LET EVERY HEART PREPARE HIM ROOM!

 

Saturday, November 30, 2024

LET EVERY HEART PREPARE HIM ROOM!

 

Luke 1:67-69

67 And his [John the Baptist’s] father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

 

Luke 1:76-79

76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

 

          We have nearly exhausted November and embark upon a season of wonder and waiting. Advent is a time of preparation, and it is fitting that we prepare our hearts as well as our homes.

 

          I woke up this morning thinking about walls. Without being overly political, I remember Ronald Reagan’s admonition to Mr. Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin wall because it restricted the residents from escaping. America is building a wall to preserve liberty and national integrity. It matters on which side of the wall you are on.

 

          The big-G God has sent His Son to earth in the form of a baby. This gift is made even more miraculous by the fact that the baby would be born to a young woman who “had not known a man.” In a time when virginity still had value, Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. But why did He come? “He comes to make His blessings known – far as the curse is found.”

 

          Our tree is finally up! Our daughter and granddaughters, home for Thanksgiving, assembled it for us. The turkey has become enchiladas with rice and beans. If you have to ask why then you don’t know us very well. This morning the ham will be added to the late morning omelets. Now it is time to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Great King.   

 

Joy To The World

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

 

Thank you, Lord, for coming to make your blessings known as far as the curse is found. AMEN

 

NEVER SATISFIED!

 

Friday, November 29, 2024

NEVER SATISFIED!

 

Prov 30:15-16

15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

 

          I sit here this morning relatively satisfied. I’m not shoving my neighbor away from the wonderful sale items at the stores. I’m not fighting traffic. It’s quiet and I have a good cup of coffee at my side.

 

          Black Friday is the inevitable result of never being satisfied. It is the aborted attitude of gratitude that prevailed for an hour or two yesterday. Thanksgiving is gone and not just the day but the emotion. We are hungry once again and food alone will not be enough.

 

          The word “satisfied” can be found in the Old Testament and when it is used it is almost always an indictment against greedy man or praise for a giving God. Dissatisfaction defines man. In the garden we were not satisfied with all the trees. We wanted the one which God withheld. Dissatisfaction leads to a bitter end in most cases.

 

Ps 103:5

5 [He] satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 

Dear Lord, let me extend Thanksgiving for just one more day! Let me be satisfied with your provision and yourself. AMEN

 

THANKSGIVING AROUND THE WORLD

 

Thursday, November 28, 2024

 

THANKSGIVING AROUND THE WORLD

 

Rom 1:21 KJV

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

Thanksgiving Day is a uniquely American holiday and has been celebrated here since the landing of the first European settlers. It was first celebrated by those we call “pilgrims.” Expelled by religious persecution they hacked out a living in the estuaries of our continent’s east coast. But other countries also observe times of thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Around The World!

Canada – They observe Thanksgiving the second Monday of October.  At this time, they commemorate the end of the harvest season and celebrate in a similar fashion as in the United States.

Korea – Known as Chu Suk, this celebration takes place during the harvest season for three days and is also celebrated as a mark of respect to elders.  For this reason, many families will visit their ancestral properties in hometowns and will hold memorial services at the gravesites of their ancestors..

Ghana and Nigeria – These countries celebrate a Yam Festival in August, marking the end of the rainy season.  Yams are one of the most common foods and are the first crop to be harvested.  Celebrations of this festival include dancing, singing, and giving offerings to ancestors.   The yams are later distributed among the villagers.

Southern India – A festival called Pongal is celebrated in January.  During this festival, community feasts are held during which neighbors get together to share their crops and thank everyone who contributed to a successful harvest.

Many of the harvest-related festivals around the world include thankfulness for successful crops, but the one, true God is not always the recipient of that gratitude.  As we prepare and celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday, let us not forget to express our thankfulness to Almighty God for His provision, love, and salvation through Jesus Christ. (Source: weeklycp@bbfimissions.com)

Dear Lord, we have so much for which to be thankful! Give us thankful hearts today. AMEN

WAITING IS A HOLIDAY TRADITION

 

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

 

WAITING IS A HOLIDAY TRADITION

 

CHRISTMAS: CHRIST’S FIRST COMING

 

Luke 2:25-26

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

 

          Wise men were waiting a coming king of Israel. Shepherds were waiting the dawning of morning when all of heaven burst into the first Christmas carol. Simeon was waiting for consolation, which is the same Greek word that Jesus used when He promised the Holy Spirit. It is paraklesis and means solace and comfort.

 

EASTER: JESUS’ RESURRECTION

 

Luke 24:2-6

2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

6 He is not here, but is risen:

 

          Weary and grieving, they came to the tomb to find it empty. They ran to the men who were waiting for they knew not what. They feared that they might be waiting for their own extermination. Low in the grave, He lay. Up from the grave He arose!

 

NOW: WAITING FOR HIS RETURN

 

2 Thess 3:5

5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

 

          Tomorrow is a day of Thanksgiving, and some await the glad reunion of family and the joyful gathering of friends.

 

1 John 3:2

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 

PURIM AND THANKSGIVING!

 

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

 

PURIM AND THANKSGIVING!

 

Est 4:14

14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

 

          Do Jews celebrate Thanksgiving? Is Thanksgiving strictly a “Christian” holiday? Well, interestingly, Jews have their own celebration called PURIM.

 

          Purim is a time of fasting then feasting which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman who was trying to kill all the Jews. It is celebrated usually in the month of February or March which corresponds to the Jewish 14^th day of the month Adar.

 

          Esther, who came to the kingdom for just such a time, foiled Haman’s plans and Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had erected for the Jews. Suddenly many of her questions were answered about her life. She knew why she was an orphan. She knew why she had won a beauty contest and had become queen. So many personal sacrifices now made sense to her.

 

          Thanksgiving is a reminder of the faithfulness of God in times of great distress. It is a reminder of the provision of God in times of great need! Let us never forget the reason behind the season.

 

Thank you, Lord, for your rich blessings. Let us never forget the sacrifices made so that we may enjoy those blessings. AMEN

 

SUN STAND STILL!

 

Monday, November 25, 2024

 

SUN STAND STILL!

 

Josh 10:12-13

12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

 

          This is also recorded in the apocrypha  “Did not the sun go back by his means? and was not one day as long as two?” Ecclus 46:4

 

          According to a book by Harry Rimmer, titled The Harmony of Science and Scripture, The astronauts and scientists said, “There is the missing day!” They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua’s day was 23 hours and 20 minutes — not a whole day. So how do we account for the other 40 minutes? NASA knew that if you cannot account for 40 minutes you’ll still be in trouble 1,000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits.

          One Christian employee of NASA remembered that the sun went backwards. in 2 Kings that told of the following story: Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die.

Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said “Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?” Hezekiah said “It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees.”

Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe!” Isn’t it amazing?

Scholars and scientists continue to try to debunk this gap but the fact that the controversy exists indicates a continued interest on the part of the scientific community.

Lord, I believe your Word! Our human plans are often frustrated when we don’t. AMEN

A CHOIR OF WORSHIPPERS!

 

Sunday, November 24, 2024

A Thanksgiving Classic

 

A CHOIR OF WORSHIPPERS!

 

Ps 100

100 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

 

          Today is the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day. It is a big deal at our church. Tonight, we will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal together as a church family. For many, the church is their family.

 

          Psalm 100 is a perennial favorite at this time of year. We obey the command of verse 4 and we enter the gates or the doors of the church with the purpose of offering thanks for God’s innumerable blessings. Most blessed are those that are people and not things. These are the blessings with familiar names. Oh, how we love them – warts and all.

 

          The Hebrew word for “thanksgiving” in verse 4 is towdah and means “an extension of the hand but also a choir of worshippers.” In a day when the stage of many churches is covered with well-lit wooden pallets, ours still has a choir loft and a choir. To the Jews – and to us – singing is both a spontaneous and appropriate form of thanksgiving.

 

2 Sam 22:50

50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

 

HE KNOWS MY PATH!

 

Saturday, November 23, 2024

 

HE KNOWS MY PATH!

 

Ps 139:2-3

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

 

John 10:27-28

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

 

          The Great Shepherd knows His sheep! As an “under-shepherd” the idea of knowing the sheep in my care is a constant thing with me. In the morning’s quiet hours, I think of them. Now that I am retired, I think of most of them still. Most are relatively safe in the cyclical day-to-day life of sheep. Some are sick. Some are grieving. Each one is on a path that will lead to a destination.

 

          My path determines my destination. As simple as that sounds, it is true. The shepherd involves himself in the lives of the sheep so that he may guide in the choice of a right path. The sheep do not always understand or appreciate the shepherd’s intrusion into their business. Isaiah said, “all we, like sheep, have gone astray.” That describes the condition well.

 

          Sometimes all that is needed is to provide a light (Palm 119:105). A lamp for the feet and a light for the path reveals whether it is a good path or not. Even sheep, when the path is well lit, can make better choices – unless they are rebels.

 

Prov 4:26-27

26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

 

Dear Shepherd, guide us with Thy light and make our path straight! AMEN

 

A QUANTUM OF SOLACE

 

Friday, November 22, 2024

 

A QUANTUM OF SOLACE

 

2 Tim 4:21-22

21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.

22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

 

          In physics, a quantum is the minimal amount of substance in any interaction. In Rome, near winter, Paul requested the minimum of comforts. He lists them in verse thirteen.

 

2 Tim 4:13

13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.

 

          Paul was chilled and asked for the outer garment he had left with his friend, Carpus. He asked for the scrolls, probably scriptures, and his own writings that would make their way into what we now call The Bible.

 

          As we approach Thanksgiving Day, what is the minimum needed to comfort you? We are so very blessed we need to mentally begin to remove many things in order to arrive at the least of comforting needs.

 

Heb 13:5 [AMPLIFIED BIBLE]

5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!].

 

Lord, we think ourselves poor although we are blessed with abundance. What riches are in Thy promise to never, never, no never relax Your hold on us? Amen

 

A FAMILY THANKSGIVING

 

Thursday, November 21, 2024

 

A FAMILY THANKSGIVING

 

Gen 18:17-19

17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

 

          At Thanksgiving, our household will gather three generations. I, the grandfather, sit at the end of the table furthest away from the flurry of cooking and serving. I sit there. When all is ready, I offer thanks for food, health, love, and many other blessings. Any one of the others could pray, but I am honored, at every meal, to offer the blessing.

 

          Our nation, and our world, is so divided by policies and perceptions that the family unit and unity is greatly challenged. Differences threaten but love and forgiveness provide the glue that bonds us together. The very differences define our commitment to one another. Our family is multi-generational and even multi-cultural. Grown children and grandchildren are intelligent and diverse. Moreover, we are all opinionated.

 

          This weekend the granddaughters arrive, one with her husband. They will assemble the trees and decorate them. Yes, more than one, although the grandparent’s apartment faces the street, so our tree stands by the window.  Oh, how I love to see them arrive. They bring gifts, their own uniqueness, roaring laughter, and clutter. How I love it, and them.

 

Ps 68:6

6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

 

Thank You, Lord, for my wonderful family. AMEN

 

THANKSGIVING BEGINS IN THE HEART!

 

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

 

THANKSGIVING BEGINS IN THE HEART!

 

Ps 116:12-14

12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord .

14 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

 

Luke 17:12-17

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?

 

          The word “render” as it is used in Psalm chapter 116 and verse 12 is the Hebrew word shuwb and literally means “to turn back” with the idea of “returning to the starting point.” This is perfectly illustrated in Luke 17:15 where we find only one of ten lepers returning to give thanks for his healing. Ninety percent displayed no thanks.

 

          The plain fact is that no one can force you to be thankful! You either are thankful or you are not. Our parents taught us to say a simple table grace. This introduced to our young minds the concept of thanksgiving. If someone were nice to us or gave us candy, mother would always ask: “Now what do we say?” The answer, of course, was “Thank you.” But even mother could not make us truly thankful. She could only teach us the actions of thanksgiving.

 

          When we receive benefits for which we did not have to work, it should make us grateful. However, it is also possible to begin to think of these benefits as entitlements. We think someone else owes us all these things and we become like pouting spoiled children who throw their toys and pick at their food. Good things are greedily gobbled up without thanks.

 

          Thanksgiving always causes us to turn back and sometimes to return to the starting point. We begin to consider our true self-worth and how little we deserve. When we make lists, they are not wish lists but lists of blessings already received. We look around and observe a bounty that is not only sufficient but enough to share. Thankful people are always giving people.

 

I am thankful because of an event that happened many years ago on a lonely hill in Jerusalem. On that hill the Son of God hung on a cross and paid my sin-debt. I didn’t deserve it, and certainly was not entitled to it, but God adopted me into His family because of the sacrifice of His Son. Since that day, because my Father is a great king, I have lived like a prince!

 

Dear Father, you have lavished upon me great gifts and privileges. Lord give me one more thing. Give me a thankful heart. AMEN