Tag: Jesus

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

He came from Heaven to Earth
Thanksgiving

He came from Heaven to Earth

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God’s Deeds laid out in the old Testament provide us with a foundation to know God is mighty, God keeps His promises, and God disciplines and forgives His people.  Praise God, His Love Endures Forever. Thank you God for giving us these detailed explanations of what you did in the past because it reassures us that you are the same today.

But moving forward.

Thank you God for the New Testament which shows us just how much you loved us.

Jesus left heaven where the angels worshiped and obeyed his every command.  He left heaven for one purpose.  He left heaven to seek those who were lost.

Through Jesus the whole world was created.  Yet he came to earth in the form of a baby subject to parents and  other adults.  He followed the rules and studied with the Rabbis.  Jesus played and worked and lived in the world he created.  Then at the appropriate time, he taught us what it meant to live as one with Him, with the Father.

I am thankful he cared enough to step down out of heaven for my sake; for your sake.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have ever lasting life.

Thank you God for coming to show us the way, coming to be our sacrifice, coming to create a bridge where we can be one with You,

Thank you: the baby in the manger, the great teacher, the passover lamb, the risen savior, the Holy Spirit

John 1

King James Version (KJV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Exercise
Write in your journal what you think heaven is like.  Do you think it was a big deal for Jesus to leave heaven to come to earth and to live in human skin?  Write a thank you note for what Jesus did by stepping down from heaven to become a sacrifice covering your sins if you have asked Him into your life.  Write a detailed note expressing true feelings.
Playlist (what else could it be)

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

Make known his deeds
Thanksgiving

Make known his deeds

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Let’s venture back to the difference between counting your blessings and thanksgiving.  Counting blessings entails two activities.  The first thinking about what you are happy about.  What people, things, places and activities you are glad exist in your life?  You focus on what pleases you.  You focus on what makes your life happy.

Thanksgiving changes the focus to what God has done in your life.  Look towards those time in your heart of heart when you know God brought blessings into your life.  Yesterday, we redirected what we are meditating upon from general blessing to those times we know God acted directly in our lives.

Today it goes from inside to outside.  David says we are to share with others what we know God has done for us.

Okay, back to our Leper.

Luke 17:15  One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.

So we have our healed leper running down the road praising God and shouting for everyone to hear what God has done for him.  Not one person passing by would not have know what Jesus had done.  But notice something else.  The 10 Lepers know to cry out to Jesus for help.  They know he can heal them.  How would they know this if someone hadn’t been talking about what Jesus had done?

How often do you tell someone about what Jesus has done in your life.  Not share the gospel with them.  Not tell them to come to church.  Not tell them the stories in the bible.  Do you tell them what He has done in your life?

I don’t.  God acts in my life.  He accomplishes mighty works and I know they are from God.  But I seldom if ever share these big and small miracles with people.  Sometimes it doesn’t seem like the right time.  At other times, I don’t believe people will believe me.  I know the truth, but I am sure it sounds wild to others.  Most of the time, it just never crosses my mind to tell my stories.

God demonstrates His power in our lives through life saving giant miracles (and I have had those in my life) but just as often, He simply places a kiss on our cheek.  These are small moments when God acts and you know it was Him.  A God kiss touches your heart, answers a real need and lets you know he cares about you in the little things.

Since today is about making his deeds known.  I will tell you about the most recent God Kiss.

A few months back I had a period of total ditziness.  In about a three month period, I lost two separate credit cards.  I sent to have the first one replaced, but my monthly payments were on the second card.  I just did not want to have to redo all those accounts.  Not a life or death situation.  I watched the account no one was charging on it.

Now doing everything that is wrong,  I spent about a week going back to every place I had used the card around the time it disappeared. Nothing.  Then I prayed to God to get me out of this jam.

As a last ditch effort. I returned to the place where I thought I had lost the card.  I had called this place immediately after I realized it was gone. But they had not found it.

Pulling up at the little store-filling station combination, I locked my car door and went inside.  The people in the store searched everywhere but it was no where to be found.  I accepted it was time to give up and do what adults do.  I needed to report it lost and change all the auto pay accounts.

I unlocked the car door and settled into my seat.  My heart sunk.  I just didn’t want to have to face this problem right now.  Not a big issue.  Nothing of even great consequence would happen if I didn’t find the card.  It just frustrated me.

Then God gave me a kiss on the cheek.  I went to buckle the seatbelt.  You know that step you take every time you drive.  Now a week after I lost it, my credit card set across the latch of my seatbelt.  I could not latch the belt without removing it.

I knew God did it.  I knew God gave me a ‘here is something to make your day better’ miracle.

But I don’t tell people because I assume they won’t believe me.  They will argue that someone had my card. They kept it but did not use it.  I some how forgot to lock my car even though I thought I had.  This person heard me ask about the card.  They still had it on them, but did not want to just say it was in a drawer or back behind the counter or anything like that.  But they snuck to my car.  They chanced someone seeing them open my car door. They then slipped the credit card on the seat belt latch so I would find it..

If all that happened, and I find this scenario is a stretch, or  if God just made it appear, it was a God kiss that brighten my day and my week   I praised God all day for his helping me.  But I sure didn’t share His deed until now.

Exercise

Tell someone about something personal God has done in your life.  Or write about it on one of the social media pages.

Play list

I Love To Tell The Story         Barbara Mandrell            Precious Memories

I was going to put  “I’m So Happy and Here’s the Reason Why” , but it is hard to find versions of this one.

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

List Your Many Blessings; Name Them One By One

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Give thanks to the Lord

We are back to the beginning in a way.  David starts his instructions telling us to Give Thanks to the Lord.  He doesn’t guide us to name our blessings one by one.  That is a good thing to do but it is not what Thanksgiving is about.  Our leper in yesterday’s study didn’t just say and I am thankful for no longer having leprosy.  No he ran to Jesus telling everyone on the way, praising God until he reached Jesus and threw himself at Jesus feet thanking Him.  That is Thanksgiving.

Many people spend the month of November listing those things they are thankful for in their lives.  I do it. It focuses you to look at all you have in life.  But it is not thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving focuses you on the giver of all those blessings and how he has blessed your life.  Thanksgiving must be specific just like the counting all you blessings, but it requires that you meditate on what God has done in your life.

A Christian logically might start with salvation.  Every human lives in sin, a sin we can not possibly wash away by ourselves.  A human, like me or like you, can not bridge the gap between mortals and God.  But God provided a perfect sacrifice to cover those sins. A simple solution, and because of the simplicity of that solution, an answer many reject for its simplicity.

But Jesus seeks us.  He sought me.  At eleven, I had never really thought about God.  My mom sometimes took me to church, but it wasn’t a major part of my life.  Then suddenly, and without much explanation, it seemed people invited me to church and Christian activities constantly.  I decline the invites for the most part, but accepted one.

Invitation started at church that day and I knew God wanted me to follow Him.  But, there was no way I was going to the front of the church.  Or at least I didn’t think I would.  I remember thinking I will follow you and then I was standing at the pastors side.  I believe God carried me those few feet to the front of the Church.  The “yes I want to follow you” was enough for my Lord to intervene and help me.

Now this Thanksgiving I list my Salvation as one of my many Blessings.  But I think God he sought me when I had no idea I needed Him.  My heart sings out of love for a Lord “Who sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.”  My Lord came to earth and took on human form in order to live a perfect life and be a perfect passover lamb to cover my sings.  But my Lord also loved me enough to send tons of messengers each calling me to Him.  Many of them will never know their impact on my life.  Those who I said no to and the one I said yes to were all sent by God to seek me and to draw me close to Him

I so love my Lord for bringing me to know Him.  And I know that a God who sought me with that level of concern is not going to ever leave me.  I am His and He is mine.

Thank you Jesus for Loving me.

Exercise

Take one of your many blessings and write a Thank You Note to Jesus.  Instead of counting your blessings try writing Thank you notes to God for those things where you know He has acted in your life.  You might won’t to find a big bowl to throw your Thank you notes in.  It will be a monument to God for all He has done in your life.

Play list song (I have two for this one)

Victory In Jesus        Travis Cottrell Jesus Saves (Live) Christian & Gospel

Praise God From whom all blessings come

Thanksgiving

10 Little Lepers Heading to the Temple

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As mentioned in an earlier post, our ten lepers cried out to Jesus to cure their horrible disease.  They hoped he might cure them.  Jesus healed the lame and the blind.  Maybe just maybe, he would heal 10 lepers as well.

So our 10 guys meet the criteria for a person of Thanksgiving.  They were ten desperate people crying out to Jesus for help.  They were helpless on their own.

Jesus tells the men to go into Jerusalem and present themselves to the Priest.  The writings of Moses gave instructions regarding leprosy.  They had specific guidelines for determining if a person was infected and when these people were to be removed from society.  But they also had specific instructions regarding what to do if a leper was healed.  They had to go to the Priest in order to be declared free of the disease.  No one had ever been declared free of leprosy.  Many believed this would be a sign of the Messiah.

Jesus tells them to go and they go.  The sores still cover their bodies as they move toward the temple, but they go towards the place where they will be declared clean.  They walk hoping the sores will disappear.  I suspect more doubt than belief fills them.  They walk.

A spot disappears.  Was it ever really there?  The skin across their body regenerates as they walk.  Where there was once oozing masses of flesh there is now clean healthy skin.

They know Jesus healed them now.  They know the leprosy is healing.

Exercise

Be honest with yourself as the sores heal over what would you do?

Would you reaction be to walk slowly afraid the healing would stop?  Would you be trying to rationalize how this could be happening?  No one is ever healed of leprosy.

Would you rush to the priest to see if they would declare you healed?  Not really believing it was true until the priest said it was so.

Or would you be afraid that if you didn’t go straight to the temple the healing would stop?  Jesus said go to the priest.  You skin is healing as you go.  Shouldn’t you do just what Jesus said.  Obedience seems like a logical reaction.  What if you didn’t obey and the healing reversed itself?

Maybe you would rush home to you family instead of heading straight to the temple?  You have been isolated and missing your love ones for years.  You just want to hug them and hold them.

Would you turn around and run back to thank Jesus.

Try describing what you would do and why in your journal being as honest as you can be with yourself?

Playlist

Amazing Grace            Elvis Presley            Elvis – Ultimate Gospel

Thanksgiving

Case Study from Luke 17 (here are the verses)

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11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

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.

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.