David’s Song of Thanksgiving

1 Chronicles 16:7-36

⁷ On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:

⁸ Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
⁹ Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
¹⁰ Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
¹¹ Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
¹² Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
¹³ O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

¹⁴ He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
¹⁵ Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
¹⁶ The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
¹⁷ And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
¹⁸ Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
¹⁹ When you were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.

²⁰ When they went from one nation to another,
And from one kingdom to another people,
²¹ He permitted no man to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
²² Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”^[a]

²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
²⁴ Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

²⁵ For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
²⁷ Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.

²⁸ Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
²⁹ Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
³⁰ Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.

³¹ Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
³² Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
³³ Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.^[b]

³⁴ Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.^[c]
35 And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.”

³⁶ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!^[d]

And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  GOD BLESS YOU!

Your Plan, God’s Plan

Matthew 7:14 (NKJV) ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I used to think that when we live life in God’s plan that the road would be straight, smooth and without struggle or pain. To the contrary; living life in Gods plan requires strength of mind, body and spirit, patience, resilience and endurance. It takes work to be a Christian but in the end the rewards will be greater than you can ever imagine.  It is not easy to dodge the curveballs and spikes that Satan throws in our path, but through unending faith and God’s grace we will make it through to victory. 

Sometimes the path we choose may feel irresponsible or risky in the natural world, but is absolutely the right move to stay on course with God’s plan. His plan is unique and special for each of us, therefore the road for each of us is designed differently.  Too often we find that we trust and are influenced by people and the material nature of the world and lose focus on what is most important to God. People will always disappoint you, God never will. Don’t ever lose faith in him, because he never loses faith in you. When you find yourself in a deep valley, he will reach out his hand to you to pull you up, dust you off and send you on your way. 

Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.

Don’t be afraid, no matter what comes your way as God is in it with you. Don’t worry, put your trust in the Lord, he knows the future and his plans for you. Don’t lose hope, but live joyfully as you receive the gift of life for each new day and give thanks during your trials. Whatever trials you are facing, you will get through it and when you emerge on the other side you will find yourself closer to God. Find the gift in that trial and its place in molding you and preparing you for something greater. 

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)

⁹ But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Here is something to make you smile today so we don’t take ourselves so seriously that we miss out on the dance of life.  This New York traffic Cop will make you smile: 

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WYKYPGNX

The Decisions We Make

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 
And lean not on your own understanding; 
In all your ways acknowledge Him 
And He shall direct your paths.

I love making decisions. What I don’t like is the period of time analyzing, discussing and agonizing over all of the options before making it. Perhaps this is just a sign of age, as I was more carefree and sometimes reckless in decision making when I was young.  I know now that it was by Gods grace and forgiveness I was always able to bounce back and correct course when I chose the wrong path.

I have learned a lot from my mistakes and perhaps that is why I am more cautious today. Perhaps this is just a normal part of life and growing up spiritually.  

Today, I find myself consulting with God on every major decision and even some of the seemingly small ones. Major decisions that impact relationships, finances and health are the big ones. Now I pray more often about the major decisions before I make them, which helps me to spend less time asking God for help when I make poor choices without consulting Him. 

Think about how many decisions you make in a day and how many of them do you discuss with God.  

Every choice and decision we make has consequences, good and not so good. For the things that are within our control, we always choose our consequences.  In addition to the major stuff every day you decide: 

• To get out of bed or sleep in
• To eat or not eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (healthy or otherwise)
• To go or not to go to work
• To drive, walk or take a bus
• How to dress (clean and according to your work or sloppy without care)
• What kind of mood you will be in - happy, sad, grumpy, mad, angry...
• How you will treat and greet others (with love, joy, happiness or with criticism, distain)
• How productive you will be (how much effort, energy and commitment you give each day)
• To exercise, read a book, plan for the future, or lay around and watch TV till you fall asleep

God gives us free choice, but we must do our part by doing what is right in our hearts, by asking God for guidance and then doing what he says, even if it wasn’t what we had in mind. God always answers prayers for those who ask and are obedient to his word.  

I pray that all your burdens are light and your decisions come easily by His grace.  Have a blessed day!

James 1:5 (NKJV) ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

1 John 5:14 (NKJV) ¹⁴ Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV) 

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,  “This is the way, walk in it,” 

Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.”