“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’
When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’” – Luke 17:11-19
What kinds of situations cause you to pray?
I remember when my son, Eli, was born. Unfortunately, due to some complications in the pregnancy, Eli was scheduled to be born a little before his due date.
On Sunday night before bed, our whole family gathered together and prayed for a safe delivery. Then on Monday morning, Melissa and I got up and headed to the hospital. On the way, we spent some time praying for Eli, Melissa, and the Doctors and nurses.
After Melissa was taken into the O.R., I waited outside the O.R. for several minutes. I spent most of the time praying. While in the O.R. during the C-section, more prayers were offered. We were praying for a safe delivery and for the health of Eli and Melissa.
Then Eli was born. He was healthy.
I texted Melissa and my family. I took some pictures of Eli and sent them out. I posted the stats of the baby. Then we headed to recovery and I went down and got family members to bring them up to the room. It was all very exciting!
A little while later I had to head back to our house to deal with some things. As I was driving home it dawned on me. I had texted people, posted pictures, and visited with family, but I hadn’t stopped to pray and thank God for the safe delivery and healthy mommy and baby.
Praying in the bad and the GOOD times. Prayer often comes easily and frequently when we are concerned about something or facing a difficult time. However, in times of joy and prosperity, sometimes our prayers become few and far between.
It reminds me of when 10 lepers saw Jesus and cried out to Him to heal them. He did. Nine went off to show the priests they were clean. One turned around and thanked Jesus. Jesus responded,
“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?“
May we always remember to be the one who goes back and thanks to Jesus.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the many blessings you have given me. Help me to come to you in prayer at all times, whether I’m struggling through something or doing well. May I always remember to say thank you.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1
Do you ever feel like you have nothing to be thankful for?
As soon as Sydney woke up she knew it was going to be a rough day. She had overslept her alarm. So, she quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom only to stub her little toe on the door frame. The day only went downhill from there. The coffee shop was out of bagels, so she just grabbed some coffee on the way to work, only to spill the coffee on her new blouse.
At work, she lost a big client, got reamed by her boss for something she wasn’t even responsible for, and found out the company was going to be announcing layoffs in a few days. As she got to her car to go home, she saw that the tire was flat. She just opened the door, got in the car, closed the door, and started to scream.
No Reason To Be Thankful? No doubt, Sidney had a bad day. At that moment she would tell you she had no reason to be thankful. Everything was terrible.
Is that really true?
I could point to all the good things that are still in her life…
She still has a home.
She is capable of working.
A flat tire can be fixed and her car will work fine again.
However, I’m not going to. If I did, this would just be a message about positive thinking. And anyway, what if those are taken away?
Always A Reason To Be Thankful Instead, we’ll just read Psalm 107:1 again.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1
God is good. He is always good. God loves you. His love endures forever. This isn’t about positive thinking. This is about reality. Things can be going terribly and you can acknowledge that, but also know that God still loves you and He is still good. He is for you and is working all things for good. This is true. This is real.
We always have a reason to be thankful because God is always good and always loves us, every moment of every day for all the moments and all the days.
Let’s give thanks.
We gather for worship every week is to hear the Word of God, receive God’s forgiveness, hear the Gospel, and encourage one another in the faith. As we do this, we are reminded once again that God is good and His love endures forever. Our response is to give thanks, which we do in words, prayers, and songs.
When we feel like there is nothing left to give thanks for, sometimes we just don’t feel like going to church…or getting up at all. Yet, what better time to go so we can put life back into perspective, back into the eternal perspective of God’s love.
So, tomorrow, get up, and let’s gather for worship.
Let’s hear God’s Word, be reminded of His promises, be forgiven, be strengthened by His Supper, and be encouraged by each other. Then, let’s give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Lord God,
You truly are good. Everything You do is good. You are good to me. You love me and I know Your love never fails and never runs out. Remind me of this every minute of every day. May Your promises always be on my mind that my thanks may be always on my lips.
“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:17
Have you ever felt thankful to serve someone else?
It may sound a little strange. After all, we usually like to be the ones who are being served. Yet, we can give thanks for being able to serve others.
Audio Adrenaline I remember when I was in high school some friends of mine got an opportunity to help the band Audio Adrenaline set up for a concert. They were so excited. Why? I mean, it meant they would have to lug heavy speakers and other equipment for hours. Strange. However, that’s not how they were thinking about it.
For them, it was an opportunity to meet and spend time with one of their favorite bands. They would get to see what they were really like. They would get to see all the behind-the-scenes aspects of putting on a concert. They didn’t care if they had to do some heavy labor in the process.
The Joy of Service Sure, service can feel like a burden at times, but when we set our mind on love and the one who loves us, service can be a great joy. I think of the joy of serving a child or a couple in love serving one another. It is because of service that we get to experience the joy of giving.
Jesus also felt this joy.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
He served us. He suffered and died for us. Yet, He gladly did it for the joy set before Him. So, let us set our eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith so that we may serve others with the joy of Christ in our hearts.
Dear Jesus,
You served me and continue to serve me even when I’m ungrateful and rebellious. Thank You. Help me to always have a heart of thanksgiving and to serve others with joy.
“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” – Colossians 2:6-7
In what or whom have you put your faith?
Does it sound strange to thank God for faith? Isn’t that what we do?
Normally, we think about putting trust or faith in something and it’s something we decide to do. You may trust a good friend, your parents, a mentor, or your spouse, but that trust is something you choose to do.
Why would we thank God for faith?
The Bible tells us that faith in God is different from the faith or trust we may put in someone else. For everyone else, our trust is a choice. However, when it comes to God, the Bible tells us God gives us that faith.
As Jesus told Peter after Peter confessed Jesus was the Son of God:
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 16:17
Or as we are told in Ephesians:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9
So, yes, we can be thankful to God for our faith because our faith is not of ourselves. It is a gift of God.
The Peace of the Gift This gift has a significant effect on our lives. If you are like me, there are days when you feel like your faith is rock solid and days when your faith feels less secure than the shifting sands of the shore. You may look at your life right now and think back to a time when you committed your life to the Lord and think, “Did I really mean it?”
Or you may wonder, “Am I constantly slipping between having saving faith and being condemned?”
When the devil brings these thoughts to mind, tell him that it was God who called you and created faith in your heart and that nothing can separate you from the love you have in Christ Jesus.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-29
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for giving me faith. Thank You for holding me in that faith. Continue to hold me in the faith until Christ’s return.
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving 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 100:4-5
Who do you love?
Who loves you?
Love is a wonderful thing. When we experience love from others it brings joy, comfort, and peace. Love is also amazing that even when it is you who does the loving, it benefits you as well.
Love Is From God As a pastor, I spend a lot of time talking about the love of God (and I will later in this devotion), but right now I want to talk about the love we show to each other. I don’t want to talk about this as a command (go love people), but as a gift.
God is love and if we love others it is because of God’s love working in us. We all appreciate it when we are loved. That is a gift from God. He could, technically, have created a world without love, but that was not what He wanted. He wants us to experience love and the joy, peace, comfort, and provision that comes from love.
When we experience love from someone, we can thank God!
When a mother comforts their crying child, thank the Lord!
When a father teaches his child right from wrong, thank God!
When a friend sacrifices for their friend, praise God!
When a child cares for their aging parent, praise the Lord!
I could go on and on. What a wonderful gift love is!
God Loves Us Even More Consider this. When we experience love from each other, it is just a taste of the love we receive from God. The love between people is wonderful, but God’s love is even better!
Our love is finite, His is eternal. Our love is corrupted by selfishness and sin, God’s is selfless and perfect. Our love is often conditional, the Lord’s is unconditional. Praise the Lord!
This Thanksgiving may look a little different for many of us, but whether you are able to gather with others or not, love is still there. You’re loved ones still love you, even if they aren’t in the same room with you. God is also with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He loves you.
Heavenly Father,
Your love is greater than anything we can imagine. Thank You for loving me. Thank you, also, for those who love me and my ability to love others.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” – Colossians 3:15-16
What do you think of when someone mentions the church?
Do you think of a boring hour where you try to not fall asleep?
Do you think of a time when you get to see friends?
Do you think of a time to worship?
Do you think of a building?
The word, “church” has come to be associated with all these, but “church” in the Bible is something different.
Imagine you were stranded on an island.
There are many things you would have to deal with. You would need to make a shelter, find water and food, protect yourself from wildlife, find a way to get home, etc. There’s one other thing you would have to deal with…loneliness.
Now, imagine you are on the island, but with some friends. Instead of loneliness, you grow closer to them through the challenging time. Beyond that, all the other difficult things you have to do become easier as you can share the load with your friends.
Church, A People In the New Testament, the church is not a place or even worship. The church is the people of God. That church gathers for worship and may even do so in a building dedicated to worship, but those aren’t the church. You and I and everyone who believes in Jesus is the church.
What if the word, church, brought to mind friends, mentors, and students. What if it brought to mind people who care for us when we are sick, lead us back when we go astray, celebrate with us when we are happy, and cry with us when we are sad. What if church brought to mind the people we long to see when we feel broken and the ones we run to when we know we’ve really messed up. What if it’s the people we pray with, sing with, study God’s Word with, and with whom we walk this life.
This world is not our home. Until we arrive at home, not only is God with us but so is His church.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the church. Thank You for a people who love me and care for me. Thank You for a people who know I’m not perfect, but love me all the same and speak Your Word of forgiveness and truth into my life.
This week is Thanksgiving. Because of this, we are doing a few things differently for our Thursday prayers, including having “Thank You, God” videos and changing the time of the prayers.
“Thank You, God” Videos: We thought it would be great if we included a montage of people thanking God. I would like to ask you, yes you, to create a short thanking God for whatever you would like. Then send me that video and I will include it in the Thanksgiving Prayer Video. The videos need to submitted by noon on Wednesday. Send your video to Pastor Kurt’s email, which is Kurt at the church’s website address.
The Time of the Prayers: Since our time of prayer would normally be right when a lot of people will be celebrating Thanksgiving, we are simply going to post the video of the prayers on Thursday morning instead of having a live-stream in the evening. You can start the video and join the prayers whenever you would like.
Prayer Requests: We will also still be having our normal prayers which will include your prayer requests. Please submit your prayer requests through our Contact Us form by noon on Wednesday.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15
What do you find gives you a sense of peace?
Some people like to go for a walk. Others will head up to the mountains or out on a secluded beach. Most of us have some things we like to do (or would like to do if we could find the time) to gain a little peace in our hectic lives.
Momentary Peace Whether you like a hike in the mountains or a soak in the tub, the problem with all these activities is that they don’t last. At some point, you have to head home. If you stay in the tub too long, you get all pruney and no one likes that. 😉 So, where can we find lasting peace?
Earthly Peace Turn on the TV or surf the Internet for a while and you’ll find plenty of messages about finding something that offers more than a momentary sense of peace. If you just had enough money or the right car or a big enough house, you would truly have peace. If this political party wins, everything will be alright. If you get in shape or earn a college degree, you’ll be good. Yet, none of these things are eternal and eventually people find out, they don’t really fix the problem. There’s always something to steal your peace.
Maybe the answer if a new philosophy, meditation, or medication. Just learn to shrug off the problems. Repeat to yourself, “Serenity Now.” and breathe. These may help us relax a bit, but ignoring problems doesn’t lead to lasting peace.
Godly Peace The peace of Christ is different from all these. It isn’t temporary, dependent on what you achieve, or even from yourself. Christ is eternal and His peace is as well. You don’t have to be in a certain place or doing a certain activity to have it. Christ’s peace cannot be achieved. You can’t earn it. It’s available to the most disciplined and successful among us as well as those who can’t find their keys, can’t stay on a diet, and feel like a failure.
Why?
Christ’s peace is because of who God is and what He has done. God loves us and is perfectly faithful. He demonstrated His love by sacrificing Himself on the cross, defeating death and hell. This does not change whether we go to the beach, sit in our office, or attend school. It doesn’t change if we are rich or poor, powerful or weak, healthy or sick. It’s not dependent on you.
God’s peace is from God.
Not only is God’s peace grounded in who He is and what He has done, but it is also given to us by Him. He who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves gives us this peace. In moments when we think we should be freaking out, God can come in and settle us. He can fill us with His Spirit even in the middle of a storm.
Let that peace, peace that is eternal and grounded in the love and faithfulness of God, peace that is beyond our understanding and momentary situation, fill your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.
Heavenly Father,
My life can get pretty hectic and even scary at times. Turn my eyes to you and fill me with Your Spirit. Please give me Your peace and let that peace rule my heart.
“I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way — in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.” – 1 Corinthians 1:4-5
What does it mean that God has given us grace?
Grace can be a difficult thing for many people. The word has been used in many different contexts with different meanings and, even when we understand the meaning, it can be difficult for us to accept.
What does grace mean?
Grace can mean elegance or refinement. It can mean to honor someone with your presence. It can even mean a pleasing, youthful appearance. I’m not talking about any of these.
David was the youngest of his brothers. He was small and had never served in the government or the military. He was so obscure that when the prophet Samuel, at the Lord’s command, went to the house of David’s father, Jesse, to anoint one of his sons as king of Israel, Jesse didn’t even think of David until none of his other sons were selected and Samuel asked if he had any more sons.
Yet, God chose David. David hadn’t done anything to make him worthy of being anointed, king. God chose him out of God’s own pleasure. That is grace.
Grace is receiving the unearned favor of God. It isn’t a wage for your good works. It’s a gift.
This is also different from mercy. Mercy is not receiving the punishment you deserve. Grace is receiving a blessing you don’t deserve.
Difficult to Accept Even when we hear that grace is a gift, the unearned favor of God, we still often struggle to believe it. Why would God simply give me something, especially so many big gifts? Sure, a favor here and there we may accept, but to be made His child? To be given the righteousness of Jesus? To be given the Holy Spirit? Surely, we must do something to deserve this!
This thinking is what has led many to redefine grace as something God gives you so that you can do the things you’re supposed to do to earn all these things. They treat grace like a spiritual steroid that gives you the strength to earn your own righteousness because, surely, we must do something to deserve this. Right? Wrong!
It’s all a gift. You don’t earn any of it.
In fact, you can’t earn any of these amazing blessings. They only come as gifts.
So, how can we learn to accept that all this really is grace? How can we accept that God just gives it?
We see why God gives all these blessings.
Have you ever given someone a gift just because you wanted to? It wasn’t their birthday and they didn’t do anything. You just wanted to give them a gift. That’s what God does…all the time.
He does it because He loves us. He does it because He wants to.
What an amazing relief and joy to know that we don’t earn any of this. When we mess up or outright sin, we don’t have to fear that we have just lost our salvation or sonship or righteousness because it was never dependant on us. You have all these blessings because God wants to give them to you.
So, let us be thankful for God’s grace.
Heavenly Father,
You have shown great mercy to forgive my sins, but You don’t stop there. You give unimaginable gifts by Your grace. Thank you.
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.” – Isaiah 12:4
How is your day going? Are you having a good day or a bad day?
Melissa and I were reading a book on the drive from Tennessee the other day. In it, the main character was a 14-year-old boy. He got beaten up one day after school. There was a girl that he liked who saw what happened and tried to stop the bullies, but wasn’t able to.
The next day, he went to school with a black eye. He was scared he would run into the bully again. He had a biology test he wasn’t prepared for and knew he was going to fail. Then he had to go to detention because the principal punished him for being bullied.
However, the girl he liked asked to talk with him after school. When he said he couldn’t because of detention, she volunteered to sit through detention with him. Then, then hung out after detention. At the end of the day he thought to himself, “This has been a great day!”
What was he thinking?
Why would a day with a black eye, the risk of being bullied again, failing a test, and having to go to detention for being a victim being a great day?
You know the answer.
He got to hang out with the girl he’d had a crush on. She even sat through detention with him. The rest just didn’t compare.
We all have bad days. Sometimes even bad weeks or months. Sometimes we have to live through 2020! Yet, regardless of what is happening, we know that Jesus loves us and has saved us. We get to hang out with God anytime we want. He even joins us in our suffering. Even in our darkest moments, we have something to be thankful for.
Not Faking It I’m not saying that we ignore the difficult times. I’m not saying that we put on a fake smile or force out an unfelt prayer of thanks.
I am saying that we take time to remember the great things God has done for us both Jesus work on the cross and things God has specifically done in our lives in the past. We remember them and declare them. We put our suffering in perspective by looking to Christ so that, like the character in the book, the rest just doesn’t compare.
It’s like what Jesus did.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for loving me and sending Your Son to die for me. Jesus, thank You for staying with me through my suffering. Thank You God also for the many blessings You have given in my life, such as…
(Remember of the blessings God has given and thank Him for them.)
Give me strength in my suffering, keep my eyes on You, and may I never forget what You have done for me. Thank You.