Giving thanks

One Final Thought

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise Ye the Lord!
Psalm 150:6

My morning reading ended with the final chapter of Psalms. And as I paused to consider its message, I was struck by how God finishes with a personal call. Yes, we need to praise him with timbrels and dance, yes trumpet players, harpists and drummers should honor God too. Even birds, animals and fish are commanded to worship, when He says, “Everything that hath breath.” In earlier passages even sun, moon and stars, are directed to praise and thank God. But God wants us to know that we have an even more important place. Here, in this final phrase, of the last verse, God closes with the command: “Praise ye the Lord!” It is as if God is shouting, “Hey you! …Yes, I mean you there! …. Don’t just stand around waiting for someone else to do the job. You get busy and start praising God too!

So, let’s remember in the middle of the football, the turkey and family time that our number one job and most important part of our day is to give God praise!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

A Thanksgiving Remembered

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 NLT

We often think of the first Thanksgiving as when the Pilgrims celebrated God’s provision, after having survived their first terrible Winter. But the fact that it is now a national holiday owes in large part to one very determined woman named, Sarah Hale. Sarah was a renowned editor of a Lady’s periodical and an author. In her novel, “Northwood” which she wrote in 1827, Sarah began the conversation about adding Thanksgiving as an annual observance. Soon she launched a letter writing campaign to governors, congressmen, and presidents. Despite growing popular opinion, the idea of making Thanksgiving an official holiday met varying degrees of opposition from many politicians until October of 1863. There, in the middle of our bloodiest war, Abraham Lincoln recognized that what our nation needed most was not just a military victory, but more importantly, God’s intervention. He understood, as today’s verse makes clear, that the way through the door into God’s presence came by giving thanks. Though Thanksgiving was generally observed after the war, the official designation of it by the law of the land did not come until December of 1941, right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Today, we are blessed to have one day set aside every year: not just for football and turkey, but for remembering that it is God who has given us life and provided our needs. We need not wait for disaster to drive us to our knees. Thanksgiving and praise should be our opening prayer every morning and our closing thought each night. Thank God for His help, both in ages past and for His faithful presence right here and now. God bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Another Good Samaritan

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. Luke 27:15-16 ESV

With hospitals, charities and even news stories named after him, It doesn’t take a theologian to tell you about the “Good Samaritan.” But did you know there was another “Good Samaritan” we don’t hear much about. Like his better-known countryman, he did something good that others had decided not to. This man had a life destroying problem named leprosy, that forced him into quarantine outside of his village, where he lived with nine other lepers. Lepers were considered unclean, and in this man’s case doubly so because he was a Samaritan. As a Samaritan, he couldn’t live in the same neighborhood, worship in the same building or even drink from the same cup as Jews. Yet in spite of everything stacked against him, he along with his friends, cried out to Jesus for mercy. I will bet that they could hardly believe their ears when Jesus told them that all they had to do to be healed was to go to the priest. Understandably all of them (probably with a hoot and a holler) hightailed it towards town!

But halfway to the priest, this “Good Samaritan”, overwhelmed with gratitude, turned back to tell Jesus thank you. Though everyone else kept running towards the priest’s house, the Samaritan went back, and, like the wise men before him, he fell at Jesus’ feet to worship Him. So, I ask myself, when was the last time I, went to Jesus to give Him thanks for all He has done? When was the last time I fell at His feet to worship Him?