Preparing for Thanksgiving

 

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land. ~II Chronicles 7:14 KJV

Many people have prayed, I among them, and agonized over the condition of our country. Many breathed a sigh of relief and felt the answer to those prayers, but friends, prayer warriors should not let down their guard. We cannot say, "Oh, the battle is over. We can relax now." On the contrary, there is yet much work to do and prayers to be prayed. 

One of the things the Lord has laid on my heart is a return to reading God's word—not just reading but studying it so that we know how to humble ourselves and pray for God's forgiveness and direction for our nation.

This week I offer a short reading on which you can easily expand, a thought and a prayer for each day.  This, the week before our Thanksgiving, is a great time to start reading and studying our Bibles in preparation for humbling ourselves to give true Thanksgiving for all God's blessings on our families and our nation. 

As you study, make a few notes about the things God is revealing to you.

Monday Reading:
      Exodus 36:5,6 The people were so excited about the work of the Tabernacle that they brought in more than was needed. Moses had to give a command to stop bringing things for the Tabernacle.

What a wonderful situation to find ourselves in. When has the offering ever been too much? When has a congregation been so excited about God's work that they had to be told their gifts were enough?

Heavenly Father, at this season of Thanksgiving, may our thankfulness for all you have done be demonstrated in the enthusiasm we show in working for Your kingdom. May Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Tuesday Reading
       Exodus 37:1, 10, 25, 29 These verses demonstrate the responsibilities of Bezaleel. God chose him to do a mighty work but he is actually an unknown figure. His faithfulness to his calling has affected the understanding and worship of God for millions of people for thousands of years.

Can others look at my work and see my faithfulness to God's calling? How is my faithfulness or lack thereof affecting others? Surely everything we do affects others.

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me a work to do. Help me to be faithful to Your calling regardless of how much or how little credit I receive. You must increase and I must decrease. Be glorified, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Wednesday Reading:
      Exodus 38:8 The women brought their brass mirrors to make the brass laver, a place for the priests to wash their hands. Have you ever noticed women when they pass by a mirror, even in a store? We have to stop and check ourselves.  Beautiful hair, clothes, and make-up can all be a mess if a woman doesn't have a mirror to check herself. The women of Israel gave their most prized possession. They humbled themselves before God, putting aside their vanity for the building of the place of worship.

Heavenly Father, please open my eyes to the things I put before worship, before praise, before witnessing. Help me to humble myself for Your work. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Thursday Reading:
       Exodus 39: 18. The names of the tribes of Israel covered the priest's heart. His shoulders bore the weight.

Are God's people on my heart? Are the lost on my heart? Do I have a burden for people, or do I just complain about the situation?

Heavenly Father help me carry a burden for repentance among Your people and a burden to see the lost saved. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Friday Reading:
      Exodus 40:34. The people had followed God's directions. They had set up the tabernacle in God's order. He had descended on it. He guided their way day and night.

When our lives are clean God abides and directs our way. When we allow sin to enter in the Spirit departs until our lives are clean - forgiven. I John 1:9. We cannot do a work for God if we harbor sin.

Heavenly Father, direct my path that I might walk in Your way. May my life be pleasing unto You. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Saturday Review

    Pray. Review your notes. Is the Lord leading me in a specific direction? Has He revealed a work that needs strengthening or a new work begin? Pray again. Choose a direction for next week's readings.

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 

Numbers 6: 24-26

In Jesus' name. Amen.

  

A Snowy Day

 

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. I Chronicles 11:22 NKJV

A pristine snow covered the ground, covered the snags, and leveled the dips. The sun glistened and sparkled in the cold. Benaiah trudged home alone across the snow. He pulled his cloak close as the wind whipped around him. He had walked since sunup and now the cold was beginning to bite through his whiskers. Perhaps he should look for shelter, but where in this barren land? 

There, a hole in the snow. Perhaps there was a cave. Benaiah moved closer. A thatch partially covered the hole as if something or someone had fallen through. Again, the wind whipped his cloak, reminding Benaiah he needed to find shelter soon or he would succumb to the freezing temperature. He hoped no one or nothing was still in the pit. Grabbing a piece of the thatch he lowered himself into the dark pit. 

A low growl came from the dark end of the pit, growing louder and coming closer. As it entered the light of the hole, Banaiah saw a huge male lion shaking his head from side to side as he continued to growl at the man who invaded his privacy. 

The growl became a roar. Benaiah reached for his sword tucked under his cloak. He snatched the lion's mane before it could lunge for him. In warrior motion, Benaiah swiped his sword across the bare part of the lion's neck, slicing through to the jugular vein. The lion reared back, pawed the air, then dropped to the floor of the pit. Benaiah wiped the blade clean across the fur of the lion before tucking it away. The odor of blood was nauseating. The smell was not unfamiliar to Benaiah, who had fought many battles for David. He would rest before facing the snow and cold again in the morning. 

It seems odd to find such a story in the middle of the stories of David's mighty men. There was no one involved but Benaiah. His act was one of self-defense. Maybe a closer look will show us the heavenly meaning behind this earthly story. 

When I think of snow, I think of beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. Serene in all its glory, but is it? The snow completely covers the ground, causing us to miss the dips and pits that trip us and cause twisted ankles, broken legs, and tragic falls. And so the world looks good. It promises beauty, peace, and a prosperous life. When we try to find our hope in the things of the world, it covers the pitfalls and hides the tragedies.  

We often think we can shelter in our families, friends, and even church. We should never let our guard down. For Satan, walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He may lie quiet as a small thing in our lives and homes but his roar will grow in intensity unless we, like Benaiah, are armed with the sword of the Lord. Jesus used scripture to thwart Satan's temptations in the wilderness. We too must be armed and ready to face our lions with the word of God. Though the battle may leave its stench in our memories, through Christ there is rest before we face another day. 

Heavenly Father, help us hide your word in our hearts that we might not sin against you and that we may stay every attempt of Satan to destroy our testimony before others. In Jesus's name. Amen

Cast Your Bread

 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Eccl. 11:1

I came across this verse while studying Ecclesiastes. Why would you throw bread on the water? Then I had a flashback to middle school. We read one of the banned books way back then - Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I remembered the people in the story casting bread on the water, but I couldn't remember the specifics. So I called on good ol' Google. I found "CliffNotes" with my answer. 

In Huckleberry Finn, Huck's pap locked him in their cabin. Huck figured a way out, but he also wanted to stay free of his abusive father. He planned to fill a bag with rocks and drag it to the river, leaving a path so as to make his father think he had been killed and dumped in the river. He filled another bag and drug it off in the other direction as if the robbers/murderers had taken Pap's "treasure". Huck hid in the woods to see what would happen. Sure enough, Pap wanted the town to help him find his treasure and to find his boy, that the murderers had thrown in the river. 

Huck watched from the brush as the men of the town put quicksilver (mercury) in the bread and set it afloat on the river. Huck was hungry so when one of the loaves came close he fished it out of the water and ate some of it. Of course, this was before the War Between the States so no one knew how poisonous mercury was. No matter Huck didn't die. 

The practice of placing mercury in bread and releasing it on water to find drowned bodies was practiced until the 1870s in the US. Though I had no idea what Solomon was talking about until I recalled the now banned book that I read as a child, I can now see some very important symbolism from this verse. When bread with mercury finds a body, it is supposed to begin to sink over the spot so divers can retrieve the body. 

Solomon used three important symbols in this verse. 

• bread - Jesus is the bread of life
• water - isles of the nations, Gentiles, people of all nations in need of the gospel. 
• find it after many days - rare is the person who repents and is saved after hearing the gospel for the first time.

Solomon had tried it all and had not found true happiness. It was all vanity, emptiness until he realized the real purpose of his life was to cast his bread upon the waters. He had the gospel. He had the opportunity to tell the world. 

Solomon wrote this for our benefit as well. We have the gospel. We have vast opportunities to share it with the world. Though we  may not see the results as this moment, rest assured people will hear and will come to salvation if we faithfully present Jesus. 

The bead was supposed to sink over the body so the body could be retrieved. We were all dead bodies, rotting in our trespasses and sin. Jesus brought us up. He resurrected us. He gave us new life. We see this demonstrated everytime we see a believer immersed in baptism and resurrected to a new life in Christ.

Father God, help me never give up spreading your gospel by whatever means, knowing that You will bring people to you giving them a new life in Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.