Giving Thanks

As I was thinking about and preparing for celebrating Thanksgiving Day, I was reminded of the following praise and thanksgiving chorus: 

Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

Give Thanks To The Holy One

Give Thanks Because He Has Given Us Jesus Christ His Son

And Now Let The Weak Say I Am Strong

And Now Let The Strong Say I Am Weak

Because Of What The Lord Has Done

Give Thanks! Give Thanks! Give Thanks!

This chorus is a wonderful reminder that we should have thankful hearts and minds everyday, not just one day a year, for all The Lord is doing and providing in our lives continually.

This past Sunday evening, our church hosted a Thanksgiving Banquet and it was a very special blessing for all who attended. My wife Carole, my best friend and marriage partner for the last 52 years, hosted our table. Attached to the bottom of each clear plate she placed a special scripture about giving thanks to our Lord God. Each person at our table was individually blessed.

Following are these versus which stress always giving thanks to our Lord God:

Oh, give Thanks to The Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, Sing Psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 1Chronicles 16:8-9

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give Thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Enter into 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 100:4-5

As you have therefore received Christ Jesus The Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with Thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

I will give Thanks to The Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of The Lord Most High. Psalm 7:17

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. Colossians 3:17

Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give Thanks to The Lord. This is the gate of The Lord through which the righteousness may enter. I will give you Thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. Psalm 118:19-21

Have A Blessed Thanksgiving!

Frank

The Adversary

I am sure we are saddened by the news from Paris of numerous terrorist attacks killing 129 and wounding 350 people in various locations. Equally disturbing are the reports of similar attacks throughout Israel in October killing 11 and injuring 609 Israeli residents. It appears our adversary, Satan, is very active. 

Why is all this happening now and why has it happened in all of recorded history? Satan has opposed God and plotted the death of humanity. Our Lord God said in John 8:44, "He was a murderer from the beginning." The name Satan means adversary. Satan is the adversary of God and of everyone of God's children. He is the roaring lion who "Walks about seeking whom he may devour." (1Peter 5:8) 

From the very beginning, Satan's purpose has been to destroy the Child of the woman, "The dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born." (Revelation 12:4) Knowing from the Word of God the Promised One would surface out of Israel, the adversary did everything he could to keep Israel from being formed as a nation.

Satan led the wicked Haman to plan the extermination of all the Jews. However, our Lord God raised up Esther to expose Haman's plan and God's promised people were protected. After the promised Child was born, Satan caused King Herod to have all the babies in Bethlehem killed. Once again, our Lord God intervened and caused Joseph and his family to flee to Egypt protecting Jesus.

After Jesus' baptism, Satan tempted Him three times in the wilderness but Jesus prevailed over each temptation by responding with the Word of God. Finally, on a Friday afternoon at 3:00, Satan thought he was victorious when Jesus died on the cross. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead defeating Satan once again. Hallelujah!

Today, even with all that is happening in the world, we know without a doubt that Jesus' victory over Satan can be enforced by prayer. The praying church can actually be part of determining the outcome of world events. Satan can still cause havoc, but he cannot win against Christians who claim the victory of Jesus as their own victory.

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is The Word of God." (Ephesians 6:13-17)

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank     

A Mighty Man Of God

Numbers 22-24 records a detailed conversation between Balak, the King of Moab, and Balaam, a mighty man of God. Balak and the Moabites had become fearful of the size and strength of the Israelites since coming out of Egypt. Balak met with Balaam and asked him to curse the Israelites. Balaam responded, "Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak." He also responded with the following four oracles.

First Oracle Of Balaam 

Balak said to Balaam,  "Come, curse Jacob or me, and come, denounce Israel and what have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!"

Balaam responded, "Must I not take heed to speak what The Lord  has put in my mouth?"

Second Oracle Of Balaam

The Lord said to Balaam, "Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak." 

Balaam speaks to Balak, "God is not a man, that He should lie, behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it."

Third Oracle Of Balaam

Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes and said, "How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you."

Fourth Oracle Of Balaam

Balaam speaks to Balak, "Now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days. A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult."

This is an uplifting and encouraging example of the importance of obeying our Lord God and speaking when He provides guidance and direction. We hear daily of anti-semitism and terror attacks against the Jewish people. We also hear of Christians being persecuted throughout the world. This all raises the question - will each of us be as bold as Balaam and speak out and take the actions necessary to see our enemies defeated?

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank

The Wrath Of God

"For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Romans 1:18. This wrath of God is also commonly referred to as the judgement of God. Notice in this verse the wrath or judgement of God is against all ungodliness and unrighteousness plus it is present tense - it is happening continually. At times it is hard to see or understand.

However, a time is coming when this wrath of God will be clearly visible and understood. This period of time is known as The Great Tribulation. The pouring out of the wrath of God is definitively described in the book of Revelation as The Seven Seals Of Judgement; The Seven Trumpets Of Judgement and The Seven Bowls Of Judgement. 

How close is this time of Great Tribulation? Nobody knows but our Lord God! However, it appears close maybe even very close. Witness the following headlines of recent editorials in the Bridges For Peace Newsletter revealing evil intentions and anti-semitism: 

Premeditated, Cold Blooded Slaughter 

Elderly Israelis Targeted For Murder

Did ISIS Shoot Down Russian Aircraft

Abbas Leader Says Israel Is "Satan's Project"

Abbas's Party Promotes Nazi Children's Book

Abbas's Party, Fatah, Glorifies The Knife

Terror Wave Continues

Friday Sermon's Call For Muslims To Murder

ISIS Takes Aim At The Jewish State 

We serve a loving, caring and compassionate God who wants all His creation to receive Him as their Lord and Savior as revealed in John 3:16. Those who refuse this invitation will experience the wrath of God now and eternally. We must also decide whether to support Israel and be blessed. I pray for all of us to continually seek God's guidance to make decisions pleasing to Him.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank