Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Today is Thanksgiving! Chances are you're going to have a lot on your dinner plate. Turkey and gravy/ham, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, warm cornbread mashed potatoes, a family favorite and dessert may be included on your plate. Everything just tastes so good on turkey day that often you go back for more and still don't leave anything on your plate.
You should also have a lot on your "God" plate. That is, a lot to thank him for. He creates life, blesses us everyday, and answers prayers. When it comes to being thankful, don't leave anything on your plate. No leftovers please! God deserves to be praised instead of being harped at repeatedly. Keep those praises coming, in all honesty of course!
"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." ~Meister Eckhart
"Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude." ~E.P. Powell
Here's the song "Blessed Assurance."
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it buffer as it's called, for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
Happy Thanksgiving y'all!
Showing posts with label thankful series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thankful series. Show all posts
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Be Willing to Sacrifice.
John 6:5-14
5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” 6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”
8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. 9 “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”
10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.
14 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”
By now you're probably figuring out what is on the agenda for your family's Thanksgiving meal. There's probably more on your mind too!
In the passage above, there are thousands upon thousands of people at a Thanksgiving feast. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. The most incredible thing was that everyone had enough to eat.
So how did this happen? A young boy gave everything that he had. It may seem likes something that won't get the job done, but in this case the boy and God have no doubts.
Be thankful for everything, even if you want more. It is important to remember that sacrificing can especially cause God to do wonders. How will you show gratitude and thanksgiving tomorrow?
"If Jesus Christ...died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” ~C T Studd
5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” 6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”
8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. 9 “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”
10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.
14 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”
By now you're probably figuring out what is on the agenda for your family's Thanksgiving meal. There's probably more on your mind too!
In the passage above, there are thousands upon thousands of people at a Thanksgiving feast. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. The most incredible thing was that everyone had enough to eat.
So how did this happen? A young boy gave everything that he had. It may seem likes something that won't get the job done, but in this case the boy and God have no doubts.
Be thankful for everything, even if you want more. It is important to remember that sacrificing can especially cause God to do wonders. How will you show gratitude and thanksgiving tomorrow?
"If Jesus Christ...died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” ~C T Studd
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
You Can't Complain All the Time and Still be Thankful.
Numbers 21:4-9
4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” 9 So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!
God was attending to the Israelites. God was clearly visible and let water flow from the rocks and bread fall from the sky even though they were in the barren desert. To say the least, God was disappointed because the Israelites didn't like the food...they complained.
At times, we can act in a similar manner. We complain when we have to get up and go to work or school everyday or when our favorite television show is interrupted by something. We should actually be thankful that we even have access to such things. I'm sure people in countries that have limited items would what you or I have in a quick instant!
Make a list of the goods God has enriched and blessed you with. Are you thankful for everything you have been given?
"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.” ~William Arthur Ward
4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” 9 So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!
God was attending to the Israelites. God was clearly visible and let water flow from the rocks and bread fall from the sky even though they were in the barren desert. To say the least, God was disappointed because the Israelites didn't like the food...they complained.
At times, we can act in a similar manner. We complain when we have to get up and go to work or school everyday or when our favorite television show is interrupted by something. We should actually be thankful that we even have access to such things. I'm sure people in countries that have limited items would what you or I have in a quick instant!
Make a list of the goods God has enriched and blessed you with. Are you thankful for everything you have been given?
"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.” ~William Arthur Ward
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thank God There is a God.
Ephesians 1:15-23
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
This week I want to talk about thankfulness and it's perfect because Thursday is Thanksgiving. The above scripture is Paul talking about what he is thankful for. It's his prayer of thanksgiving. I challenge you to re-read that at least once everyday this week.
Are you thankful for having God in your life? Let's have a reality check here. Wouldn't you feel a Christ-size (immense) hole in your heart without him? I would because I know he's with me during the day with each step I take.
So the first thing I should be thankful for is God. Who would give me forgive me completely for all my mistakes? Who could promise that if I was faithful I would have everything I need to survive? Who would constantly be my companion if relationships don't work out? Who is the reason I'm alive? The answer to all the above is God...who sent his Son to die for us! They both deserve praise.
The bottom line is that God deserves appreciation. Don't let this be just a Thanksgiving for family and friends but a Thanksgiving for God.
Just a "thank you" is a mighty powerful prayer. Says it all. ~Rosie Cash
Listen to the song "All Because of Jesus" by Fee. We sang this at youth last night. It's great!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it buffer as it's called, for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
This week I want to talk about thankfulness and it's perfect because Thursday is Thanksgiving. The above scripture is Paul talking about what he is thankful for. It's his prayer of thanksgiving. I challenge you to re-read that at least once everyday this week.
Are you thankful for having God in your life? Let's have a reality check here. Wouldn't you feel a Christ-size (immense) hole in your heart without him? I would because I know he's with me during the day with each step I take.
So the first thing I should be thankful for is God. Who would give me forgive me completely for all my mistakes? Who could promise that if I was faithful I would have everything I need to survive? Who would constantly be my companion if relationships don't work out? Who is the reason I'm alive? The answer to all the above is God...who sent his Son to die for us! They both deserve praise.
The bottom line is that God deserves appreciation. Don't let this be just a Thanksgiving for family and friends but a Thanksgiving for God.
Just a "thank you" is a mighty powerful prayer. Says it all. ~Rosie Cash
Listen to the song "All Because of Jesus" by Fee. We sang this at youth last night. It's great!
P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it buffer as it's called, for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.
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