THANKSGIVING

The past month or so, God has placed a spirit of Thanksgiving in my heart. I have a dear friend whom I pray with every Saturday morning during Women's Fellowship Prayer Meetings. She testified one morning about the way the Lord led her in prayer the previous week. She said instead of going on her knees and asking God for "this and that," she vowed to only thank and praise God for what He had already done and for just being God. At the end of the week, she was blessed with an unexpected gift that she was desperately in need of.

My friend's testimony was an assurance to the entire prayer group that, God knows what we need before we even ask. Jesus taught that Our Heavenly Father knows of our needs and it is His good pleasure to give to us what we need. We are charged to seek Him FIRST and everything else will be added on. By seeking Him first, we cultivate an attitude of praise and thanksgiving for who He is.

In light of the upcoming holiday season, it is quite fitting that it should start with Thanksgiving. I want to challenge each and every one of us to begin to cultivate an attitude of gratitude this Thanksgiving season in order to ready our hearts for celebration of the most precious gift given, the birth of Jesus Christ.

This month's issue looks at the 107th Psalm as a background for praising and thanking God. I suggest each family read it together as a family before having Thanksgiving Dinner.

PSALM 107

PS 107:1-7 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this-- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

GOD - THE REDEEMER

Thank God for all the times He saved and delivered us from the hand of Satan. Although this part of the Psalm is written as a reminder of the divine deliverance of the Israelites in the wilderness, we can see how God has gathered us from the east, west, north and south as we were running here and there, seeking self fulfillment in the "desert wastelands" of this life apart from God. In search of success, wealth, fame and all kinds of material possessions, every believer will verify that they found no real satisfaction in this state of mind. Then [we] cried out to the LORD in [our] trouble, and he delivered [us] from [our] distress and led us to a place of rest in Jesus Christ. How many of you, thank God for this?

PS 107:8-14 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

GOD - THE SAVIOR

We are forever thankful to the Lord for His "unfailing love" and the wonderful blessings He has given us. For He is merciful and offer forgiveness to all sinners who will repent and be saved. We pray for those who are still lost in darkness and do not know the Lord in the pardon of their sin. They are living rebellious lives against the Word of God and are refusing to walk in His ways. Therefore, they are left to their own ways, they stumble and have no one to help them.

But, at this time of Thanksgiving, we thank God for those, in the past year, who cried out to the LORD in their trouble and He SAVED them [and been brought them out of darkness [into His marvelous light] and broke their chains of sin.

PS 107:15-20 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

GOD - THE HEALER

We thank God for His grace and healing power for the recovery of those who suffered physical and spiritual illnesses this past year. Some have successfully come through surgery (Wanda Harris, Rodney Austin and JR Thomas), while others have suffered spiritual weaknesses. Out of which, God has delivered us all!!!!!!

Verse 17 refers to the "fool" who has suffered trials and tribulation due to his rebellious ways. This is a reminder of God's discipline in our lives. Let us not be like the "fool" who despises wisdom and discipline. Instead let us understand that there are consequences to our disobedience and remember that on this side of eternity none of us are perfect. We all require correcting from time to time in order to be spiritually healed and restored.

Dr. Irwin Lutzer puts it this way: One of the most important responsibilities a father has is to discipline his children. A father who does not take this responsibility seriously is negligent, and does not love his children as he ought. Though God is the father of all men, He has a special relationship to those who have been born into His family through faith in Christ Jesus. Paul the apostle encourages us to develop intimacy with our Heavenly Father, "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15). ⁽¹⁾

We, therefore, also give thanks to God that when we cried to the LORD in [our] trouble, and he saved [us] from [our] distress. He sent forth his word and healed [us]; he rescued us from the grave.

PS 107:21-30 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.

GOD - THE DELIVERER

We thank God that He delivers us when we find ourselves on the "mighty waters" and among the "high waves" of trials, temptations and suffering at the hand of the enemy. At times many of us, including myself, were down, depressed and fearful, at our "wits' end" when we cried out to the LORD in [our] trouble, and he brought [us] out of [our] distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

Just as Christ did for the fearful disciples while at sea in the storm, He spoke peace to our situations which included marital difficulties, bereavements, imprisonments and various flood disasters. He stilled the storms of our lives to a whisper and hushed the waves of our suffering. Although, some of us are still in the recovery process, it is now a time of restoration.

Let us continue to trust in the goodness of the Lord and believe that He is able to do all things above and beyond that which we can even imagine. With this in mind, we are grateful to be able to expect that it will grow "calm" again and we can rediscover the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Continue to pray for all of the flood victims of Hurricane Floyd!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS 107:31-43 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.

GOD - THE DEFENDER

We thank God that He deals with our enemies. Vengeance is His, He will repay the wicked deeds of men and will bless the righteous (see Psalms 1 and 34). We learn here that, for the wicked, He turns their rivers into deserts, flowing springs into thirsty lands and salt waste instead of fruitful lands. For the righteous, He will turn their deserts into pools of water, parched grounds into flowing springs with fruitful harvests. At this, the upright will see and rejoice but the wicked will shut their mouths.

In order words, God will set the record straight, wickedness will be punished and righteousness rewarded, either in this life or in the life to come. God is faithful and just in all His ways. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. 2 Timothy 1:6-10.

If you do not know the Lord today and do not want to be punished for not coming to know and obey Him, then won't you invite Jesus Christ into your heart today. Begin by praying with a sincere heart the Prayer of Salvation by clicking to the Call to Salvation webpage, be baptized and joint a Bible believing and teaching church where you will grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Write us to let us know of your decision of accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and let us pray with you and encourage you in your New Life in Christ.

To God be the glory forever, Amen.

TWELVE RULES FOR HAPPINESS and THANKFULNESS

II. Spend Less Than You Earn -- Cultivate frugality, prudence and self-denial.

III. Think Constructively -- Think clearly and accurately.

IV. Cultivate a Yielding Disposition -- Don't always insist on getting things your own way. Look at things from the perspective of others.

V. Be Grateful -- Count your blessings and thank God each day.

VI. Rule Your Moods -- Cultivate the spirit of peace and goodwill.

VII. Give Generously -- Give cheerfully and wisely, be guided by your head and your heart in concert.

VIII. Work With Right Motives -- Make your highest goal to grow in spiritual grace and power.

IX. Be Interested In Others -- Spend time and energy in the concerns of others. Listen, share, help, see with their eyes.

X. Live In The Daylight Compartment -- One day at a time, concentrate on the immediate task.

XI. Have A Hobby -- Spend your leisure time in things that build and fascinate -- studying, gardening, singing, sketching, taking pictures, traveling.

XII. Keep Close To God -- Walk with the Lord. Share with Him in reading His word and talking with Him each day.

TEN RULES OF UNHAPPINESS and UNTHANKFULNESS

2. Lose your perspective of things, and keep it lost: Don't put first things first.

3. Get yourself a good worry -- one about which you cannot do anything but worry.

4. Be a perfectionist: condemn yourself and others for not achieving perfection.

5. Be right: always right: perfectly right all the time. Be the only one who is right, and be rigid about your rightness.

6. Don't trust or believe people, or accept them at anything but their worst and weakest. Be suspicious. Impute ulterior motives to them.

7. Always compare yourself unfavorably to others, which is the guarantee of 'instant misery.'

8. Take personally, with a 'chip on your shoulder,' everything that happens to you that you don't like.

9. Don't give yourself wholeheartedly or enthusiastically to anyone or to anything.

10. Make happiness the aim of your life instead of bracing for life's barbs through a 'bitter with the sweet' philosophy. Use this prescription regularly for a while and you will be guaranteed unhappiness.

Adapted from Braude's Lifetime Speaker's Encyclopedia as published in The Pastor's Story File, January 1997.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the Old Testament times there was not a word for thanksgiving, the word closes to it was a verb yada [h'd"y] which translates into "praise". The concept of thanksgiving could be seen within the sacrificial system called the peace or fellowship offering where Israel would express gratitude to the Lord for their deliverance or an act of love. See Leviticus 7:11-16 and Psalm 107:21-22. Interestingly, thanksgiving is commonly expressed in the psalms. Twenty of the psalms command us to sing songs of thanksgiving. A common statement seen over and over is "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good" See Psalms 106:1, 1181 and 136:1 to name a few. A form of giving thanks is in worship where God is glorified, such as come before him with thanksgiving (95:2), enter his gates with thanksgiving (100:4), sing to the Lord with thanksgiving (147:7)

THE NEW TESTAMENT

Thanksgiving and gratitude are more widely seen in the New Testament and appear about fifty-five times. Thanksgiving is a motive for Christian life and conduct, a general attitude toward both the blessings and trials of life, the main part of prayer, and the condition for the proper use of material things.

Even the Lord Jesus can be seen thanking the Father (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21 and John 11:41). In the worship scenes of Revelation, the heavenly hosts give thanks to God for creating all things (4:9-11).

The Gospels introduce and the Epistles develop the concept of gratitude for God's deliverance in the death of Jesus Christ. When a sinful woman interrupted a dinner party to anoint Jesus with precious perfume, Jesus told his shocked host that her action sprang from gratitude for the forgiveness of her sins (Luke 7:40-47). If only we could show the same attitude of gratitude as this woman.

I am afraid, we are more like the ten lepers that were healed by Jesus as they walked to the temple. He was amazed that only one returned to thank him (Luke 7:11-19). Paul makes it clear that believers (and this means us) should be thankful for every individual provision, including gratitude for God's saving grace. When I think about how God brought us from death to life, I feel it is only right that we offer our bodies to Him as instruments of righteousness (Rom 6:13, 12:1; 1 Cor 6:20). All of us should be thankful, praise & worship God, and faithfully endure the hardships of life (Heb 12:28). It is the true Christian who give thanks in all things, in all circumstances (Eph 5:20;1 Thess 5:18), even in suffering (Rom 5:3-5;James 1:1-4), and to do everything in the name of Jesus out of a spirit of gratitude (Col 3:17).

******Above includes excerpts taken from the Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology.

KID'S CORNER

It is a blessing to know that the Lord is using our children in many ways. Please submit articles to be included in the Newsletter of children who are making a difference for the Kingdom of God. We need to encourage and support our children in living godly lives where Christ is exalted. This month, we are featuring Mia Robinson.

Mia Robinson is the daughter of Rodney and Virginia Austin. Mia and her family live in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She is a gifted and talented 10th grader who has been trained in sign language. Mia presently teaches sign language classes to the youth at her church. She also translates the Sunday Morning Sermons into sign language for the deaf members of her congregation at St. Marks Missionary Baptist Church in Florida. St. Marks is her home church where her parents serve as deacon and deaconess.

Next month, we wish to feature Latia Thomas, who is an inspiring writer. She has written various poems which she wishes to share with the GA Newsletter Readers.

Please submit articles to the Kid's Corner column to help encourage our children in the Lord.

WHAT'S NEW

Enclosed with your Newsletter this month are Invitations to visit our family website, Angel News. Please feel free to give them out as the Lord leads you. We can work together as a family to share the Word of God with those who do not know Him. This is done in obedience to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ....

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 25:19-20

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RETURN TO THE 1999 INDEX OF NEWSLETTERS

1. Coming to Grips with God's Discipline of the Believer, by Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer.