Good evening, I wanted to thank you for reading my posts. I have been silent for a while now but want to get back to writing and publishing my blog. I want to only post what God leads me to post. I am going to try and do one larger post with questions each week. It is a format that I have found helpful in my studies. I would love to hear from anyone about different methods that help you study God’s word. My first post in this platform is titled “Witnesses in Jerusalem”. I hope what God has led me to write helps those who read it.
Give thanks in all circumstances
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
As I said on Monday, with this being the week of Thanksgiving, I want to focus on verses that talk about being thankful. These verses have so much information in them that I am going to break up the devotion into 2 days. The first one will be today and the second one will be posted on Friday, with a special one tomorrow, as it is Thanksgiving.
Paul is writing to the church in Thessalonica. The Church there was known for being on fire for the Lord which meant that they faced persecution often. As a new Christian, persecution is one the devil’s most powerful tools as there may not be a firm foundation formed yet to rely on during the devil’s attacks. As all of the churches were fairly new, Paul was writing to encourage them as they faced that persecution. He wanted them to know that even when they faced difficult times, that they were able to rejoice, pray and give thanks. This must have sounded foreign to them as Paul tells them that even though their circumstances are not even close to ideal, that they should still be rejoicing, praying and giving thanks.
Most people would look at that list and say that they could understand praying continually as most people pray more when they are facing difficult situations. However, rejoicing and giving thanks when you are being attacked by the devil may feel almost impossible and by the world’s standards, it probably is almost impossible. Thankfully we don’t have to live by the world’s standards.
As a Christian, we have a different set of standards to live by, the ones put in place by Jesus. His idea of how to live is usually the exact opposite of what the world views as the way to live. The world will tell you that you should complain when things do not go your way, that you should be cranky with others because your situation is not what you want it to be. Jesus tells us that we should be thankful for what we do have even when we don’t have what we are desiring.
For example, if you are looking for a new job because the one you currently have is not where you think you should be and you have gone on several job interviews. However, you have not been offered any of them, then the world would tell you to be upset that you did not get any of them. Christ would encourage you to be thankful because even though you believe that you should be somewhere else, you are still currently employed.
The way that Christians can choose to give thanks, is because we are not giving thanks for everything, but we are giving thanks in everything. There is a difference, and that difference is that we are not depending on the roll of the dice in life, we don’t place our faith in fate, we choose to place it in God’s hands which we know are in charge of all things. It is a choice to express gratitude for what we have in Christ, which is a Savior who is always with us, who knows what we are going through, who gave His life for us so we can choose salvation and have eternal life with Him. That is an amazing thing to give thanks for.
As today is the day before Thanksgiving, I encourage everyone to not only think about the small things in life that you are thankful for, but to think about one particular thing you want to give God thanks for that has changed since you have accepted Christ into your life. See you back here tomorrow.
Music to give thanks
“speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV
Music is such a wonderful way to worship and give thanks. In this letter, Paul is giving guidance to the church in Ephesus about Christian living which included worship. Singing in public worship has been done for thousands of years and is actually part of Christians inspiring worship in other Christians. Many people use this avenue to express their gratefulness and devotion to God whether in public or private.
According to Elliott’s Commentary, psalms were vocals and instruments together and hymns were only vocals. Both were used to worship God. By writing psalms, hymns and songs, Paul is suggesting all types of musical expression for the believer. Along with this expression of worship and devotion, it is evident that they were to be thankful for everything.
Do you ever find yourself in your car, in the shower or in your house, listening to music when you realize that you are singing? God gave us music to use to express ourselves. A large number of hymns as well as contemporary songs are based on giving thanks to our Lord and Savior. If you feel you are not a person who has a ‘great’ voice, please do not limit yourself in your worship of God by not singing. God has instructed us to sing and make music, I believe that as we sing in moments of worship and thanksgiving, that it is beautiful to God.
How often do you use music to give thanks to God?
Good things
“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:8-9 NIV
As this is the week of Thanksgiving, I thought that I would look at verses that focused on being thankful. The book of Psalms is known as a book full of thankful chapters and verses and these 2 verses do not disappoint.
How often do we give thanks to God for all that He has done for us? I think that sometimes we get so busy with life that we forget to tell God thanks for what He has given us. We also sometimes forget to express our gratitude for His unfailing love. On the surface, these 2 verses look like they are focused on the physical aspect of God providing food and drink to the hungry and thirsty. I believe it goes much deeper than just our physical needs being satisfied by God to also include our spiritual needs. Jesus is the Living Water, which if we drink of Him, we cause us to not thirst again.
Giving thanks is a part of communication with God for many believers as they are grateful for all that God has done for them. There is an exercise of naming 3 things you are grateful for each night and trying to not duplicate the items on the list for a week. It is a wonderful exercise as it turns our focus to the positive things that God has placed in our lives.
The Lord loves His children, His love never changes, and He provides for us. We can see that if we look for it each day. Have you noticed the good things that God has provided you with today?
Fountain of Life
“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.” Proverbs 13:14 NIV
God’s word is the source of life for all who partake of it. Reading God’s word gives us knowledge of right and wrong, knowledge of what is expected of us from God. Receiving the teaching from God’s word and in turn teaching others what is in God’s word is how we share the love of God. It is how we are able to tell others about God, providing them a choice to choose to live for God or for the world.
The snares of death are on the path to hell. The snares are the enticing things of this world that the devil puts in front of us to lure us to his way of living, away from God. If we accept those enticing things and live the life the devil wants us to live then we are walking that path to hell and hell is a real place that is filled with people who are eternally separated from God and are tormented every moment of every hour or every day.
Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to teach others about God and to resist those snares or enticing ways of living that are of the world.
See Jesus
“They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” John 12:21 NIV
This verse is from the passage in John were Jesus is attending the Passover festival. He has come into Jerusalem and the last week of His life which will end in His crucifixion, has begun. There were some Greeks who had followed behind the crowd and were now interested in ‘seeing’ Jesus. Most likely they wanted to talk to Him, not just physically see Him.
We are not told why the men wanted to see Jesus or talk to Jesus, just that they wished for this to happen. Jesus drew crowds around Him no matter where He was, people were curious about who Jesus was and what Jesus had to say. I believe these men were no different and were curious about the different and wonderful teachings Jesus was known for and they possibly wanted to know more about them and Jesus.
How often does our curiosity draw us closer to someone or something? We want to know more about whoever it is or whatever it is and we feel that if we could simply get near them or it, we may find some answers to our questions. Jesus is no different. It is wonderful when a person wants to know more about Jesus or Christianity. This curiosity can be the beginning of their spiritual journey with Jesus.
Since we cannot physically see Jesus at this time we, as followers of Christ, are who the world sees as the representation of what Christ is about. Keeping this in mind, Christians have a responsibility to make sure that we represent Jesus to the best of our ability. However, if I was able to place a warning sticker on this idea of representing Jesus as His followers, it would say ‘Warning: Christians are not Jesus, we are His followers who are trying to become like Him. We are imperfect on our best days, and our mistakes should not be held against Jesus.’
Seeking out Christians is a wonderful way to begin to hear about Who Jesus is and what Jesus is teaching, but the one true way to get to ‘see’ Jesus is to begin to have a personal relationship with Him by praying to Him and reading the Bible. The Gospel books of the Bible are our historical account of what Jesus went through, His reactions to life events and His teachings. There are no better ways to get to know Jesus than through His word and communication with Him.
Please don’t place a Christian, no matter who they are, in such high esteem that they become who you are looking to see and hear from. That position of worship is only reserve for Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the One who died for our sins.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us different ways to ‘see’ and hear from You and Jesus. Your word and the ability to remain in communication with You and Jesus through prayer are so very important to our spiritual walk. If there is anyone who is reading this today who has placed a Christian, a pastor or a Christian mentor in place of Jesus as their shepherd, I pray that You will guide them in turning their attention from that person back to Jesus, the One True Shepherd. In Jesus’s precious name. Amen.
Help each other
“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV
Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica to encourage them. In this verse that was taken from a passage titled Final Instructions, Paul, through his modeling, is encouraging not only the leaders but also the members of the church to be aware of what is going on around them. There are members of that church and the church of today that struggle with changing their behaviors from the old to the new. Some people have a challenge with changing one behavior more than another.
Paul tells them to be mindful of where each person is at but to be directive but also encouraging and patient with everyone. When Paul includes everyone in this verse, that means everyone, even those who you deem to be your enemies. In regards to those who persecute you, who are your enemies, it is completely natural to want to meet anger with anger. However, if we meet anger with anger, we are not demonstrating the love of Jesus, we are conforming to the the way of the world.
Everyone is human, everyone is struggling with something because no one is perfect. Our response to others will either bring them into a place of wanting to have a relationship with Jesus or it will drive them away. Remembering that our responsibility as followers of Christ is to bring others to Christ helps in those moments when our flesh is screaming at us to take revenge, telling us to not be talked to that way or imploring us to take what we feel we deserve.
Remaining helpful to others and patient with everyone can be done, but only when we rely on Jesus for His strength.
Wearing God’s Armor
My book is now available on Lulu as well as Amazon. The links are below for the ebook as well as the paperback. The links are different but marked.
This is the link for the paperback book
This is the link for the ebook
https://www/lulu/com/shop/tina-deavor/wearing-gods-armor/ebook/product-gj874zg.html?page=1&pageSize=4
Thank you everyone who has been supportive during this wonderful adventure.
When we pray
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ” Colossians 1:3 NIV
Paul is writing to the Christians in the church in Colossae. He has never met these brothers and sisters in Christ, as he was unable to go there to help them begin the church in Colossae. Even though he has never met them, he opens the letter he is writing to them by letting them know that he is praying for them and he is thankful for them.
Praying is very important to our spiritual life as it is a direct connection between us and God. We often pray for those we know who are non believers to come to know Christ. Praying for other believers is as important as praying for unbelievers because when we do we are lifting them to God to help strengthen them. Praying for others, even others we have never met, shows our connection to them through the family of Christ.
Being thankful in our prayers helps us to maintain our focus on what God has done for us. When we are focused on the blessings we have been given, it is difficult to focus on negative things in our lives. For those who are new Christians, I encourage you to pray for everyone including yourselves as you grow in your walk with Christ.
When you pray, do you give thanks? Do you pray for nonbelievers? Do you pray for other believers? Do you pray for both?
Seek and Find
“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV
I have written about the idea of loving God with all of your heart and all of your soul, before. This verse is encouraging us to seek Him as well with all of our heart and all of our soul. When we commit to seeking God, whether in times of trouble or not, we will find Him. He doesn’t hide from us.
When we seek God with a sincere desire to find Him and have a relationship with Him, not simply as a passing activity when we have decided that we need Him, we are engaging in a relationship with our Creator. This desire comes from deep inside to connect to the Creator of the universe. We all have this desire, we are hard wired by God to want to be connected to Him.
When do you seek God?
Does your seeking of God involve all of you?