Psalm 147:7-11 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds;he prepares rain for the earth;he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food,and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse,nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,in those who hope in his steadfast love.
In the opening stanza of this psalm, the psalmist talks about the outcasts, the brokenhearted, the humble. These are the ones chosen last during gym class - they have no strength or speed, yet God delights in them, because they fear Him, trust Him, and give Him thanks. For those of us who find ourselves in this category, we have good reason to thank Him. He provides for us and takes pleasure in us. As the psalmist goes on, we find God gives us strength and His Word runs speedily through our lives, transforming us. No matter what our lot in life, we have good reason for thanksgiving. So let's stop making excuses and give Him thanks!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Thanking God in the tough times...
Psalm 116:15-19 Precious in the sight of the Lordis the death of his saints. O Lord, I am your servant;I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord,in your midst, O Jerusalem.Praise the Lord!
This psalm is a special psalm. I have preached on it at some special funerals, including those of my parents. The writer has been involved in some critical, painful, near-death experience, yet he choses to give God thanks. He knows that God is in control, and has demonstrated His grace toward him. He sees God at work in his life, even and especially in tough times, and gives God thanks. Do we?
This psalm is a special psalm. I have preached on it at some special funerals, including those of my parents. The writer has been involved in some critical, painful, near-death experience, yet he choses to give God thanks. He knows that God is in control, and has demonstrated His grace toward him. He sees God at work in his life, even and especially in tough times, and gives God thanks. Do we?
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Thanksgiving for former fools...
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! (Psalm 107)
This psalm begins: "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" It then reviews the history of God's people. Even though we keep messing up, He keeps showing His grace, mercy and love. This is what should elicit our thanksgiving - that despite our consistent and constant failures, God demonstrates His love toward us. It is not who we are or what we do - it is responding to Him. In the last verse of the psalm, he leaves us with this to ponder: 43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Let us consider the steadfast love of the LORD and give Him thanks!
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! (Psalm 107)
This psalm begins: "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" It then reviews the history of God's people. Even though we keep messing up, He keeps showing His grace, mercy and love. This is what should elicit our thanksgiving - that despite our consistent and constant failures, God demonstrates His love toward us. It is not who we are or what we do - it is responding to Him. In the last verse of the psalm, he leaves us with this to ponder: 43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Let us consider the steadfast love of the LORD and give Him thanks!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Thanksgiving salad... It's good for God's people
Psalm 95: Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
We are reminded here that as God's people we have double reason to be thankful: first, because God is a great creator; second, because He is a great Deliverer, our Deliverer. Everything that is, He has made and has willingly shared with us. Beyond that, He cares for us as a loving shepherd, Who saves us from ourselves and our going astray. The psalm goes on to call us to correction - for all our failures to be and live thankfully. We need to have more of this thanksgiving "let us" - thanksgiving and praise, for Who He is and all He has done.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Thanksgiving: Do it for others!
Psalm 69:30-33 I will praise the name of God with a song;I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an oxor a bull with horns and hoofs. When the humble see it they will be glad;you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needyand does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
This is a psalm that begins "Save me, O God," and that in the verse just before these says: "but I am afflicted and in pain." David is hurting here, big time! But as He is winding down this prayerful song to God, He says "I will magnify Him with thanksgiving." And what really lifts him up is the knowledge that his thanksgiving will bring joy and revival to his people. Our thanksgiving, or lack thereof, is not just about us; it is about God and His people. He is listening and watching, and so are they. What I do and say matters, and it can make a difference in my family, my church, my workplace and my society. Let's make a difference. Let's give God the thanks He deserves and lift the hearts of those around us.
This is a psalm that begins "Save me, O God," and that in the verse just before these says: "but I am afflicted and in pain." David is hurting here, big time! But as He is winding down this prayerful song to God, He says "I will magnify Him with thanksgiving." And what really lifts him up is the knowledge that his thanksgiving will bring joy and revival to his people. Our thanksgiving, or lack thereof, is not just about us; it is about God and His people. He is listening and watching, and so are they. What I do and say matters, and it can make a difference in my family, my church, my workplace and my society. Let's make a difference. Let's give God the thanks He deserves and lift the hearts of those around us.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Are we using our mouths for thanksgiving?
Psalm 50: 23: “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”
This last verse is the final one of the Psalm. It is the bottom line. What we do with our mouths reveals our hearts. That is what God is looking at. So if out of our mouths come evil and deceit, that is what is inside, and we should expect Him to respond in similar fashion. If however Thanksgiving is coming out of our mouths, that's because that is what is inside, and that is what He is looking for. Doe He see - and does He HEAR a thankful heart from me?
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thanksgiving says... "I need you God."
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bullsor drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble;I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psalm 50:12-15
This psalm is written from God's perspective: He as owner and judge of the world does not need us. He owns everything and has all power an authority. Therefore, He does not need our sacrifices and offerings to feed Him or make Him right with us. Thanksgiving is about our attitude toward Him. If we are going to call to Him in the day of trouble, it would be consistent for us to come to Him on a day to day basis with thanksgiving and praise. We do not just need Him in the day of trouble; we need him EVERY day. To call on him only in a crisis says: "God, I don't need you most of the time." The truth is, we need Him all of the time, and should be thankful for his consistent, daily blessings. Have you given Him thanks today???
This psalm is written from God's perspective: He as owner and judge of the world does not need us. He owns everything and has all power an authority. Therefore, He does not need our sacrifices and offerings to feed Him or make Him right with us. Thanksgiving is about our attitude toward Him. If we are going to call to Him in the day of trouble, it would be consistent for us to come to Him on a day to day basis with thanksgiving and praise. We do not just need Him in the day of trouble; we need him EVERY day. To call on him only in a crisis says: "God, I don't need you most of the time." The truth is, we need Him all of the time, and should be thankful for his consistent, daily blessings. Have you given Him thanks today???
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