Everywhere, Everywhere, Thanksgiving Today

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:  be thankful unto Him, and bless His name   For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting:  and His truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100 (KJV).

At Thanksgiving and other important observances, how we were “brought up” (reared) makes a difference in how we ourselves lead our own families, when we establish them, to observe important days.  I like to think that “Everywhere, Everywhere, Thanksgiving Today” when people remember the Lord’s goodness and raise sincere thanks to God from whom all blessings flow.  I pray that you will lead your own family to make the day one of sincere searching to name and thank God for recognized blessings.  For without Him and His ever-giving, ever-benevolent grace, we can do nothing.  Today, I give grateful testimony to the grace and leadership of God and blessings so numerous I cannot name them all.  But here are some major ones I recognize and am truly grateful for.

I am thankful for God’s Word that is steadfast and sure and provides light and guidance for my life.  I quoted Psalm 100 in the King James Version, for that is the only version we used when I was a child and memorized this stately psalm when I was a child of seven.  I was encouraged at home, at Choestoe Church and at Choestoe School (yes, it was a public school) to memorize scripture.  And Psalm 100 was in that early repertoire of memorized passages.  My teacher at school, Mrs. Mert Collins (I remember her with love and gratitude, for she was my school teacher and my Sunday School teacher in those formative years) made a chart with our names and gave us a star when we could successfully quote to her a passage selected for memorization.  She helped me more than I could ever know then, for throughout my subsequent life Psalm 100 and other passages she led me to memorize have come to mind for inspiration and guidance from then until now.  This passage is part of what I term my “life verses.”  I thank God for His Word that remains forever “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).  I am thankful for His Word that led me to salvation in the Lord Jesus!

I am thankful for family .  I grew up in a hard-working Christian farm family.  We had my mother for such a short time.  When I was fourteen, she passed away from heart difficulties.  In a later time, modern medical science might have prolonged her life, but in the country and in the mid-1940’s, neither facilities nor medical help was available to us.  I was greatly bereaved and extremely distressed, but even at her funeral, I determined to seek to be the sort of woman our pastor talked about my mother being, using those wonderful verses from Proverbs 31:10-31 to pay her tribute. To summarize, I was able then to assume duties in my family that were far beyond a normal fourteen-year old’s responsibilities.  At the same time I had to grow up quickly, the Lord became my daily companion and encourager.  Hardships were many but strength was always available.  If we can thank God even for adversity, we can learn to grow thereby and learn “in all things” to give thanks.  God granted me a wonderful Christian family, a godly husband, and children who early-on became Christians and sought the Lord’s way for their lives.  From my parents, to their children, to my own family and to their children and grandchildren—from generation to generation—God has been our Guide and Stay.  And my heart wells up with gratitude.

Prayer thoughts:  “Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings see what God has done.” (from “Count Your Blessings,” words by Johnson Oatman, Jr (1856-1922).  And in the words of a modern hymn written by Terry W. York for Genevox Music Group, “Thanksgiving/Thanks-living” we read:  “He gives us freedom from our fears; food, friends, and purpose thro’ the years.  All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.”  Lord, thank You. I want to live in gratitude!

Hope: Trustful Expectation of God’s Promises Fulfilled

“Remember Your Word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.  This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.”  -Psalm 119:49-50(ESV).

When we discuss an intangible term like hope, there is a danger that, because hope cannot be seen with the naked eye or touched with the hand, we will fail to see its depth of meaning and the importance it holds for us. .The two verses cited from Psalm 119:49-50 give a summary of the Old Testament idea of hope.  Hope is generated by hearing God’s Word.  Hope is proven, although we cannot see hope, by the deeds and records of history.  Bert Dominy in writing on “Hope” in the Broadman Bible Dictionary states:  “Hope is the confidence that what God has done for us in the past guarantees our participation in what God will do in the future.  This contrasts to the world’s definition of hope as ‘a feeling that what is wanted will happen’” (Nashville: Holman, 1991, p. 665).  Let’s summarize briefly what God has done in the past that guarantees that He will guide our future, provide the foundation of hope and give us the anticipation of hope being fulfilled.  Take the story of Abraham, for instance.  God called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and told him to go to a land that he would show him.  Abraham obeyed, and because he did so, God promised that he would make of him a great nation with his descendants becoming as numerous as “the sands of the seashore.”  When, because of famine, the people went to Egypt for help, after a number of years, when the Pharaohs changed and no longer favored the Israelites, they were in bondage and great was their oppression.  But God raised up Moses as a mighty leader and His people exited Egypt.  Through confusion and disobedience, they wandered forty years in the wilderness, but finally came at last to the “land flowing with milk and honey,”  kept all the time by God’s providence.  Even when Israel was unfaithful, a remnant kept hope alive.  Forgiveness was granted to those who repented of their erring ways and returned to God.  Jeremiah spoke of this turning to God as “the hope of Israel, the savior thereof in time of trouble” (Jeremiah 14:18).  Hope, then, looks forward to a favorable outcome but always under God’s guidance.

How can what we learn from God’s honoring the hope of a remnant in Old Testament times help us in our present national and world crisis?  It is futile for us to place hope in wealth (Psalm 49:6-12).  We cannot hope in fine houses or strong cities (Isaiah 32:17-18), for God will hail down His judgment upon them.  Neither can we expect strong leaders, princes and kings to save us (Psalm 146:3-4) for their best-laid plans often perish and they die.  Neither can we hope in strong armies and military alliances with other nations, for they are subject to failure (Isaiah 31:1-3).  Even the Temple (and our churches) are subject to destruction (Jeremiah 7:1-7).  The ultimate hope is that we “amend our words and our deeds and do not go after other gods” (Jer. 7:5-7).  Then and only then can God hear from heaven and heal our land, thus giving credence to the hope that lies within us

Will you be willing to covenant with others to pray for and exercise hope for a turning to God in our nation?  God showed His faithfulness in the past to a remnant who was willing, despite great odds, to believe Him and follow Him.  God’s promise…gives life.’  God’s Word is truth and gives us a basis for hope.  It is time for us to stand in the gap.  Are we willing?

Beware of False Prophets and How to Detect Their Fruits

“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” – Matthew 7:18-20 (ESV).

The subject of this teaching is that we be aware of false prophets (preachers, teachers, spiritual leaders)   They can come to us meekly and as gentle as lambs, but inwardly they can be as hungry wolves, greedy for power, prestige and selfish gain.  Jesus gives us a metaphor by which we can recognize and assize false prophets.  “By their fruits you shall know them.”  We therefore have a means of detecting “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” to use the old adage to describe the situation.

Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:1-7 not to judge.  But we are to practice discernment and be alert to what is false and misleading.  A wise teacher has said that there is a difference between judging and being a fruit inspector.  In the latter, the product is there awaiting scrupulous examination.  In this passage and also in Matthew 12:33-37, Jesus is referring to the words spoken, the teachings propounded.  Words express one’s beliefs.  They either vindicate or condemn the speaker.  Our job, then, is to have enough wisdom and insight to see signs of false fruit in the teachings we hear (or read).  False prophets magnify themselves.  They exploit people.  To follow a false prophet will not lead to a changed life.  We discern them not necessarily just by their teachings, for oftentimes their teaching can sound and even be orthodox.  But their works—their fruit—must stand the litmus test of genuineness.  Is the prophet self-seeking and covetousness?  Then beware.

Perhaps Jesus saw a fig tree or a grape vine near by when he was giving this teaching.  “Figs do not grow on thistles,”  he said.  “Neither do grapes come from thorn bushes.”  These are reasonable observations.  We could liken the comparison of apples not coming from pecan trees.  Beware of those who pretend holiness with their words and teachings, but their actions and deeds are contrary to what they proclaim.  Another adage applies here:  “Your actions speak so loudly I cannot hear what you say.”  The orchard owner is aware of unproductive fruit trees, culls them out, cuts them down and throws them into the fire.  This is a dire warning of the future judgment of false teachers.  In the meantime, we who hear and are prone to follow their enticing words have some standards by which we can beware of them.  The life of the prophet and the results of his influence on others are the fruits we examine.  The fruits will indicate whether or not his message is consistent with the kingdom life of righteousness.  That is why we need to be rooted and grounded in the truths of God’s Word.  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” –Psalm 119:105 (KJV).

Scripture on Its Way to Us

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” –II Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV).

The Word of God is “God breathed.” Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, inspired men wrote at God’s direction so that persons might have the very Word of God Himself for the purposes of doctrine (belief), reproof (chastisement), correction (righting), instruction in righteousness (direction to go). This four-fold purpose of the scripture is that the man of God (believer, Christian) may be led to do good works. The Bible is at the same time our instruction book of how to be and how to do, how to order life according to God’s principles and how to live life according to God’s directives. Paul knew how important these concepts were for the young preacher Timothy to know and practice, and he instructed him to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (I Timothy 4:2-4, KJV).

Yesterday some friends and I had a wonderful experience. We traveled to Atlanta to view “Passages,” an interactive Bible display that is currently set up for public view in a section of Perimeter Mall. “Passages” is described as a “fascinating story that spans over 2,000 years…with expert commentary on the artifacts by some of the world’s leading scholars.” (Passages brochure). It is in celebration of the 400th year (in 2011) since the translation of the King James Version of the Bible in 1611, and in honor of the men (and women) who lost their lives because they stood up for their beliefs that the Bible should be made available to all people in the language of the people. Even though I had studied the history of how the Bible came to us, and had a deep appreciation of the price people throughout history have paid to bring God’s Word to us, I will not again take for granted the privilege of reading and studying God’s Word. From efforts of the ancient scribes of Old Testament days to those who, amidst great persecution and loss of lives persisted in translating and transcribing the Word of God, it has come to us at a great cost in dedication and lives lost. The Passages museum collection will be on display in Atlanta at Perimeter Mall through mid-May 2012. I recommend that you visit it if you can; plan to spend several hours there, because it is not a quick-through exhibit. Serious viewers will certainly come away with a deeper appreciation of God’s Word, Scripture, and how it came to us. You will see a reproduction of the Gutenberg printing press on which Johannes Gutenberg and six assistants took two years of very hard work to produce the first Bible printed on moveable press and completed in 1454 in Germany. The Bible became more available in English in 1611 with the King James edition, although noble efforts by Caedmon, John Wycliffe, John Purvey (the Lollard’s Bible), and William Tyndale had produced portions or all of the scriptures in English prior to 1611.

We can truly appreciate the “God-breathed, God-inspired” writers of the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, who at the instruction of God wrote the Bible in its original languages. Added to that noble company of Holy Spirit-inspired writers is a host of others through centuries who, with singleness of purpose and with God-inspired determination faced great odds, even loss of life, to give us the Bible in our own language. The efforts are still moving forward today as linguists work diligently to translate the Bible. Religion, society, culture, archaeology, science and technology have all played important roles in preserving and transferring the Bible. Scholar G. S. Wegener wrote of the Bible: “it has passed through all the stages of man’s achievements and come out unscathed and full of life. And always will be, till the end of the world.” (Wegener, G. S., 6,000 Years of the Bible. New York: Harper, 1958. p. 340). Thank God for His Word and for the great price paid by many to bring it to us intact. Truly we can say with deep thanksgiving, ”Thy Word is a lalmp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

The Word…Sweeter Than Honey

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore, I hate every false way.” –Psalm 119:103-104. “ ”Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”-Psalm 119:97 (NKJV).

Do you love God’s Word? Can you say with the writer of Psalm 119 that it is sweeter to your mouth than honey? Can you attest that God’s law is your meditation all the day? Do you cling to God’s testimonies? Do you delight in His commandments? Do you yearn for the Lord’s precepts? If you can honestly say yes to all of these questions, then you do have a desire to know God’s Word, to cling to it, to follow it, to keep it in your heart and mind. Such was the desire of the writer of the very longest Psalm of all, 119, which is a 176 verse acclamation of the excellence of God’s Word and how the Psalmist wanted to hide it in his heart, live by it, and gain delight and life from it.

Isaiah 40:3 reads: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” I take this verse out of context and apply it to the present dearth of the knowledge of and love for the Word of God—the spiritual wilderness or desert in which we, by our own lack of study and application of the Bible—allow ourselves to live. But there is a voice in this wilderness. God has given us His Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be complete, perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” –II Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV). Paul’s strong words about the inspiration of Scripture, and its value for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness are emphasized. We don’t have to wander in the wilderness of apathy and spiritual dearth. We can be well-equipped with the knowledge and guidance God’s Word provides us. Systematically reading and studying the Word of God can supply a wonderful highway through the desert of our spiritual dearth. Just like the shepherds of old came upon a bee tree in Israel, and had the sweet taste of honey to assuage their hunger, so the Word of God can satisfy our spiritual hunger. It can go beyond providing for our spiritual hunger; it can fill us to overflowing with the precepts, joy and guidance of the Lord.

I must establish some necessary guidelines when I open God’s Word, the Bible. When I approach it, I am entering holy ground. I am not seeking an explanation for God; He is, and I am seeking His voice. We need to pray, “Maranatha. Our Lord, come!” (I Corinthians 16:22). Maranatha is a word we associate with the second coming of the Lord. But it can also mean, “Lord come to me now; speak to me now.” Each time we take the Word to study it, read it for inspiration, seek out its truths for our edification, we are meeting the Lord. He is speaking to us! Wonder of wonders, His “Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path!” (Psalm 119:105). We would see a difference in our churches, in our society, in families, in personal lives of Christians if only we would take seriously our love for the Word and be diligent in following its truths. As good as they are, a few devotional verses a day may help, but they are not enough. A deep-down, earnest, sincere study of the Word is what is needed. Can you answer yes to the questions posed at the beginning of this devotional? Would you like to? I hope you will say, “Maranatha, Lord come! Talk to me through Your Word.” Then we will say with the Psalmist: “Oh! How I love Thy law (Word)! It is my meditation day and night!”

A Command and a Promise

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” –Joshua 1:8-9 (ESV).

In context, the command and the promise given in Joshua 1:8-9 were to Joshua when he received his commission from God to succeed Moses as the leader of the Israelites and to begin the task of going into and possessing the land God had promised to them. Moses the great emancipator had died. The mantle now lay on Joshua to be the leader.

God’s command to Joshua could apply to any follower of the Lord. Don’t depart from the Book of the Law. To us, now, that means not only the law given by God and written down by Moses for Joshua and the Israelite people, but it includes all of the Bible which we now have for our enlightenment and guidance. We have a command to meditate on these words day and night, to allow them to be our guide for living. The further command was to do what the law commands, to be strong, courageous, and unafraid.

With the word of God in heart and mind, and practiced in daily walk, then the promise of God could come to pass. The way of obedient servants of the Lord will prosper and have success. Furthermore, the presence of the Lord will be with believers wherever they go.

In his comments in 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, Rev. Robert J. Morgan writes: “As we meditate on God’s Word, our minds are improved. They are God-conditioned. We begin thinking more as He thinks, looking at life from His point of view. As we’re transformed by the renewing of our thoughts, we become successful in those things God appoints for us to do” (p. 68).

The commission to Joshua reminds us of the Psalmist’s declaration as he describes the way of the righteous in Psalm 1:1-2: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (ESV). The writer of Psalm 119:97 further underscores the importance of loving, studying and meditating upon God’s Word: “Oh how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” May each of us grow in our love for the Word, in meditating upon it, following it, and sharing it with others.

God’s Word in the Heart

“Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee…I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways. I will delight myself in Thy statutes; I will not forget Thy Word.” –Psalm 119:11, 15-16 (KJV).

I recently received a book entitled 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart by Robert J. Morgan. When I first became a Christian, and even before, I was taught the value of memorizing Scripture verses and applying their truths to my life. I appreciate good Sunday School teachers, parents, a caring pastor and others who early in my life taught me to love, obey and study the Word of God.

I was interested to note the 100 Bible verses noted author, teacher and pastor, Rev. Morgan, thought we should know. He gives authentic reasons for our knowing key life-verses and having them in mind to readily apply to situations we face. “It’s vital for mental and emotional health and for spiritual well-being,” he writes. “It makes the Bible portable…It allows God’s Word to sink into your brain and permeate your subconscious and even your unconscious thoughts.” (p. xiii). In addition to the 100 verses he suggests we memorize, he gives sound advice about how to memorize and argues that age is not a factor to our learning verses if we set our minds to the task.

Long before Rev. Morgan published his book on Scripture memorization in 2010 and listed the 100 verses he considers vital to knowing “by heart,” the writer of Psalm 119 declared that he had hidden God’s Word in his heart. His reason? “That I might not sin against Thee.” His resolution to hide God’s Word in his heart was further supported by his affirmation to “meditate upon Thy precepts,” to “have respect unto Thy ways.” Furthermore, the Psalmist pledged to “delight myself in Thy statutes,” and promised God, “I will not forget Thy Word.”

Perhaps many of us memorized verses as children. I was delighted when my great grandson, Gavin, at age four, could quote and give reference for Scripture verses that begin any letter of the English alphabet. This he accomplished in a good Christian Preschool that helped him to get started early in life on the Psalmist’s resolution to hide God’s Word in his heart. As aging and responsibility ensued in our lives, we became lax in memorization of Scripture, were not urged by our Sunday School teachers and others to quote the memory verse (key verse of the lesson), and, with multiple translations of the Bible, we did not center upon which one we would memorize as we did when the King James Version was the only one available to most of us.

The best example we have of knowing the Scriptures and applying them is Jesus when He faced temptations during His forty day period in the wilderness. With each temptation Satan presented, Jesus met the challenge by quoting God’s Word. “”It is written…” What a powerful testimony to the power of the Word to help any of us who know the Word. In this New Year, may we hide more of God’s Word in our heart so it will be available to us for meditation, for inspiration, for clarity and guidance in life.