Category: Thanksgiving

A bible study of the principles laid out by King David in
1 Chronicles 16 regarding Thanksgiving. It’s not a day, or a prayer. It’s a way of life. Thanksgiving takes a dot of faith and grows it into something mighty. The kind of faith that allows a scrawny boy to fight a giant.

Thanksgiving

And then there was one

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One of the lepers realizes his skin healed.  This man turns on his heals and heads back to Jesus.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

Can’t you see this guy?  I doubt he stopped when the first sore healed.  Not even the second.  But when he realized the ulcerated sores were gone, he knew it was real.

This guy didn’t set there trying to decide why he once was sick but now was well.  He knew.  He didn’t second-guess the source of his healing.  He knew an answered prayer when he saw one.

So let’s look at how he reacted to answered prayer as compared to David’s guide on Thanksgiving.

So the ten lepers came to Jesus crying out for Him to heal them.  So I think we can agree they meet two of David’s points.  We might call this level 1.  The starting point.

2)   Call upon his name

7)   Seek the Lord and his strength

Let’s go to level 2.  Here are some of the points David mentions that I think are part of level 2.

1)   Give thanks to the Lord

3)   Make known his deeds

4)   Sing unto him

5)   Talk about his wondrous work

6)   Glory in his holy name

 (we will get to level 3 and 4  in a little bit)

Only one leper returns.  All were healed as far as we can tell from the scripture.  But only one stops and heads back to Jesus.

Can’t you see him?  This man runs back down the road yelling out loud and praising God.  The heads of people passing by must have been turning.  I doubt there was one person who passed who didn’t know this man had been heal.

I can think of so many times God answered my cries. Those moments when I had hit bottom and had no idea what I would do.  God acted and I knew it was Him.  I thanked him and my heart sang.  But to be honest, I don’t think I told others, I don’t think I called up praises or documented what God had done.

Those moments fade into my history and don’t become a building block for greater faith.  In fact, as time passes, I think I sometimes start second guessing did God act.  At the time, I know only God could have acted, but later I think maybe just coincidence or something I didn’t know about happened.   Those doubts actually bring down faith rather than building it.

Exercise

Earlier we made a list of times when we cried out to God and He answered.  Look at those moments.  How did you react to God’s answer to your prayer?  Did you run through town praising God and telling people what God had done?  Did you sing songs to God glorifying Him for what he had down?

I would like to spend our Thanksgiving working on treating one of those answered prayers as David would have treated it.  Or as this leper naturally treated it.

Thanksgiving

Quick Recap

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Let’s recap for a moment before we move forward on how to live a life of Gratitude

Who

 

Thanksgiving belongs to those who cry out to God in the day of their need.

Thanksgiving is meant to be a major component a Christian’s life because we are people who call on the name of Jesus.

 What

We strive not for prayers or quick whispers of thanks, but for a way of life based on relying on God, recognizing the work of God and praising God for those victories.

 Why

Living a life of gratitude requires a speck of faith and results in a mustard seed of faith.  Jesus told us faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain.  A life of Thanksgiving grows mighty faith warriors

Thanksgiving

An Example From David’s Life

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David credited God for acting in his life and through this he was able to obey God’s commands.  How do we know?  Look at his words to Saul when he volunteered to fight Goliath.

 1 Samuel 17:36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies of the living God.

At this point, if you stopped reading here, you would be where most of us stop in reality if not in words.

But David continues with the reason for his faith.

 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of the Philistine.

David has the faith to go out against a giant who makes mighty soldiers quake because he knows God rescued him in the past and will be there in this day.

This is not about saying the words.  It is about building memorials to God that remind you of each time God acted on your behalf.  It’s about re-enforcing your soul and mind with the answered prayers, the miracles, the sweet God kisses in your life.

Faith is required for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving grows faith.  We are on a wheel moving up that mountain until we have enough faith to move that mountain.  Many say, David wrote Psalm 23 regarding his battle with Goliath.

Exercise

Think about a problem you face today that you are praying to God regarding His intervention.  Has God ever in your past answered a similar prayer?  Has he acted in your life even without a prayer but you knew it was Him?  Start saying your prayer with a recognition of what God has done for you in the past.

Playlist Song for the Day

Psalm 23            2:38            Steve Ivey            Album:  30 Celtic Hymns

Christian. · Thanksgiving · Uncategorized

Living a Life of Thanksgiving

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Slide1

Let’s study Thanksgiving in the School of David– the man had a PHD in the Art of Thanking God. King David is one of my favorite people in the bible. He managed to get himself into trouble several times, yet God loved him. Note, I probably view this wrong.  I see a man who failed and God still loved because I fail so often.   But in reality David was a man after God’s own heart because it was David’s desire to do what God commanded. He stumbles and falls, but he always turns back to God crying for forgiveness. He longed to please God. Evidence would indicate David longed to please God because David deliberately recalled when he was down all the things God had accomplished for him.

When you look at David’s psalms and his life, you find a man who lived a life of gratitude—a life continually recognizing God’s actions in his life. Based on this, it makes sense to allow David to teach us about Thanksgiving. And it just so happens, David wrote a psalm outlining a life of Thanksgiving in 1 Chronicles 16. It will be our primary text for learning how to go on a great adventure with God through thanksgiving.

But a quick overview of the process can be found in Psalm 50:15 and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

Exercise 1
Find a place to jot down your thoughts: journal,  computer document, notepad.
Write down the times when you cried out to God in a time of trouble.

Write down how God responded.

Do you remember honoring God if he delivered you?

How did you honor him?

Thanksgiving

David—Shepherd, King, Song Writer

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Know only a few things about the bible and you probably have heard of David.  David, the scrawny young teen, fought the giant while mighty soldiers coward in their tents.  We talk about current underdogs as being a David going against Goliath.

Those who know a little more about David might know God called David a man after His own heart.  How do you get to be someone after God’s own heart?   According to Acts 13:22: He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.

David was not perfect, far from it in fact.  He had an affair with another man’s wife, he then set the husband up to be killed because David impregnated the man’s wife.  But when confronted with his sin, David’s heart broke.

The majority of David’s life is spent seeking to be in the will of God.  We know more about the feelings of David then we do of most of the people in our day to day lives.  David the shepherd boy and David the King spent his whole life writing songs about his relationship to God.  We call them Psalms, but they were songs.  Early on, David played his songs to calm down King Saul later he gave the songs to those who sang in the worship of the Lord.  Each of these songs gives us a window into how David lived and thought.

A major thread through all of David’s songs was Thanksgiving and Praise.  David lived a life of recalling the acts of God.  He lived gratitude and that gratitude fueled his faith in God.

Come join me as I explore the outline David composed in 1 Chronicles 16 regarding Thanksgiving. I am starting this study on November 1, 2015.

My Thanksgiving playlist
Thanksgiving

My Thanksgiving playlist

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El Shaddai     Amy Grant      I Can Only Imagine – Ultimate Power Anthems of the Christian Faith

What A Friend We Have In Jesus        Amy Grant       Legacy…

I Love To Tell The Story      Barbara Mandrell Precious Memories

In the Garden       Barbara Mandrell Precious Memories

Glory, Glory, Glory      Bishop Noel Jones & The City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir Welcome to the City

Victory In Jesus       Bo Steele Victory In Jesus – Single

The Little Drummer Boy        Burl Ives Have A Holly Jolly Christmas Holiday

Love Song for a King     Caleb Rowden      Love Song for a King

Sing      Carpenters The Singles, 1969 – 1973

Praise You with the Dance        Casting Crowns Casting Crowns Inspirational

The Old Rugged Cross    Chris Rice Peace Like a River: The Hymns Project

Amazing Grace     Elvis Presley Elvis – Ultimate Gospel

Psalm 118: Easter Alleluia (For the Great Vigil, With Easter Gospel According to John)    Gary Daigle, Rory Cooney & Theresa Donohoo This Very Morning

Cry Of My Heart/Lord I Lift Your Name On High      Highland Village, TX Baptist Church Worship Band Songs From The Village 2000

Cry Of My Heart        Invitation Music       The World’s Most Loved Classic Worship Songs

Psalm 118: This Is the Day     John Angotti          Joy Beyond Our Dreams

Altar of God      Josh Bates     Glory Revealed

I Love You, Lord   The Maranatha Singers    Songs 4 Worship: Holy Ground

Oh Happy Day     The Oak Ridge Boys Oak Ridge Boys Collection Inspirational

Revelation Song    Phillips, Craig & Dean      Fearless

O, How I Love Jesus (LP Version)    Randy Travis Glory Train, Songs of faith, worship & praise

Hallel    Richie Furay    In My Father’s House Inspirational

Give Thanks to the Lord     Richie Furay      In My Father’s House

Lord, I Lift Your Name On High    Rick Warren   The Invitation

Psalm 23 2:38 Steve Ivey 30 Celtic Hymns

Family of Love, Family of God    Take 6    Songs for a purpose driven life

The Heavens Declare (Psalm 19:1-4, 7-9)  Todd Fields Word of God Speak: The Worship Session

Victory In Jesus   Travis Cottrell Jesus Saves (Live)

We Bow Down    Twila Paris Twila Paris – Greatest Hits

The Heavens Declare (Psalm 19: 1-4, 7-9; NIV)     Word Of God Speak

Pulling it all together to live a life of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving

Pulling it all together to live a life of Thanksgiving

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Be a person who cries out to Jesus, who calls on the name of Jesus.

Start by accepting Christ as your savior and as the Lord of your life.

Place your worries and and fears on the alter before Christ and do not pick them up again.

When God acts in your life, answering prayers, or providing blessings,  recognize what He has done and thank Him,

Record the answered prayers and remember them when you face troubles.  Pray to God reminding yourself of all He has done in the past to strengthen you faith for the present.

Remember the deeds of God in the Bible and hold to them as evidence of what God can do in your life.

Tell people in your life what God has done.  Your personal testimony of answered prayers.

Sing praises to God for His mighty deeds.  Sing of your Lord’s loving kindness.

Celebrate His love and the gifts He has given you.  Like David dance for joy.

Fall to your face and worship God for He is worthy to be worshipped.

Bring offerings of Thanksgiving to Him.  Give Him the best of you time, your talents and your resources.  Give Him what He wants most.  Love others as Christ loves you.

This is not a one time event but should be a way of life.

Exercise

Plan a time to share with other Christians.  Create a time when you can share with one another what Christ has done in your life.  Make it a party, a party with singing and praising God.  Make it a party Celebrating the blessings of God on your life.

Then take this love that is in your heart, take the talents, time and resources and love those who cross your path.  Love them as Jesus loves you.

Thanksgiving is a Celebration of all God has done for you.  Thanksgiving requires faith.  But a person who focuses their lives on recognizing  the gifts given by God and on giving God praise for those gifts will grow into a mighty person of faith.

If I am to bring an offering what does Jesus want?
Thanksgiving

If I am to bring an offering what does Jesus want?

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So in the ancient times the people offered sacrifices of thanksgiving to God.  We no longer have a specified offering.  But Jesus did tell us what He wanted from us if we loved Him.

John 14

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Now we know what Jesus wants is for us  to keep His commandments.  But what does that mean?  How do we keep the commandments of Jesus?  What are these commandments?  A few verses later, Jesus tells us.

John 15

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

 

A simple command and yet maybe the hardest command that exists.  What Jesus wants from us is for us to love one another as He loved us. He loved us enough to come from heaven to earth.  He loved us enough to give his life on the cross as a sacrifice for us.  He loved us enough to send the Holy Spirit as a comforter and teacher.  He loves us enough to hear and answer our prayers.

And if we want to show our thanks for all Jesus has done, He asks us to love one another.

Exercise

What do you think it means to love someone like Jesus?  Does it mean forgiving them when they mess up?  Does it mean caring for others even when we might not want to do so?  We are told by Jesus when we feed the hungry, cloth the naked and care for the prisoners we are doing these things for Jesus.

Yesterday we looked at our time, and money and talents as something we could give God.

Today look at who you could show love, the kind of self sacrificial love Jesus gave to you.  Make a plan for how you can be more loving to another person.

Playlist song

Family of Love, Family of God        Take 6           Songs for a purpose driven life

 

And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks
Thanksgiving

And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks

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Saw the King and I–the Rogers Hammerstein musical-the other day.  Throughout the play, the issue of servants prostrating themselves before their king is discussed.  The Western Anna resists the act while those raised in Siam readily show this level of respect.  In the end Anna wins and the new king ends the practice.  But I am going to suggest that here in the West we should consider falling down at our King’s feet.

Prostration demonstrates either submission or adoration.  In the case of our healed leper, he ran back to the man who healed him.   He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet out of love for what Jesus had done.  I think this man would have been ready to completely submit himself to Jesus.  Christ gave this man back his life.  Before he was a prisoner of his illness; trapped inside a rotting body.  Jesus freed him to live a life among healthy people.  Jesus freed him to love and be loved; to work, to play, to live.

We owe Christ our greatest Thanks, but so seldom do we actually contemplate just how much.  We belong on our faces praising Christ and thanking for our salvation, for the fact he hears our prayers, for the miracles in our lives, and  for the Holy Spirit who is always with us.

In reality, we treat all Jesus has done for us as our birth right.  We go through life to some degree just accepting God’s gift like spoilt kids who think His gift of Grace is no big.  We owe him our everything, but we are like the 9 lepers who did not return to think Jesus.

Luke 17

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Exercise

1) Has your faith made you whole?  Have you thanked Jesus for your Salvation and for the answered prayers in your life.  We have been writing and thinking about what God has done in our life. Review what you have written and add other reasons you are thankful.  Now find a quite place for the next few days and fall prostrate before God both in submission and admiration.  Thank Him for what He has done and ask Him to give you a greater faith.
2) Write in your journal does your gratitude to Jesus reach the level of servitude and admiration.  Would you do anything for the one who saved you? Or you more like the other nine?

Playlist

We Bow Down      Twila Paris Twila Paris – Greatest Hits

What the heck does this mean?
Thanksgiving

What the heck does this mean?

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Last instruction in level two ‘Glory in His name”  Research was required.  What does it mean to glory?

Well, I have the answer.  We do it a lot more often then you would think.  Just maybe not for God.

Visualize the Super bowl champions when they return home.  The excitement, the joy, the pride, the praises we shout for the winners.  We glory in our team; we rejoice in their victory.  We celebrate their accomplishments.

Now lets think about what that would look like if we Glory in His name.  Think of the phrase in His name as sort of meaning who He is and what He does.  So glory means to exult; to rejoice in triumph.  I have two perfect examples of what I think it looks like.

David:

1 Chronicle 15

25 So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obededom with joy.

26 And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of theLord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.

27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.

28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

29 And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal, the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.

My second example is back to our one leper in Luke 17

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

Exercise

Have you ever had a moment of this type of exuberant joy over a blessing from God.  Did you dance and sing and fall on your face before God?  If you have not, why not?  Has God done things in your life deserving this level of celebration?  Think about holding a Party or a Thanksgiving Celebration where you would exult God for who He is and what He has done.  Plan a celebration glorifying God.  Maybe it will be just you and your family, you and a friend, or just you.  But celebrate God for who He is and what He has done.  Include Dancing, singing and shouting praises.

 

Play list

Glory, Glory, Glory