Category: Advent 2016 – Thanks

Advent 2016 – Day 4

Emily Chase December 4, 2016 0

Thanks for returning for the fourth in our Advent series on “Thanking Jesus.” We are exploring people in the Bible who expressed thanks to God for His blessings.

Today, once again, it is not the family patriarch but one of his sons who expresses thanks to God. The patriarch Jacob, who has every reason to give thanks when he learns that his son Joseph is alive, leaves no record of thanks. But Joseph, who has experienced slavery, injustice, and prison, leaves a forever record of a grateful heart. He who was ripped away from his family, now is the second most important man in all of Egypt. He has finally married and formed a new family of his own. In Genesis 41:51,52, Joseph’s wife gives birth to two sons. Their names reflect Joseph’s grateful heart. He names his first son Manasseh because “God has made me forget all my troubles,” and he names the second Ephraim because “God has made me fruitful in this land of my suffering.”

Like Leah, Joseph did not give in to discouragement. He trusted God to bless him in the midst of suffering. And later he was grateful.

Are you facing difficult circumstances today? Can you trust God to make you fruitful in the land of your suffering? How can you express thanks to the Lord today?

Advent 2016 – Day 3

Emily Chase December 3, 2016 0

Welcome back for the 3rd devotional in our Advent series on “Thanking Jesus.” Yesterday we saw that it wasn’t a famous patriarch who first gave thanks to God, but a humble servant sent to Paddan-aram to find a wife for Isaac. Today we meet another person who gave thanks. Again this individual is not an alpha male, a leader of the clan, but she is a humble woman.

Like his father before him, Isaac sent his son Jacob to Paddan-aram to find a wife. Jacob serves there for seven years in order to gain a wife named Rachel, only to find he was a victim of bait and switch. He wakes from his wedding night to discover not Rachel but her older sister Leah in his bed. Jacob is definitely not grateful!

Leah seems to have the short end of the deal. She finds herself married to a man who does not love her, but she learns that God loves her: He blesses her with sons. Instead of giving in to bitterness, she responds with gratitude. When her third son is born, she says, “Now I will praise God!” She names him Judah, which literally means “Praise.”

From this line of Judah comes the one we know today as the Lion of Judah. Jesus Himself comes from the tribe of “praise.” He is the descendant of this grateful woman.

Have you ever felt cheated, unloved or bitter? Imagine what God could do for you if you released those negative feelings and, like Leah, transformed them into an expression of gratitude!

Advent 2016 – Day 2

Emily Chase December 2, 2016December 2, 2016 0

Welcome back to the second in our new series of 24 Advent devotionals on “Thanking Jesus.” Did you attempt my challenge from yesterday? Several of you suggested names of candidates (including Adam, Eve, Cain and Noah to name just a few) as the first person in the Bible to give thanks to God.

When I began searching for that person, I was sure it would be someone like Noah or Abraham, but I was surprised to find no record of them offering praise to God. The first time someone clearly offers thanks to God, it is not one of the great patriarchs of the faith but a humble servant.

Abraham asks his most trusted servant, likely a man named Eliezer of Damascus who was earlier named as Abraham’s heir (Gen. 15:2), to seek a wife for Isaac. Eliezer sets off on a journey that, if he is successful, means he himself will lose a huge inheritance. The servant prays and God answers by pointing him to Rebekah. When she agrees to give him a drink and to water his thirsty camels as well, he knows God has answered his prayer. Gen. 24:27 records his words of thanks: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham. The Lord has been kind and faithful to Abraham, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”

Since Eliezer was from Damascus, he came from a pagan background. He must have learned how to pray to God by watching his master, Abraham. He also must have learned to give thanks by observing Abraham. Who is watching you and learning about faith in God? Are they also learning to give thanks?

Advent 2016 – Day 1

Emily Chase December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 0

Day 1

Many decades ago when I was just a little girl, I got the brilliant idea of preparing my Christmas thank-you notes before the holiday arrived. How was this possible? The gifts were still wrapped and under the tree! But smart me, I wrote out a template of notes that began, “Dear (blank), thank you for the (blank). It was very (blank).” All I had to do was fill in the blanks rapidly after my packages were open. For some reason, my older brothers showered me with much ridicule for my efforts.

Today, looking back I can see the humor of my idea, but the importance of giving thanks has never diminished, a thought which leads to the unveiling of this year’s Advent theme: “Thanking Jesus.”

In Philippians 4:6, Paul encouraged the members of his congregation to thank God for everything He had done. In the 24 days of Advent this year, we will look at people throughout the Bible who chose to give thanks to God under all kinds of circumstances. Have you given thanks to Him today?

(Challenge: Can you identify the first person in the Bible who gave thanks to God? Send your suggestions to me today and we’ll see who comes closest!)