfulness as I began to type.  I must confess, I paused to ask myself this question, "Am I truly thankful and appreciative of all that God has provided for me or do I just speak those words because they sound like the language that a Christian should use?"  This is a long question but it does contain a difficult answer.  Do I speak to God with a true sense of gratitude or do I just speak the words of praise and thanksgiving so that I can be heard by those around me?  The Bible says that he knows the intent of my heart as well as the words that flow from my mouth.  I believe that God examines the intent as well as the content of the words that I express to Him.  I truly want to be grateful for all that God has provided in my life and I desire that the Holy Spirit correct me when I speak to be heard of man rather than to be heard of God. 

 

Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and Redeemer." (NKJV)