Devotions

I’m not letting go of my “thankfulness” theme that seems to have permeated my recent devotions. Tomorrow begins the last month of the year, which is always a crazy, fast-paced time for many people, and a time of loneliness and discouragement for others. Most of us don’t escape December unscathed by stress or anxiety.

So as we depart November, I am once again reminding us to “be thankful,” with a Scripture that I have tried to live by, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” [Col 3:17]

I don’t know if I would call this my “life verse,” but it a lot more than just a part of my signature line on my emails. It has driven my life for many years. Paul had reminded us in this section of Colossians 3 to let Christ’s peace rule in our hearts and to let His word dwell in us richly. He told us to teach and admonish each other with wisdom and to sing songs with gratitude in our hearts.

Then it is as if he runs out of specifics and just reminds us that it doesn’t matter what we are doing, whether acting or speaking, whatever it is, it is all to be done in the name of the LORD Jesus and with the giving of thanks to our Father.

“Whatever you do….” That pretty much covers everything you do. Whether in a church or secular setting doesn’t make any difference. It is not the setting in which we are working that matters, it is the motivation of the heart that God sees. People who do all in the name of the LORD Jesus while they work in ministry jobs are no more pleasing to God than those who do the same in their white color or blue color jobs.

It doesn’t matter if you are a housewife or househusband, if you are retired, in the military, at work in an office or cleaning service or behind the counter in a burger den. It only matters whom you are trying to please, whom you are honoring by your integrity and honesty. And by your “giving of thanks to God the Father.”

Monday morning, I opened my computer and saw an email with the title, “What to do when you don’t feel thankful.” What?

I headed straight to my Bible Study program and looked up “feel thankful” in my concordance. I checked the NIV, the KJV, the NKJV, the ASV and the Living Bible. I didn’t find even one reference to “feel thankful.”

I did, however, find references to “be thankful,” such as this one. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” [Col 3:15]

God has called us to “be thankful,” no matter what our feelings are. Our modern society rests and moves on its feelings. It has replaced critical thinking with emotions. It can’t seem to think beyond whatever emotion is driving it in the moment, anger, rage, offense, hatred, lust. Whatever it feels, it seeks to satisfy.

God cares about our emotions; I know He does. He is a good, good Father, but He wants them in the right place. They are not to lead us or drive us, they are to follow our faith, our renewed mind, our eternal encouragement, our good hope, our assurance of grace, mercy, and love.

Paul simply tells us to let Christ’s peace rule our hearts and to be thankful. Be thankful. That’s a sweet command that turns our attention from the trials and sorrows of this life. It reminds us of the blessings that are ours even in the deepest darkness. Be thankful. God has given us His love, His grace, His strength, His mercy. He has shown us His goodness and faithfulness. He asks us in return to … Be thankful.

I don’t know what might be troubling you today. I don’t know if the “after Thanksgiving” blues have set in or if perhaps yesterday wasn’t what you hoped it would be. Still, we are commanded to not allow troubles, blues or disappointments to rule … instead today remember to … Be thankful. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It was the one where our entire family used to gather, sometimes with friends and acquaintances coming to our house also. I would do much of the cooking, starting several days in advance. Some of us would form teams and play Trivial Pursuit after dinner, while others would watch football. It was loud and fun, and I would be happily exhausted for days following.

This year is different. All of our children are gathering in California, so Bob and I are celebrating quietly, watching a little football. If it snows, as some are forecasting, I have a small ham and will cook an easy meal. If it doesn’t, we’ll head off to McGrath’s for their Thanksgiving meal. Either way will be fine. Our LORD is with us.

Today, whether surrounded with people or in a quiet setting, is a good day to praise the LORD. I love the words of Psalm 150.

Praise the LORD.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

As I sat in front of my computer the other day, I thought about how long I’ve been doing this. When first saved, I began to journal. I used the ACTS method, each day writing a few sentences of A-Adoration, C-Confession, T-Thanksgiving and S-Supplication. Then I would sit and simply listen and record what I heard, whether a word, Scripture verse, or Scripture location. I did that for probably a decade or more.

Then something changed. I began to write differently, perhaps even think differently. The journaling was fine for my growth, but it did nothing to edify or exhort others. I began writing daily devotions and sending them out to others upon request. I have been writing a daily devotion on and off (mostly on) since 1993. That’s more than 25 years.

I know in those 25 years I’ve repeated myself often, written about the same things many times. It’s not new stuff. If you’ve been reading these for any length of time, you know I’ve repeated myself a lot. And that’s okay. God repeats Himself a lot, too, so I’m in good company.

People tend to want what is “new,” something never seen or experienced before. We want to be on the cutting edge of technology and science. God on the other hand has given us eternal truths that never change. God has revealed those truths to us so that we might live them out in our lives. It is good to be reminded of those truths – repeatedly – so that they settle deep into our minds and hearts.

So, as Peter said, “I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body.” [2 Peter 1:12-13]

One day Jesus told His disciples about what the near future held for Him. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” [Luke 9:22]

I can only imagine how shocking that must have been. They were still of the opinion that Jesus was a “conquering” Messiah, the one who would overthrow Rome and return Israel to the glory she had under Kings David and Solomon. After all, He had more than demonstrated His miracle-working power. Surely, the one who could multiply loaves, cure lepers, and raise the dead could toss out a few Roman rulers.

Now he was telling them that instead he was about to suffer and be killed. A few days later, Jesus took the Inner Circle, Peter, James and John, up on a mountain to pray and there He revealed what the ultimate future held for Him.

“As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” [Luke 9:29]

That moment was a glimpse of what John saw of the Exalted Christ Jesus that he recorded in Revelation 1. That glimpse, that one moment on that mountain, would hold these disciples for the rest of their lives. James, the first to be martyred, Peter who would be crucified upside down, and John who would live the longest and suffer exile would remember what they saw that day. “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” [2 Peter 1:16]

All it takes is one glimpse of the majesty of our LORD and Savior, exalted to the Right Hand of the Father, to carry us through every trial and danger. Seek His Face today, beloved. Get that glimpse of the One we serve.

One thing I noticed as we drove from southern Utah to Salt Lake City was sheep, lots and lots of sheep. There were some cattle, and we spotted some horses, but sheep seemed to be the predominant livestock. They seemed to be contented sheep, grazing away in pastures next to the busy highway. Their caretakers had put a fence around them to keep them from wandering into the busy road, and probably to keep dangers from entering their pastures. They had food and water.

A little further into the Psalm that we looked at yesterday, Psalm 95, after the psalmist invited us in the opening verses to sing for joy and shout to the Rock of our Salvation, he invited us to also bow down and kneel in worship.

Ps 95:6-7: “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

 The psalmist is quite clear in his reasoning for his instructions to bow down and kneel … we do so because the LORD our Maker is our God and we are His people, His flock. And, the best part of all, we are “under His care.”

The LORD our Maker, our God, takes care of His flock, us. He has put us in His pasture where He provides everything we need for “life and godliness.” [2 Peter 1:3]

He has put a fence of protection around us. He has provided us with spiritual food and living water. He watches over us constantly. No matter what might happen in this world, in this life, our Shepherd will take us into glory. Man may come against us, man might even kill our bodies, but he can do no lasting harm to us … we go straight to the loving arms of the LORD our Maker. We have divine and eternal assurance that is ours because we are the “flock under His care.”

I saw a meme on Facebook the other day that made me think. It was simple. “What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today.” Oh my!

I hope that made you think as much as it did me. My thoughts immediately went to the day before – “What did I thank God for yesterday?”

Was my praise and thanksgiving rich, or was it weak? Did I look at the wonders around me and glorify God for His amazing creation? Did I thank Him that day for my salvation? My daily bread? My family and friends? My church family? Did I thank Him for His Indwelling Spirit in me? For His guidance, discipline, encouragement and compassion?

Or did I go about my merry way totally oblivious to God’s presence around me?

As I sorted through my attitude, I realized that my thanksgiving is probably greater now because of the approaching holiday. But, but, will it be that robust in February or June or August? I need to make certain that thanksgiving for all God has done doesn’t disappear with the passing of the season. I need to be certain that my praise and thanksgiving is for every day, no matter the date on the calendar or the circumstance that surround me, or the condition of my body.

The Psalmist invites us to “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” [Ps 95:1-2]

That’s an invitation for every day – not just for one special time of the year.

I am going to be 73 in a couple of days. At the TSA screening in Boise I not only had to go through one of those big screening machines that shows everything, I got patted down by an agent. (Did I tell you I am almost 73 years old? And that if I am outside or walking any distance I carry a walking stick to help me keep my balance?)

In Salt Lake City, the TSA agent just waved me through a simple metal detector. So apparently, to the Boise TSA I look like I might cause trouble, but to the Salt Lake City TSA I look like an old woman unable to cause trouble. I’m not sure what changed in four days; I know I didn’t.

Even though I was the same, TSA saw me and treated me differently at different times at different places.

That reminded me to thank my LORD and Savior, for He does not treat me differently at different times at different places. We are reminded in Hebrews that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” [13:8]

That should bring us great comfort. We never need to worry that Jesus will be fickle. From day to day, He is the same. We may change (hopefully for the better), but He never changes. We know that whenever we go to Him, those same outstretched arms that reached from the cross to our soul will still be reaching out and welcoming us.

Meditate on that today. Maybe if you have not already, memorize Hebrews 13:8. It will bring great comfort to your soul in difficult times to know that Jesus is the Rock that is always there for you, and that He is always the same, yesterday, and today, and forever. Amen!

I seldom travel by plane. Most of my traveling is in a car and mainly to visit family. Bob and I have taken one long vacation to the Southwest but usually, we simply go see our grandsons in California. This time, however, Patty and I took a flight to Salt Lake City, Patty from Montana and me from Idaho. We rented a car there and drove the remainder of the journey to Cedar City in Southern Utah, reversing the trip on the way home.

I’m not much of a fan of air travel. I’m not afraid of flying, I just don’t care for the TSA hassle or waiting around in terminals. So, of course, now that I am home, my news feed posted an article titled “16 Airport Mistakes to Stop Making Before Your Next Flight.”

Thankfully, when I reviewed them, I found that I didn’t make any of those mistakes. Still, it would have been nice to have been warned about them before I flew just in case.

That’s one thing about our loving Father God … He has given us plenty of warning. He doesn’t want us to make mistakes but to always live pleasing lives before Him. Paul reminded the Thessalonians to “warn [any] as a brother,” who do not heed the instructions given. [2 Thess 3:15]

Throughout the Scriptures God has set forth His Holiness. He invites us to be holy because He is holy. We are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit who leads us and guides us into that holiness of God. We strive to be pleasing to our Father in Heaven. God doesn’t leave us in the dark and then tell us what we did wrong. He brings us into His Light. We see Jesus, and we know without a doubt what we are to be and do.

How richly blessed I am! Yes, I have some problems; yes, I have some physical issues, but oh, am I blessed! I have such goodness flowing through my life. God loves me. I have a great family. I have good friends. Some I’ve had for many decades and some more recent. I have a wonderful church family that loves me and loves each other. I am sitting this morning just thanking God for how good He has been to me, and how good He continues to be to me.

I am so blessed. I heard the Gospel invitation five decades ago, and I responded. God brought me into His loving arms and family and gave me what Paul describes as a “good hope.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17: “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Good Hope – doesn’t that have the most delightful sound. It’s almost as if light emanates from those two little words. God loves us. By His grace He has given us eternal encouragement and Good Hope. His Good Hope strengthens our hearts and flows from us in good words and deeds.

I have been living in God’s Good Hope for almost five decades now. I can barely remember what it was like to live without hope. I know there were times before I met the LORD that hopelessness flooded my soul, but since Christ Jesus moved in by the power of His Spirit, and brought the Good Hope of the Father to abide in me, even the memory of hopelessness has been wiped away.

Now I live in Good Hope and Good Hope lives in me. I know with certainty that God will work out all things to my good no matter what they may look like in the present. I rejoice today in God’s Good Hope!