Faithful In Thanksgiving
"Be faithful, even to the point of death, and
I will give you the crown of life."
( Revelation 2:10 *NIV )
God is always faithful to us and also requires that we be faithful.
Without faith, we cannot be pleasing to our Lord. When we are faithful
over the little things of this life, we will rule and reign with him
in all eternity. The rewards of faithfulness are many,
even as we work for Him while on Earth.
In this Season we call "Thanksgiving", let us remember to give thanks to
God for his faithfulness to us. Even in times of hardship
or difficulties, He is there and will never leave or forsake us.
Do you ever feel the trials and tests of this life are overwhelming?
Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord
delivereth him out of them all. He has not required us
to give our physical life as he laid down his life for us.
We are only asked to give up our self life by crucifying the flesh daily, taking up our cross and following Him.
Earthly crowns will all perish and fade but the crown of life
which the Lord gives will be eternal. To be crowned with the righteousness of Christ is the greatest crown anyone could ever receive.
One day we will see our Lord face to face. We will behold the
nail prints in his hands as he wipes the tears from every eye.
Until that day, we can know Him better each new day as we commune with him in prayer.
Faithfulness is an attribute that pays off eternally.
Many people in the days of trouble ahead will give their
lives for the cause of Christ according to the Bible.
May we give our lives to the Lord now by living for Him each day.
We must seek to help win souls into the Kingdom of
God and will be blessed of the Lord.
Blessings in Christ,
Jo Ann
J. P.'s Inspirations (c) 2001
Crown of Life
Earthly Crowns will fade away,
But a Crown of Life will be ours one day.
The trials we suffer as we walk this land,
Will one day cease when before God we stand.
We are commanded to be faithful until the end,
As Jesus stands beside us, He is our best friend.
One day soon our Lord will appear,
So we must keep on working, as his coming is near.
Be strong in the Lord as a Soldier for God,
Because we are his Army, in the land we now trod,
Wounded soldiers run to the Father, and He always heals,
So fight the battle daily, as your heart before Him kneels.
J. P.Kelly (c) 2001
J. P.'s Inspirations
"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty in Christ".
Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord.
Give Thanks
"Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure,
pressed down and running over, shall men given into your bosom.
For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured
to you again".
Luke 6: 38.
It is a joy to give thanks unto the Lord as we were created
to worship and adore Him. Giving unto God involves
more than just our finances. We are to give back unto Him of what
He has given to us. When we share with others and help as commanded,
it is as if we are doing it for the Lord himself when offered in a right spirit.
When we give unto God and sow into his Kingdom, his promise is
that He will give unto us. When we seek Him first and his
righteousness, we know He will supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory.
This is a promise to us.
God's promises are faithful and true and will never fail us. Seeking God first in everything we do includes being a wise steward over
all the things He has given unto us. As we trust God to supply our
needs, we can help others and also be blessed.
He desires us to trust Him and realize if he provides for the
lilies of the field which neither toil nor spin, and the birds
of the air; He will provide even more for us because we are His children.
May we trust Him today and know that He will make a way when
there seems to be no way, a new day when there seems to be no future; and
will never leave or forsake us. He gave his life for us because of love.
We can give our lives back to Him as we take up our cross daily and
follow Him.
As we give sacrifices of praise unto the Lord, He will
bless us because He delights in the praises of His children.
If we have Jesus in our heart, we always have a sacrifice of praise.
Sacrifice is the "crucifixion of our flesh" as "offered up", as we have chosen to take up our cross daily and follow him as commanded.
If we have "died to self", we live in Christ and can present an acceptable, holy, and living sacrifice unto Him.
It is giving from the heart back unto the God of our salvation because he has given us new life.
If we have been crucified with Christ, we have a sacrifice of
praise to present unto the Lord. Our salvation is not dependant on the circumstances around us but on the one who lives within us.
As Paul the Apostle said, "it is no longer I that liveth, but Christ who lives within me." God will never ask us to give something which we do not have.
He has placed within each one of us a measure of faith and the gift of salvation.
He has given good gifts unto his children and we are to give back unto Him the fruit of our
lips and works of our hands that he might be glorified. He is worthy of all praise.
Even in times when we may not feel like verbally expressing our gratitude,
there is 'rejoicing in the heart of God's children' over the joy
of their salvation. If one loses this joy, they must pray as David the Psalmist,
"create in me a clean heart" and "renew a right spirit".
David asked God to restore unto Him the joy of his salvation. (Ps. 51: 10).
As God heard his prayer, He will hear and answer his children as promised in his word.
A humble and contrite heart he will not despise.
As we present our hearts to God, he receives them and delights in our praises.
Because He has made us glad, we can give back unto Him the sacrifice
of praise which comes from a heart that has been set free from sin and filled
with his presence. Will we let Him be Lord of all?
We give thanks unto the Lord for salvation and praise
for his goodness and mercy which endures forever.
Blessings in Christ,
Jo Ann
J. P.'s Inspirations (c) 2002
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise."
--Ps. 10: 17.
"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.".....Ps. 34: 1.
(KJV)
Life is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be enjoyed.
Triumph in Christ - Our Mighty
God
"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us
to triumph in Christ, and which maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place."
2 Cor. 2: 14
We can be thankful to God for the victory promised in the above passage of Scripture.
We are told here that God always causes believers to have victory in
their lives through the finished work of Jesus. If we ask the
Father and have faith in our Lord, He will give us the victory.
The New International Version says: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him".
Can we imagine this? Not only is he always leading us, but it is as
if we are marching on our way to his holy Hill, heavenly Zion,
in a procession. It is not just any procession, but is one led by the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the 'Victor of all our victories'.
We are not of this world, but are as 'pilgrims and strangers', seeking a better country and on a journey.
Thinking on the promise of God that 'he will always cause us
to go forth victoriously' should bless our hearts today!
It doesn't matter if you are at the end of the procession led by Christ are at the beginning.
It matters not if we meet him in the air first, or if we meet him after the dead
in Christ rise. It does not matter if He answers our prayers this very
moment or in the days ahead. The point is, He always makes us
to have the victory, even while on this earth. We will one day be in that great number and will also hear the
midnight cry with a shout of victory, (if) we endure until the end.
Christianity is not just for or about the hereafter.
It is the "here and now" of our daily living. We can live in peace and joy every day and be more than
conquerors through the blood of Jesus Christ and our testimony.
As Christ intercedes for us and His Holy Spirit leads us,
may we always keep marching on. The glory of heaven's shore is one day nearer than yesterday.
Keep holding on to Jesus. As the Apostle Paul, we can also say,
"....I am also persuaded, that neither death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present,
nor things to come, height, depth, or any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord".
{Rom. 8: 38}
What a Mighty God we serve! Amen.
Blessings in Christ,
Jo Ann
J. P.'s Inspirations (c) 2002
"For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are
saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for all these things? 2 Cor. 2: 14.
But as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. |
