Give Thanks To God

“Offer unto God Thanksgiving; and pay your vows unto the most high.” (v.14)

There are many things one could offer to God, and from many different motivations. But the one "offering" that is always acceptable to God, is praise and thanksgiving out of a pure heart. Scripture tells us to; "continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15). This is so easy to do, and is an incrediable witness when done spontaneously with a sincere heart, as it glorifies God in our daily lives.

Paying our vows on the other hand should not be done spontaneously, but with prayerful consideration and a willing heart. Thankfulness can sometimes bring emotional responses followed by statements of promise which are but a momentary outburst. A wise man will temper his vows to God with prayer to align himself with scripture; “Let your ‘yes' be ‘yes', and your ‘no' be ‘no’" (Matthew 5:37), when considering your service to Him, and do all things as unto the LORD.

Today as we are all focused on the many blessings we have received, and are grateful for God's hand of provision in our lives, may we give Him thanks from a pure heart, remembering to do it continually in our daily lives, and consider prayerfully how we might best serve Him in return that we might hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things.” (Matthew 25:21)

God Bless you all and "Happy Thanksgiving!" 

Romans 8 “No Condemnation in Christ”

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." (v.1)

The great truth of chapter 8 is summed up here in verse one. If we are in Christ, meaning if we have accepted Him as Savior and LORD, we do not need to live in doubt or fear of our salvation. We can never be more free from the condemnation of God’s righteous judgment (the great white Throne), than we are today.

Oh your heart may condemn you; your memory may haunt you; the great accuser of souls may come against you; your faith may become weak and lose its power and grip; your sense of unworthiness may become increasingly heavy on your soul but, none of these things can touch your acceptance with God – if you meet His one all inclusive condition, “accept His Son.” Then there is no condemnation, for you are in Christ Jesus.

Furthermore, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus” (v.39). For God is the one who justifies (v.33), Christ is the one who died, was raised, sits at the right hand of the Father, who also intercedes for us (v.34). So, who is the one who condemns? Ah, yes, Satan. And will God listen to him when it comes to us, His children, His adopted sons/daughters, the very ones He gave His Son up for in order to save? I think not. So the question becomes, why do you?

Now is the time to commit yourself to His care and keeping, that His grace may be afforded to you on that “great day” of His coming, that you may be justified through His Son. (see prayer to the right on this page "connect with God.")

The Truth: “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in them.” (1 John 3:23-24)

Romans 7 "The Inner Struggle"

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Who shall deliver me...? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (v.17)

The seventh chapter of Romans reflects the inward conflict of the Christian soul who has not yet learned to use the full power of the Holy Spirit. It is the endeavour of a man to keep pure and holy in his own strength, in his own power and of his own will. But man’s nature, being bent towards rebellion, is unable to fight against the dark side on his own. As the scripture says, “Satan cannot cast out Satan.” Therefore, the will of man is unable to cast out its own evil and falls prey to the dark side.

Who has not, again and again, experienced failure after the most earnest desire to do right? The bitterness of our nature overcomes the better choice, of which we are conscious and later sorrowful. Thankfully, there is a better way.  In chapter eight, we will see how the full power of the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome evil. It is only when we learn to hand over our inner self to the Spirit of God that we can become "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:37).

It is a great comfort to know that the Spirit of God is prepared to renew our inward man day by day, and to make us free from the law of sin and death. All we must do is use it!

The Truth:  “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Romans 6 “To Whom Do You Yield?”

“Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants, they are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (v.16)

The truth is very man is ruled. No man is supreme; no man is master of his fate or captain of his soul. We are all governed by an outside power, either the power of God or by the power of Satan, and it is our choice. But whomever we yield yourselves servants to obey (God or Satan), his servants we become.

This struggle of whom we yield ourselves to goes back to the Garden of Eden where God said to man, "Thou shall not eat of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, and in the day you do, you are going to die." Satan then came along and said, "You won’t die, you will become just like God,” and thus the great struggle began. The eventual decision by Eve to eat of the tree (her choice) was one of obedience to Satan and disobedience to God. In yielding herself in obedience to Satan she became his servant.

Today, the same is true for us. We can choose to yield to God, to His Word, to His will, or we can choose to yield ourselves as a servant of disobedience, and become a servant of Satan. The outcome of this great struggle between good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness, life and death, are found in verse 23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.” Every man is in one of two categories: either a servant of sin, or a servant of God. To whom do you yield?

The Truth: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Romans 5 "The Wonder Of It All"

“But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (v.8)

The love of God goes beyond all human understanding. With our finite minds it is impossible to fathom how a holy God should so love sinners - that He would actually give His very own Son to die that they might be saved. Who of us would ever give one of our precious children to die, that the world's worst criminal might be spared from paying his just debt to society? I think we all know the answer to that question.

You and I, are sinners; but despite our faults, God loved us so much that He was willing to send His Son to die in agony and shame to save us. The wonderd of all that is, God loves us unconditionally out of His own nature. In 1956 George Beverly Shea wrote both the lyrics and the music to the old gospel hymn, "The Wonder Of It All." The simple message behind that wonderful hymn is just that, the wonder that God loved us. Anyone who ever went to or heard a Billy Graham Crusade would no doubt have heard this closing hymn.

Yes, God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. Truly there is no greater love than this. Take the time to thank Him for that love, especially during this time of year. And, if you would like to experience His love in your life today, simply pray the prayer to the right of this page (see connect with God).

The Truth: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Romans 4 “Abraham Believed God”

“For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (v.3)

Here in Romans 4, five times Abraham is called the father of all who believe, and his faith is acclaimed ten times. What makes his faith so exemplary? God called Abram to leave his homeland, friends, and family and move to a foreign land. He promised to bless Abram's posterity and honor him among nations (Genesis 12:1-3). At age 75 we can only imagine receiving this call upon our lives! But without hesitation, “Abram left, as the Lord had told him” (Gen.12:4).

Today's chapter also draws attention to the quality and motivation of his faith. It paints a picture of persistent, and ever-growing unbendable trust in God's power to fulfill His promises (vv.18-21). The character of God, on which Abraham waged his whole life, was specifically His creative, life-giving power. Abraham was, “fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (v. 21). Therefore, “it was credited to him as righteousness” (v.22).

May God give us all half of the faith of Abraham.

The Truth: “Therefore from one man (Abraham), and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude – innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore” - Hebrews 11:12. (because Abraham believed)

Romans 3 “Justification By Faith"

“For there is no difference (between Jew and Gentile); for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (vv. 22-24)

Few things of value are inexpensive, and fewer still are free. But salvation—the most important gift of all—is free. Unlike anything of material value, salvation is of infinite value, and yet, it is free. As the hymn Elvina Hall wrote while sitting in a choir loft in a Methodist Church in 1865 reminds us, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him we owe.”

Scripture tells us no one can earn salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). And we know from our text we need only to believe in Jesus to receive His free gift of eternal life that God offers through His Son. The paradox here is, while salvation is free to us, its cost to God was great – the sacrificial death of His Son. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary.”

It is the cross of Christ that bridges the gap we could never cross on our own, and justifies us by His grace to stand before a Holy God, sanctified. It is the cross that unites us as one body of believers in which there is no difference; Jew or Greek, rich or poor, male or female, blue collar or white collar. And as believers, we are of one family, adopted sons and daughters of God through the purchase of Jesus Christ at Calvary, justified by faith in Him.

The Truth: “For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are His.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Romans 2 "Judge Not"

“Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” (v.1)

The kind of judgement Paul is talking about here is a type of righteous condemnation. One that speaks of judging another for similar actions taken by the one who judges. That kind of judgment is wrong because we all sin. Therefore, sense all sin, none should judge, not even the chief of priests. For none is free from the condemnation of the law.

The apostle Paul, once a very strict Pharisee, came to realized he too was not above anyone, eventually seeing himself to be, "the chief” of all sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). He knew the Lord had been patient and merciful to him, so he wanted to extend that same patience and mercy to others.

Today, if we take the time to see ourselves in others, we’ll see that Christ’s forgiveness does not reflect our superiority but God’s mercy. By overlooking the faults of others, we can take a big step towards overcoming our own. The apostle Paul said, "God will judge, and His judgement is according to truth" (v.2).

The Truth: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

Romans 1 “Not Ashamed Of The Gospel of Christ”

 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” (v.16)

Paul sets the tone of his letter to the Romans here in verse 16 concerning “the gospel” (good news) of Christ. The “good news” he presents to them without shame is, “the gospel of Christ contains the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” The key words being “everyone who believes.” Paul’s message of grace is so simple that this is where many are vulnerable to error. They begin to think there is something else they should do, some works they should perform.

Paul goes on to tell us in verse 17 that, “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith” and that “the just should live by faith.” Faith then is not only the starting point of salvation, but also the staying power as well. Meaning, once we as Christians have received Christ by faith, we walk through this life with Him in faith as well.

I believe Paul showed us the reason for the depth of his faith in Christ when he wrote, “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise” (v.14). Why? What did they do for him? Nothing, Jesus did! The sacrifice of the Son of God on his behalf was so overwhelming to Paul, that he felt he owed it to everyone to make sure they heard of God’s redeeming love. His sense of indebtedness to Christ made him a debtor to all who needed the Savior.

Jesus said to His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15). Therefore, if we are truly grateful for what He has done for us, we like Paul have not only an obligation but a commission to share “the gospel of Christ” with all those around us (without shame). May God grant us the boldness to do just that.

The Truth: “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

Isaiah 66 “Heaven Is God’s Throne”

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?’” (v.1)

Isaiah begins the final chapter in his book with a reminder that the Creator of all things is not interested in a man-made building on earth. His majesty is so great that it fills both heaven and earth. God was trying to remove the citizens of Jerusalem’s main object of confidence, warning them that they were trusting in the temple and their religious sacrifices, instead of a personal relationship with Him.

The first martyr in the New Testament, Stephen, quoted this passage in Acts 7:49 as an indictment against the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin. Stephen pointed out their error in limiting God to an earthly temple, and that God desired to dwell in receptive human hearts. From the beginning God has desired nothing but a personal relationship with man, and today nothing has changed. God is still looking beyond the outward rituals of religion for hearts that are tender and broken toward Him, that wish to follow Him.

Therefore, do not look to rituals, statues, or buildings for your confidence and trust. But put them in God, whose throne is in heaven and whose footstool is the earth.

The Truth: “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chron. 16:9).

Isaiah 65 “New Heavens And A New Earth”

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.” (v.17)

Here in our text, Isaiah was looking beyond the millennial or 1000-year earthly reign of Jesus Christ, to the time when God will make “new heavens” and a “new earth.” The Hebrew word for create here is not asa, meaning to create out of previously existing material; but bara, meaning to create out of nothing, as He did in the beginning (Genesis 1:1).

The Apostle Peter in describing this day wrote: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up (2 Pet. 3:10). So, when Isaiah says, “the former shall not be remembered or come to mind,” it means just that - for they will be destroyed. And the “New” will be so fantastic that we will have no memory of the former. Seeing then that this present earth and its universe will at some point be dissolved, we (as Christians) should have a light touch with it, laying up our treasures in heaven, being more spiritually minded than earthly or materially.

And while we wait for His return, His 1000 year reign, His creation of New Heavens and a New Earth, we should remain steadfast in the work of the kingdom, sharing His love and grace, and His gospel, to those around us. For the longsuffering of our LORD is for “salvation.”

The Truth: “God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Isaiah 64 “Prayer For Mercy”

“Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember our iniquity forever; Indeed, please look – we are Your people!” (v.9)

This chapter opens with a heartfelt prayer from the prophet Isaiah. In it, he  expresses before Jehovah his sense of the desolation of the nation and the city, and cries for a Divine intervention (vv.1-3). Then the prayer becomes a meditation on the wonder of God's ways; a new confession of unworthiness; and an appeal to the Father, not to hold their sin against His people forever (vv.4-9).

We are all lucky God does not hold grudges. His forgiveness is real and it lasts forever. The Bible says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). In the book of Jeremiah God told the prophet, “I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more” (Jer 31:34). And while the Israelites did suffer for the consequences of their sin (sometimes longer than others), forgiveness and restoration were always available to them.

Forgiveness starts for all of us when we are willing to admit we’ve sinned and, are willing to turn from our sin towards God. For it is Sin that separates us from God. But God, in His infinite mercy, has provided us with the perfect, sinless, sacrifice to atone for our sin, His Son Jesus Christ. By believing in Him, salvation and or restoration can be ours through Jesus Christ. It's just a prayer away. (see prayer to the right of this page).

The Truth: “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Isaiah 63 “God’s Pain”

“In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.” (v.9)

The Old Testament book of Judges is a somewhat depressing account of God’s people locked in a recurring cycle of rebellion, punishment, repentance, and deliverance. After every divine intervention, the process was repeated. It was always their pain that caused God’s people to call on Him: “The children of Israel said to the Lord, ‘We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray'” (Judges 10:15).

Six times in Judges they cried out to God, and each time He came to their rescue. But the Lord Himself was also in pain. In a remarkable statement, the Bible says of Almighty God, “His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel” (Judges 10:16) The misery we suffer because of our spiritual rebellion will always cause pain to the Lord. As the prophet Isaiah wrote: “In all their affliction He was afflicted” (Isaiah 63:9).

God’s suffering reached its zenith when His Son Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for our sin. We will never fully understand what it meant for the intimacy of the Father and the Son to be broken (Matthew 27:46-50). However, it’s good to ponder the pain of God, and that even in His pain He extends grace to those who seek His forgiveness.

The Truth: “Now this is what the LORD says--He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!” (Isaiah 43:1)

Isaiah 62 “The Watchmen”

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, they shall never hold their peace day or night: you that make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (vv.6-7)

Here in chapter 62 we find God speaking to His people through the prophet Isaiah words of encouragement concerning their restoration; 1) He will not rest until the task is complete (v.1), and 2) He will set watchmen over them who will keep perpetual watch day and night, who will not hold their peace, or keep silence, but ever intercede with God for them until Jerusalem is restored for which all the world will praise Him. (vv.6-7)

Who are these “watchmen,” these “guardians of the walls” who will act as intercessors, who will not keep silent day or night?” Are they the priests and Levites who kept watch in the temple in prayer? Are they the prophets, or maybe "angelic beings" like the "angel of Jehovah" in Zechariah 1:12, or simply the people themselves who would constantly pray for their own restoration?

I tend to believe it’s all of them, and us as well. As God’s people (Jew or Gentile), we intercede to God for others requesting His mercy, His peace, His comfort, His guidance. We make mention day and night for the longings of our hearts, for healings, restorations, salvation, etc. And while it may take some time to see those prayers come to completion, we, like the prophets and priests of old, are the “watchmen” the “guardians” of His church until the New Jerusalem is established.

The Truth: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.’ (Hebrews 13:17)  

Isaiah 61 “Oaks of Righteousness”

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” (v.3b)

Back in Isaiah 1, Israel is rebuked for putting its delight in “sacred oaks” and special gardens, places devoted to pagan sacrifices and fertility rituals (Isaiah 1:29). Instead of trusting its Creator for fullness of life, Israel trusted His creations. The result was lifelessness and spiritual drought. “You will be like an oak with fading leaves,” the Lord says, “a garden without water” (Isa 1:30). Delight in anything apart from the Life Giver eventually leads to spiritual barrenness.

However, Isaiah 61 speaks of the restoration of the faithful in Israel after the Exile. In a series of opposing poetic images, this passage prophesies how the Lord will exchange Israel’s barrenness for new life. Instead of ashes, there will be beauty; instead of mourning, gladness; instead of despair, praise (v.3). The final line of this verse, which is easy to miss, recalls the image of Isaiah 1--instead of dying idolatrous oaks, “they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

By returning to its Maker, Israel will thrive. In the same way, by recognizing that we are the work of God’s hands (v.21), and that creating life is His work, not ours, we grow. Because we worship Him, we will reflect Him, and display His splendor.

The Truth: “Rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil.” (Joel 2:13)

Isaiah 60 “The New Zion”

“Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen on you. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (vv.1-3)

The subject of the prophets address does not distinctly appear until ver. 14, where it is found to be "the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel," the new Jerusalem. Seen in the prophet’s vision as under the forms of the old, Zion has long been prostrate and covered with thick darkness. But now “the word” comes that bids her to "arise" to a new life, radiant with the glory of the Lord.

Then prophet further prophesies, “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you” (v.2). Just as in Egypt when a "thick darkness" covered the whole land at the word of Moses (Exodus 10:22), and the children of Israel still had light in their dwellings. So it will be with the New Jerusalem. While the rest of the world will be covered in darkness, a radiant light will shine from her to the dark world.

Finally we see in our text that, “the gentiles will come to your light” and “kings to the brightness of your rising.” To Christ, to the gospel, into His city, and partake of the prosperity and happiness of it. Such a great prophesy, as we have seen it partly fulfilled through the gospel (the light) going into all the world, while we wait on the second part, His return.

The Truth: ”And the city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of the LORD illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. By its light the nations will walk, and into it kings of the earth will bring their glory. ” (Revelation 21:23-24)

Isaiah 59 “Sin Separates From God”

“Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But, your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (vv.1-2)

David said, “If I hold iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me when I pray” (Psalm 66:18). Meaning no matter how hard, how passionate, how often, if you have sin in your life, that sin has broken your connection to God. And at that point, prayer is totally meaningless. In this, God is no respecter of persons. Even our sinless LORD experienced abandonment from His Father when He took on the sins of the world. Both Matthew and Mark record His cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)

If God turned away from His sinless Son who was suffering on the cross as a willing sacrifice for the sins of the world, do you think for a moment He will hear the cries of sinful men, with iniquity in their hearts, and selfish motives behind their prayers? Absolutely not!

However, God, in His infinite mercy has not left us without a Redeemer, one who can intercede for us (as prophesied here in verse 20), “The Redeemer (Jesus Christ) who will come to Zion (Jerusalem), and unto to them that turn from transgression, says the LORD.” Without a doubt, our sin separates us from God (Genesis 3:24, Isaiah 59:2, Galatians 5:19-21), but repentance (turning from transgression) restores us back into fellowship with Him. Hallelujah.

The Truth: “If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)