Prayers Of Thanksgiving

"Make a joyful shout to The Lord, all you lands! Serve The Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that The Lord, He is good; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with Thanksgiving. and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For The Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." Psalm 100. 

This Psalm is titled "A Psalm of Thanksgiving." It teaches us much about having a heart and mind of thanksgiving toward our loving and caring God not just one Thursday each year but everyday. Proclaiming this Psalm each day will illustrate a heart full of thanksgiving for our Lord God.

Verse One Says, "Make A Joyful Shout To The Lord." The Israelites, as they march around the walls of Jericho, shouted to The Lord with a voice of triumph and the walls came tumbling down. . . Lord, touch our hearts to shout words of triumph unto You each day in every situation. 

Verse Two Says, "Serve The Lord With Gladness." The place to be happy is here and the time to be happy is now. . . Lord, grant us hearts and minds of happiness unto You each day.

Verse Three Says, "Know That The Lord He Is God." Before we can have any real joy, we have to recognize the authority of God in our lives. . . Lord, give us a heart and mind attitude of knowing you as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Verse Four Says, "Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving." Prior to approaching our Lord God, we must have hearts of repentance and thanksgiving. . .Lord, turn our hearts into hearts of reverence unto You.

Verse Five Says, "For The Lord Is Good." We need to acknowledge each day that everything good in our lives is a love gift from Our Lord God. . .Lord, give us hearts of unconditional love, joy and thanksgiving unto You each day.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You In His Care Each Day,

Frank

    

Standing With Israel

Our Lord God numerous times in His Word illustrates for us, as Born Again Christians, that we are "indebted" to His original chosen people, the Jewish people. Romans 9:4-5 says, "Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God." Additionally, Romans 15:27 says, "For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things." On this subject, we need to acknowledge and realize any financial support for Israel and the Jewish people are "offerings" in addition to our tithes to our local churches.

If you are looking for a ministry to support, let me recommend Bridges For Peace which is headquartered in Jerusalem and I personally have been involved with this ministry for 20 years. Bridges For Peace just celebrated 50 years of standing firm with Israel. Their stated mission is "Christians supporting Israel and building relationships between Christians and Jews in Israel and around the world." They have offices in nine countries and they take an uncompromising stand against anti-semitism.

Bridges For Peace participates in numerous acts of tangible support. These efforts include assistance for new immigrants to Israel including monthly food supplies to 28,000 people in fifty communities throughout Israel. They also contribute to the safety of Israelites with donating bomb shelters and ambulances. This week they dedicated two fully equipped ambulances to Israel's emergency provider, Magen David Adom.

Working with Israel's Social Workers and Government Agencies, Bridges For Peace is Israel's unconditional friend. For more information on how to get involved, contact bridgesforpeace.com  Always remember, Genesis 12:3 says, "I will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel."

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You In His Care,

Frank 

     

"I Am Zealous For Zion"

Unfortunately, Iran is back in the news and, as expected, it is not good news for Israel. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, exclaimed on November 8th "This barbaric, wolf-like and infanticide regime of Israel which spares no crime has no cure but to be annihilated. The only means to confront a barbaric regime like Israel is arming the Palestinians."

This is the anti-Israel rhetoric coming out of the East but there is also negative news about Israel coming from the West by way of the European Union. The European Union's new Foreign Affairs Chief, Federica Mogherini, visited Israel this weekend. She insisted on the urgent need for a Palestinian State with the Eastern half of Jerusalem as its capital. "This is the position of all of the European Union," she proclaimed. Since when does the European Union determine the borders of Israel? 

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu responded once again stating that "Jerusalem is our capital and as such is not a settlement. The neighborhoods in which we are living and we have been building, have been there for close to fifty years. Everybody knows that in any Peace Agreements they will remain part of Israel." A majority of Jews insist Jerusalem must never again be divided.

Our Lord God proclaims in Zechariah 8:2,3,7,8,15 "I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervor I am zealous for her. . .I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. . .behold I will save My People from the land of the East, and from the land of the West; I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. . .I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do Not Fear."

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You In His Care This Day,

Frank       

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem. . ."

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem Lift Up Your Gates And Sing, Hosanna In The Highest, Hosanna To Our King." This is the start of a glorious worship song about Jerusalem and when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns to earth and stands on the Mount of Olives, Zechariah 14:4. Jerusalem is the holiest of cities on earth for the Jewish people and Christians and the third holiest for Muslims and is always a center of turmoil especially within the last couple of weeks.

A Palestinian last week shot and nearly killed Rabbi Glick in Jerusalem. Glick advocates for the right of Jews to pray atop the Temple Mount. He is the head of Halica the Initiative for Jewish Freedom on the Temple Mount. They are for religious freedom for Jews and non-Muslims on the Temple Mount not pushing for the removal of Muslims.

As a result, an emergency meeting was held by the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee on November 2nd in which the Chief of  Police said "Even if we have to bring a large number of forces, we will protect the right of those going up to the Temple Mount." Jerusalem Mayor Barkat added "We will not tolerate the throwing of stones, we must protect the status quo on the Temple Mount and we must fight against those who want to disrupt it. 

Continuing the current narrative about Jerusalem especially the Temple Mount, Israeli Representative to the United Nations Ron Prossor addressed the U.N. on October 29th. Following are excerpts from his remarks, "The people of Israel are not occupiers and not settlers. Israel is our home and Jerusalem is the eternal capital of our sovereign state. The Holy City is named more than 900 times in the Bible. The Temple Mount is Judaism's Holiest Place. Today a Jew who wishes to visit the sacred site is threatened with violence." 

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in The Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:10-11. We, as born again Christians, need to fight the spiritual battle every day but also can stand strong for Israel and Jerusalem at the same time. Amen!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day,

Frank