Psalm 116- A psalm of thanks to the Lord

Psalm 116:12-14
How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?  I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.  I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.

Throughout the Psalms and the rest of the Bible, we are encouraged and commanded to give thanks to the Lord.
Giving thank offerings, giving a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
singing songs and psalms of thanksgiving all are part of our
serving and worshiping our creator and redeemer.
        
He is the One Who has brought us from the captivity of sin into His glorious freedom.  He is the One Who redeemed our soul from eternal torment and unquenchable fire into an
eternal rejoicing in an eternal city of such beauty and bounty
that even the greatest human mind can not comprehend the depth and height and width of it.  He is the One Who from before time knew us and in spite of all of our flaws, paid the ultimate price for us.  He is the One Who is the perfect example of loving sacrifice.
        
This is the week when we will eat too much and maybe
watch too much football.  But this is also the week when we are reminded to be thankful for both the seen and unseen blessings and protection of the Lord.  So take time to stop and give a thank offering to the Lord for what He has given.  Take time to offer to Him a deep reverence that comes from a heart filled with true thanksgiving.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their
strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  

Psalms 33:18  But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.

It is so easy to lose hope in the Lord when it seems all around us the world is becoming less and less interested in the Lord and we, as His anointed, are criticized and accused.  We are to hold onto our hope with both hands and hold our hope up to others as a guarantee not as a wishful dream.
 
Our hope is not in the things we have but in the One Who created all things.  Our hope is in eternal rewards that are promised by the One who created time.  Our hope is in the One Who loved us so much He put aside, for a short time, His deity in order to pay the price for our sinfulness. 

Father, we praise and worship you for renewing our strength
and our hope in You.  Remind us that the hope we have in You is without conditions and that You will never leave us or forsake us.  Remind us to share  with others the reason for the hope we have. In the faithful and trustworthy name of Jesus.................Amen

Acts 9:10-18

Have you ever been asked to trust someone who has a reputation for being untrustworthy?  Has the Lord ever lead you to step out in faith to witness to someone you felt very uncertain as to their motives?
 
Many years ago, a man was lead to put the collection of his church in the hands of a known gang leader by the name of Nicky Cruz.  The result was the conversion of many who would never have been witnessed to because of their lifestyle.  The Cross and the Switchblade is a modern day picture of the conversion of Saul to Paul.  The church leadership was horrified at the pastor's action but the pastor stepped out in faith at the Spirit's leading and the rest is history.
 
The early church was horrified and furious at the actions of Annanias and his healing of Paul.  All the evidence of Paul's past actions made trusting him difficult.  The Lord had a plan for the salvation of the gentiles (you and me) and Paul was the main character in that plan.  Annanias was obedient and the rest is history.
 
When you feel led to do something out of your comfort zone, think of Annanias, think of the missionaries who put their lives on the line, think of Elijah standing up to the Baal worshipers.  All they do is stand on the faith that the Lord is leading them and trust in His protection and wisdom.  The salvation of God's people is in the hands of people like you and me.  He does not assign that task with out preparing us either ahead of time or on the path as we follow His leading.

Read Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 20:10a But on the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.   
Lord, in the ten commandments told us that we are to honor the Sabbath by resting and worshiping Him.  While we are no longer under the law, the Lord knows we need a time of rest to restore our energy level and to get away from the every day busyness.  We need to step back, take a deep breath and worship the creator and redeemer of us all.
 
Most of us no longer respect the Sabbath or keep it as a holy day, either because of our work schedule or because we have lost sight of how much the Lord loves us and wants the best for us.  

Jesus said in Mark 2:27
that the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.  He did, how-ever, take His rest and took time away from everyone including the disciples to rest and commune with His Father.  Can we, as His redeemed,  do any less?
 
Father, restore to us the reverence for the day of rest that You created for us.  Restore to us  the wisdom to see past what culture tells us to what You tell us.  Remind us to take this day of rest to revive ourselves and worship the One Who restored our soul.  We thank You for what You have done through us and for us.  Thank You for all who have come to a saving knowledge of You and for those who have grown through the talents You have given us that we shared with
those You sent to us.  In the precious and gracious name of Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Amen