Offer Thanksgiving - Psalm 50:53 Verse of the Day

It's a gray day; early morning. I've finished my Bible reading and now sit in my workspace with my cat curled beside me, sipping a hot cup of coffee as I glance out at the world through the window. A split in the clouds reminds me of the crack in the wall on Dr. Who. But this split reveals the light blue sky beyond the heavy gray. It reminds me that above all the gray there is sunshine and blue skies. I thank God for that reminder and soon the split is larger and the tangerine highlights of the sun mark the bottom edge of the widening split. In the short time it took me to type this, that crack has turned into a large swath of blue sky with layers of lacy gray clouds drifting to the north. It reminds me of my favorite verse from my reading this morning.

Verse of the Day Psalm 50:53

 

With all that life throws at us, it is hard at times to "feel" thankful, but long ago, I learned to practice thanksgiving as a sacrifice to God, even when I didn't feel like being thankful.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:4-7)

My first memory of putting this into practice is from back in the 80s as I drove to work on a gray day in Northern Illinois. There were times we didn't see the sun for weeks and it could be depressing. I'd use driving time to talk to God, but that day I was in a bit of a funk. The sky showed no definition of clouds, it was like a ceiling painted a solid color. Light gray. I didn't feel like going to work, I didn't like the cold weather, and I could easily fall into grumbling about all the things I didn't like. But I was reminded that "in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving..." And so I searched for something to be thankful for and looked at the sky. I realized it was the color of my favorite eye shadow at the time and I thanked God for it's beauty. As I scanned the world around me I realized I had much to be thankful for, and by the time I walked into work, it was with a new attitude, God was guarding my heart and mind. 

I am thankful. Amen

 

Don't Stop Now!

Guest post by uncleministry

"Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.'" - Luke 13:2-3

 

Brothers and sisters, the church is in peril. No, not in the sense that it will "perish" as stated above, for Jesus said "the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). However, a recent disturbing study has shown that only 3 percent of "Christians" read their Bibles 4 or more times a week! I wonder how many are reading 7 days a week? This begs the question, "Would anybody intentionally not eat for a day or more for no reason?" Of course not. We all need physical food and water to live! But that apparently doesn't seem to connect with many when it comes to their spiritual lives. Did we forget that Jesus is "the bread of life" (John 6:35), and the source of "living water" (John 7:38)? How can ANY believer live without that?

Not only are believers not reading the Word of God, but they are also forsaking the true fellowship in the gathering of the church, which results in abandoning our corporate prayer, petitioning God to help us all not to fall into the "temptation" of neglect. We are in a serious battle, my friends. God has promised He will never leave us or forsake us, but if we don't keep our eyes on Him, we WILL sink, just like Peter did. The race is NOT over, but many are stopping short of Finish Line. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25). "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

 

Satan knows his time is growing short (Revelation 12:12), and he is pulling out all the stops to prevent us from completing our mission. The time is now to turn back to what we all know is the most important thing. Yes, it's time to REPENT brothers and sisters. If we don't, we lose. Don't give up now. The finish line is in sight, if we take the time to look for it. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:9-10). "And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). So don't forget to, "Look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28)!

Lord, we ask Your forgiveness for our sin of neglect, regardless of how small it may seem. All around us we see that the clock is coming closer each day to the time of Your return. Help us to keep our eyes on You and the work You have given us to do. Thank You for the great love You have shown us and the blessing of including us in Your Kingdom. You have never given up on us. Help us to not give up on You. May all we do be for Your glory and honor, on that Day when You appear. Amen!

God bless you all on our Mission every day as we walk in His love through the power of the Spirit for His glory!

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

 

A focus of praise

The other morning, as I prayed before slipping out of bed, I asked God to help me praise him more. I realized that I thanked him often, and said, “I thank and praise you,” but I wanted to be more specific with praise. After all, believers will praise him in eternity. I figure I should get into the practice now…”on earth as it is in heaven.” God started to answer my prayer that morning through my morning Bible reading.

 

I opened to Psalms 117. It was so short! Only two verses which call for universal praise of God.

Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify Him, all peoples!  For His faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah! Psalm 117 (HCSB)

Even though it is the shortest of the Psalms it was by God’s providence that I read it that morning after my prayer. I was reminded to the praise him for his faithful love and his merciful kindness that I don’t deserve.

Since it was such a short Psalm, and did speak about praising God, I decided to study it. You know what I mean. Dig in a little deeper and see if God had a nugget to help me learn to praise him more. And I did. I learned that Psalms 113-118 is known as the “Hallel” which in Hebrew means praise. It’s where we get the word halleluiah. These Psalms are recited as a Jewish prayer by observant Jews on Jewish holidays as a way to offer praise and thanksgiving.

Jesus sang these Hallel Psalms

In ancient times, these Psalms were traditionally sung at the celebrations of the Feast of Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, and the feast of Pentecost. I found it inspirational to think Jesus sang these same Hallel songs with his disciples. In Mark 14:25-26 following the Passover meal (last supper) we see that Jesus and His disciples sang psalms before going to the Mount of Olives.

I assure you: I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it in a new way in the kingdom of God.” After singing psalms, they went out to the Mount of Olives (Mark 14:25-26).

They would have sung the Hallel. Psalm 118 is the traditional song sang at the close of the Passover Feast, and it just so happens to be a prophetic Psalm of Jesus that was fulfilled that very night! As Jesus sang these words he knew what was about to happen in the garden, on the cross and everything in between.

As I read Psalm 118 equipped with this bit of history, it choked me up. It starts with giving thanks to God for his goodness and love which endures forever. Vs. 4 speaks of his faithful love, “Let those who fear the Lord say, ‘His faithful love endures forever.’”

Vs. 5-7 speak of calling on the Lord when in distress. "I called to the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place. The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is my helper; Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.”

But the vs. that stood out to me were verses 22-24.

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

 This came from the Lord;

it is wonderful in our eyes.

This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This cornerstone is Jesus. This Psalm describes his rejection and his triumph. The builders in verse 22 are the Jewish religious leaders, who rejected Jesus as their Messiah. The Stone, which they disavowed, received the place of honor as the headstone of the corner. The rejected stone now sat at God's right hand.

Stop and think. Jesus sang Psalm 118 knowing what was ahead. He went to the cross as a willing sacrifice. I can’t begin to imagine. But I can praise God for his example. I can praise God for providing the way for us to escape the second death. And I definitely can praise him for his lovingkindness and mercy.

Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor will never be harmed by the second death (Revelation 2:11)

Praise God

What does good measure mean in the Bible?

 

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38).

 

Pressed down shaken together meaning

When Jesus spoke, he used terms his listeners would understand. Today, as we read the Word, we often perceive it through the lens of our current culture. The phrase, “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over,” is understandable enough for us to grasp but recently, I learned, specifically, what it meant in the times of Jesus and what his listeners would understand.

What is a good measure in the Bible?

When buying grain, in Bible times, men visited the marketplace to do the shopping. Merchants sat at their stall surrounded by heaps of barley and wheat. Barley was the less expensive of the two grains and more often the grain purchased by the poor. But all grains were crudely graded for quality. It was common practice for the buyer and seller to haggle over price and an expected part of the purchasing process. The merchant started at a ridiculously high price, and the buyer offered an unreasonably low amount. They went back and forth until they met somewhere in the middle.

Once they agreed on the price, the merchant scooped the grain into a deep, round, wooden measure. In his writing about the history of Jerusalem, theologian Joachim Jeremias, explains the process in this way: 

“First of all, he fills the measure three-quarters full, and then gives the basket a rotating shake to make the grain settle, and settle, and settle, and settle Once the rotary motion is done with the three-quarter filled basket, it all settles and settles, and all the little grain find all the space and fill it up, fill it up, and it’s solid packed, then he fills the rest to the very top. And once it’s filled to the very top flat, it’s given another shake and another shake. Then he presses the corn together strongly with both hands, pushing, and pushing, and pushing it down.”

That sounds like a good and fair measure, but that isn’t where the process ended. As wheat filled the firmly packed container, it formed a cone of grain. When it was packed full and seemed like not one more grain could fit, the man poked his finger into the cone and made an indent. He poured in more grain to fill in until the grain ran down the sides. This is what was meant by "a full measure" in Bible times.

We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)

 It starts with giving

Now that we’ve made it clear what a full measure was in the times of Jesus, let’s take a brief look at what Jesus was talking about and how a full measure applies. The verse starts with, “…Give, and it shall be given unto you….” Jesus was talking about giving. Just like that grain, we are to give, and give and give. But it’s not only talking about money or even property. We are also to give love, kindness, grace, forgiveness, and more. And when we do, we will receive the same back in good measure, but that is not to be our motive. Our motive is to love because He loved us.

 

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 About The Inheritance

Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.

The Inheritance is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction). When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.

 

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