Psalm 28:7-8 is part of a psalm where David cries to the Lord for help as his enemies seem to be assailing him. He has been contending with people who are two faced and deceitful. He knows they do not know the Lord but thankfully David knows that God is his strength and defender. Here his words:
“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. The Lord gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.”
Could this be our song as well? Do you know God as your shield, strength and safe place? Do you trust Him with all your heart? David was convinced. He had walked with God from a young age and seen how God was always with him as his perfect shepherd. God had kept him safe from the lion and the bear. God had been with him though the fight with Goliath, kept him ahead of pursuing King Saul and given him prosperity and victory as Israel’s King. David knew and trusted his Lord and called upon Him for strength and protection.
If God is your strength, shield and safe fortress, then you have much to be thankful for, just as David did. May your cries of thanksgiving and praise reach to the heavens today. May you extol God Almighty and put your trust in Him!
“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.”
In Hebrew the reference is to giving thanks and worshipping God because of His holiness. Have you ever thought about why we should give thanks that God is holy? Holy means pure, blameless, set apart. Only God is without sin and perfect. I like the definition given in my Bible Study Fellowship manual for explaining God’s attribute of holiness to the children; “God is high and lifted up. He is set apart from His creation. Our English word “holy” is from the same root word as “whole.” God is whole – perfect in goodness and righteousness. No one is like God. Even God’s holy angels tremble in reverent worship before Him. God sets apart His children for Himself and commands us to be holy as He is holy. Being holy makes you whole– what God intended you to be.”
Thinking about Holy God creates in me a sense of humility and unworthiness followed by extreme thankfulness. How is it that Holy God cares for me? Repeatedly in scripture we are assured of God’s love and care. Nahum 1:7 is one of my favorite verses “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” God has compassion upon me and seeks to draw me unto Himself. God loves me so much that He sent Jesus to die for my sins so that I can be brought into a relationship with Him. My faith in Jesus restores me and covers me in His righteousness. What a marvelous gift from our Holy God! Because of God’s love and Jesus imputing his righteousness to me, I can seek to live rightly before Him and honor Him in all I say and do. We can be ‘whole’ before Him and that is something to praise, sing and honor God for! Thank you Jesus for giving me a way to be right with God through faith in you.
“Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!”
This scene takes place when David was rejoicing at the arrival of the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. The ark was the object containing the mercy seat on top and inside the 10 Commandments, Aaron’s rod budding rod and a jar of manna. All these objects were precious to the Israelites and reminded them tangibly of their unseen God’s provision and mercy. The attribute David is extolling God for is being their Savior. He was remembering how God saved them from slavery in Egypt, brought them through the wilderness and led them to conquer the promised land. God had delivered them repeatedly and their eternal God is worthy of all their praises.
When has God saved you? If you are a believer, you were saved from the penalty of sin which is eternal death, when you accepted Jesus as your Savior. Perhaps you have also had other experiences in your life where you have been threatened physically or spiritually and God rescued you from harm. When God saved us by faith in Jesus, it was for eternity and we will belong to Him forever. All the benefits of knowing Him are ours by faith and we can claim the promises He has for us in His Word. The fact that Jesus Saves is worthy of rejoicing and giving thanks. Where would you be without Him? You would be eternally lost and separated from God which are the consequences of disbelief. Thank you Jesus for saving me from that horrible eternal fate and giving me a new life with a new heart and spirit within me. In Ezekiel 36:26 God promises us both. “And I will give you a newheart, and a newspirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Dear Lord, I am so grateful for your Spirit within me that gives me life, hope and guidance as I seek to honor and serve You. Thank you.
This morning I was studying about the righteousness of God made manifest in Jesus the Son. Then Psalm 7:17jumped out at me as I was reviewing passages on giving thanks. “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”
What greater reason do we have to give thanks than that we stand on His righteousness and not our own? The Bible tells us in Romans 3:10“None is righteous, no, not one;” We are all born sinners. You only need to look at yourself and you will realize that every day you cannot do everything right, say everything correctly, hurt no one, be kind at all times, etc. It is not possible. But, Jesus tells us that in Him all things are possible. Having His Holy Spirit within us, empowers us to live rightly for Him. I love the way Titus explains this in 2:11-13 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”Through Christ alone we obtain our right standing with God. Paul writes in Philippians 3:8-10 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
Knowing then that our right standing before God is all because of Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, shouldn’t that lead us to thankfulness? Without Christ, we are condemned, lost and would be eternally separated from God. Thank you Jesus! Due to your righteousness, I am healed, loved, freed from the power of sin, saved, cherished as God’s child, cared for, protected, provided for, and blessed. The list of what Jesus has done for me is endless! May these facts cause us to be living in thanks to Him. Giving Him praise and honor for all He has done and will do! May the words of Psalm 7:17 be on your lips today in praise.
“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” Psalm 7:17
What attribute of God am I most thankful for? When I pondered this question, the first thing that came to mind was God’s love for me. He loved me so much He sent Jesus, His only Son, to die for my sins so that I could be brought into a relationship with him through faith in Christ. John 3:16 says it so well. ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God wants me to be with Him for eternity and be freed from the power and presence of sin. What an amazing gift we have in His love! Thoughts of God’s love lead me to think about the perfection and purity of His love. In our world we don’t know love that is not motivated by some selfish desire. It is part of our world and our nature no matter how hard we try. God is pure love. His love is not short lived but longsuffering and eternal in nature. His love is steadfast and we can always count on it. Multiple scriptures express the truth that God’s love is steadfast, everlasting, eternal and forever. Here are a few:
1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Psalm 136:1-26 repeatedly says, “ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
God’s love is steadfast, true, pure and will be with me for eternity. I can rely upon God’s love always as God is faithful.
Today as you consider reasons for your thankfulness, I pray that God’s love will be ever present in your heart and mind. His love is an eternal truth we can always be thankful for in every circumstance.
Praise God!
Linda
Take time to read Psalm 136. Read it aloud and let the truth of God’s love sink into your soul.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the food and the gathering of family around the table. The decorations are festive and everyone is reflective of what has transpired during the year- both good and bad. We enjoy having friends join us and as a nation join together in being thankful. When I looked at the scriptures on giving thanks or thankfulness, the predominate theme is thankfulness for God himself, his character, his wonderous deeds and the ultimate work of Christ on the cross. This reminds me how far we have strayed from the true reason for thanksgiving. The pilgrims wanted to give thanks for God seeing them through a hard year, for their harvest, their success and their lives. They attributed all of these things to the grace of God and His abundant provision.
What about you? What are your reasons for giving thanks? Is God the source of your thankfulness? This month I want to focus on God and why He alone is the best object for our praise and thanksgiving. He is worthy to be praised! 1Chronicles 16:8-10 is a song David sang when they brought the ark of the covenant back into Jerusalem. He was overjoyed and sang and danced to the Lord. He rejoiced at the presence of the Lord in their midst.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Do you have deeds you know God has done this year in your life? Can or will you praise Him each day this month and speak of Him around your table? He is worthy of all our praises. Rejoice in the presences and the goodness of the Lord all month long.
When we question ourselves about kindness, the most frequent thought is: how did I show kindness or how can I show kindness in what I say or do? This is another aspect of kindness that God addresses in His Word. 2 Chronicles 24:22. describes a scene where God reveals the sin of not remembering the kindness of others done to us and the consequences that can come from deliberately forgetting. In this time in Israel’s history, Joash was king. He was a good king and restored the worship of the Lord with the help of the priest Jehoiada. Time passed, Joash got old and Jehoidada died and was replaced by his son, Zechariah. Israel fell back into idolatry and the new high priest Zechariah confronted Joash. He counciled Joash to return to God and abandon idolatry. His advice was was met with great resistance. “21 But they (those at court) conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge! ” Sure enough, Joash was invaded by the Syrians, the city was looted and his officials killed him in his bed for murdering Zechariah the high priest all before the year was done. What lesson can we learn from these events? When we are treated with kindness or kindly, we need to remember who treated us kindly and why. Remembering helps to temper our reactions or actions in the future if things are not so pleasant. Kindness is meant to be accepted, cherished and then repaid out of love. Jesus told us in John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Kindness needs to be remembered and responded to with love, regardless of the passage of time.
Another thought about kindness is the idea of withholding kindness. Job was suffering andtold his friends that they should treat him with kindness, not withhold, punish or reject him because of his circumstances. The circumstances and reasons are for God alone to know. Their response should be kindness not judgement. Job 6:14 in the Amplified ““For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not abandon (turn away from) the fear of the Almighty.” I find this verse very convicting as Job’s friends were condemning him for not blaming God. Their kindnesses should have been done or said so that Job would draw closer to God. A sobering thought, is your lack of kindness pushing someone away from God? Kindness is meant to be given to show God’s love and bring someone closer to Jesus as they see Him in our words and actions.
I pray that these thoughts from God’s Word will sink down into your soul and open your eyes to situations where you need to remember how you were treated with kindness in the past and therefore react to a new situation with kindness. Or how you might be withholding kindness when responding with kindness may draw someone closer to Jesus. God can and does transform us through His Holy Spirit so we can show His love to others.
When I looked at the scriptures using the word kind, kindness or kindly, often the word show or treated was used to describe the delivery. Kindness is an outgrowth of the Holy Spirit’s work within us but it does not stay inside us- it moves out and reveals itself to others in our actions. The things we say and do give evidence to God’s kind spirit within us. Here are some examples from scripture of this at work:
David was friends with Jonathan, the son of King Saul. Saul sought to kill David and made the friendship hard for both men, however, they remained faithful to each other. After Jonathan and Saul were killed and David became king, David wanted to show kindness instead of hate (which is what most kings did to living relatives of their predecessors). 2 Samuel 9: 3 tells us that David went looking for someone to bless with kindness. “And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” What David discovered was Saul’s grandson, Jonathan’s crippled son, Mephibosheth. He was injured when news came of his father and grandfather’s deaths and his nurse grabbed him and fled in fear for his life. David, as king, did not have to show any kindness to Jonathan’s son, but he did so out of his love for Jonathan. He sought to restore his wealth from his father and gave him a seat at his table going forward. Who do you know that needs kindness that would be unexpected or restorative? Can you reach out an provide that unexpected/restorative kindness in Jesus’ name?
Another time David responded with kindness was when the King of the Ammonites died and his son took the throne. 2 Samuel 10:1-2 ” In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. 2 David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” David allowed the kindness pathway to extend to the new ruler. He assumed a position of continuing kindness. Where do you need to assume a position of continued or passed on kindness? Do you have a new boss or neighbor? Do you need to remember the kindness of others and start a chain of interaction from a position of kindness? This seems to be an example of getting treated kindly and deciding to pass it on.
I will end today’s blog with scriptures that tell us kindness is expected of the believer and has benefits:
Proverbs 21:21 “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.” Wow! What a wonderful promise!
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Colossian 3:12 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”
Kindness is a choice we have because God created us with free-will. However, in God’s kingdom it is expected of the believer and made possible by the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. As you meditate on kindness the kindness of God, how can we not respond? Titus 3:4-5 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” We need to be constantly reminded that God’s kindness is beyond our imaging as He sent Jesus to save us. How can we express our kindness and mercy to others in gratitude to Him? Look for ways to show Christ centered kindness today.
Kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23″22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Like Patience this attribute is one God desires to be in our character and is one that grows and develops as we are indwelt and responsive to the Holy Spirit in our lives. For this discussion, I want to start at the root of Kindness- God Himself. God is perfect in all of His ways and embodies all kindness in His being. Here are some scriptures to help us to better understand the kindness of God.
Ruth 2:20 “And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” God brought Boaz into Ruth’s life to restore her and her mother-in-law when they returned to Israel after losing their husbands. God’s kindness is true for both those living and those who have passed into eternity. God’s kindness transcends all realms as God is God of all, both the living and the dead. I find great comfort in this, like Naomi, God does not stop being God to me when I leave this earthly home. He is eternal and His kind character will be there no matter when or where!
Like humans, God desires to show His kindness towards us. He is always motivated by His love. Romans 2:4 says He shows us His love because He desires that we will see and recognize His love, patience and longsuffering towards us and turn to Him. “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” What is the purpose of your acts of kindness? Do you desire to show your Savior to others and draw them to Him?
God’s kindness towards us was given to bring us to repentance and faith and is explained more fully in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians 2:5-8 is one of my favorite and encouraging passages. 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” God’s kindness is evident in His sending Jesus to redeem and save us from eternal death through faith. Jesus came even though we were sinners and dead in our sins. He brought us life. What a wonderful kindness God showed to all of us by this act. God showed us then and will continue to show us His kindness into eternity. Titus put it this way in Titus 3: 4-6 “4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,” God’s kindness in sending Jesus to die for our sins was His alone. It was His mercy and cleansing though our faith in Christ that redeems us. He loved us that much! What sacrifices have you made for others out of godly kindness?
David summed up God’s kindness in Psalm145.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
How does God’s kindness towards you affect your day to day walk with Him? Are you seeking to show His kindness to others? Remember, kindness is an outgrowth of faith and the work of the Holy Spirit within. Our kindness is meant to draw others to Jesus. By being and acting kindly towards others we show them Jesus and His great love. Not feeling kindly towards others- pray. Not wanting to do kind acts- pray. Remember, God is eternal and His kindness is unending, longsuffering and always fills us with hope! Thank you God.
As I have been meditating and studying patience, I have seen that it is a godly trait God desires in my new created character in Him. He will develop it through the power of the Holy Spirit within me as I walk with Him daily. I have also seen the need for more patience in my life and realized that it is tied to trust and time. It does not appear in my character over night, indeed it is a growing process as I learn to trust God more and more with each aspect of my life. The last area of patience we’ve only skirted upon is patience in suffering. Scripture is filled with examples of godly men and women who suffered patiently as they waited for God’s perfect timing and resolution of their situations. As they walked with faith and trust, God was manifested in their lives and they brought glory to God. Isn’t that what each of us desires? We want to be found faithful in our walk with Jesus bringing us good and Him glory.
Think for a minute about these Biblical characters and the faith they showed during great times of persecution or suffering. Noah suffered ridicule from the world around him as he worked 120 years to build the ark. Remember it had not rained before the flood and the concept of flood was unknown. Abraham and Sarah waited for their son of promise, Isaac, for years until they were too old to have a child. Miraculously God renewed their bodies and gave them a child. David, the anointed king of Israel, was pursued by Saul for 14 years as he sought to kill him. It was 14 years before Saul was killed and David was crowned king. Daniel and his friends lived in a pagan culture clinging to their faith as the world around them tried to burn or have them eaten by lions. Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, etc. for the sake of the gospel. Peter was imprisoned and God sent an angel to lead him out. John was exiled to the isle of Patmos because of his faith. This is just a short list but the Bible gives us many more examples of faith under fire. Even our Lord Jesus was unjustly beaten and crucified, patiently suffering for our sake.
So how do we deal with times of trial and suffering that require us to endure with patience?
James 2:2-4 tells us it is about attitude and will build our character. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” We should think about suffering as an opportunity to experience joy as it will reap great rewards.
Romans 12:12 tells us suffering must be bathed in prayer resulting in hope and extended patience in our lives. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 tells us that hard times of suffering call us to encourage one another, build each other up and extend patience to all. “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
Hebrews 6:15 gives us hope as we see Abraham as an example of patient faith. “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.”
James 5:7-8 gives us an example of a farmer who is waiting for his crops to grow and mature. We need to be like that – waiting and growing until the Lord returns. “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”
Considering these scriptures, how do you see or feel God growing your patience? Are you drawn to pray more? Are you patiently looking into His Word to discover the promises God has for you? Are you reacting with anger and are realizing your attitude needs adjustment so that you can be an encouragement to others as you wait? Patience is a virtue to be cultivated with prayer and looked upon as an opportunity for growth in Christ. I’m still working on this as I seek to grow into a more patient, prayer filled person looking to God and His promises with Hope!
Fearless Living 