For His Honor

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Hebrews 13:15 NIV

When I studied this seemingly simple verse, I found that it is saying a lot. First there is the idea that the word ‘through’ is talking about how the only way to remove the wall that separates us from God is to acknowledge Jesus as the final and permanent sacrificial offering. Acknowledge that He is the One who came to save the world by removing that wall that separates us from God, giving us the ability to communicate with God.

The next part, “Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise” is thought to be Paul talking about how, as Christians, we are sacrificing all that we are each and every day in order to follow God’s will for our lives. We know that God’s will is better than ours, but the idea of dying to self is hard at times as our desires are strongly rooted in us. However, the willful submission of them in order to follow God’s plan for our lives is our sacrifice of praise.

The last part, “the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.” conveys that we should be willing to speak out to God. That we should not be only thinking thoughts of praise to God but we should be vocalizing them, in song, poems, reciting of scripture or our own created prayers of praise. We are to be voicing our connection to God and expressing out loud how much thankful we are, how much we love our Lord and how much we want to be like Jesus.

So, as I read this verse, at first glance I didn’t take in all that it has to say about how important our public profession of faith in God is. However, knowing that the Christian path begins with knowing that Jesus is the path by which we are able to communicate with the Father, and the sacrifices of our desires for His desires is how we follow, then the idea of publicly professing our belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is the natural conclusion.

If we are willing to give up our desires to follow God’s will for our lives, then we should be willing to say all of that in public for others to hear and possibly decide for themselves if they wish to do the same. This is a way of life that is too good not to share and to important to be kept to ourselves.

Do you openly profess God’s name?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV

I have written on the 2 verses that precede this verse before. In Philippians 4:6-7, we are instructed by Paul to not worry about anything but with thanksgiving make all of our requests known to God and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. This verse naturally follows as what we are to think about instead of all of the challenges and problems were are facing.

As we end the week of Thanksgiving, many of us have been thinking about what we are thankful for from the big things in our lives down to the little things that we some times or most time take for granted. Having been focusing on the positive things in life for the last week may have changed the mindset of some. I know it always does me good to focus for a while on the positives and push the negatives far from my mind.

So if we listen to Paul at this time, I pray that we would keep our focus on what is true, what is right, what is pure, what is lovely, what is admirable, what is excellent and what is praiseworthy. By keeping our minds focused on these things, I believe that we keep our minds focused on God, because all good things come from God.

I pray everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that as we move forward to celebrating the birth of Christ, our Lord and Savior, that we continue to give thanks and keep our focus on God. Keep giving thanks!

“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

This is the second devotion for this verse that I promised when I posted Wednesday’s devotional. I wrote about giving thanks on Wednesday and I want to look at rejoicing always today. The world would have us living life by a set of standards that places us in a mindset of negativity and a lifestyle of complaining. As I said on Wednesday, 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 only feel and express the emotion that fits with the circumstance you are in. For example, if you are in a disagreement with another person, then you should feel angry or hurt by the situation and therefore you should express anger or sadness, possibly even entertain the idea of revenge. The way that Jesus instructs His followers to face that situation, is to have the emotion of anger or sadness, but to then give it to God, and choose to express love for the other person or show forgiveness for their part in the situation. See, the exact opposite.

The reason that Christians can choose to express joy at any time is because our joy is not determined by our situation, but by the fact that we are God’s children. If we rely on our situations to be joyful, then we are only joyful when the situation calls for it. Situations change which means our emotion changes per the world, but God doesn’t and since we are to base our joy in Him, our joy does not have to change. Even in some of the most difficult times in Christians’ lives, joy can be found.

As a Christian, an expression of joy in a difficult time doesn’t mean that we don’t experience other emotions such as sadness. Jesus isn’t saying we should not feel our emotions, we should, we are not robots. The difference is what we are choosing to do with our emotions at that moment. The world would say we are to remain in the sadness, where Jesus is telling us that we are to focus on Him and remain in the joy that we have because we are connected to Him. We are connected to Him because Jesus is always with us. As a child of God we can remember that situations change but God doesn’t change, we can count on Him remaining the same.

Are you able to rejoice in all things?

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 NIV

I know that I have written about these verses before, however, I purposely did not write about the last section of them during that post. I wanted to save this portion of the verse for today, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been a special holiday for me. I have always loved the food that is associated with this day. I have always loved the idea of having people gather and celebrate what we are thankful for in our daily lives.

When I still lived at home, my mother would invite her friends and people she worked with to Thanksgiving dinner, especially if she knew that they didn’t have family locally. Over the years, my husband and I have developed a tradition of opening our home up to our extended family’s friends for any occasion. Today is not going to be any different. We are blessed today to have several people outside of our immediate family join us to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for the ability to be able to share what the Lord has blessed me and my husband with. I am thankful that the Lord brought me and my husband together and that my husband is such a giving person. I am thankful for the many blessings the Lord has given me and my family such as heat, clothes, food, a home, jobs, relationships, love and most importantly eternal salvation.

If you would like, please leave a comment about what you are thankful for, what you have been graciously blessed with. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

“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.

“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?

“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?

“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.

“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.

“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.