14. Will You Be 'Giving Thanks' on Thanksgiving?

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:15-17

Fall semester has been a trying semester, and since it has been a semester spent getting acclimated to the college atmosphere, I have been swamped with new ideas, new forms of study habits, and the fact that this isn't high school with a test every week. I'm sure everyone one has only one thing on their minds right now. I'm ready for a break. Ever since our 2 days of fall break I have been anticipating getting to spend time with family over the Thanksgiving holidays. I've spent a little time trying to shift my focus to what Thanksgiving really is and how we should view it. 

I came upon the verse above when I was sitting in NT Bible class attempting to follow the lesson, but this verse caught my attention. It really encouraged me at that moment, and inspired me to write a few thoughts down about what I thought Thanksgiving really meant, and what it meant to me. If I were to take one theme from this verse, it would be, no matter what situation or struggles you may come by, always give thanks to God. Giving thanks to the Lord is one of the best ways to express our appreciation to God for His blessings and yet how many of us do it on a regular basis? Yes, we normally go through our routines of casually thanking God for our food before we eat, we  seldom even thank Him for the clothes we wear and praise Him for the sunshine. Around the Thanksgiving holiday we may even list out our blessings and reflect on what God has done, but to do we really "offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually"? Hebrews 13:15 states: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name." 

Continually doesn't just mean once a year or even once a day for that matter. It implies that it is repeated without interruption. David said in Psalm 34:1, "...His praise shall continually be in my mouth." He also said, "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments." (Psalm 119:62) When's the last time we found ourselves up at midnight thanking the Lord? Later on in that same psalm David says, "Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments." Do we stop seven times a day to thank God? Do we even stop once or twice to praise Him?

Now that we know that we need to thank God continually, how do we do it? If you think that all thanking God involves is sitting in a small group in a quiet place, whispering quiet praise songs--think again! Thanking/Praising God is an active thing. We are not to keep praising God to ourselves. We are to "...make known his deeds among the people." (Psalm 105:1) In other words if you receive a blessing--tell someone about it. If we are going to develop a lifestyle of praise to God continually, we need to put things in perspective. Realize who God is and who we are not. "Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3,4) We need to recognize that all of the blessings that come in our lives come not from ourselves, our hard work, or worldly coincidence/"luck", but from above.

If we can simply remember these truths when we fellowship with our family over the Thanksgiving meal and holidays, then we can truly bring the spirit of gratitude, thankfulness, and praise back to where it should be: "in the center of the table". I only hope that these ideas and truths will help to bring the true spirit of Thanksgiving back into your heart and that it will only help to make your Thanksgiving holiday the more enjoyable. May God be praised and may your spirit be lifted as we thank Him for all He has done in our lives. Remember to praise Him even in the storm, even when the rain falls, and even when you're life just couldn't get any better. God Bless, Dive Deep, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a fun cartoon I found. Happy Thanksgiving!

13. A Ransom For Many

"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:25-28

As I have been struggling with getting back to reading God's Word daily, I have ended up doing a lot more thinking than actually reading. As I came across these verses in Matthew, the word "ransom" struck me as one of the more powerful words in these few verses. What exactly is a ransom? According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, it is defined as "the price or payment made for our redemption, a debt that has not been cancelled, but fully paid. The slave or captive is not liberated by a mere gratuitous favor, but a ransom price has been paid, in consideration of which he is set free. The original owner receives back his lost possession because he has bought it back 'with a price'." 

This price or ransom always said to be Christ, his blood, his death. He secures our redemption by the payment of a ransom. This payment is what intrigued me the most. This means of payment, a means of horrible , to set us free from the burdens and of sin. Are we also finding comfort in the reality of the love God has for us that compelled Him to provide for our greatest need -- the ransom for the forgiveness of our sins -- and to offer a hope that will not disappoint us?

In spite of disappointing events and fearful situations of this life, we can still find comfort and hope because of the assurance God's grace provides for an eternity with Him. By knowing this simple fact and demonstration of grace, we can humbly acknowledge these blessings as undeserved, while at the same time experience a confidence that will powerfully motivate us to press on in life knowing the blessings are most assuredly ours in Christ. Praise God for His amazing grace that provided us with Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, and our Ransom.

12. Belief in the Unseen

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 

This past week concluded the Shawreth Rush that I was apart of. It has been a long, tiring journey. One filled with stress, fatigue, and anxiety. It was physically taxing, mentally demanding, and emotionally stressful. But, I have realized that all of those "momentary troubles" have built upon one another to contribute to my overall personal strength and courage. It has taught me that the troubles we go through in life are placed there by God, only to make us stronger. Even if we see no good in them, no "light at the end of the tunnel", we can always know that God is that light, and He can turn those bad situations into ones that glorify Him. 

At the end of this verse in 2 Corinthians, we see this statement that encourages us to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen". This is the ultimate statement of what faith is all about. We read in Hebrews 11:1-6,  "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." That's what I find hard to do most of the time. Believing in the unseen. Why? Well the answer lies in verse 18 of 2 Corinthians 4. We are to believe in the unseen because all that we can see here on earth is temporary, for it's the unseen that lasts forever. I think most of us have a hard time letting go of the things of this world, and focusing on the things that are really something. In order to not "be of the World" we have to let go of those things that are "seen". 

Believing in the unseen, the true essence of what faith exactly is, will bring not only pleasure to God, but will invigorate our lives, our hearts, and our minds, no matter what, when, or where troubles come into our lives. If we believe in God, who can be against us? That question is one of the many things that helped me get through those tough times I've been through lately. It helped me, and I hope that these words may help encourage you as you further your walk with Christ.  

11. Life. Liberty. The Pursuit of Happiness.

All of us have been talking about the election. The election that has shook the very foundation of what the United States of America has been built upon. It has been a historic election. One filled with breaking trends and promoting "change". It has incited unfavorable responses from some, yet produced great accomplishment in others. No matter who was elected, this election was bound to make history either way. But after reflecting on how important this decision was for America, and how it really does affect the citizens of this great nation, I am left to think about the future, and what lies ahead. 

Unfortunately, I have heard many degrading remarks concerning Barack Obama and the outcome of this election. I myself voted for John McCain. I am proud to have supported him in his challenge for the White House. But even though the opposing party has won, I do not think of it as total failure. God has obviously intended for Barack Obama to become the Nation's 44th President, and with that assurance, we should not condemn him. Although I do not share the same morals and ideals that he has presented, it doesn't mean that I should withhold my respect and loyalty towards him. God commands us all to respect all authority over us, for it has been placed over us only by God himself. Even if we don't agree, we should still give our future President the honor and respect he deserves. For 1 Thessalonians 5:12 says; "Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you."

Here's some of what Mike Huckabee had to say concerning the outcome of the election:

"I'm very proud to have supported Senator McCain and the only regret is that more Americans didn't share my conviction that he would have made an outstanding President.  I not only recognize, but respect that we are a nation in which the people choose and tonight they have chosen Senator Obama.  He was not my choice, but he will be my President and I will pray for him to lead this great nation with God's help and grace.  He will face serious challenges to lead our country and he will need all Americans to give him a chance. As disappointed as I am that we have lost the election, I can't help but feel that many courageous leaders of the civil rights movement look down from heaven tonight with a smile that the day has come when a man is elected without regard to his color.  I salute President-elect Obama for his discipline and tenacity that has given our country the opportunity to witness this significant event."

This year has been indeed a whirlwind of political strife. We can only look forward to the beginning of a new year. We should not be anxious. We should not be worried. We should not be overly-critical and question our next President's every move. We should remember who is really in control, and without Him, we can do nothing. I only hope that the soon to be President Obama will come to recognize this simple fact. But in the end, it's not about who wins, it's about who brought glory to God. I believe God can use this situation to His glory. Now, it's up to us to support our faith. 

I conclude with this final quote from Mike Huckabee; 

"Politics is not an event but a process. We sometimes lose events, but it never gives us the right to stop being faithful to our principles that enlisted us in the process. In the end, we shall live to fight another day."