November 22, 2024

Reasons to Give Thanks

November 4, 2015 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Every day throughout November, we’ll bring you a  devotional focused on giving thanks, gratitude, or giving of ourselves. We welcome you to check in each day and give thanks along with us!

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
Let Israel say, “His faithful love endures forever.
Psalms 118:1-2 HCSB

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Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 106:1 HCSB

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1 HCSB

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 118:29 HCSB

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.
His love is eternal.
Psalm 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34 HCSB

Repetition, in the Bible, emphasizes the importance of the statement. Psalm 118:1 must be really important since it is repeated almost verbatim at least 6 times.  I love how this verse creates a question and supplies the answer.

Give thanks to the Lord.
Why ?
For He is good.
Why ?
His faithful love endures forever.

I am sitting in a room in a skilled nursing facility as I am writing this, and thinking about the frailty of life and the finality of death.  Yet, looking at these verses, I am reminded that death is not final. God’s love endures forever.  His loves for us is eternal.  So much so that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV

As I was researching Psalm 118:1, I came across this quote from Matthew Henry:

“The more our hearts are impressed with a sense of God’s goodness, the more they will be enlarged in all manner of obedience.”

Praising God and thanking God reminds us of His goodness thus making us more willing to be obedient to Him.  I really want to be more obedient to God.  But sometimes I find it hard to gives thanks.  I get caught up in life.  What I need to remember is that circumstances do not determine my reasons for giving thanks.  My reasons for giving thanks is summed up in John 3:16 (God so loved that He gave) and  Psalm 118:1 (He is good).  Goodness is part of God’s character, it is what He is.  His love is faithful, enduring, and eternal. And those are the only reasons I need.

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So I will give thanks to You, Lord, for You ARE good and Your love does endure forever.
AMEN – it is so!

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Without God’s Love

November 3, 2015 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Every day throughout November, we’ll bring you a  devotional focused on giving thanks, gratitude, or giving of ourselves. We welcome you to check in each day and give thanks along with us!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is Good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Let all Israel repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”
Psalm 118: 1-2

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Without God’s love we would be some very sad people.  Without the love of God, Jesus would not have been sent for us.  Without Jesus we would all be bound by the law.  Bound by the law we’d be doomed to live far more strict lives or suffer the consequences.  Without Jesus we would be stuck trying to be”good enough.” Thank God that is not the case!

I believe that without Jesus regret, guilt, hurt, sickness, pain, and every other type of ailment available would just be able to run rampant among us and we would not have any release.  This is, of course, my opinion.  The way that life is for us now, God can fix anything if we allow Him to.  We can go directly to Him ourselves.  It’s so much more intimate.  I couldn’t image having to go to another human to confess my sins, concerns, shortcomings, or worries to God for me.  I’d like to think that if I had to I would…but how comfortable it is to just be able to sit, stand, walk, drive, play, clean, or anything, and have a direct line to the Lord.  Even as I sit to type this devotional, I pray that the message He would have me present is expressed in the words that I write.

Psalm 118:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  His faithful love endures forever.” How thankful I am that His faithful love which endures forever is shown very clearly in the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.  I feel we should consider how life would be without Jesus Christ versus how it is with Him.  As we do, we can become even more appreciative, grateful, and thankful for the Gift given to us.

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Lord, help us to be forever remember to be thankful for your love that endures forever. Amen.

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God’s Goodness

November 2, 2015 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Every day throughout November, we’ll bring you a  devotional focused on giving thanks, gratitude, or giving of ourselves. We welcome you to check in each day and give thanks along with us!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever.
Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”
Psalms 118:1-2

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The whole of Psalm 118 praises the Lord for His everlasting love for His people…how good He is from the start to the end.  The Bible gives us Scriptures that show God’s goodness in many ways:

• Good and upright is the Lord therefore he instructs sinners in His ways. (Psalm 25:8)

The main theme is how God in His wisdom guides sinners so that they become faithful believers.

• The Lord loves righteousness and justice, the earth is full of his unfailing love. (Psalm 33:5)

The love that is ‘unfailing’ is His unconditional love—the love that does not take into account what you have done (good or bad) in His sight.  And that His grace is sufficient and He still loves you anyway.

• Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. (Psalm 34:8)

(Also see Psalm 119:68, 145:7, Isaiah 63:7, Jeremiah 33:11.)

• The Lord is good, a Refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him. (Nahum 1:7)

In the above sections of Scriptures we see the goodness of the Lord being shown in different ways.  Brethren, let us trust in the Lord always for, indeed, His love endures forever.

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Dear Lord, we thank You and we bless You for Your lovingkindness.  We give You all the glory and honor because You are our God whose love never fails and endures forever.  Teach us to trust in You always.  Teach us to depend upon You at all times.  Forgive us for making You too small in our lives and following our own steps in other ways.  Hold our hands and lead us on all to the glory of Your Holy name.  May You be blessed in all the earth in Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

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His Love Endures Forever

November 1, 2015 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Every day throughout November, we’ll bring you a  devotional focused on giving thanks, gratitude, or giving of ourselves. We welcome you to check in each day and give thanks along with us !

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
His faithful love endures forever
Psalm 118:1

Give thanks to the Lord
Our God and King
His love endures forever
For He is good, He is above all things
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise

With a mighty hand
and outstretched arm
His love endures forever
For the life that’s been reborn
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise

Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever, forever

From the rising to the setting sun
His love endures forever
By the grace of God
We will carry on
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise

His love endures forever
His love endures forever
His love endures forever
Forever
Sing praise, sing praise
Sing praise, sing praise

Forever You are faithful
Forever You are strong
Forever You are with us
Forever and ever, and ever

 

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Weekly Recap…Psalm 18:30

October 30, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is blameless.
The Word of the Lord is tested [it is perfect, it is faultless];
He is a Shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30

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Here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have completed a short series looking at the importance and magnitude of God’s Holy Word.  This week our devotional writers have greatly encouraged us as they shared their belief and trust that God is our Shield, protecting us and providing refuge for us in these devotions.  Please click on each link to read each complete devotional; here are a few excerpts from their thoughts….

In Take Heed, Clella reminded us that we need to know and heed to God and His promises…

“…Because God’s way is perfect, and His word is flawless, and He has promised to protect His children, we need to take heed.  Yes, like David, we have enemies—whether in the physical or in the spiritual—who try to “entangle us with cords of death” (Psalms 18:4-5).  But if we take heed of God and His Word, He will ”avenge us, and save us from our enemies” (Psalms 18:47-48).  When we are faithfully in God’s Word, then we will know God and experience His deliverance….”

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In Daddy’s Protection, Tina gave us the example of God’s love has protected us….

“Remember, as a child, how our dad was our hero?  How he could not do any wrong in our eyes?  Well, God wants us to love and trust Him like that…As we grew older our dads made mistakes, because they are human. They maybe did not show up at a ballgame, dance recital or have time to listen.  But I know Who does—God our Father.  He has time to listen to all of our issues.  He is always there….”

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In God’s Pure Word, Ann shared the blessings and benefits of God’s Word…

“There are benefits and value to God’s Law and Word.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:8

The ‘precepts of the Lord’ are definite rules concerning righteous living that are a joy to the godly.  The ‘commands of the Lord’ are the authoritative source of guiding light for the faithful who seek His way…”

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In There is Refuge in God’s Word, Ahmee pointed us to some important reminders of the refuge and warnings that God’s words can be for us…

“I know our verse (Psalm 18:30) is most likely referring to physical refuge—as in keeping you safe from bodily harm.  But when I read it the first refuge I thought of was emotional refuge.  Life can be rough and it has this way of wearing you down, if you let it.  God’s Word does have a way of warning us about certain situations. However, whether we listen, or not, is up to us.  I think Proverbs is a really great book that lets us know “If this…then that”.  We can find refuge in the Lord’s words by avoiding these situations….”

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Daddy Protection

October 29, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is blameless.
The Word of the Lord is tested;
He is a Shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30

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Remember, as a child, how our dad was our hero?  How he could not do any wrong in our eyes?  Well, God wants us to love and trust Him like that.  To love Him with a purity and honesty that surpasses anything we could ever comprehend.

As we grew older our dads made mistakes, because they are human. They maybe did not show up at a ballgame, dance recital or have time to listen.  But I know Who does—God our Father.  He has time to listen to all of our issues.  He is always there…all we need to do is call out to Him because He will give us the ultimate peace.

There are a few moments when we experience pure joy.  For some it is when their children are born; for others it is receiving the long-awaited proposal; for others it is when we accept the love and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father.  You feel alive, changed, clean, and whole.  Just as the shepherds watching the sheep on the night Jesus was born; they witnessed the joy of the celebration of heavenly hosts.  Then they were able to see Jesus while he was just hours old. Can you imagine their pure joy?

Mary was able to have the celebration of her first-born child, even though she was not at home.  God was so good to her to have others there to witness Jesus’ birth and all could feel the love of the Father that night, those who were expecting and able to see.  This is what we felt when we first believed.

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If you have not pursued Jesus as your personal Savior, reach out to Him.  It is as simple as saying this simple prayer, “Father, I am a sinner. Forgive me for my sins. Thank You for loving me and accepting me into Your family. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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God’s Pure Word

October 28, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is perfect:
The LORD’s Word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30

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There are benefits and value to God’s Law and Word.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:8

The ‘precepts of the Lord’ are definite rules concerning righteous living that are a joy to the godly.  The ‘commands of the Lord’ are the authoritative source of guiding light for the faithful who seek His way. Therefore as we follow His precepts and commands contained in the Word we are assured of the tree of life.

 And if anyone takes words away from this Book of prophecy,
God will take away from him his share in the Tree of Life
and in the Holy City which are described in this Book.
Revelation 22:19

We may not ever have a careless attitude toward this Book…or any part of God’s Holy Scripture.  Such an attitude is manifested if we choose to believe only certain parts of God’s revelation and reject other parts that we do not like.  As at the beginning of the human pilgrimage on earth, failure to take God’s Word with absolute seriousness is a matter of life and death (Genesis 3:3-4).

Dear ones, every word of God is flawless.

Every word of God is flawless
He is a Shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Proverbs 30:5

His words are truth and they are right.

I have not spoken in secret from somewhere in a land of darkness,
I have not said to Jacobs descendants ‘seek Me in vain’.
I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.
Isaiah 45:19

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Dear Lord, we give You all the praise and honor for You are the great I AM, the all-seeing, all-knowing God who is present everywhere.  We give You all the praise and honor because there is none who is like unto Thee.  We bless You, Lord.  Father, we pray in the mighty name of Jesus for the zeal to study Your Word and take all the precepts and commands therein and do them all to the glory of Your name. Whatsoever You have spoken since You are a true God, let it be true to our lives also in Jesus’ name. Be glorified and magnified at all times.  We also pray for forgiveness for we have previously taken Your Word not to its entirety.  We have chosen what is the best for our ears;  please forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Create in us a clean heart, dear Lord.  Blessed be Your holy name and all this we ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

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There Is Refuge in God’s Word

October 27, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is perfect:
The Lord’s Word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30

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I was once told (or maybe I heard, or read it, somewhere) that God’s rules are not to deprive us of things, but are to keep us from the potential hurt we could cause.  For instance,

Don’t use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful,
so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
Ephesians 4:29

God has instructed us to not use foul or abusive language because He knows the damage it can do.  Words are very powerful.  They are enough to scar a person for life.  And once they are out, there is no taking them back.  Apologizes can be said, but the memory of your words will be there.

I know our verse (Psalm 18:30) is most likely referring to physical refuge—as in keeping you safe from bodily harm.  But when I read it the first refuge I thought of was emotional refuge.  Life can be rough and it has this way of wearing you down if you let it.  God’s Word does have a way of warning us about certain situations. However, whether we listen, or not, is up to us.  I think Proverbs is a really great book that lets us know “If this…then that”.  We can find refuge in the Lord’s words by avoiding these situations.

Here are a few examples from Proverbs 10 and 11:

  • 10:2 – Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life.
  • Verse 4 – Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
  • Verse 10 – People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.
  • 11:2 – Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
  • Verse 17 – Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.
  • Verse 24 – Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.
  • Verse 28 – Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.

These are just a few words of wisdom that God has placed into His flawless Word.  And the Bible is full of them.  God tells us what our attitudes should be like at work and how we should behave towards other believers and how we should treat our enemies…and on and on and on. We have been given a handbook for life. I know people say life doesn’t come with a handbook, but the Bible sure seems like one to me! And, even if you can’t find the answer there, prayer can guide you.

God’s Word is a refuge.
It helps to keep us safe, so I say it’s worth getting very familiar with.

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Take Heed

October 26, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is perfect:
The Lord’s Word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30 NIV

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Here we have David, in the midst of singing praises to God for delivering him from his enemies.  I believe David stated the most important reason for that victory—!

God’s way, as the following Scriptures state, is His very own method and style.  God’s way of doing something has no comparison.

LORD, there is no one like You!
For You are great, and Your name is full of power.
Jeremiah 10:6 NLT

Among the gods there is none like You, Lord;
no deeds can compare with Yours.
Psalm 86:8

He is the Rock, His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is He.
Deuteronomy 32:4

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

God’s Word is flawless, unbroken, unimpaired, and whole.  It is beneficial to us.  This is in sharp contrast to the lies of the enemy.

God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man,
that He should change His mind.
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19

All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

God is our Shield.  Just as a king is trusted as the protector of his people, so we who put our faith in God are to trust Him as our Protector.

But You, Lord, are a Shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
Psalm 3:3

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You.
Psalm 84:12

But let all who take refuge in You be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread Your protection over them,
that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Psalm 5:11

Because God’s way is perfect, and His word is flawless, and He has promised to protect His children, we need to take heed.  Yes, like David, we have enemies—whether in the physical or in the spiritual—who try to “entangle us with cords of death” (Psalms 18:4-5).  But if we take heed of God and His Word, He will ”avenge us, and save us from our enemies” (Psalms 18:47-48).  When we are faithfully in God’s Word, then we will know God and experience His deliverance.

It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths.
You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!
Psalms 119:1-4

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Dear God, our Father and Protector, we come before You with humble and grateful hearts.  There is no way that is more perfect than Your Ways.  There is no word that is more flawless than Your Words.  We are Your children, and You desire nothing more than for us to trust You wholeheartedly so that You can be our Protector.  Help us by Your Holy Spirit to “take heed” of Your Word for us, so that we will know You better and follow You more closely.  We want to be joyful daughters of integrity “…who obey Your laws, and search for You with all our hearts.”  Thank You for Your Word and Your Holy Spirit, so that we can know You better.  In Jesus’ Precious Name, we pray, Amen.

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He Has Made Me Glad

October 25, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is blameless.
The Word of the Lord is tested [it is perfect, it is faultless];
He is a Shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30

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Hillsong
written by Miriam Webster

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I will bless the Lord forever
And I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all sin
And He has set my feet upon a rock

And I will not be moved
And I’ll say of the Lord

You are my Shield, my Strength
My Portion, Deliverer
My Shelter, Strong Tower
My very present Help in time of need

Whom have I in Heaven but You
There’s none I desire beside You
You have made me glad
And I’ll say of the Lord

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