by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Thanksgiving
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Enjoying the promises in this passage of Scripture begins with understanding confession. “Confess” (homologeo) can mean to agree with. It also means to confess publicly the wrong we have committed. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament; Vines Amplified Expository Dictionary of the New Testament; Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains; The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament; Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament)
If you have sinned against your children, spouse, church or anyone, then you must confess to the wrong and ask for forgiveness from them and God. If it is against the leadership of the church and you have taken it publicly to others in the Body of Christ, then a public confession is a necessity. If you have sinned against leadership in the work place and made it public, then it needs to be set right before man and God. This does not include unknowing sins or unintentional offensive. Before 1 John 1:9 is verse eight, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” We can be in bondage in some way and convince ourselves that we are innocent.
Walter B. Night wrote in “You Wicked Wretch” about a governor’s visit to a large penitentiary: “It was his secret plan to pardon a prisoner who met a certain condition, known only to himself. He mingled with a great number of prisoners, all claiming to be victims of injustice, all claiming to have been wrongly treated and were innocent of their crimes. Finally, one inmate said, ‘I have no reason to complain. I am guilty of my crime, wicked and desperate.’
The governor took this man to the warden, identified himself to the prisoner and said, ‘It is a pity that you should be here among so many innocent, honest men! According to your own confession, you are bad enough to corrupt them all! You shall not stay with them one day longer!’ The governor pardoned him and ordered preparations to be made for his release.”
Your pardon from God comes through confession.
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Thanksgiving
Psalm 100 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanks giving and His courts with Praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever. His faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100 is indeed a psalm of praise. Thus, this passage of Scripture should be wholeheartedly looked to when considering what true thanksgiving to God is all about.
The Hebrew word for “shout” literally means, with an expression that can be easily heard, you are to shout for joy to the Lord. Just as football fans shout for joy when their hometown team makes a touchdown in a football game, Spirit-filled, born again Christians are to give a loud praise unto the Lord for His great works. In all places of Christian service, whether in private, family or public worship He is to be given joyful praise.
The child of God who desires to give thanks to his Creator will give his heart, ears and mouth to songs that glorify the Lord. God’s children know that He has created them; they belong to Him because Jesus purchased them with His life’s blood. They have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and they will worship Him in spirit and truth. They will enter into public worship for there is an agreement in their hearts with the psalmist David when he wrote, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’’” (Psalm 122:1) Gospel-worshipers are given an ordinance to be joyful worshipers for this is what brings communion with the Father, the Son and fellowship through the enabling of the Holy Spirit.
The psalmist reminds us that the Lord is the only true living God. His loves endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
People of this world worship gods created in their own minds and hearts. A god is whatever gets the first fruits of your attention, your money and your extra time.
Time for your checkup… what types of songs get your adoration, money and time? Whose praises are constantly upon your lips? How loud do you shout at ball games versus the exuberance of your praises to the Lord for His redemption, provision and continued faithfulness? What keeps you away from Christian fellowship, church attendance, and quality Bible studies? Does your life reflect true gladness in service to Jesus Christ? The Bible says that true worship is “…offering your bodies as living sacrifices, holy, and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Make this Thanksgiving season the time you begin expressing joyful praise to the Living God who created you!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Thanksgiving
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” To fail to give God thanks is a symptom of unbelief. (Romans 1:21)
The true victories enjoyed in this life by born again Christians are obtained through thankfulness to God. As long as the child of God is prayerfully seeking God’s guidance, he can look at aggravations, temptations, afflictions and persecutions as being opportunities for being transformed into the image of Christ Jesus. Romans 8:28-29 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. …to be conformed to the likeness of His Son…”
Jesus knew aggravation in ministry. In Gethsemane, Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the garden with him and gave them very clear instructions, “stay here and keep watch with Me.” (Matthew 26:38) “Keep watch with me,” meant “stay awake and pray!” These three disciples were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, (Matthew 17) and they were with Jesus in the home of Jairus where they witnessed the raising of a dead girl. (Luke 8) If anyone would be fired up, ready to walk in obedience, we would think it would be these three, yet they failed the Lord.
Jesus knew Satan’s attacks in service to His Father. Matthew 4:1 says, “…Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” Having Satan after you open’s the door for tough times.
The Apostle Paul knew persecution and Satan’s afflictions in ministry so that he may enjoy Christ’s power in the Lord’s work. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) The whole of Scripture teaches us, if we are seeking with all our hearts and strength to walk in obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, in our afflictions we can be thankful for the opportunity to rest in “Christ’s” power. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In reality, there are tough times. Being alone in prayer, being attacked by the devil, suffering affliction and even persecution are tough times. However, these are opportunities to find strength through the Holy Spirit and be formed into the image of Christ. Grow Christ-like through a life of thankfulness in tough times
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Thanksgiving
Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
This passage of Scripture was written while the Apostle Paul was in prison and gives us truths to protecting our spiritual hearts in this life. The people to whom the Holy Spirit led Paul to write were faced with worrisome things.
The fact is just being a human being, vulnerable to all chances and the changes of this mortal life is itself a worrying thing. The Early Church, just like us had normal worries over human situations. Being Christians did not protect them nor will it protect us from giving in to the temptation of taking one’s life into his own hands. There is a magazine, “The Smithsonian Institute,” saying that “we are in the golden age of anxiety.” Pastor Rick Warren came across a study done by Dr. Walter Calvert, giving us the results of the sin of worry. He writes: “Forty percent of what you worry about will not happen. Thirty percent of your worries concern the past. Twelve percent of your worries are health issues. Ten percent of your worries are insignificant and petty issues with only eight percent of your worries having actual legitimate concerns.”
Those are interesting statistics, however, you and I know that there are real stress issues that do not need to be proven by a study. The death of a spouse or a loved one, the effects of divorce, our nation’s financial instability, our war on terror and especially the eternal condition of souls who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.
There are three powerful truths in Philippians 4:6-7 that will protect your relationship with Jesus Christ and enable you to express a life of thankfulness to God regardless of the circumstance. They are, “Be Anxious About Nothing,” “Pray,” and “Be Thankful In All Things.” Application of these truths will guard your heart and enable you to walk up-right in God’s sight” In tough times, learn how to be thankful!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Thanksgiving
2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” This passage of Scripture is the closing statement to Paul’s teaching on “Sowing Generously.” Paul teaches about the need for using our gifts to help meet needs. He writes about how these generous gifts will result in “overflowing expressions of thanks to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11) In 2 Corinthians 9:15, Paul points to the Person who makes the way for us to enjoy the grace gifts that enable us to minister to the needs of others, therefore, we are to thank God for Jesus Christ.
This passage of Scripture is the heartbeat of the writings and teachings God spoke forth through the Apostle Paul, no matter what subject he taught on, his aim was to point people to Christ.
2 Corinthians 8:9 reveals to us, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” Jesus Christ became poor by leaving glory and uninterrupted worship to God His father so you and I can be made rich in His love. We enjoy fellowship with God the Father and Christ His Son, and walk under the direction of the Holy Spirit of Christ. Thus, we are enabled to live the abundant life promised in Christ Jesus as we walk in obedience to the written Word of God.
Romans 12:1-2 gives us clear instructions on practical ways to say thanks to our Lord for the sacrifice He made for us. “…in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Saying thanks in this way comes with a promise of His revelation to us, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
Are you a living sacrifice? Do you offer your body to do service unto Him, His people and for the common good of mankind? Worship services full of singing, praising, giving and teaching of His Word are good, but it is a life lived in obedience to the Lord’s will who will be approved of God and enabled to determine God’s perfect will. Live a life expressing Thankfulness to Christ!
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