Give Thanks

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.”

~Psalm 100

In 1621 the Pilgrims and Wampanoa Indians held the first feast that our modern-day Thanksgiving is drawn from. The Pilgrims gave thanks in prayer as part of their religious service on a daily basis, but it wasn’t until that first harvest and abundance of food that the first feast was held. Our Thanksgiving Day has evolved over the years, and we don’t necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving for the same reasons the Pilgrims did. Most of us don’t have to till the land for food, or hope we kill an animal so our kids don’t starve—we go to the grocery store where food is abundant. Most of us celebrate Thanksgiving because it’s what we do every year, and we don’t give much thought to why or for what we have to be thankful for.

“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things (Psalm 107:8-9).”

We live in one of the most prosperous times in history in one of the most prosperous countries, but as Christians, we have much more to be thankful for than material belongings. We still must be thankful for the home we have, the job, car, and all of the things the world puts so much value on but being thankful for our place in Christ is the most valuable part of our who we are. Holding on to our faith, salvation, and our love for the Lord must always be more important than anything else in our lives. And what Christ did for us on the Cross at Calvary is not just worthy of our thanks on a certain day of the year, He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving every single day of the year.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever; to Him who alone does great wonders, for His steadfast love endures forever; to Him who by understanding made the heavens, for His steadfast love endures forever; to Him who spread out the earth above the waters, for His steadfast love endures forever; to Him who made the great lights, for His steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for His steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-9).”

Read James 1-4

©2018 Marie McGaha

Be Determined

“For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

~Romans 7: 22-25

There is a legend attributed to one of the Indian tribes that says every man has two wolves inside him. One is good and the other, evil. A young man asked the wise old man how to know which one was the strongest, and the wise old man answered, “The one you feed the most.” The same is true if we apply the story biblically. We have two natures, one that strives to do good, and the other that wants to slap the skin off someone’s face if they look at us sideways. Our old nature feeds the sin that dwells within us, and even when we are saved by accepting Christ as our Savior, that old nature can haunt us. Like Paul, our minds might determine to serve the Lord, but we still battle our fleshly desires.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness (Romans 6:12-13).”

Just as we are what we eat, we are spiritually what we practice, and if we aren’t practicing righteousness, we are practicing unrighteousness. Practicing righteousness is more than reading a few chapters of the Bible, a devotion, and offering up a quick prayer in the morning. Practicing righteousness is something we do all day long in everything we say and everything we do. Like eating food, what we put into our bodies determines how healthy we are. Eat junk food and sugar all day and your body is going to reflect that. Put junk into your mind and you’re going to reflect that in what you do and say. What you read, the music you listen to, and the TV shows you watch have an impact on your mind. The people you hang with do too. The jokes they tell, the conversations they have, the things they do, also have an effect.

Practicing righteousness does not come naturally, it is something we decide to do. We set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2-17) and determine to practice those things which bring life—compassion, kindness, humility, and patience.

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:20-23).”

Read Hebrews 10-13

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Wallowing With The Pigs

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.”

~Ephesians 1:3-5

Do you consider yourself “chosen” by God? It’s an overwhelming idea that the God of all Creation would look down at the billions of people on earth and choose me! But that’s what He did for each of us who follow Christ. The Lord of All hand picks each one of us no matter what our circumstances may be. No matter what kind of trouble we’ve been into, what sins we’ve committed, or what kind of blubbering mess we appear to be—we were hand-picked by the Lord. For me, that’s an awesome, awe-inspiring revelation.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony (Colossians 3:12-14).”

We are all chosen to be part of God’s grand plan, however, we still have a choice just like Adam and Eve in the Garden. God gave us free will because He wants us to give ourselves freely to Him, to His plan, and above all, to love Him in return. God loves us in our worst moments but it’s only in our best moments that we love Him. Once we accept that Christ is the only answer for our lives, we return God’s love, but it doesn’t end there. He expects us to not only love Him, but to love others—and not just other Christians. No, God expects us to love others in their worst moments, the way He loves us. It’s easy to love someone who loves us, but loving the unlovable, those still living in their sins, wallowing in the filth of this world—it gets a little more difficult.

I am reminded of the prodigal son who spent his inheritance on gambling, drinking, and wild living and then wound up wallowing with the pigs trying to feed himself on their slop. No matter what kind of life we’ve lived, until we accept Christ as our Savior, we are all wallowing with the pigs. Not one of us is better than another, the difference is, like the prodigal son, we came to our senses and took the hand Christ offers. It is then up to us to offer a hand to others. Love one another!

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate (Luke 15:21-24).”

Read Hebrews 7-9

©2018 Marie McGaha

Use Your Sword

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry. The devil said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

~Luke 4:1-4

We have all been tempted at one time or another. I’m tempted every Thanksgiving to eat more pumpkin pie than I should! We talk about temptation without giving it a lot of thought but when Jesus was tempted in the desert, the entire future of mankind was at stake. But Jesus had an answer—the Word of God. No matter what the devil offered, Jesus never offered an opinion, He simply used God’s Word and defeated the devil. What might our lives look like if we approached temptation the same way Jesus did?

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a Voice from Heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3:16-17).”

I find it interesting that it wasn’t until after Jesus was baptized in water and by the Holy Spirit, that He heard the voice of God, and only then did the devil try to divert Christ’s attention away from His God-given purpose. But no matter what the devil said, Jesus answered by using God’s Word. The Word of God is powerful. The Bible says it’s living and active, sharp enough to divide the soul and judge the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is called the sword of the Spirit and is part of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:17), but like any weapon, we must know how to use it.

“We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the Word of God, which is at work in you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:12-13).”

Read Hebrews 4-6

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Our Weakest Moments

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

~Ephesians 6:12

Most people have either heard this verse, or used this verse, when someone is having problems, either physical or spiritual. But what does it mean? We might not be in a physical fight, but certainly, we do have emotional and spiritual battles, and we do wrestle with ourselves. And it wears us out. Sometimes, those battles can get so intense that we feel like curling up in a ball and giving up. That’s what satan does to us. He attacks our mind, especially when we have something going on in the physical world. When we’re facing a crisis, have medical issues, financial problems, have lost a loved one, or anything that affects us emotionally, satan uses those moments to attack. He is always there in our weakest moments and kicks us while we’re down.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).”

We are physical beings, we live in the physical world, and we rely on our five senses to tell us what is going on. But when it comes to spiritual forces, our physical senses are useless and satan knows that. When we are under attack by what we can’t see, taste, hear, touch or smell, we can be quickly overcome by fear, doubt, anxiety, worry, and stress. And all of those are in our mind, yet they can quickly take a physical toll on our bodies. We get run down, tired, lose sleep, and it becomes a vicious cycle that overwhelms us and takes us farther from God. But there is something we can do about it—first, pray. Pray. Pray. Pray some more. Especially when we don’t feel like praying. Secondly, praise God. Give the Lord all the glory and praise due His Name for the victory He is giving us in overcoming the devil. Third, worship. Put on worship music and sing. The enemy of our spirit and mind cannot stand in the presence of prayer, praise and worship.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).”

Read Hebrews 1-3

©2018 Marie McGaha

Holding Grudges

“So, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” 

~Matthew 5:23-24

People hold grudges. We also hold on to pain caused by others. We feel as if we are owed something by those who have ridiculed and hurt us. We feel as if holding on to those painful events, we are somehow teaching the person we blame a lesson. But we aren’t doing a thing to that person, we are only allowing them to continue to hurt us. Holding on to pain causes resentment and anger that affects every part of our lives and keeps us from being what God wants us to be. When we hold on to past events that hurt us, we are holding on to the person who caused the pain, and we remain their victim.

We can cry out to God to make the pain go away but until we let go of the pain, and the person who caused it, the pain won’t go away. We must let go and forgive those who hurt us if we are to ever be what God wants us to be in Him. Forgiving people who hurt us isn’t easy, but it is possible.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive (Colossians 3:12-13).” 

It can be easy to think that someone who has hurt us deserves our anger and we shouldn’t have to forgive them. But forgiving those who have hurt us isn’t for them, it’s for us. Unforgiveness causes anger, hatred, and resentment, which can lead us to turn away from God instead of to Him. When we forgive, we are saying, “I am not going to carry this burden any longer. I am giving my burdens over to God and I’m freeing up that place in my heart for the Lord to occupy instead.”

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”

Read Philemon

©2018 Marie McGaha

Dancing In Heaven

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.  And now we thank you, our God, and praise Your glorious Name.”

~1 Chronicles 29:11-13

I was posting our book of the month on my company website this morning and got to thinking of how wonderful the Lord really is. The book is called Signing To The Angels by Claire Muller. It’s the true story of how this wonderful, godly lady and her husband adopted a two-year-old girl no one wanted. Shelly was born deaf and mute, she couldn’t walk or feed herself, yet she was a sparkling little jewel God had created. Shelly only lived to age 21 but in her short life, she touched the lives of all she met. And although I never met her, just by reading this book, Shelly left an indelible mark on my soul.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:17-20).”

Sometimes, I think we forget how blessed we are, and how much God has done for us because we get bogged down in trials of life. Our five senses are on overload and our lives are filled with the stresses of this world and it can become too much to bear. This life is but for a moment and then it will be over, and what lies beyond is a life with Christ Jesus. A glorious life that we can’t imagine now but will cause this life to fade from memory. Every trial we face, every day we press forward is leading us home to glory in Christ Jesus. We endure using the Lord’s strength, drawing on His wisdom and love, through prayer and worship. And one day, like Shelly, we will be dancing in Heaven on streets of gold.

“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:10-12).” 

Read Titus

You can see Signing To The Angels by Claire Muller here

© 2018 Marie McGaha