Showing posts with label thankfulness to God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thankfulness to God. Show all posts

Monday 6 April 2020

Not daring to show a connection

For several sorts of Christians Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11).

Palm Sunday is the day that they celebrate Jesus in his humble glory riding a donkey into the city of David, as the crowds and children cry out,
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9; ESV).
 At that time lots of people gathered to shout and to welcome Jesus as their special guest. The Vip of his time got the crowds throwing palm branches on the path before him to celebrate him as their approaching King (Matthew 21:8), who came to bring lasting peace and gracious justice.

Peace and justice still did not come to the world. A few days later many of those welcoming that king could have also been in the crowd shouting to kill that Nazarene man. Glory often is just for a short time. Thankfulness is also not for a long time. We can wonder where all those people were at that moment Jesus was presented to the public as a big criminal. Jesus ad helped so many people. Jesus also had inspired so many and had shown to all around him that he was a man of peace and not of war.

Suddenly not many seemed to remember what he had done. Many also out of fear, even a close disciple as Peter did not dare to let others know that he knew Christ or was for that man.

Also today there are lots of people who not dare the outer world to show they have an interest in that Nazarene teacher or that they believe in the same God as that Jewish man worshipped. Jesus did not worship himself (what he would have done when he is God) but worshipped the God of Israel, Who is a Singular eternal all-knowing Spirit Being.

These coming days are again days that God requests to show faithfulness to Him and His commandments. One of those requirements is to come together and to remember the exodus from Egypt and the other is to remember Jesus commemorating that event and installing a new exodus, namely the exit of the curse of death. In the upper room in Jerusalem Jesus came together with his disciples and installed the New Covenant. He asked to remember that night and that is what we should do. It is also a sign of willingness to be under that New Covenant.

Though we may not mix with a lot of people and are requested to stay home, that should not hinder us to feel united even though it is via an internet connection.

I sincerely hope we shall be able to find many brethren and sisters uniting and sharing their Memorial Meeting with others around the world.

In case we have contact by internet, via Face Time or other means, do not hesitate to mention this coming Wednesday as a special day. Keep witnessing along the virtual way, now we can not do it with direct human contact.

+

Find also to read:

  1. Only once and with consequences
  2. When Belonging to the escaped ones gathering in Jesus name
  3. Dark times looking like death is around the corner – but Light given to us
  4. In a time when we must remain in our place
  5. First time since Nazi time no public gathering
  6. No idea yet for 14 Nisan or April the 8th in 2020 Corona crisis time
  7. Only a few days left before 14 Nisan
  8. A meal as a mitzvah so that every generation would remember
  9. A Passover for unity in God’s community
  10. A virtual Seder this Wednesday, April 8 from 6.30 p.m.
  11. To turn the world into a “vessel” receptive of God
  12. The Application of the New Covenant 


Thursday 24 October 2019

A prayer for this week: Asking forgiveness and thanking God

 
 
Father forgive me for I have sinned:

There were several occasions in the week when I was selfish or mean;
Or careless or uncaring or slow to reach out to those who are ill
I have given less than I could to those in need;

There were days I did not pick up my Bible
or remember to say thank you;
And when I brought all this to you for your mercy and grace
I received it.
Because you welcome sinners so that you can
love and forgive them.
 

Thank you, Lord.
I wish I was more like you.
 
 
prayer for this week

Thursday 24 November 2016

2016 Thanksgiving and politics

English: Elias Cornelius Boudinot (1835 – 1890)
English: Elias Cornelius Boudinot (1835 – 1890) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In 2016 Thanksgiving day should not only be a day for saying thanks for everything we get, but should also be a day when we contemplate and seriously think about the way how we are showing are thankfulness to god to others in the world.

New Jersey Congressman, president of the Continental Congress, director of the U.S. Mint and American Bible Society's first president Elias Boudinot is one of the forgotten founding fathers of the New World. In part Americans should be thankful also to him for having that American national holiday Thanksgiving.

Rooted in a passion for God's Word Elias Boudinot declared before the U.S. House of Representatives that prayer and thanks were due to God for America's existence. According to the Annals of Congress, Boudinot stated that he
"could not think of letting the session pass over without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings he had poured down upon them."
Although many members of the House dismissed his proposal, Boudinot stuck by it. Almost two weeks later, President George Washington warmed to the idea.
On October 3, 1789, Washington distributed a Thanksgiving Proclamation to the Governors of the States, calling for the
 "institution of a national day of prayer and thanksgiving"
 and for
"Thursday, the 26th day of November…to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."
In Scriptures thankfulness is prominent and rabbi Jeshua asked his followers to show their gratitude to the Most High Divine Creator. One way of showing such gratitude was by not being afraid to use the Almighty God His Divine Name (Jehovah) and by letting the world know how God wants them to come close to Him and recognise Him as their heavenly Father.

Jesus asked to
"live in union with him…build your lives on him…and be filled with thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:7). Thanksgiving should accompany "everything you do and say" (Colossians 3:17).
Though we may find it sometimes very difficult to live in this world, the Apostle Paul asked us to
"Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Yes, in all circumstances ... also in times when we do have it not easy, or when we do have much pain. Being troubled with certain illnesses can bring lots of pains to endure every day. Do know in the Word of God, the bible you may find strength and you shall be able to find the strength to conquer that pain.

Living in this world, not being of it, we also should feel thankfulness not just as one of multiple good qualities that believers should have, but a core impulse of human worship. In Romans 1, where Paul describes the depravity of the Gentiles, he first establishes the idea that God's nature can be seen in creation, and so humans have no excuse.
"They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him" (Romans 1:21).
Today lots of people do not give honour to the Divine Creator, and do not want to know about The God of gods.

Do you know Him? Do you give Him the full respect?

God has blessed us with all the things around us and with the life we do have. We should know He provided the Way to Him, by means of His only begotten beloved son, who was willing to offer himself for us. How much do we want to give to God? Are we willing to do His Will, like Jesus did His Will? Are we willing to recognize His grace and to respond with a thank-You?

Do we want to show our thankfulness to God in the way we live and in the way we go about with others? Are you as such aware that your sayings, your way of voting or choosing for some one, shows your attitude to life but also your attitude to the universe of the Divine Creator.

++

Additional reading

  1. Words of God to stand and to be followed and to believe
  2. A Start for looking at the unseen and the treasure to look forward to
  3. True God giving His Word for getting wisdom
  4. Being thankful
  5. As Christ’s slaves doing the Will of God in gratitude
  6. Be vigilant with a view to prayers
  7. Be sound in mind and be vigilant with a view to prayers
  8. Praying and acts of meditation without ceasing
  9. Give thanks to יהוה! For He is good, For His kindness is everlasting
  10. Praise and give thanks to God the Most Highest
  11. Let them thank the Lord for …
  12. Give thanks to the One Who gave much
  13. Give Thanks To God
  14. Thanksgiving wisdom: Why gratitude is good for your health
  15. By counting our blessings we not only feel good, but we multiply our good
  16. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #1 Listening Sovereign Maker
  17. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation
  18. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer #8 Condition
  19. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #15 Exposition before the Creator
  20. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #16 Benefits of praying
  21. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
  22. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name
  23. Bring praise to the Creator
  24. Praise Jehovah, ​You people
  25. A Meaningful Thanksgivukkah
  26. Hanukkahgiving or Thanksgivvukah
  27. A Meaningful Thanksgivukkah
  28. Thanksgivukkah and Advent
  29. Continuing Paul’s Prayer Requests
  30. My God
  31. The Proper Place of Excess
  32. Stopped Breathing
  33. Give your worries to God
  34. Only the contrite self, sick of its pretensions, can find salvation
  35. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone!
  36. If your difficulties are longstanding, try kneeling
  37. Life in gratitude opens glory of God
  38. A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
  39. A gift of 86,400 seconds
  40. Thanking God by thinking of people

+++

Monday 1 July 2013

Not he who prays most or fasts most is the greatest saint





"There is no state of mind so excellent as that of thankfulness to God.

 It is not he who prays most or fasts most who is the greatest saint in the world.
It is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice.
But it is he who is always thankful to God, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness,
and has a heart always ready to praise God for it."

~William Law In Everything Give ThanksTekst
+ Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard, page 141. 


 “Separate creaturely life, as opposed to life in union with God,
is only a life of various appetites, hungers, and wants, and cannot possibly be anything else.
God Himself cannot make a creature to be in itself,
or in its own nature, anything else but a state of emptiness.
The highest life that is natural and creaturely can go no higher than this:
it can only be a bare capacity for goodness
and cannot possibly be a good and happy life
but by the life of God dwelling in it and in union with it.
And this is the two-fold life that, of all necessity,
must be united in every good and happy and perfect creature. “

~William Law
"If you would be a good Christian, there is but one way
– you must live wholly unto God.
You must live according to the wisdom that comes from God.
You must act according to right judgments of the nature and value of things.
You must live in the exercise of holy and heavenly affections.
And you must use all the gifts of God to his praise and glory."

~William Law






English: Photo of William Law (1809—1892)
English: Photo of William Law (1809—1892) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


Enhanced by Zemanta