A Song of Thanks in Every Season

Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. EPHESIANS 5:20

 

PONDER THIS

When should we be thankful? This verse says “always.” If he had said “sometimes,” it wouldn't be so hard. Why always? Because every day we receive a fresh delivery of benefits.

Also consider these promises: "Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits" (Psalm 68:19, KJV). The Lord’s mercies and compassion are “new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23, KJV).

With my first waking thoughts, first thing out of bed, I try to lift my heart to God in praise. Develop the habit of saying, “Lord God, I love You, I praise You. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.”

What should our thanks be for? For all things. During loss and heartache, you can thank Him for your faith. Thank Him that you're saved and on the way to Heaven, "singing to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…making melody in your heart to the Lord” (see Ephesians 5:19). If you're a child of God, whatever your condition is, you ought to be able to thank God every day. No matter what happens, thank Him for your faith. If you have food to eat, thank Him for your food. If you have clean water to drink—and many don’t—thank Him for clean water. Do you have friends and family? Thank Him for them!

One of the greatest acts of faith that you can ever perform is just simply to say, “Oh God, no matter what, I will praise you. I will bless you for all things.”

When life brings both blessings and burdens, how can you choose to see God’s faithfulness and offer Him thanks “always”?

Are you in the habit of beginning your day with gratitude, lifting your heart to God in praise for His daily mercies? If not, today is the best day to start.

PRACTICE THIS

This week, start each morning by speaking aloud a word of thanks to God before checking your phone or rushing into tasks. Pause and say: “Lord, I thank You for Your new mercies today. Great is Your faithfulness.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Glorify God by Giving Thanks

It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

Gratitude to God is a joyful emotion. We have a sense of joyful indebtedness for his grace. So in a sense in the very emotion of gratitude, we are still the beneficiaries. But by its very nature, gratitude glorifies the giver. When we feel thankful, we acknowledge our need and God’s beneficence, God’s fullness, the riches of his glory.

Just like I humble myself and exalt the server in the restaurant when I say, “Thank you,” so I humble myself and exalt God when I feel gratitude to him. The difference, of course, is that I really am infinitely in debt to God for his grace, and everything he does for me is free and undeserved.

But the point is that gratitude glorifies the giver. It glorifies God. And this is Paul’s final goal in all his labors. Yes, his labors are for the sake of the church — the good of the church. But the church is not the highest goal. Listen again: “It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” All for your sake — for the glory of God!

The wonderful thing about the gospel is that the response it requires from us for God’s glory is also the response that is most natural and joyful; namely, thankfulness for grace. God’s all-supplying glory in giving and our humble gladness in receiving are not in competition. Joyful thankfulness glorifies God.

A life that gives glory to God for his grace and a life of deepest gladness are the same life. And what makes them one is thankfulness.

John Piper 

Repentance and Faith on Repeat

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

COLOSSIANS 2:6-7

 

PONDER THIS

The way to live the Christian life is the same way you got the Christian life. It’s just repentance and faith, repentance and faith, repentance and faith. You say, “Well, I already repented.” Well, so did I when I got saved, but I’ve done far more repenting and trusting in Christ after I got saved than I did when I got saved. When I got saved, I gave all I knew of me to all I knew of Jesus, but I knew very little about either one.

You never reach a place in your Christian life where you don’t need to repent. Joyce came up to my study the other day, the sunlight was coming in the window, and she looked at the glass-top table and said, “Look at that dust.” I said, “Honey, if it hadn’t been for that sunlight you’d never have seen that dust.” A person who says, “I don’t need any more repentance,” is not walking in the light. The closer you get to the Lord, the more imperfections you see in your own life. Walk with Christ in repentance and faith. If you’ll do that, you will discover the treasures that are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is turning from self; faith is turning to Jesus. And the more you turn from yourself and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more real He will be to you.

When was the last time you repented? Is this something you practice regularly? Why or why not?

What are some of the reasons we neglect to walk in repentance and faith? What needs to change for you to do so?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and confess to God how you need to grow in repentance and faith.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Mrs. Harvey’s Ministry

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” COLOSSIANS 4:2-4

 

PONDER THIS

When I was young, I was preaching a revival service in Jacksonville, Florida, with a friend of mine who was from there, and he asked me to meet his mom. I’d never met Mrs. Harvey. So, we went to their small home and this little woman came out and she had crippling arthritis. Her hands were very puffy. Her joints were swollen. She could hardly stand up straight. When we talked to her, she asked about the revival service. I was a young evangelist and full of myself, so I said, “Wonderful! God came down; it was glorious.” I began to tell her all the things that happened. Tears welled up in her eyes. She said, “I knew it.” She said, “Adrian, the whole time you were preaching I was on my knees praying for you.”

I was amazed—what pain it must have been for this lady even to get on her knees! But what a ministry! Some of you feel like you have nothing to offer, but you’ve got prayer. Would you pray for your Sunday school teacher, and will you pray for others in the Lord’s Church? That is a ministry! And you’ve been called into the ministry.

Who has prayed for you? How has that made a difference in your life?

Who do you pray for? How can you build a rhythm of praying for them regularly?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to your pastor, Sunday school teacher, or other leaders in your church and ask where they need prayer. Commit to praying for them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Glorify God by Giving Thanks

It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

Gratitude to God is a joyful emotion. We have a sense of joyful indebtedness for his grace. So in a sense in the very emotion of gratitude, we are still the beneficiaries. But by its very nature, gratitude glorifies the giver. When we feel thankful, we acknowledge our need and God’s beneficence, God’s fullness, the riches of his glory.

Just like I humble myself and exalt the server in the restaurant when I say, “Thank you,” so I humble myself and exalt God when I feel gratitude to him. The difference, of course, is that I really am infinitely in debt to God for his grace, and everything he does for me is free and undeserved.

But the point is that gratitude glorifies the giver. It glorifies God. And this is Paul’s final goal in all his labors. Yes, his labors are for the sake of the church — the good of the church. But the church is not the highest goal. Listen again: “It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” All for your sake — for the glory of God!

The wonderful thing about the gospel is that the response it requires from us for God’s glory is also the response that is most natural and joyful; namely, thankfulness for grace. God’s all-supplying glory in giving and our humble gladness in receiving are not in competition. Joyful thankfulness glorifies God.

A life that gives glory to God for his grace and a life of deepest gladness are the same life. And what makes them one is thankfulness.

John Piper 

Glorify God by Giving Thanks

It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

Gratitude to God is a joyful emotion. We have a sense of joyful indebtedness for his grace. So in a sense in the very emotion of gratitude, we are still the beneficiaries. But by its very nature, gratitude glorifies the giver. When we feel thankful, we acknowledge our need and God’s beneficence, God’s fullness, the riches of his glory.

Just like I humble myself and exalt the server in the restaurant when I say, “Thank you,” so I humble myself and exalt God when I feel gratitude to him. The difference, of course, is that I really am infinitely in debt to God for his grace, and everything he does for me is free and undeserved.

But the point is that gratitude glorifies the giver. It glorifies God. And this is Paul’s final goal in all his labors. Yes, his labors are for the sake of the church — the good of the church. But the church is not the highest goal. Listen again: “It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” All for your sake — for the glory of God!

The wonderful thing about the gospel is that the response it requires from us for God’s glory is also the response that is most natural and joyful; namely, thankfulness for grace. God’s all-supplying glory in giving and our humble gladness in receiving are not in competition. Joyful thankfulness glorifies God.

A life that gives glory to God for his grace and a life of deepest gladness are the same life. And what makes them one is thankfulness.

John Piper 

How to Take God’s Name in Victory

PRAY OVER THIS

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7

 

PONDER THIS

Sometimes we’re such hypocrites. We sing, “My Jesus, I love Thee. I know Thou art mine. For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.”[1] Do you sing that and still keep sin in your heart? We sing, “Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.”[2] And yet we hold onto our possessions with all of our might. We sing, “Faith of our fathers, holy faith, we will be true to Thee till death,”[3] and think nothing of skipping church if a good excuse comes up. We sing, “All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give.”[4] If you don’t mean that, you are taking the name of God in vain. You can do it with profanity. You can do it by frivolity. You can do it through hypocrisy.

But in the negative, there is a positive. When we learn to take His name in victory, we’ll certainly be afraid to take His name in vanity. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” That’s taking His name in victory.

When have you used God’s name in vain?

What is something you could do to take the name of God in victory?

[1] “Jesus, I Love Thee” by William R. Featherston

[2] “Take My Life, and Let It Be” by Frances R. Havergal

[3] “Faith of Our Fathers” by Frederick William Faber

[4] “I Surrender All” by Judson W. Van De Venter

PRACTICE THIS

Write down a list of things you do in a day, then consider what it would look like to do those things in the powerful name of Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

You Need Pain to Experience Comfort

PRAY OVER THIS

“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

 

PONDER THIS

Did you know that trouble in your life may give you a greater testimony? It may be through deep sorrow and pain that God gives you the greatest testimony. The Apostle Paul, who knew much sorrow, said this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” This verse tells us God is the source of comfort, and it is God who comforts us in tribulation. If you didn’t have tribulation, you wouldn’t need comfort. It also says God takes that comfort He gives us and allows us to comfort others with that same comfort we have received from Him.

Joyce and I experienced the loss of a child, and I’ve seen mothers—not just once, but many times—come to Joyce and receive comfort when they themselves lost children. And I have seen Joyce—not in a theoretical way, but in a very real way—share the comfort that she has received from the Lord with others. We’re able to comfort others with the same comfort we ourselves receive from God. Don’t get the idea that if we just sail through life with no difficulties, it’s going make us better witnesses. That’s not so.

What is a trial or difficulty through which you’ve received the Lord’s comfort?

When have you been comforted by someone else’s testimony of going through a difficult time?

PRACTICE THIS

Share your testimony about how God was with you through a difficult time with another person this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Glorify God by Giving Thanks

It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

Gratitude to God is a joyful emotion. We have a sense of joyful indebtedness for his grace. So in a sense in the very emotion of gratitude, we are still the beneficiaries. But by its very nature, gratitude glorifies the giver. When we feel thankful, we acknowledge our need and God’s beneficence, God’s fullness, the riches of his glory.

Just like I humble myself and exalt the server in the restaurant when I say, “Thank you,” so I humble myself and exalt God when I feel gratitude to him. The difference, of course, is that I really am infinitely in debt to God for his grace, and everything he does for me is free and undeserved.

But the point is that gratitude glorifies the giver. It glorifies God. And this is Paul’s final goal in all his labors. Yes, his labors are for the sake of the church — the good of the church. But the church is not the highest goal. Listen again: “It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” All for your sake — for the glory of God!

The wonderful thing about the gospel is that the response it requires from us for God’s glory is also the response that is most natural and joyful; namely, thankfulness for grace. God’s all-supplying glory in giving and our humble gladness in receiving are not in competition. Joyful thankfulness glorifies God.

A life that gives glory to God for his grace and a life of deepest gladness are the same life. And what makes them one is thankfulness.

John Piper 

God’s Design in Detours

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Have you ever wondered what God is doing while you are looking in the wrong place for something you lost and needed very badly? He knows exactly where it is, and yet he is letting you look in the wrong place.

I once needed a quote for a new edition of my book Desiring God. I knew I had read it in Richard Wurmbrand. I thought it was in his devotional book, Reaching Toward the Heights. I could almost see it on the right hand side of the facing pages. But I couldn’t find it.

But while I was looking, I was riveted on his devotional for November 30. As I read it, I said, “This is why the Lord let me keep looking for my quote in the ‘wrong’ place.” Here was a story that illustrated perfectly that nothing is wasted that we do in the name of Jesus — nothing, not even looking for a quote in the wrong place. Here’s what I read:

In a home for retarded children, Catherine was nurtured twenty years. The child had been [mentally handicapped] from the beginning, and had never spoken a word, but only vegetated. She either gazed quietly at the walls or made distorted movements. To eat, to drink, to sleep, were her whole life. She seemed not to participate at all in what happened around her. A leg had to be amputated. The staff wished Cathy well and hoped that the Lord would soon take her to Himself.

One day the doctor called the director to come quickly. Catherine was dying. When both entered the room, they could not believe their senses. Catherine was singing Christian hymns she had heard and had picked up, just those suitable for death beds. She repeated over and over again the German song, “Where does the soul find its fatherland, its rest?” She sang for half an hour with transfigured face, then she passed away quietly. (Taken from The Best Is Still to Come, Wuppertal: Sonne und Shild)

Is anything that is done in the name of Christ really wasted?

My frustrated, futile search for what I thought I needed was not wasted. Singing to this disabled child was not wasted. And your agonizing, unplanned detour is not a waste — not if you look to the Lord for his unexpected work, and do everything in his name (Colossians 3:17).

John Piper 

God’s Design in Detours

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Have you ever wondered what God is doing while you are looking in the wrong place for something you lost and needed very badly? He knows exactly where it is, and yet he is letting you look in the wrong place.

I once needed a quote for a new edition of my book Desiring God. I knew I had read it in Richard Wurmbrand. I thought it was in his devotional book, Reaching Toward the Heights. I could almost see it on the right hand side of the facing pages. But I couldn’t find it.

But while I was looking, I was riveted on his devotional for November 30. As I read it, I said, “This is why the Lord let me keep looking for my quote in the ‘wrong’ place.” Here was a story that illustrated perfectly that nothing is wasted that we do in the name of Jesus — nothing, not even looking for a quote in the wrong place. Here’s what I read:

In a home for retarded children, Catherine was nurtured twenty years. The child had been [mentally handicapped] from the beginning, and had never spoken a word, but only vegetated. She either gazed quietly at the walls or made distorted movements. To eat, to drink, to sleep, were her whole life. She seemed not to participate at all in what happened around her. A leg had to be amputated. The staff wished Cathy well and hoped that the Lord would soon take her to Himself.

One day the doctor called the director to come quickly. Catherine was dying. When both entered the room, they could not believe their senses. Catherine was singing Christian hymns she had heard and had picked up, just those suitable for death beds. She repeated over and over again the German song, “Where does the soul find its fatherland, its rest?” She sang for half an hour with transfigured face, then she passed away quietly. (Taken from The Best Is Still to Come, Wuppertal: Sonne und Shild)

Is anything that is done in the name of Christ really wasted?

My frustrated, futile search for what I thought I needed was not wasted. Singing to this disabled child was not wasted. And your agonizing, unplanned detour is not a waste — not if you look to the Lord for his unexpected work, and do everything in his name (Colossians 3:17).

John Piper 

You are the Temple of God

BIBLE MEDITATION

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

The sign over the church door where I attended as a boy read, “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silent.” I mistakenly took that to mean that I had just entered the holy temple and had better start acting religious.

We are the temple of God, not a building made of brick and mortar. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are to be doing all in the name of Jesus. The secular is to be sanctified so that Jesus will be glorified in everything. Because He lives in you, every day is a holy day—not just Sundays. The spiritual life is 24 hours a day, seven days a week for all eternity.

ACTION POINT

Have you ever had a home appraised? Get a trusted friend or loved one to give you an appraisal of the home where the Holy Spirit dwells—you! Are there areas that need repair, restoration, or removal?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Gratitude Brings Joy to God's Heart

BIBLE MEDITATION

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” Philippians 4:6

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Are constant, vigilant prayer and thanksgiving even possible for us human beings? Yes! Behind every command of God, like “Fear not,” "Don’t be anxious,” "Be thankful,” is the omnipotent power of God to carry it out. Giving thanks is one of the keys to answered prayer. Why should we ask God for more when we’ve not thanked Him for what He’s already given us and already done? Think about it.

Now, there’s a difference between praise and thanksgiving. Praise is reverencing God for who He is; Thanksgiving is recognizing what He’s done. The two are inextricably interwoven, but they’re not exactly the same. Both are absolutely necessary. The person who is not “praiseful” will never be thankful.

Gratitude is what spoils life when it’s left out. If we don’t learn thanksgiving, we become self-centered, then unlovable and unloving. We will live in our own little world, locked up inside ourselves. When we get that way, we make a mighty small package.

If you want to sing in your heart, to be an attractive person to be around, to have your prayers answered, or to have the strength to endure tribulation, you’d better learn to praise and thank God.

It’s sad to see bitter, broken people who’ve never learned to be thankful. But when you’re thankful, your eyes are opened, and the blinders are taken off. A thankful person is open to God and to others.

ACTION POINT

Have you ever kept a “gratitude journal”? Get an inexpensive journal and each day write down something you’re grateful for that day. By the end of thirty days, if you’ve been paying attention to all you have and all God has done, your journal might be full.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Satan Cast Out-Christ Crucified-Draws All People To Himself

The true meaning of Thanksgiving!!

Therefore, we believe in Christ Alone for salvation!!

By faith, we hold to the truth!

Christ being the only acceptable substitute for sin!

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." - John 12:31-32

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:22-24

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,

5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," 

8 and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.  - 1 Peter 2:4-8

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. - 1 Timothy 2:1-7

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"  - Psalm 50:23

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. - Colossians 4:2

Are the Small Things God’s Concern?

BIBLE MEDITATION

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

There’s nothing in life outside the reach of prayer. If it concerns you, it concerns God. We sometimes try to divide life into the “secular” and the “sacred,” saying “This is the sacred. We’ll pray about this. But this is the secular. I’ll handle it myself.” But for the child of God, everything that concerns us concerns Him.

Many years ago when Dr. Charles Stanley was the new pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, the deacons and finance committee were holding a meeting. The church had been through some turmoil, and they came to a halt over a financial problem. Charles said to those around the table, “Men, let’s pray.” One of them answered, “Preacher, this is business. We don’t need to pray about this.”

Can you imagine Jesus Christ dividing His life into the sacred and the secular? Of course not. We don’t divide our lives into the secular and the sacred. So what do we pray about? Everything.

You ask, “Can I pray about small things? A parking space? That’s silly, that’s too small.” Can you think of anything too big or too small to God? There’s nothing “big” to God. Things aren’t either big or small to Him. The biggest thing you can think of is small to God, and the smallest thing is important to God if it’s important to you. “…But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

ACTION POINT

You may ask, “Suppose there’s something I want, and I know it’s not God’s will. Should I pray about that?” Absolutely. Pray: “Lord, there’s something wrong with me. I want something You don’t want. Fix my want-er.” Tell God about it. He already knows what you’re thinking anyway.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Too many blessings to list

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4. 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

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If worry is the opposite of faith, then giving thanks is the expression of faith—in fact, the highest expression. You say, “I don’t know if I have as much to thank God for as some other people.” The apostle Paul was in a filthy Philippian jail awaiting possible beheading, when he wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

God has blessed you. You may not think so, because you’re measuring blessings by the barometer of health, wealth, and happiness. Sometimes those are blessings, sometimes they’re not. Some people are cursed with wealth. Some don’t know how to use health. And happiness keeps some people from seeking the Lord.

Let me tell you what blessings we have: “Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits…” (Psalm 68:19). God has loaded your wagon. How often? Daily! “It is of the LORD’S mercies we’re not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning…” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Every day you wake up to blessings. Thank Him for simple blessings like good, clean water. Enough food. Shelter. We are so blessed.

ACTION POINT:

I’ve noticed un-thankful people are never happy people. They’re filled with bitterness, fear, negativism, selfishness and self-pity. Refuse to worry, but carry everything to God in prayer. Rejoice in the presence of the Lord, leaning upon His power and provision. Rest in the peace of the Lord. Do everything with thanksgiving.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What thanksgiving reveals about you

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4. 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

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If worry is the opposite of faith, then thanksgiving is the expression of faith—in fact, the highest expression. God has blessed you, but you may not think so if you’re measuring blessings by the barometer of health, wealth, and happiness.

You say, “I don’t think I have as much to thank God for as some other people.” Well, the apostle Paul was in a filthy Philippian jail awaiting a possible death sentence  when he wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Unthankful people are never happy people. They’re filled with bitterness, fear, negativism, selfishness and self-pity.

My friend, let me tell you what blessings we have. “Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits…” (Psalm 68:19). God has loaded your wagon. How often? Every day! “It is of the LORD’S mercies we’re not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning…” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Every day you wake up to blessings.

ACTION POINT:

Thank Him for spiritual blessings. Thank Him for the simple blessings of simple things like clean water, food, and shelter. We are so blessed. Refuse to worry. Instead, carry everything to God in prayer. Rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Rely upon the power of the Lord. Reflect on the provision of the Lord. Rest in the peace of the Lord. Do everything with thanksgiving.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Taking this for granted?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

And Moses said unto the people, “Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place.” Exodus 13:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Each year, Americans remember those brave-hearted souls who fought and gave their lives so that you and I would have the rights and privilege of living in a free country.

Remembering is important. In fact, God instructs His people on many occasions in the Old Testament to remember from whence they came and to remember His providence.

It is by the mighty hand of God that we are saved, we are protected, and we are free to live in the Land of the Brave. Never take that freedom for granted, my friend. It is a precious commodity for which the world hungers. And it is a powerful charge for you and me to protect.

ACTION POINT:

Do you know of someone in your life who has served in the armed forces of this country? Make a point this week to express to them your gratitude for their service.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Thankful When You’re Counting Pennies

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.” Habakkuk 3:17-19

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In Habakkuk’s day, there was an economic recession. There were no cows in the barn. “Yet…” he writes. Oh, how I love that “yet” in verse 18. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Where was his joy? In the Lord, not circumstances.

If you depend on circumstances, you can’t say “rejoice always,” because circumstances change. You lose your job. You lose your health. You lose your friends. You lose your prestige. If that’s where you’re getting your joy, and that changes, you can’t say, “Yet will I rejoice.” But Habakkuk said, “Yet will I joy in the God of my salvation.”

Where are you getting your joy? From the Lord? I hope you are. There’s one way we can find out. If you’re getting your joy from your job, we can take your job and see if you still have your joy. Maybe you’re getting your joy from your health. You say, “No, it’s from the Lord.” If your health fails, see if you still have your joy.

ACTION POINT:

The only joy anyone can have is in the Lord, because He never changes. Your joy can be threatened if you get it anywhere else. It’s not wrong to joy in your health or your job. But that kind of joy that can be threatened. You need a joy which supersedes that. Psalm 16:11: says, “Thou will show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy.” Rejoice in the Lord always.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thanksgiving: The Highest Expression of Faith

BIBLE MEDIATION:

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4. “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

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If worry is the opposite of faith, then thanksgiving is the expression of faith—in fact, the highest expression. You say, “I don’t know if I have as much to thank God for as some other people.” Well, the apostle Paul was in a filthy Philippian jail waiting possible beheading when he wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

I’ve noticed that unthankful people are never happy people. They’re filled with bitterness, fear, negativism, selfishness and self-pity.

You see, God has blessed you.  You may not think so because you’re measuring blessings by the barometer of health, wealth, and happiness. 

My friend, let me tell you what blessings we have.  “Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits…” (Psalm 68:19).  God has loaded your wagon.  How often?  Every day! “It is of the LORD’S mercies we’re not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning…” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Every day you wake up to blessings.

ACTION POINT:

Thank Him for spiritual blessings and thank Him for simple blessings: good, clean water. Enough food. Shelter. The simple things. We are so blessed. Refuse to worry, but carry everything to God in prayer. Rejoice in the presence of the Lord.  Rely upon the power of the Lord. Reflect on the provision of the Lord.  Rest in the peace of the Lord.  Do everything with thanksgiving. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers