The Necessity of Thankfulness

Psalm 118:29 (NKJV)
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Why are you thankful about God thankful today? Today’s verse reminds us that He is good and His mercy endures forever. We learn what goodness actually is from God because God’s very nature is good and He can be nothing less than good. It is good that He displays His mercy for by it, we learn how caring He is toward us and how we should treat others.

Another reason to be thankful to God is the fact that He is worthy. “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created”, (Rev. 4:11, NKJV). God is the creator and sustainer, He owns all things and He keeps it all running. Our heart should be filled with thankfulness that He is in control and not us.

The greatest provision of God for which we need to be thankful is salvation unto man. Just think of it. God, from eternity past, wanted to fellowship with those who willingly love Him. He created the universe and the world and He keeps it all running like a fine tuned machine. In the midst of all this, man sinned and rejected God, wanting no part of God at all. God then left the astounding greatness of heaven, He became a man and experienced greater pain and rejection than any of us will ever know. He then died in our place in order to buy back the relationship that we rejected. All we need to do, after repentance, is trust Him by faith and He will allow us to experience heaven with Him forever. How can we not be thankful for this!

We need to be reminded repeated to thank Him. We need to be thankful of His many provisions. Paul reminds us, “19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever“, (Phil. 4:19-20). God always provides for our needs, but many of us forget the last three words, “by Christ Jesus”. He will provide for His children, in His way, in His time and this is all for His glory. The amazing fact is that God’s glory is always for our best good. This very fact should make thankfulness spring up within us to the uttermost.

Since God is in control and He does all things for our good, it is then that we can have the same Mindset as Paul. “16 Rejoice always, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (I Thessalonians 5:16,18, NKJV). The only way we can rejoice always is by securely resting in our God by faith and being contented with His absolute control. A restful trust in God results in thanksgiving and not tension.

Thoughts, comments, objections, prayer requests.

Daniel A. Smith

The God Of Understanding

Psalm 147:5 (NKJV)
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.

We have a wonderful heavenly Father who is greater than anyone’s mind can understand. He is creator, sustainer, He understands all that is happening and He keeps it all straight. There are not enough books in the world to write about the immensity of God’s understanding. His understanding is infinite and does not end. By means of God’s vast understanding He allows us to have such a blessed relationship with Him, if we so choose.

First of all, God realizes that we are human. Even though God is the God of all power, He realizes who we are and our limitations. David says, “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust”, (Ps. 103:14, NKJV). He knows our weaknesses and all the struggles that we face, so He will not allow anything to happen that we cannot handle. Only a God of care and understanding could keep straight all the needs of all people.

He also understands us very intimately. Since He is the creator, He knows our design and all of our needs. He also knows all the private things that we have not shared with others. David says in Ps. 44:21b, “For He knows the secrets of the heart.” It is amazing, the God of all power, who knows everything about us, wants to share Himself with us and experience an intimate relationship with us. In turn, we can know Him also in this way.

God knows if and when we trust Him and He also understands the depth of our commitment that we have toward Him. As walk in faith, we find that we can trust Him in more and more things and at all times. Nahum says, “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him”, (Nahum 1:7, NKJV).

Another amazing fact about God’s understanding is that He share’s it with us. As we study His word, spend time with Him in prayer and trust Him through the difficult things in life, He will grant us greater understanding in order to deal with life to a greater degree. He also grants us understanding in our relationships with others. Through this we can have encouragement toward others. Paul says, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ”, (Colossians 2:2, NKJV).

Just remember, rely on God’s understanding and not your own. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, NKJV).

        Thoughts, comments, objections, prayer requests.

Daniel A. Smith

Being Your Brother’s Keeper

Hebrews 10:24,25 (NKJV)
²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

How much do the needs of others concern you throughout the day? The writer of the book of Hebrews is trying to emphasize how vital it is to recognize others. The word “consider” has the idea of fixing our eyes upon or considering attentively. We need to make the concerns of others a major part of each day. Others are hurting all around us and it is us (God’s children) that He uses as the vehicle to minister to others.

We need to “stir up” love and good works in others. To stir up has the same idea of contending in a fight. Helping other continually can be a battle and a struggle. First of all, we may have to fight with selfishness. Reaching out to others who do not want help is very difficult, because we need to reach out to all people in a humble manner. Secondly, we may face the battle of sacrificial love. In order to encourage others unto love and good works we need to think and feel as the other person thinks and feels. We need feel their hurts as they do, understand their situation and basically become them in their situation in order to reach out properly.

In order to accomplish this we need to spend time with each other. We need to encourage one another continually and not waste any time doing it. The Day of the Lord is approaching soon, so we need to invest in other people’s lives as much as we can.

People need to get into the house of the Lord. We cannot abandon corporate worship time in the house of the Lord and we need to help others see the joy of it also. We need to attend regular bible studies, prayer sessions and accountability groups where we can share our lives with each other and stimulate others to good works and love. Another thing we need is plenty of fellowship. Let us all have as much fun as we possibly can in the midst of working for God. Fun, fellowship and laughing with each other go a long way in our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical development.

Is God burdening your heart for someone at this time? Reach out to them in the way that you only can for the sake of the Lord.

Thoughts, comments, objections, prayer requests?

Daniel A. Smith

God’s Faithfulness

Psalms 119:89-90 (NKJV)
⁸⁹ Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. ⁹⁰ Your faithfulness endures to all generations, You established the earth, and it abides.

God’s faithfulness is amazing in every way possible. This verse promises us that God’s word is always faithful to the point that it can be trusted forever. Since He created the earth and put it into motion, He certainly can keep it going, faithfully providing all that is needed for operation.

God is faithful to forgive every time that we ask. When we want his forgiveness He will faithfully forgive us every time. We have to want it first of all. John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”, (I John 1:9, NKJV).

God is faithful in His mercy toward us. If He operated only by justice, we would be consumed. But His heart of compassion knows us fully and feels for us in the same way that we experience life, every day that we live. “²² Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness”, (Lamentations, 3:22-23, NKJV).

He is faithful despite whether or not we are faithful. He will only stay true to His very nature. He is faithful, He is love, He is eternal and cannot lie. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, He cannot deny Himself”, (2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV). Since God is uncompromisingly true to faithfulness and goodness, we also should seek to maintain the same standards. This can only be done in His power and through and undying commitment to be like Him.

God not only sends goodness faithfully, but He also will faithfully test us in order to strengthen us and empower us to become more like Him. Pain and difficulty tend to bring us to the point of greater dependence on God. Many times, God must use trials and difficulties in our lives in order to accomplish this. David knew this in his life. “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me”, (Psalms 119:75, NKJV).

If we believe God and trust Him, He will carry out this sanctifying work. Paul says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it”, (I Thessalonians 5:24, NKJV). God will stay true to His promises.

Thoughts, comments, objections, prayer requests.

Daniel A. Smith