December 22, 2024

Give Thanks

November 15, 2015 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
Psalms 136:1-3

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Give thanks to the Lord (for He is good)
For He is good
Give thanks to the Lord (for He is good)
For He is good
Give thanks to the Lord (for He is good)
For He is good
His love endures forever

His love will reign forevermore
His power will reign forevermore
His grace will reign forevermore
His peace will reign forevermore

His love endures forever (praise the Lord)
His love endures forever (Hallelujah)
His love endures forever

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God’s Peace

November 11, 2015 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Colossians 3:15-17 MSG

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Ever felt so rushed, you snapped at everyone?  You felt no peace about what you were doing, but were anxious; then only to have the Holy Spirit cause you to check yourself?  I have.  Trying to do a task by myself, not giving myself time to complete it early so I could review it and submit it correctly the first time. I know my personality is to complete it correctly the first time, as it should be.  But circumstances can get in the way and, at times, I forget to slow down and double check my work.

I like how Jesus always paced himself.  Taking the time to pray…being intentional about it.  He demonstrated to His disciples how to pray, when to pray, and how to be still and wait on His Father to answer.  Jesus always had a peace about Him.  Remember how Jesus was on the boat in the terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee? The disciples became very anxious but Jesus slept right through it.

But as they were sailing along He fell asleep;
and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake,
and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.
They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”
And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves,
and they stopped, and it became calm.
And He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another,
“Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”
Luke 8:23-25
All authority is given to Jesus.  This is not what the disciples could see in the moment.  But you and I have the benefit of reading the miracles of Jesus and His disciples. We can begin to give thanks to God for His written word to instruct us, guide us, and set us on the correct path for our lives.
This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks for all we have.  Does not matter if what we have is new, used up, worn out, not the right brand, or maybe you do not live in the ‘right’ neighborhood.  Remember God has you where you need to be to further His Kingdom.  We are to be willing to submit to God’s Will for our lives.
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Dear God, thank You for Your lovingkindness.  We ask for healing and a desire to return to You and Your teachings for our nation.  Send the Helper to those who ask, for He will only come when asked. Show us how to be a light for You in every area of our lives and give us the courage to speak out when we feel Your nudging.  Forgive us for our stubbornness in not following after You in all things.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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Give Thanks

November 25, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

Give thanks, give thanks
We give thanks to You, oh Lord
We give thanks


Songwriter: Henry Smith / Performed by Don Moen
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Having a thankful, grateful heart is one of the most powerful tools we have in the Kingdom.  Did you know that the word, thanksgiving, is mentioned in the Bible 69 times? **  According to Paul, only where gratitude is present is there true faith (Romans 1:21).  Paul was heavily persecuted, yet he wrote,

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57

The people of God are thankful people, for they realize how much they have been given.  Even in the most dire of circumstances Paul was always thankful.  A thankful heart is a heart that says “I trust God more than the circumstances around me and I KNOW that He will work them out for good no matter what things look like around me!”

“Thanksgiving breaks the power of the enemy. Whenever you give thanks to God, despite the most difficult circumstances, the enemy loses a big battle in your life. When you give thanks in the midst of difficulty, you bring pleasure to God’s heart. He is looking for Christians who live in a realm of praise and thanksgiving where the enemy no longer has an ability to hold or manipulate that person. Satan is defeated when we have a thankful heart because thankfulness during difficulty is a sacrifice pleasing to God.”

(Quoted from ‘Thanksgiving: The Power of a Thankful Heart’  Read the entire article here.)

Be joyful always;
pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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Heavenly Father, I pray that I will choose to be thankful in ALL things no matter what things look like around me… that I will always be looking for the good that You are doing in the midst of it. Help me to be like Paul and live with a heart of thankfulness and thanks giving in ALL things. So that my sacrifice may be pleasing to you….In Jesus’ name AMEN!!!

**  http://trinitycleveland.org/biblechallenge

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Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks, Repeat

November 16, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Rejoice always!
Pray constantly.
Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 HCSB

You know that feeling you get when you look at a Scripture passage and think “I already know this stuff!” and then God gives you a head slap and says ”Oh, yeah? Check this out!”…?

Yep, just happened to me.

This passage is one of the staples of Christian life.  We learn it at a young age.  It gets used in the hard times.  We offer it to others in times of distress.  It becomes a platitude and we cease to think about what it really means.

I have always looked at this passage as three separate verses— three different directives.  But today God showed me these are a cycle…meant be used together as stepping-stones.

Rejoice always

How on earth are we supposed to always have joy?  There are so many things to worry about or deal with.  Philippians 4:6 (NLT) gives us a clue:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

Only through prayer are we able to rejoice always. As Charles Spurgeon puts it “The more praying, the more rejoicing.”  Joy is not based on our circumstances or emotions.  Circumstances and emotions change as quickly as the weather.  But God doesn’t!

Pray constantly

And just how are we supposed to do that?  Praying doesn’t mean we have to use our voice, be on our knees, or bow our heads.  Anytime is the right time for prayer.  Think of prayer as having an ongoing conversation with your best friend.  Prayer can change our perspective.  Things we see as trials or struggles may actually be bigger blessings in disguise.  Prayer gives God the opportunity to help us see life from His perspective. Colossians 4:2 (NASB) tells us:

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Prayer helps us to have an ‘attitude of gratitude.‘

 Give thanks in everything

Notice it doesn’t say FOR everything or in SOME things.  We don’t get to pick and choose what suits us.  We are to be thankful in everything.  I love this quote by Charles Spurgeon: “When joy and prayer are married, their firstborn child is gratitude.”

You may be thinking, “Well, this just takes the cake! How am I supposed to do all this?” Hebrews 13:15 (AMP) holds the key:

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times
offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,
which is the fruit of lips
that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Through Jesus we are able to do this. It is not we MUST do it because it is God’s will for us; it is we CAN do it because it is God’s will for us. That one little shift in perspective changes everything. It is cycle…a circle of behavior…that never ends.

Prayer changes our perspective and helps us find joy.  ➛
➛ Joy causes us to rejoice . ➛
➛ Rejoicing makes us thankful. ➛
➛ When we are thankful we offer up prayer and praise.  ➛
➛ Praying reveals and restores our joy…and round and round we go!

Now that is one endless circle I don’t mind being a part of!

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Lord, thank You for revealing this passage to me in a new light.  Thank You helping me to see each part is a stepping-stone pointing the way to the next step.  I rejoice in You, for You have made me glad.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen – it is so!

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Little Bundles of Thanks

November 9, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by His wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful.
Psalms 111:1-4

In this season of the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years), we often forget that this is a time to thank God for all we have.  The Lord had a plan when He did His great works.  God made everything for His glory.  As a group of believers, we should give thanks to God when we are together and when we are not.  The Lord is present at all times, and He hears our prayers of thanks.

On Mother’s Day, many churches hold baby dedications to thank God for the birth of new little ones.  When our son was born, we were going to a Methodist church, so we had a christening.  We had already decided to do his christening the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  We had the same plan for our daughter.  When our daughter was born, we had already moved to a Baptist church.  Baby dedications are done there in May.  I was able to talk to our Pastor and the Children’s Director about doing a dedication service the Sunday before Thanksgiving for both children.  The reason for doing all this at Thanksgiving was that I had miscarried our first pregnancy.  When we got pregnant with our son, it was in November.  We wanted to give thanks to the Lord for getting us through the miscarriage and sending us our son to us.   We wanted to do the same with our daughter.  I don’t know about my husband, but I wanted to honor and thank God for our blessings—especially during such a special time of year.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Going through rough times can teach anyone to be thankful.  Losing a child can make one thankful for the little ones we do have.  I know I have a very soft spot for my son because I took a hard hit when we lost our first.  I still think about that one to this day.

As a group of believers when we dedicate our children to the Lord we are thanking Him for sending us this little bundle of joy that brings love, pain, heartache, and everything else that goes along with it.  In the company of other believers, we thank God for this little person and pledge to teach him/her the Judeo-Christian values for which our country was founded and to teach the child to be a person who loves and honors God through worship and service.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for our children and the children of our friends and family.  You send us a great gift when you send new little ones to the church.  We pledge to teach them Your ways and to honor You through service.  We thank You for Jesus and the sacrifice You made as a father.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Forever — Kari Jobe

March 8, 2014 by
psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

The moon and stars they wept
The morning sun was dead
The Savior of the world was fallen
His body on the cross
His blood poured out for us
The weight of every curse was broken

One final breath He gave
As Heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever,  He is glorified
Forever,  He is lifted high
Forever,  He is risen
He is alive
He is alive

We sing Hallelujah!  The Lamb has overcome!

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Can you imagine what it was like to watch Jesus die that dark, sad day…the day that Jesus and God were separated and our sin died with Him?  His mother looked on and so did many others who loved the Son of God, Son of Man.  Wasn’t it just last night that He broke bread with His disciples and gave thanks for it?  When He poured the wine and drank with them?  He knew what the next day held.  And one of His own had betrayed Him.

That night He prayed in the garden as His disciples slept peacefully and He begged for His life, But God!  His plan was to be carried out and Jesus was to be crucified on the Cross.  His body was broken and His blood was poured out so we could live eternal life with Him in Heaven.  God Himself, with every nail that was hammered into His hands and feet, cried as only a father would as His only Son became the Savior of the world.

After His death, they laid His dead body in the tomb and rolled a stone in front of it.  No man could move it.  Three days passed and on the morning of the third day, He was no longer there.  He had risen from the dead and He was alive!  The earth shook fiercely and the stone rolled away and Jesus watched from above.  The veil was torn and we now have access to God the Father, through Jesus the Son.  Hallelujah, He has risen! We are no longer dead to sin, but live alive with Jesus, forever!

So as we enter into this time of Lent and Easter, may we remember the sacrifice that He made with His life and that even though He knew this would happen, He still gave thanks to God.  Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle and isn’t His resurrection the biggest miracle of all?  He loves you with an everlasting love—a forever love.  As you listen and meditate on these words today, let His love flow all over you and and let it flow through you.  For you are bought with the highest price of all—Jesus Christ!

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Let us pray: Dearest Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the sacrifice of Your only Son.  Thank You for tearing the veil and allowing us to come straight to You.  You saved us from our sins and sometimes we take this for granted.  Help us to never forget and to follow Jesus’s example of giving thanks even in the hardest of times.  And for those who don’t know You, help us to be the witnesses we need to be and spread Your love that You so freely give.  We love You and we praise You.  In Jesus name, amen.

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