Category: Advent 2016 – Thanks

Tomorrow is Christmas. Thank you for staying with me through these 24 days of Advent. May the Lord bless your Christmas celebrations.

You may think this season of thankfulness is done, but actually it is only the beginning. All the individuals – people like Moses, David, Isaiah, and Daniel – whom we have looked at over the past days have already moved from this world to the next, but there they continue to give thanks and praise to God. They are not alone.

In the book of Revelation, we see a great throng of angels singing around the throne of God. They sing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!” (7:12) The twenty-four elders join them, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty . . . for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.” (11:17)

As you and I draw near to the manger, it is our turn to join their song of thanksgiving. Why not read Psalm 150 aloud today with all those who gather at your table? “Let everything that lives sing praises to the Lord!”

Only one more day of Advent. Tomorrow is our last post on this theme of “Thanking Jesus.” Hope you can join us!

With so much to thank the Lord for in his own life, Paul struggled to comprehend how other people could ignore the God of Creation. In Romans 1, the apostle pointed out that God programmed a knowledge of Himself into every person’s heart. People could observe not only the things the Lord had made – the sun, the sky, the earth – but they could even clearly see God’s invisible qualities such as His eternal power and divine nature. Despite this inner programming, many people turned away from God. “They knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks.” (1:21) These people did not “forget” to thank God as the Israelites did in the wilderness. These people refused to give thanks.

Paul went on to say, “The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead.”

What a testimony of Paul’s own experience. It took three days of utter darkness filled with blindness and confusion before Paul himself recognized the truth of who Jesus Christ was. But once he saw clearly, he never forgot. Thirty years after that experience, he wrote, “Thank God for His Son – a gift too wonderful for words.” (2 Cor. 9:15)

If you saw someone stumbling in darkness, wouldn’t you offer to help? If you know someone who is confused, can you point them to the Light of the World? Then they too will be able to give thanks.

Are you on Facebook? Despite my objections to the way it can monopolize one’s time, it offers a way to stay in touch with people you don’t get to see every day.

The apostle Paul loved the people he served. Because he wasn’t geographically near them and he didn’t have access to Facebook, Paul wrote them letters. He was a grateful man. Over and over he expressed thanks for his family in Christ:

Rom. 1:8 “How I thank God through Jesus Christ for each one of you.”
1 Corinthians 1:4 “I can never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 1:16 “I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly.”
Philippians 1:3 “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”
Colossians 1:3 “We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “We will never stop thanking God that when we preached His message to you . . . you accepted what we said as the very word of God.”
2 Timothy 1:3 “Timothy, I thank God for you.”
Philemon 4 “I always thank God for you, Philemon.”

Why not take time today to thank God for your family and for the friends you have on Facebook? If you are not on Facebook, you could write a letter!

Are you enjoying all the Christmas fudge and cookies these days? Are you also feeding your soul? Thanks for coming back for another of these Advent devotionals on “Thanking Jesus.”

My husband visited in the home of a local family when he was touring Russia. His host asked him if he would say a blessing before they began the evening meal. Gene offered thanks to God for the food and the new friendships being made. The next day, the family asked Gene to say grace again. Again Gene prayed, expressing simple appreciation for God’s provision. After the “Amen,” Gene looked up to see surprise registered on the faces of his host family. Accustomed to rote prayers of their Orthodox church, the father said, “You know two graces!”

Jesus too made a habit of thanking God for his food. He thanked God as he blessed the loaves and the fishes before distributing them to the 5000 and again when He fed the 4000. He blessed the meal at the Last Supper. But Jesus also expressed gratitude at other times. For example, as Jesus stood before Lazarus’ grave, he prayed. In John 11:41, we read that prayer: “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe You sent Me.”

Many of us remember to pause and say grace before we eat, but do we pause and offer thanks aloud when there are strangers standing nearby? We never know when those who overhear us may become curious and choose to believe in our Savior.

Christmas is only a few days away! Thanks for sticking with me for the remaining Advent devotionals on “Thanking Jesus.” We have been tracing stories of individuals throughout scripture who chose to thank God.

Luke tells us, in chapter 7 of his gospel, about a day when Jesus was having dinner at the home of a Pharisee. A woman of dubious reputation entered the house carrying a jar of expensive perfume. Kneeling before Jesus, she began weeping and washing his feet with the perfume, wiping them with her long hair.

From the Pharisee’s perspective, this event only confirmed his opinion that Jesus was no prophet. But from Jesus’ perspective, the woman’s actions were a demonstration of her thanks. “I tell you, her sins – and they are many – have been forgiven, thus she has shown me much love.”

The Pharisee offered no words of gratitude for all God’s blessings on his life – his home, his education, his social position, the food on his table – but the woman gave the best she had in order to express her thanks for God’s forgiveness.

Has God forgiven you? Sometimes words cannot express our gratitude for that gift, but our actions can demonstrate to others how much God has done for us. What act of gratitude can you offer God today?

We are coming down the homestretch on this series of 24 Advent devotionals on “Thanking Jesus.”

My husband and I have welcomed hundreds of people into our home. Some have come for a meal, others have stayed for months. We have noticed, however, that of all our guests, those who are most grateful are often foreign students.

Jesus was out walking with his disciples one day, headed toward Jerusalem. As they approached the northern border of Samaria, they met ten lepers. The lepers pleaded with Jesus to have mercy on them. Unlike other times when he healed people, Jesus did not touch the lepers or even command them to be healed. According to Luke 17:14, the Master simply directed them to go and see their priests.

As they hastened to obey, the ten men discovered they were healed. Only one of the ten, a Samaritan, turned around and returned to give thanks. He fell at Jesus’ feet and cried, “Praise God! I’m healed!”

Jesus responded, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?”

If a foreigner knows enough to give thanks to God, shouldn’t we who are God’s children do it even more naturally?

Can you believe that we only have one week left in this Advent series on “Thanking Jesus”?

In Luke chapter 2, the gospel writer described two special people who were righteous and devout. Both hung out at the Temple on a regular basis and both prayed for the appearance of God’s Savior. Luke did not mention Simeon’s age but Anna was 84 years old. That was a ripe old age in that historical period and is considered old even in our own day.

When Mary and Joseph appeared at the Temple carrying the infant Jesus, first Simeon and then Anna approached to see the child. Both offered praise and thanks to God for allowing them to behold the Messiah with their own eyes. Simeon reacted by saying, “Now I can die in peace!” but Anna responded in a very different way. Instead of lying back and waiting for death like her friend, Anna spread the word. She “talked about Jesus to everyone who had been waiting for the promised King to come.”

When God has answered your deepest prayers, will you be like Simeon, offering your quiet thanks and then waiting to die? Or will you, like Anna, use every breath that you have remaining and share your good news with others? With whom might you be able to share your thanks today?

Day 17

Thirty plus years ago, I began preparing Advent devotionals each year for my family. Three decades seems like a long time! Seventy years seems even longer…

After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, Ezra led the exiled Jews back to Jerusalem and, on that ruined site, started to rebuild the Temple. Even as Ezra began his task, he led the nation in corporate thanks to God. In Ezra 3:11, we read that “With praise and thanks they sang this song to the Lord: ‘He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!’”

Years later, Nehemiah led another wave of his people home to Jerusalem and helped them rebuild the

wall around the city. When the task was complete, he too led the nation in a time of corporate thanks to God. In Nehemiah 12:24,31,38,43, we read how Nehemiah led the leaders to the the newly reconstructed wall and organized two large choirs that walked along the top of the wall, one choir turning north and the other south, until they met again at the other side of the city. “Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away.”

When is the last time that you joined together with all God’s people – men, women and children – to give thanks? Could the neighbors hear your songs of praise? Perhaps you and your friends and your family can go caroling this season and sing your thanks to the Lord.

Lots of new people have been joining us for this Advent series on “Thanking Jesus.” Some may already believe in Jesus, but others may not. Today we look at a man who had no faith in God – indeed, the man demanded that others worship him as a god.

Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of Babylon. One day he looked all around his kingdom and his heart swelled with pride. Then he had a terrifying nightmare. Once again he called on Daniel to interpret it. With great fear, Daniel explained that, according to the dream, if the Nebuchadnezzar did not humble himself, the king would go mad for a period of time, eating grass in the field like the cattle, until the king acknowledged that the Lord was ruler over all. Daniel begged the king to change his ways.

Nebuchadnezzar ignored that warning and boasted, “I, by my own mighty power, have built this beautiful city.” And immediately he went mad. Months went by until at last the king sought God. In Daniel 4:34-37, the ruler spoke with a heart of gratitude, “My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. . . . Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All His acts are just and true, and he is able to humble those who are proud.”

Nowhere else in the entire Bible do we have a whole chapter devoted to the first-person testimony of a non-Jew! King Nebuchadnezzar at last learned to give thanks to God.

Do you know someone who has not acknowledged the Lord’s power and authority? Why not pause today and pray that your friend will learn to give thanks and praise the one true God even as Nebuchadnezzar did?

Ready to thank God again? Here is the next in our Advent series on “Thanking Jesus.”

When Daniel was a young man, he lived through some horrific events. His parents were likely killed when King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem. Daniel watched his nation go into captivity. He saw the City of David destroyed, including the great Temple built by Solomon. And he himself was forced to move to Babylon, learn a new language, and serve a foreign king. On the index of stress caused by change, Daniel is off the charts.

If all this were not enough trauma for a lifetime, while Daniel is just getting settled in Babylon, soldiers from Nebuchadnezzar come one night and pound on Daniel’s door with a death warrant in their hands.

The king has had a frightening nightmare. He demands that someone not merely interpret a dream but also describe the contents of that dream. All the wise men protest that first the king should reveal the basics of the dream. No, the king demands, they must first reveal the dream and then its interpretation. Daniel, unshaken by this impossible request, prays for wisdom. And God answers. In Daniel 2:20-24, the prophet writes, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for He alone has all the wisdom and power . . . He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though He Himself is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God, , , , for you have given me wisdom and strength.”

You and I will hopefully never face the degree of trauma that Daniel experienced, but each of us needs God’s wisdom. When we pray for understanding and God answers, don’t forget to give thanks.