The Son of Thankfulness
November 28, 2013

"And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing" (Genesis 29:35)

This verse is the testimony of Jacob's first wife, Leah, at the time of the birth of her fourth son. It also is significant in that it contains the first mention of the Hebrew yadah, often rendered "praise," but more often "thank" or "thanks." In fact, she even named her son "Judah," which is essentially the same Hebrew word.

Although Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were all older sons of Leah, God chose Judah to be the father of the tribe through which Christ would come into the world. Whenever Leah spoke to her son, she would actually be calling him "Thanks" and thus in effect remembering her gratitude for this gift of a special son.

We also continue to give thanks every day for that special Son of the tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as Judah later was willing to offer his own life for his brother Benjamin (see Genesis 43:9) out of love for both his brethren and his father, so this distant grandson of Judah was willing to lay down His own life to save those whom He was glad to call His brethren (Hebrews 2:11-12).

In the last reference to Judah in the Bible, this son of Judah is called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" who will one day be acknowledged as King over all the earth (Revelation 5:5). The last mention of "thanks" in the Bible is when the elders of the church in heaven cry out: "We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and has reigned" (Revelation 11:17).

We surely have much for which we thank God, but most of all we are thankful for the Son of God, our Creator, Saviour, and coming King. HMM

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What's up? ...............

vickyO:

What's up? ...............

The Son of Thankfulness.

Joshthefirst:

My broda! Your administrators are limiting me to making one post (topic) or two a day.

OLAADEGBU:

The Son of Thankfulness.

Ok.
Of course we ought to be thankful to God for this beautiful master plan and Jesus who made it a reality.
A heart devoid of gratefulness/gratitude is alien to True Christianity

Stil Eccentric.

OLAADEGBU:

My broda! Your administrators are limiting me to making one post (topic) or two a day.

lol. But you seriously open plenty o' topics a day

You're overwhelming the server.


We must always be thankful. Thank God for this message.

vickyO:
Ok.
Of course we ought to be thankful to God for this beautiful master plan and Jesus who made it a reality.
A heart devoid of gratefulness/gratitude is alien to True Christianity

Funny enough, Oluwaseun's name means "thankful" or thank you Lord"

OLAADEGBU:

Funny enough, Oluwaseun's name means "thankful" or thank you Lord"

Joshthefirst:

lol. But you seriously open plenty o' topics a day

You're overwhelming the server.


We must always be thankful. Thank God for this message.

I can see that I am "seriously overwhelming the server," not! However Seun should stand true to his name and be "thankful"

Annie2gud:

Stil Eccentric.

I am still thankful.

vickyO: What's up? ...............

Thanks giving in the states.Give thanks.

Bidam:

Thanks giving in the states.Give thanks.

Yes oh! Happy thanksgivukkah. Thanksgiving and Hanukkah!

OLAADEGBU:

Yes oh! Happy thanksgivukkah. Thanksgiving and Hanukkah!

Na so big bro....

Bidam:

Na so big bro....

Yes o my broda, we give thanks with a grateful heart to the Holy One.

Happy Thanksgiving to our Christian friends, happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends, and to our atheist friends, good luck.

Thanksgiving Traditions in the US and Canada


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OgKvQjipOg

The Goofy family celebrating Thanksgiving day in the funniest way.

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0102M1NU&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fbpage&utm_campaign=gtupdate

What Is Thanksgiving?

Today many Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving. Sadly we are losing our focus on the original reason for Thanksgiving as the spiritual state of America continues to decline. Many people in America, or even across the world, may ask, “What is Thanksgiving?” This is an important question and it is even more important to acquire a correct answer. As families gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving, are we reminding our children what Thanksgiving means? . . .

Read more at http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/11/24/happy-thanksgiving

In the midst of civil war, President Abraham Lincoln asked us to be thankful --

The Full Text of Lincoln’s First Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, 1863:

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans. mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A. D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

By the President:
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

The Second Remnant
November 29, 2013

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea" (Isaiah 11:11)

The great prophet Isaiah lived during the time when the ten tribes of Israel were being carried into captivity by the Assyrians, and about a hundred years before his own nation of Judah would be carried into exile by the Babylonians. Yet, in one of the most remarkable prophecies of the Bible (Isaiah 44:28–45:6), Isaiah promised that his people would someday return and build Jerusalem and its temple again. Furthermore, he even named the future emperor of Persia (the nation which would succeed Assyria and Babylonia as the dominant world power), calling him Cyrus. This great king fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy about 175 years after it was given (note Ezra 1:1-4).

But Isaiah not only prophesied this first return from exile, as noted in the key verse above; he foresaw that, in the distant future, God would also "set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people." The context of this passage is nothing less than the glorious future time of Messiah's reign over all the earth (Isaiah 11:9-10). The outcasts of Israel and Judah would return home, not only from the nations of the Middle East, which will evidently be active enemies of Israel again in that future day (note that Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, and Hamath were the ancient names of the nations now identified as Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, respectively), but even from "the four corners of the earth" (Isaiah 11:12). Isaiah thus predicted an even greater exile and worldwide homecoming long beyond that of the Babylonian captivity. Such information could have come only from God Himself. HMM

For more . . . .

The Penalty of Unbelief
November 30, 2013

"I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not" (Jude 1:5)

This is the first example Jude provides of those who refused to respond to God's leading and gracious provision. Israel had witnessed stunning miracles, and a few very public judgments, before the 12 spies were sent out to investigate the Promised Land.

For example, the institution of the Passover was a wonderful and fearful event. God showed His hand both in salvation of those who obeyed and in swift judgment on those who refused.

The exodus of Israel from Egypt was unique. Not only did God enrich the nation in one day, but demonstrated His awesome power at the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the army of Pharaoh. Everyone in Israel observed this. They all experienced God's power firsthand.

On the way to Mount Sinai, the bitter water of Meribah was made sweet for them to drink even after they complained—bitterly. The daily miracle of the manna was given to feed the nation, and water was provided out of the rock for them to drink. God's grace and mercy were just about everywhere they could imagine.

Even after the nation had arrived at the holy mountain and the fearful giving of the Law was accomplished in their sight, Israel rebelled with the celebration of the golden calf. God’s judgment was swift, and thousands died.

Apparently, the nation did not learn their lesson even though they had a revival while giving, building, and dedicating the tabernacle for worship. After all of that, Moses sent out the 12 men to "spy out the land." When the nation refused to trust God, He condemned everyone over 20 to die in the wilderness, except for faithful Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:29-30). "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). HMM III

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Proofs of the Pudding
December 1, 2013

"If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him" (1 John 2:29)

The little book of 1 John provides a treasure trove of "proofs" that demonstrate the reality of the invisible spiritual change brought about by the new birth.

There are two emphases: proofs based on personal experience and proofs based on intellectual awareness.

Here is a short list of proofs we experience:

Obedience to God's commandments (1 John 2:2-5)
Experience of God in our lives (1 John 2:13-14)
Obvious "antichrists" in the world (1 John 2:18)
Worldly ignorance of Christianity (1 John 3:1)
Sinners' ignorance of righteousness (1 John 3:6)
Our love for fellow Christians (1 John 3:16-18)
The indwelling Holy Spirit (1 John 4:13)
Our love for godly behaviour (1 John 5:2)

Here are proofs we have intellectual confidence in:

The Holy Spirit's anointing (1 John 2:20)
The holiness of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:29)
The Father's love for us (1 John 3:1)
Our eternal bodies to be like Christ (1 John 3:2)
Hating a brother is like murder (1 John 3:15)
Scripture's message of eternal life (1 John 5:13)
Assurance that we belong to God (1 John 5:19)
Assurance that Christ has come (1 John 5:20)

These evidences are primarily for the believer—that is, they are intended to assure the believer's heart and mind of his security in Christ. John's list is not intended to be complete but only to focus our thoughts on the obvious. When you count your blessings, remember these. HMM III

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The Peace of the God of Peace
December 2, 2013

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7)

For generations, most of the world's people have longed for peace, but the world continues to be at war. Evolutionists attribute this to ages of violent evolutionary struggle; the Bible attributes it to sin!

But it is wonderfully possible to have real personal peace even in a world at war. This is what the Bible calls "the peace of God," and it surpasses all human understanding because it is provided by the God of peace, for the writer continues, "The God of peace shall be with you" (v. 9).

The God of peace! There are some wonderful promises associated with this beautiful name of our Lord. For example: "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans 16:20). Also: "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

The provision of God's perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3) is specifically invoked in 2 Thessalonians 3:16: "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means." Perhaps the greatest promise of all is implied in the concluding prayer of the book of Hebrews: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ" (Hebrews 13:20-21).

There is only one other reference to the peace of God: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Colossians 3:15). The peace of God, from the God of peace, can rule in our hearts if we let it rule in our hearts. Then, as promised in our text, it will also keep our hearts! HMM

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His Amazing Grace
December 3, 2013

"Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 1:1)

These are the very first of Paul's divinely inspired words, and in this first of his inspired greetings, he set a pattern which he would later follow in all his other epistles. He would always begin with an implicit prayer that both grace and peace, sent from God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be received and experienced by the ones to whom he was writing. Furthermore, "grace" always precedes "peace" in these salutations, because one must receive the grace of God before he can experience the peace of God.

By this strong emphasis on grace—preceding anything else he might write to the church or its pastor—he confirmed the great importance of God's loving grace. Grace is the first essential in salvation and is the continuing vital essential in Christian living. The Thessalonians had already been saved by grace through faith, but now the grace of God their Father and Jesus Christ their Lord must also be lived out in their personal behaviour, especially in their dealings with others, to whom God would also manifest His grace through them.

Paul also closed every epistle with a prayer that the grace of the Lord Jesus would continue to be with all who read them. Finally, the last of his inspired words (written while he was in prison) to his young disciple, Timothy, were: "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen" (2 Timothy 4:22).

Each true Christian life must begin, continue, and end in the sustaining grace of the Saviour. Indeed, the very last revealed words of God Himself in the Holy Scriptures are: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22:21). Thank God for His amazing grace. HMM

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Not Giving, but Sowing
December 4, 2013

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6)

As John Calvin pointed out long ago in expounding this key passage, "We are not giving, but sowing" when we contribute of our financial means to the work of the Lord, for it miraculously is considered by the Lord of the harvest as seed sown in the soil of the hearts of men.

And it is a rule of the harvest that, other things being equal, the more seed planted, the more harvested. He who is deficient with his seed must necessarily anticipate a meagre crop.

Of course, a bountiful harvest presupposes not only an abundance of seed, but also good soil, properly prepared, watered, and cultivated. It is no good simply to give money to anyone or any cause, any more than it is good simply to throw a seed on a rocky slope or city street or weed-infested yard. One is responsible to give where God's Word is honoured—not just to give, but to give responsibly.

Furthermore, even though an abundant harvest is promised, the motive in giving is also vital. The harvest is souls—not gold! "God loveth a cheerful giver"—not a conditional giver (v. 7). "He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity" (Romans 12:8.). Often God does bring financial blessing to a Christian who has proved faithful in the grace of giving, but this is so he can give still more and thus lay up still more treasure in heaven. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48). "Therefore," as Paul said, ". . . see that ye abound in this grace also" (2 Corinthians 8:7).

And as we give, we must never forget that Christ has given more: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor" (2 Corinthians 8:9). HMM

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HEAVENLY FATHER, I'm so grateful for all You ve done in my life, family, friends and loved ones! Thank YOU SO MUCH LORD!

SpicyMimi:

HEAVENLY FATHER, I'm so grateful for all You ve done in my life, family, friends and loved ones! Thank YOU SO MUCH LORD!

I thank God for your life. Have you heard of Michael Sambo's recent miraculous deliverance from the hands of Boko Haram?

What's in a Name?
December 5, 2013

"Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego" (Daniel 1:7)

Peoples in ancient times—especially the Israelites and their implacable enemies, the Babylonians—placed great importance on the names given their children, desiring that their very names constitute a testimony to their character and to the convictions of their parents.

The meaning of all these names is very significant. Each of the four had been given by their parents a name honouring the true God, but the Babylonians wanted them to be identified with one of the false gods. Daniel (“God is my judge”) was assigned the name Belteshazzar, which meant "favoured by Bel." Hananiah (“Beloved of the Lord”) became Shadrach (“illumined by Rak,” the sun god). Mishael (“Who is as God?”) was called Meshach (“who is like Shak,” the Babylonian Venus), and Azariah (“The Lord is my help”) became Abednego (“servant of Nego,” the god of fire).

These godly young men no doubt bitterly resented these new names. Nevertheless, they did not make an overt issue of this matter, knowing they would forfeit their opportunity for a substantive spiritual witness if they took a belligerent stand on superficialities. When the opportunity came for a real stand against these false gods of Babylon, as in the case of Nebuchadnezzar's image and the fiery furnace for Daniel's three friends, and the decree of Darius and the lions' den for Daniel, they did give a true and uncompromising witness, and God honoured them for it. In our own witness today against modern paganism, we need constantly to remember that form is secondary, but substance is vital. Our personal names are of only less importance, but it is vital that our stand and conduct honour the name of Christ. HMM

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Before the World Began
December 6, 2013

"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2)

There are some things that God, even in His omnipotence, cannot do. He cannot fail in His ultimate purpose in creation, for one thing. He cannot do wrong or be wrong, for what He does is right and what He says is true, by definition. And God cannot lie, so whatever He has promised, He will perform.

One of His most glorious promises is that of eternal life, for this promise was made even before He made the world, including space and time. But how could anything take place before time began? The same word is used in 2 Timothy 1:9: ". . . his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." Similarly, Romans 16:25 speaks of “the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began."

Our very minds are locked in space and time, and therefore we cannot even conceive of anything "beyond" space or "before" time. Nevertheless, God is the Creator, and even "the worlds [that is, the 'aeons,' the space/times] were framed by the word of God" (Hebrews 11:3). He created time and space and all the phenomena that exist in time and space, and the fact that we cannot comprehend this simply confirms the Scriptures. "Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?" (Isaiah 40:13). "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Psalm 139:6).

But what we cannot understand, we simply believe, for God cannot lie. Even though the worlds had a beginning, and our lives each had a beginning, the world will never end, and our lives will never end, for God will never end! We receive, by faith, His immutable promise of everlasting life, given us in Christ Jesus, according to His own purpose and infinite grace, before the world began. HMM

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The Brightness of the Glory
December 7, 2013

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3)

This verse constitutes one of Scripture's most magnificent declarations of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us examine the phrase "the brightness of his glory."

The word for "brightness" is used only this one time in the Bible and means, literally, "out-radiating." The word picture conveyed is of the energy overflow from the sun. The sun constitutes a tremendous generator of energy, more than adequate to sustain all processes on Earth. However, these energies would be utterly useless for any such noble purpose if they could not somehow be transmitted from sun to Earth. They are transmitted, however, through the remarkable radiant energy known as sunlight, or solar radiation.

It is this figure which the writer is using. As the sun's rays are to the sun itself, so is Christ to the Godhead. He is "the light of the world" (John 8:12). It is He whose "goings forth" have been "everlasting" (Micah 5:2). His glorified countenance is "as the sun shineth in his strength" (Revelation 1:16). The Lord Jesus Christ is the life-giving radiation of the ineffable glory of the eternal One, from whose face one day the very heaven and earth will flee away (Revelation 20:11). "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings [or 'outspreadings']" (Malachi 4:2).

And through this One who mediates God to us, we can enter boldly into His presence. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). HMM

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God's Ways Are Best
December 9, 2013

"And the word of the LORD came unto [Elijah], saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (1 Kings 17:8-9)

The leading of God is not always clear to our understanding or satisfying to our pride, but it is always directed to God's glory and our good. Elijah had been supernaturally fed by ravens until the brook of Cherith dried up due to the very drought that Elijah had prophesied. Then, instead of supernaturally providing water, God told Elijah to move to a village in Zidon to stay with a poor widow who would feed him.

But Zidon was the home of the idolatrous queen, Jezebel, who would soon become Elijah's implacable enemy. Furthermore, he would have to so humble himself as to request that the widow share what she thought would be her last meal with a stranger whom she had never met and who had claimed to be the prophet of a God she did not know. What a strange way for God to deal with His servant!

Nevertheless, Elijah obeyed God without question, and so did the widow of Zarephath, and thus the Lord was able to perform two of His mightiest miracles of creation. At the same time, He was able to meet the deep spiritual needs, as well as the physical needs, of this unlikely duo—the greatest spiritual leader of his age and an insignificant widow. An amazing daily miracle of continuing the creation of oil and meal took place as long as the drought continued. And then an even more amazing miracle was accomplished, when, for the first time in all history so far as the record goes, one who was dead (the widow's son) was restored to life (1 Kings 17:20-24), and the woman came to believe that Jehovah was the true God. God's ways may not be our ways, but they are always best. May He give us the grace always to obey His word, whether or not we fully understand. HMM

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