Tag: Christ

Second Song in Isaiah about Messiah

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The second song about the Messiah to come is included in Chapter 49 verses 1-13. It speaks of Messiah’s character as a servant and his purpose in coming. This chapter of Isaiah is one of my favorites as it has some special verses that speak to me personally. First let’s look at Song #2.

The Lord’s Servant Commissioned

49 Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
    Pay attention, you who are far away!
The Lord called me before my birth;
    from within the womb he called me by name.
2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
    He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
    I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver. Here Isaiah uses symbolic language of the sword and arrows. Both the Messiah will use to show and execute judgement.

3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
    and you will bring me glory.” The coming Messiah will be the perfect servant bringing glory to God where the nation of Israel had failed.

4 I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
    I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
    I will trust God for my reward.” Just as the nation of Israel has failed so will the Messiah seem to fail as he meets opposition during his time here on earth. The reward mentioned here refers to the reward of all believers both Jews and Gentiles who will be vindicated by Messiah’s work on the cross.

5 And now the Lord speaks—
    the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
    who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
    and my God has given me strength.
6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
    I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
    and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Israel was brought back from Babylon at God’s request. The coming Messiah will restore the people to God and will open up salvation to the Gentiles. It is like the message from Jesus in John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” and John 9:5 “But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

7 The Lord, the Redeemer
    and Holy One of Israel,
says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,
    to the one who is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.
    Princes will also bow low
because of the Lord, the faithful one,
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” Messiah would be the despised and rejected one by the nations. 1 Peter 2:4 ” As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—” Luke 17:25 “But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” Isaiah 53:3 “He as despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.”

8 This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
9 I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
12 See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.” Messiah will bring salvation, restoration, help and a renewed covenant. He will be a shepherd to the people, a light, one who brings freedom, and He will satisfy their needs. He will guide them and walking with Him will be like being beside cool waters. He will lead them with mercy and hope.

13 Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering. With the Messiah there will be rejoicing in heaven, and He will bring great comfort and compassion for the people in their suffering.

The language of the song is very poetic in nature but much could be confirmed about the coming Messiah and then was affirmed by Messiah’s life and mission.

Jesus executed judgement on sin and yet brought healing and forgiveness to sinners. Jesus was rejected and despised and yet would provided the light of life for both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus brought healing, guidance, hope and renewal to all who would listen and follow him. Jesus brought compassion on all who came to him and treated them with mercy. What a beautiful song of praise and hope to all who awaited Him. What a glorious reminder of who Jesus is and what he accomplished for us. Christ is the Holy one, the Only one, who can Save us.

Linda

Isaiah 40, Treasures for Living

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Before I leave Chapter 40 of Isaiah, I want to draw your attention to my favorite verses that give me strength, courage and a feeling of being loved by God.

Isaiah 40:8 shows me the strength I am assured of through God’s Word. “The grass withers and the flowers fall,  but the word of our God endures forever.” God and His Word are eternal and will not change, fade or die out. I can use His Word as an anchor for my soul as God and His Word do not change. Hebrews 13:8 speaks of the immutability of Jesus and confirms our trust in Him. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Proverbs 30:5 speaks of the perfection of God’s Word and its ability to protect us. “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Hebrews 4:12 speaks of how the Word of God is alive and will help us discern our own hearts and the world around us. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word of God is eternal and provides grounding and hope in any situation.

Isaiah 40:11 “He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.” This verse is very comforting as God reveals his heart of compassion and love for me. I know that in times of heartache, joy and desperation He will hold me close to His heart and never let me go. There is no one or nothing like our God. He alone can hold and comfort me. However, He uses other believers to come alongside me and bring tangible comfort right when I need it. Thank you God for you exquisite care of me.

Lastly, I love Isaiah 40:28-31. This portion of scripture is a favorite of so many. Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

There is such strength in knowing God is creator of all, sovereign and everlasting. Nothing can outlast God. He is tireless and in my human weariness I can know that God will not give up or not help because He is too tired or preoccupied. He gives strength and power in Jesus’ name. He uplifts when I grow tired and always will renew my strength. He will cause me to soar and not grow faint. God is an amazing God who loves me and will always support me. I am reminded of Lamentations 3:21-23 when reading these verses, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness.” We know that God always loves us and each and every day His mercies are new for us. We can count on His Faithfulness!

I pray you have seen God in new ways as we have spent time in Isaiah Chapter 40.

Linda

God Gives Us Choices, Choose LIFE in Him

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As so often happens God gave Isaiah prophesies that ran one into another. Isaiah 8:11-13 pertains to King Ahaz and God desiring that they look to Him, trust in Him and not worry or fear their enemies. Isaiah 8:14-15 were about the coming Messiah. Verse 16 was addressed to Isaiah’s disciples or those who would take care of his teachings or would be preserving them so prophesy could be verified. Verses 17-18 were again referring to Messiah. Prophesy is complex but we have the benefit of seeing from the future and can see how these all played out.

In verses 14-15 we see opposition to the Messiah’s message. He will be a holy place;
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.” The coming Messiah, Jesus, was/is to be the cornerstone of their lives and ours or He will be something they/we would stumble over. He is either the solution or the problem. The New Testament disciples saw Jesus as the foundation of their faith. Ephesians 2:19-20 “ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Many of the Pharisees and other religious leaders opposed Jesus. They stumbled over His truth and light from God. Luke 11:53“When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions,” Their opposition lead to his crucifixion and condemnation. They led the people to cry “Crucify Him” and demanded he be put to death. As Isaiah prophesied, this Jesus would be the solution to our sin and separation from God problem or He would be something we’d question, desire that he’d be gone from our lives or even wish Him into non-existence.

The next verse in this prophesy was aimed at those following Isaiah. Perhaps they were the recorders of the prophesy and he wanted to make sure they wrote it down so it could be authenticated when the events came to pass. He wanted God’s words affirmed as always true! Verse 16 “Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples.”

Verses 17-18 bring us back to Messiah. 17 I will wait for the Lord,  who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.” 18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. The author of Hebrews applied these verses to Messiah, Christ, in Hebrews 2:13 “Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. “ Jesus was the ultimate example of trusting faith and that those who believed in Him were given to Him by the Father. He called them his children and his friends.

What do you take away from these verses?

** Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and you have to chose to build upon Him and His truths or not.

**Many reject Jesus as the Son of God and stumble over His truth, love and redemption.

**God’s words to Isaiah were authenticated, showing God keeps His promises.

**Jesus is our prime example of trusting faith and those who follow Him are claimed by Him as His children and friends.

Which is it for you? Do you claim Jesus as the author and founder of your faith, the chief cornerstone upon which everything is built? Or do you deny He is God and ignore His teachings and truth? You can’t have it both ways. He is either a building block or untruth, lies and deceit. God created us with free will and leaves this crucial choice to us. We either choose life or death. Moses’ words from Deuteronomy 30:19 still ring true. “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”

As we continue to see in Isaiah, Christ is the Holy one, the Only one, who can Save us.

Linda

Doom to Bloom, God’s desired way for Us

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The book of Isaiah is filled with prophesies pointing the people of Judah to their near future along with the distant future. The amazing thing about these is we can see many of them already fulfilled in their history and in Christ’s coming. Along with these are prophesies that are still future to us. We can see God keeps His promises, and we can look forward with hope to the future outlined for us in scripture.

In today’s passage from Isaiah 5 we have a series of ‘Woes’ delivered by Isaiah to the people of Israel. He gives God’s the charges against them and the result of their disobedience. The Message translation uses the word doom which I think aptly describes their problems.

5:8 Doom to you who buy up all the houses
    and grab all the land for yourselves—
Evicting the old owners,
    posting no trespassing signs,

5:11 Doom to those who get up early
    and start drinking booze before breakfast,
Who stay up all hours of the night
    drinking themselves into a stupor.

5:18 Doom to you who use lies to sell evil,

5:20 Doom to you who call evil good
    and good evil,
Who put darkness in place of light
    and light in place of darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!

5:21 Doom to you who think you’re so smart,
    who hold such a high opinion of yourselves!

These warnings were given about 100 years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the Jews to Babylon. If we look at each one- these same accusations could be leveled against people in our day. Sin is sin – it has not changed over the centuries. What has changed is the ‘fix’ for our sinful condition. Jesus came to bring light, hope and redemption for our sin sick souls. We do not have to settle for treating others poorly, being addicted, wallowing in evil and lies, doing evil instead of good and over thinking ourselves! Jesus came to save us from our sins and call us to repentance. He came to provide a way for us to rid ourselves of these sinful habits and replace them with justice, mercy and hope. Christ is the Holy one, the Only one, who can Save us. Cling to that truth and place your hope in Him. God keeps His promises and we’ll see his plan of redemption unfold in the next chapters as we receive prophesy after prophecy about Messiah, our Savior.

I love the words of Micah 6:8 which stand in contrast to these woes in Isaiah 5. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
  And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
 and to walk humbly with your God.” These words and actions lead to life, hope and blessings from God. God wants so much more for us than the Woe’s of the world.

Linda

Isaiah, the Man who Saw it All

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As we begin our journey through Isaiah, I want to talk about the man, Isaiah, so we can better understand who he was and the struggles he faced as God’s spokesperson/messenger. Isaiah 1:1 “These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.” Isaiah was the son of Amoz not to be confused with the prophet Amos. It is thought that he was related to King Amaziah who was his uncle. Isaiah often had easy access to the palace and the kings so his ‘royal’ status would have helped him navigate the royal maze of things. Considering his message from God that Judah was sinning and needed to repent, he might not have been the most popular fellow in the palace. He served God during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and Manasseh. They reigned in Judah from 792-642 B.C. He began his ministry in the year King Uzziah died according to Isaiah 6:1 and continue for 58 years. He was married and had 2 sons which the Lord named. It is thought that he is the prophet referenced in Hebrews 11:37 “Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword.” He was thought to have been sawed in half by King Manasseh.

Isaiah came with a message of repentance as Judah had been sinning against God and definitely not walking by the 10 Commandments. They had fallen into idolatry and followed practices of the nations around them. Kings Uzziah and Jotham sought to follow the Lord but still allowed the high places and idols to remain. King Ahaz went into complete idolatry and wickedness during his reign of 16 years. Hezekiah was a godly man and sought to rid Judah of the high places with idols and bring the people back to worshiping God. He did have his moments though and Isaiah was right there seeking to point him back to the Lord. Manasseh was the final king under which Isaiah prophesied and he was totally evil. He erected idols to Baal and put up Asherah poles. He practiced sorcery, astrology, and divination. He even sacrificed his own sons to the gods. He did much to provoke the Lord’s anger during his 55 on the throne. It is no wonder that Isaiah message of God’s anger over their sin and their need to repent before Holy God was not welcomed in the palace and the nation. He foretold of their deportation to Babylon as well as the coming of a Messiah that would redeem all mankind. His messages gave hope to the later exiled Jews as they suffered in Babylon and to us as we await the return of King Jesus.

As you accept the ashes on your forehead today and look forward to a time of repentance leading up to Holy Week and Easter, may you prayerfully consider the messages Isaiah in regard to your own sin. May you look and feel his messages of hope as he speaks of the magnificence of Holy God, the only one who can save us. May the prophesies in his book lead you to a deeper faith in Jesus and His mission. Christ is the Holy one, the Only one, who can Save us.

Looking forward to this journey and what God will teach me.

Linda

You can read about these king in 2 Kings 15-21. The story goes between the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom was taken into exile by Assyria during Hezekiah’s reign leaving only the people of Judah. After one more good king, Josiah, the rest of the kings lead Judah back into idolatry and they are deported to Babylon in 3 phases ending with the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. You can read about this in 2 Kings 22-25.

A Reminder of What Christmas Brings…

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This blessing shows us what having Christ in Christmas does for you and me.

His Spirit brings us peace. John 14:27 “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” His peace dispels all fears, removes our heart troubles and calms us in a chaotic world.

His arrival brings us hope for forgiveness, mercy and redemption. Colossians 1:13-14 “ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” 1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead“. Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

He brings warmth into our lives with His love. 1 John 4:7-9 speaks of God’s love for us. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” God is love and He sent Jesus as proof of that great love. John 3:16-17 “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.“

May the Peace, Hope and Love of God fill you day.

Merry Christmas,

Linda

Give Thanks for it All!

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November 23, 2022

When I’m thinking about giving thanks the first thing that comes to my mind, in a tangible way, is saying grace at meals. We have many examples in scripture of Jesus breaking bread and thanking God for the provision of food. In the Old Testament most all of the references to giving thanks are about God’s character. Thanks for His righteousness, kindness, grace, enduring love, greatness, mighty deeds and His Name. In the New Testament the majority of the references to ‘giving thanks’ center around food. Perhaps this is because they had the Lord present with them and He wanted their daily habits to reflect thanksgiving. Our thanks needs to encompass both the tangible (food) and the intangible (God’s character) as we seek to praise God continually in all things.

Jesus made it a habit to thank God before eating. He modeled this in the feeding of the 4,000 in Matthew 15:36, “ he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” In Mark 14:22-23, he gave thanks at the Last Supper they shared together before his crucifixion. He told us the bread and wine were symbolic of his broken body and shed blood to come, “And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.” Whether it was symbolic or not, Jesus had the habit of thanking God for His provision. Be it food to sustain our bodies or food for our souls, we must maintain a constant attitude of grace and thanksgiving. We may have prepared the supper but we did not cause the food to grow- only creator God, is able to do that. We may have accepted Jesus as our Savior and accepted His sacrificial gift of forgiveness, but only perfect Savior Jesus was able to provide for our righteousness. We need to take ourselves out of this equation and focus our thanks wholly on God. He alone is able to provide for our needs both spiritually and physically.

Giving Thanks is a humbling posture that requires us to have an attitude of gratitude about all things. I love 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Whether it is food, health, home, family, jobs, hobbies, relationships…. the list is endless, all is provided to us by God. Thank you Jesus.

A truth to claim with thanksgiving: I was bought with a price and belong to God. As believers were are valuable to God and He paid the ultimate price for our righteousness- the death of His Son, Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. He has graciously given us His Holy Spirit to indwell us so that we have a personal guide that connects us to Him. Praise God that He loves me so much that He has given me everything I need to be connected to Him.

May the thought of being bought with the price of Jesus’ life be a source of extreme gratitude for you this Thanksgiving. As you break break together, give thanks for your provisions both physical and spiritual that are made possible through you faith in Jesus.

Linda

God is UNCHANGING, What a Blessing that is!

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November 22, 2022

Our passage today comes from Hebrews. The author of Hebrews is talking about the unshakable nature of God’s kingdom. Hebrews 12: 28-29 gives us the conclusion the author reaches and what our response to the unsinkability of God should be. “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Is your response to the Immutability of God, his unchanging character and will, one of gratitude? Can you imagine if God was changeable? We could never be assured that He would not change His mind about our salvation! How do we know that God would not change what He desires from us? His purity, goodness and truth would also come into question. In the Old Testament we see the Israelites and other pagan nations worshipping idols. They never knew what would please their gods, how they would react, what they wanted or what they would or even could do. Psalm 96:5 reminds us that idols do not create anything. ” For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”

The author of Hebrews wants to remind us that God is immutable, and therefore worthy of all our worship. He is a consuming fire! The picture of fire is one that appears repeatedly in the Bible. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed (Exodus 3:5), a pillar of fire to moved the Israelites at night in the desert (Exodus 13:21), the Lord consumed the offering on Mt Carmel with fire (1 Kings 18:38) and the Holy Spirit descended upon believers with tongues of fire (Acts 2:3). Fire is a picture of pure energy and power, that is our Sovereign God!

I am so thankful that God is unchanging and I can depend upon Him to keep all his promises. I have several verses that remind me of God’s unchanging character that I can claim with assurance. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” and Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ We can place our faith in our unchangeable God.

A truth to claim with thanksgiving: I am sealed by the Holy Spirit. God’s all consuming fire that was manifested to the early believers as tongues of fire. It showed the presence of His Holy Spirit descending upon the believer. We can know His power within us today. That same power of fire and energy indwells each believer and seals us or guarantees our faith. Ephesians 1:13-14 “ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” He guarantees our salvation and inheritance in heaven by His Holy Spirit! 2 Corinthians 1:21-22  “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” God did this for us so we would know His love and promises are true. It is reaffirmed in 2 Corinthians 5:5 also “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

What a wonderful gift God has given us by telling us we do not have to worry about His kingdom as it is unshakeable. We can rest assured that He is unchanging. His consuming Holy Spirit will indwell us and hold us for all eternity. That is some guarantee!!

Linda

Peace, Gratitude, Forgiveness- May they be seated at your Table this Thanksgiving

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November 21,2022

Colossians 3:15-16 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.“

Paul was writing to Colossians about their attitudes towards one another. In verses 12-15 he describes what their behavior should look like towards one another that would be pleasing to God. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” If we are behaving as Paul describes, then we just need to relax and let Christ rule in our hearts bringing peace and unity to our gatherings. Because of the message of Christ, we can worship together and praise God in one accord with extreme gratitude in our hearts.

What if this is not what our homes, families, and churches look like? Then we need to seek God’s help. Hebrews 4:16 “
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” God will seek to use us to bring harmony and peace to where we are. He promises His peace to indwell us and knowing that promise we can indeed be thankful. At this opportune time of the year, let us express our thanks to God and to let others know that our THANKFULNESS comes from GOD! Remember, Psalm 107:2 “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.”

A truth to claim with thanksgiving: I am forgiven. You might wonder why I chose this truth for today’s scripture. As my remember my own sin, it brings great thankfulness for God’s forgiveness. I can look at others as ones loved by God who also stand in need of forgiveness. I am reminded of Romans 5:8“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God loved me and sent Christ to die for me. That is the center of my thankfulness and heart of gratitude towards God and others. Here are a few other verses about forgiveness: Colossians 1:12-14 “ and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Micah 7:18-19 is one of my favorites to claim with hope and thanks, “Who is a God like you,
    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
    of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
    but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Thank you Jesus, my sins are gone!

I also love the image given to us in Isaiah 38:17 “Surely it was for my benefit
    that I suffered such anguish.
In your love you kept me
    from the pit of destruction;
you have put all my sins
    behind your back.”

Let your forgiven heart be open to the needs of others and seek to make peace at your Thanksgiving table. Remember you have His peace within you and can testify to the wonders of His Name.

Linda

A Prayer for Others, do it for them!

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November 19 and 20

As we think about and plan for the upcoming holiday and the theme of giving thanks, let’s look at Paul’s attitude towards the believers in Philippi.

Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul begins his letter to the Philippian Christians with a note of thanks. He is thankful every time he thinks of them because they are coworkers in telling others about the love and redemption they have through Christ’s death and resurrection. When was the last time you prayed with thanksgiving for those who work beside you at church, at work or at home who know the Lord and are seeking to tell others about Jesus? Whether they are near or far, it does not matter to God as He hears our prayers and knows our hearts. Living with an attitude of gratitude for those around us is essential to a fulfilling and abundant walk with the Lord.

Paul then continues as he seeks to lift these coworkers up in prayer. Consider his prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.“ Paul is praying for his friends to have abounding love, knowledge and insight into God and His ways so they can apply His truth to their lives. He wants them to be fruitful and fulfilled in their walk with the Lord. Who do you know this Thanksgiving season that you can pray this prayer for? You can put their name into the scripture and lift them up to Jesus. Here is my version, I pray it inspires you to pray for others.

Dear Lord, I am thankful every time I remember ___________. May his/her faith in Jesus be continually filled with joy. I am confident that You who started the good work of salvation in ______ will continue to do so until Jesus comes again or he/she joins you in heaven. Today I’m asking that _____________’s love for Jesus will continue and grow more and more. I pray _______”s knowledge of Jesus will expand so that __________ will be able to choose what is best in our world filled with temptations and distractions. Lord, I ask that ________ will show the fruits of the Spirit in his/her life so that others may be encouraged by his/her love, patience, kindness, peace, self-control, gentleness and joy. Amen.

A truth to claim with thanksgiving: I am a co-worker for Jesus. The letters in the New Testament all have verses that speak of the co-workers that are toiling with the Apostles. In 1 Corinthians 3:9 Paul says, “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” He affirms their working together for Christ. Paul also addresses the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 3:2 about why they are sending Timothy to them. “We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,” Doing God’s work is serious business and appreciated by your fellow co-workers. Together we can encourage and pray for one another, so God’s work is accomplished just as He promises. We are a part of His work in the world! Praise God! He can use us even though we are weak. One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 12:9, may it encourage you to keep on keeping on in Christ. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.“

Blessings as you pray with thanksgiving and hope in your hearts for your fellow coworkers and those they are ministering to!

Linda