“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
I once heard a story that went something like this… There was a man who had three sons. He told them that he would give all that he had to the son that could fill the barn to the fullest. The first son thought he was very wise and he filled the barn with cows. He put as many into the barn as could possibly fit. The next day it was time for the second son and he filled the barn with hay. He stacked the bales as high as they could possibly go. He was sure that he had won the inheritance. As soon as the barn was emptied of the hay, it was time for the third son to take his turn. He waited for darkness to fall and then he carried a lantern into the center of the barn and light filled the barn, shining all the way to the rafters. Because of his wisdom, he gained the inheritance. When the Light shines in our lives, there is no place for the darkness. Jesus is the Light and we can walk in that Light each day. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) We are not to follow the path of the wicked in darkness, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18) Can others see the Light shine through your life each day? Be thankful for the Light. And walk in the Light. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7)
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.” Psalm 28:7 & 8
We go to church on Sunday and rejoice in the victory we have through our Lord Jesus Christ. We sing praises to our God and hear the teaching and preaching of His Word. Then we get up on Monday morning and must once again face the world. We wonder where the weekend went and pray for strength to make it through another day and another week. In our verse above David said, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped...” When you awaken tired and just don’t feel like going to class, or going to work, pray for God to give you strength. There are many mornings I ask the Lord to go with me through the day and bow in humility acknowledging to Him that I can’t do anything on my own. I like what Moses prayed in Exodus 33:14, “And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Moses was chosen to lead the children of Israel to the Promised Land, but if God were not going to go with them, he didn’t even want to go. When you need strength, turn to God and ask Him to go with you and trust in His Word. Moses learned this well and when the time came for Joshua to take the leadership we read in Deuteronomy 31:7 & 8, “And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” Thank God for saving strength and sustaining strength.
Thank God For Victory Through Our Lord Jesus Christ
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:57 & 58
Thank God for victory! There are so many things in this life that can make you feel defeated. When you stand true to God and uphold your integrity in the workplace you may be left behind when it comes time for promotions. Your superiors may think you don’t “have what it takes” to make it to the top. Your priorities for God and strong convictions may cause you to be left out of school parties, and leave you sitting alone in your dorm. The way you live and dress may cause you to get ridiculed by others. You may miss ball games and shopping trips with your peers by going to church on Sunday. But you can still have the victory through Jesus Christ! Don’t let the things of the world get you down. I want to encourage you to stay true to your convictions. Paul says to be steadfast and unmovable, and stay busy in the Lord’s work. You may not see the rewards of your work now, but your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” Romans 1:8
Paul thanked God for the faithfulness of the Roman believers. We need to be faithful. We can show our love and thanks to God through our faithfulness. Are you faithful in your attendance to the house of God? Are you faithful in your prayer life? Do you faithfully read your Bible and seek God’s will for your life? In all the scriptures, God never says that we are to be successful, or rich and famous. But God does tell us that we are to be faithful. “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (I Corinthians 4:2) In Luke 12:42-44 we read, “And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.” Jesus is our Lord. He has promised to return and take us home to heaven. We need to keep the faith. Keep trusting in His Word. Stand up for right. “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
This verse is known and quoted by many. When a friend has a problem we are often quick to quote this verse to them and tell them that “all things work together for good to them that love God…” But how easy is it for me to say it when something doesn’t go my way? Can you still claim the verse with the same assurance when you have a flat tire, or get caught in the rain without an umbrella, or drop your books in a puddle? The verse doesn’t say that all things are good. But it says that “all things work together for good”. We can’t see tomorrow, much less farther down the road. We may not know why we have been asked to move to another city for our job, or why we didn’t get the job or promotion we tried to get. But just as we can look back at our past and see how things worked together for a purpose, God sees our future and works them out “…according to his purpose”, which brings me to the end of the verse. Aren’t you glad you were called? We are saved because Jesus came to us, and the Holy Spirit sent conviction to our soul and God called us to accept Him. I thank my God and Savior and the Holy Ghost for the work they have done to save me. And finally, I have to look at the purpose. It’s not about me. My purpose here on earth is not to lift myself up to the highest obtainable goal. My purpose here is to glorify my God and Savior and lift up His name.
“For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.” Nehemiah 12:46
When we think of the first Thanksgiving, we think of the early settlers, Pilgrims, and Indians sharing their feast in giving thanks to God for their harvest. In 1782 George Washington made Thanksgiving an official holiday with the Thanksgiving Proclamation.
"It being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for His gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give Him praise for His goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of His providence in their behalf. They do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for His goodness, by a cheerful obedience of His laws, and by promoting, each in His station, and by His influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness."
--George Washington, 1782
But thanksgiving goes back even farther than that. Our scripture tells us that in the days of King David there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. We can go back even farther in time, all the way back to Leviticus 7:11-13 and read of thanksgiving. “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which he shall offer unto the LORD. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. Beside the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace-offerings.” We have more to be thankful for than any other people in any other time in history. Make sure you take time today to give God thanks for all He has done for you.
“And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt-offerings.” II Chronicles 29:29-31
In these verses we see many of the ways we have talked about in showing thanks to God. The people bowed and worshipped, they sang praises with gladness, and they also brought thank-offerings into the house of God. We can look all the way back to Leviticus 7:12 and find the laws of offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving. God is pleased when we give our tithes and offerings unto the Lord. Luke 21:1-4 tells us of Jesus in the temple, “And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.” Jesus praised this widow for giving all she had to God. We may not have much and we may feel that our small gift would not even be noticed, but God knows our heart and He is pleased when we give in thankfulness to Him.
