Category Archives: Thanksgiving

Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Blessing, Consequences, Dependence, God's Will, Obedience, Scripture, Thanksgiving

WITHHOLDINGS

HAGGAI 1:10

“‘Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.’”

It’s that time of year again in the U.S. – tax time. Every year about this time, people are preparing to file their federal income tax returns. Most people have tax withheld from their salary during the year to hopefully not have to pay any additional tax. A little at a time is not so painful, but when you have to write that big check on a quarterly basis or at the end of the year, that “withholding” hurts.

The people of Israel were experiencing a different kind of withholding. There was no dew or rain which meant there was no produce, no harvest. God was withholding this from them because of their rebellion and disobedience. It was all to get their attention, to get them to repent and return to Him. When God withholds anything from us, it is for a reason. He always has a purpose behind His actions.

APPLICATION

Have you felt like God was withholding something from you? Many of us have felt that way. Maybe you think He is withholding answered prayers. Maybe you have asked for physical healing, but it has not come. Maybe you have prayed for a husband or a wife, but you are still single. Stop right there. Ask the Lord why He is withholding that thing from you. I guarantee He has a reason.

You see, if we are living according to His will, God does not withhold His blessings to punish us. Psalm 40:11 tells us, “You, LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.” God is not in the withholding business (unlike the U.S. Treasury). God wants to give to us.

I have to admit there have been times when I was disappointed that God withheld something from me. But looking back, I realized He knew exactly what I needed. I saw it as a bad thing, but He knew what was best for me. Look back at your own life and see how He has done the same for you.

Lord, Your way is always the best way. Thank You for withholding what is not good for me.

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Bible, Boasting, Conceit, Glory, Scripture, Thanksgiving

HIS GLORY SHOWS 

HABAKKUK 2:14

“‘For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.’”

When you read “the glory of the LORD,” what do you think about? I picture the baby Jesus lying in a manger surrounded by the shepherds. I envision Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. I can almost see the empty tomb.

When the Chaldeans are judged by God, everyone will see His glory. There will no mistaken what happened. This was God’s action against a pagan nation for thinking they deserved any glory. They had simply been used by the Lord as His instrument for a season. There was no reason to gloat.

APPLICATION

We have the privilege to reflect God’s glory to the world. When He blesses us, we need to point heavenward and give Him all the praise. When He chooses to heal us when we are sick, all the glory goes to Him.

And when things are going bad and you can’t see a way out, we still give Him the glory. God deserves our glory in good times and bad. There is not a day that goes by that we cannot find at least one reason to reflect His glory.

Of course, we are tempted to take credit, like the Chaldeans. Our flesh loves being praised. Don’t fall into that trap! Keep your focus on Jesus. He deserves all our praise every day. Will you give Him praise today? If you have selfishly taken credit for His work in your life, repent of that now. Give Him all glory.

Lord, help me keep my focus on You and not my flesh. You are worthy of all my praise.

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Affliction, Blessing, Exalting, Praise, Thanksgiving

VOICE OF THANKSGIVING

JONAH 2:9

“‘But I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.’”

I love Thanksgiving. This U.S. holiday in November each year celebrates the Pilgrims’ settlement in the New World. They lifted their voices in praise and thanksgiving to God for sustaining them during their first year. It was a tough year, with many lost lives and food shortages. Coming out of that season, they were indeed grateful.

Jonah (still in the belly of the fish) gives thanksgiving to the Lord. He recognized his “salvation is from the LORD.” He did not know, at this time, whether he would escape his fish prison or not. Regardless, he was giving praise. And God heard it.

APPLICATION

What are you thankful for today? Family? Health? I thank God every day for six things. I thank Him for family, friends, my ministry and my health, my country and my church. I don’t just say those flippantly. I truly am thankful for each of those.

When you have a grateful heart, I believe you are more at peace with the world. You see things differently. You get a more spiritual vision of things. Thankfulness is expressed in our worship of our Lord, and that can be done anywhere. You don’t have to wait until you are in church on Sunday.

I am so thankful for all the blessings God has given me and my family. But I am also thankful for the trials God has allowed us to go through. I may not be in the belly of a fish, but I have probably felt just as low as Jonah. Through those times, just like Jonah, God drew me to Himself.

Thank You, Lord, for holding me close, even when I am pushing You away.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Contentment, Direction, Encouragement, Exalting, Glory, God's Will, Inspirational, Life, Modeling, Passion, Praise, Scripture, Thanksgiving

NO TIME TO PARTY

HOSEA 9:1

“Do not rejoice, Israel, with jubilation like the nations! For you have been unfaithful, abandoning your God. You have loved the earnings of unfaithfulness on every threshing floor.”

There is a time to party and a time not to party. All through my life I have experienced moments when celebrating was appropriate like after a huge victory on the football field or the birth of one of my children. But there were other times when celebrating wasn’t right like the death of a loved one or hurting someone’s feelings. You get the picture. You have to know when to party and when not to party.

Israel had everything backwards. They were celebrating the wrong things. They had embraced all the wrong festivals and religious celebrations, which meant they were worshipping the wrong thing. Those gods were no gods. There is only one God, Jehovah. But when the celebrations look inviting, you get pulled in a direction that can cost you dearly. It did Israel.

APPLICATION

Let me ask you what you are celebrating today. Now there is nothing wrong with a party. I can party with the best of them. I love a good party. We need to celebrate but only those things that bring glory to God. You see, our purpose as believers is to bring Him glory, not ourselves.

This time of the year here in the States, we are celebrating a lot of high school and college graduations. In fact, I was at a celebration last night. Nothing wrong with that. But let’s make sure in the celebration that we give Him all the credit. He is the one we need to celebrate. Last night we did that. We pointed people to Jesus and His Word.

Hey, I have an idea. Instead of waiting until Christmas, why don’t you have a Jesus celebration this week. Invite some friends over and have a party for Jesus. Celebrate what He’s done in your lives. Thank Him for saving you. Praise Him for His promises. Now, that’s a party.

Father, I praise You for rescuing me from the pit of darkness. I thank You for who You are in my life. I celebrate You today.

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Blameless, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Comfort, Contentment, Devil, Encouragement, Forgiveness, Joy, Mentoring, Parenting, Satan, Thanksgiving

AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD

1 PETER 3:22

“who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”

Do you realize how comforting it is to know Jesus, our Savior, is sitting at the right of the Father right now? Do you know what that means? Adam Clarke says this is “the place of the highest dignity, honor and influence.” He has the Father’s ear. God the Father is listening to God the Son.

And what is that conversation like? Jesus is appealing to the Father on our behalf. Every time the devil accuses us (believers) of something, Jesus speaks up and says, “That is paid for, Father. My blood took care of that.” He is our Advocate. He is constantly defending us.

APPLICATION

Ask your children if they have ever spoken up for someone in their defense. You know, perhaps a friend is falsely accused at school of something and the teacher starts to come down hard on that person. Would your child speak up to defend them? How about if THEY were falsely accused of something and facing serious consequences. Wouldn’t they want someone to speak up for them?

Well, someone already has. Jesus has paid the price for all our sins. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, there is NOTHING the devil can accuse us of. We are forgiven. We are free. We are secure in Jesus. That is worth sharing with everyone.

Are you celebrating your security in Jesus today? Take a minute and thank Him for interceding on your behalf today. Thank Him for speaking up against the devil when he mentions your name. Thank Him for setting you free from the guilt and punishment of your sins.

O Father, Your Son is whispering my name to You today. I know He is. I am so thankful He and You both know my name.

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Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Comfort, Confession, Direction, Encouragement, Faith, Following, Forgiveness, God's Will, Inspirational, Mentoring, Obedience, Parenting, Prayer, Repentance, Salvation, Scripture, Surrender, Testimony, Thanksgiving

RIGHTEOUS PRAYERS

1 PETER 3:12

“’FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.’”

There has never been a more misunderstood truth. So many people believe that whomever prays to God will have their prayers answered. That simply isn’t true. Now, hear me out. God will always respond to the prayer of anyone who is repenting and coming to surrender to Him. But if that same lost person is begging God for relief without surrendering to Him…well…today’s verse answers that question.

God longs to answer our prayers. He wants to work in our lives. But we must come to Him with repentant hearts. We must acknowledge our need for a Savior. He is not going to look on our sin and just look past them. He demands and deserves our allegiance in order for Him to work as He desires in our lives. This may sound harsh, but it is meant to drive us all to our knees.

APPLICATION

Teaching our kids this truth is so important. We want them to understand how to pray. I use the acrostic A-C-T-S to pray. A stands for Adoration. I praise Him for who He is and acknowledge His supremacy in my life. C stands for confession. I confess my sins each time I pray. I long to be sinless, but I haven’t arrived yet. T stands for thanksgiving. I thank Him for His blessings in my life. And S stands for supplication. Here is where I come to him on behalf of loved ones and myself, asking for His will to be done.

If our children will learn to pray this way, they will not go wrong. Our children need to understand that our righteousness depends on the blood of Christ, which we claim every time we confess our sins to Him. We, the righteous in Christ, have an open portal to the very throne of God.

Are you praying as a righteous child of God? Or do you pray because you are doing good deeds? Righteousness is not yours to earn. It is given freely through Christ to those who call Him Savior. And because we are righteous, we desire to live righteously. God is waiting to answer your prayers. Pray in righteousness.

I know the only thing good about me is You, Lord. It is Your righteousness that gives me the freedom to call on You daily for my needs and the needs of others.

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Bible, Blameless, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Encouragement, Eternity, Faith, Gifts, Heaven, Inspirational, Life, Mentoring, Parenting, Redemption, Resurrection, Salvation, Thanksgiving

UNDESERVED GIFTS

1 PETER 2:22

“WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;”

Yesterday was Easter. What a perfect verse we have today to remind us of Christ’s innocence. He didn’t deserve to die. He had done no wrong. But He took on Himself my sin and your sin in order to give to us something we did not deserve – His righteousness. Wow! What a gift!

Have you ever gotten a gift you didn’t deserve? I have had friends bless me with gifts. During my recent illness I had several friends who blessed us financially. They wanted to help ease the burden of traveling back and forth to the hospital and the month and a half stay away from home. We didn’t deserve this, but they gave anyway. Jesus gave His all when we didn’t deserve it.

APPLICATION

Surprise your children with a gift. They may have been terrible yesterday and disobeyed you all day long. Perfect! Give them a gift they are not expecting. When they ask you why you are giving them such a gift, explain to them the gift that Jesus gave you when you didn’t deserve it. Let them know that Jesus loves us that much. He doesn’t wait for us to get better to save us. He saves us just like we are.

Ask your children if they know what innocent means. You may have to explain that to them. Tell them that Jesus had never done anything wrong, even when He was a little boy. Every action He took reflected His Father in heaven. And despite His innocence, He took on the guilt of the world. Why? To give us this undeserved gift of salvation.

Have you thanked the Lord today for your undeserved gift of salvation? Do that right now. I’ll wait…. Now, don’t you feel better? It’s always good to thank someone for the gifts we have been given, especially those undeserved gifts. Do that daily, as He continues to bless you.

Dear Lord, I thank You for blessing me. I only deserve hell, but You have chosen me to be Your child and have given me a gift which I could never repay. I love You, Lord.

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Child Raising, Child Rearing, Comfort, Contentment, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Eternity, Faith, Foundation, Inspirational, Mentoring, Obedience, Parenting, Promises, Rejection, Testimony, Thanksgiving

IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

1 PETER 2:7

“This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,’”

You’ve heard the expression that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Well, in today’s verse the phrase “precious value” means what has value in the eyes of the beholder; the value (weight, honor) willingly assigned to something. Peter is telling us that we believers put great value on Jesus being our foundation and cornerstone.

Contrast that with the second phrase directed at non-believers. They may reject Jesus, but He is the very corner stone, the stone upon which the whole building is built upon. They don’t have to believe it, but it’s true. Only time will reveal this to them, either in this world or when they face judgment.

APPLICATION

What do your children hold most precious? Ask them to go to their room and return with their most precious possession. Unless they bring back their Bible, not a single item will last. Explain to them that all physical things are going to perish, pass away. Nothing will last.

That may upset them but reassure them that have (if they are a believer) and can have (if they aren’t) something that will never cease. They have the cornerstone, the sure thing, the never-ending Messiah. Jesus is with them, and they can rest assured He will never leave them.

Are you sure of your salvation? I mean, are you really sure? Which side of today’s verse do you fall on – believing or disbelieving? Make sure of that today. Jesus is here for you. Is He precious in your sight? I sure hope so, because you are in His.

You are precious in my sight. You are beautiful to me. Thank You for being my sure foundation.

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Advice, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Contentment, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Family, Friends, Inspirational, Love, Modeling, Parenting, Scripture, Thanksgiving

THE LAST SUPPER

LUKE 22:8-13

“8 And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.’ 9 They said to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare it?’ 10 And He said to them, ‘When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. 11 And you shall say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher says to you, ‘Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’” 12 And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.’ 13 And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.”

I find it a little funny that Peter and John wanted more information before they left to do what Jesus asked. They knew many homes in Jerusalem would have made rooms available to travelers who had come to town to celebrate the Passover. But I bet they didn’t expect Jesus to give them such detail. And don’t you know they were amazed it was exactly as he told them?

My mama used to give me instructions about how to help with dinner, but she knew her kitchen. She knew where everything was. In fact, she could lay her hand on every pot, pan or utensil in seconds. Jesus knew the room and the house because He was God. He had created that man. He had created the materials to build that house.

APPLICATION

The next time you plan a meal get your kids involved. Give them assignments. Have some set the table. Have others get the drinks. If they are old enough, have them bring the food to the table. Once you are all seated, ask them how they would feel if this was their last meal together. Shocked! Surprised! Tearful.

Now read them this passage. Explain that when Peter and John planned this meal, they had no idea this would be their last meal with Jesus before He was crucified. Jesus let them know during the meal that things were about to change, but I’m not sure it hit home until hours later.

What if your last meal was your last meal? Would you treat those with whom you shared it differently? Don’t waste your moments. We never know when the Lord will call us home. Make sure you are making memories during those meals. You can’t redo them.

I am thankful for the times I have to spend with family. Let me cherish each meal and each gathering. Most of all, let those moments revolve around You.

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Child Raising, Child Rearing, Comfort, Contentment, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Eternity, Hope, Inspirational, Parenting, Promises, Salvation, Thanksgiving

JUMP FOR JOY

1 PETER 1:6

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,”

The Greek word here for “rejoice” literally means to get so excited that you jump up and down. I can just picture a little child on Christmas morning or when they see someone they really love. You just can’t contain the excitement. Your body explodes with emotion and nothing can keep you down. That’s what it means when Peter says “greatly rejoice.”

But…he reminds us that before we experience that joy regarding our salvation, we may have to first experience trials. “Great, Peter! Throw cold water on us.” He is just reminding us that this life has hardships. In fact, the Greek word for “have been distressed” means to experience deep, emotional pain or sadness, severe sorrow or grief. This word has even used of the pain of childbirth.  

APPLICATION

Now, it’s easy to watch our children rejoice. We love to see kids get excited. I can think back to many occasions when my own children or grandchildren got excited about something. The smiles burst forth, and the laughter erupts. Those are the fun times. Those are when we take the pictures or videos.

But how do we teach our children to bear the hardships. We don’t video those times, do we? We had rather forget them. So, why does Peter tell us this? It’s part of the journey. Pain prepares the ground for rejoicing. If we never had trials, we could not appreciate fully the highs of rejoicing. When your child has that next low moment, remind them of a joyous time. Remind them there is always reason to rejoice, knowing our future rests in Him.

Are you stuck right now in a perpetual season of trials? Rejoice anyway! Your hope is NOT in getting out of that trial. Your hope is based on the assurance of your eternal salvation. You will “greatly rejoice” in Glory one day. You can greatly rejoice now. Don’t let anything or anyone rob you of the joy you have in Christ.

O Heavenly Father, I will greatly rejoice in my salvation, even in the midst of extreme trials. I know my future is secure. You are faithful and trustworthy to see me through anything.

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