In Every Thing Give Thanks

Thursday, November 28, 2024

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV).

Dear saints, take a moment this Thanksgiving to learn a valuable lesson from the Holy Scriptures!

God wants “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). To be “saved” here means you have been rescued from the penalty of sin (hell and the lake of fire), and that you have a home in heaven, because you have trusted the death, shed blood, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for your sins. To “come unto the knowledge of the truth” is when a person who has trusted Christ, begins to understand why God saved him or her, and how God will use him or her for His glory. Although soul salvation is instantaneous, spiritual maturity is a life-long process (that is especially true regarding handling difficulties, the grace way!).

It is human nature to avoid difficulties and stress, to flee them, rather than confront them. This self-preservation is advantageous, particularly in “life or death” situations. However, running from troubling circumstances is not the way God has designed our life in Christ to function. Today’s Scripture says, “In every thing give thanks,” not “For every thing give thanks.” We do not thank God for our troubles; we thank God while we are enduring those troubles. This is tough, I know, but it takes time for us to learn it. Even the Apostle Paul had to learn this.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Be thankful in every thing. God’s grace is sufficient for you, dear saint, in all of life’s circumstances. When you learn this, you are “[coming] unto the knowledge of the truth.”

*Excerpted from our Thanksgiving 2012 Bible study with the same name. That study can be read here or watched here.

You may also see, “What are our spiritual blessings in Christ?”

Your Right to Eat Meat

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4,5 KJV).

Before we advocate animal rights, let us understand that we have a God-given right to eat them!

An animal rights activist once appeared on television to complain about the consumption of turkeys on Thanksgiving. He argued that turkeys “feel pain” when they are slaughtered, and thus we should not eat them. His line of reasoning was, “If we would not eat our pet dog, then we should not eat turkey.” Such people, despite their sincerity, are ignorant of today’s Scripture.

Originally, all people and animals were herbivores; they only ate vegetation. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so” (Genesis 1:29,30).

Then, sin entered, and God incorporated meat into the human diet: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Genesis 9:3,4).

When we ignore the fact that God gave us animals to eat, and we demand that others must also abstain from meat for religious (nature-worshipping) purposes, that is a “doctrine of devils” in this dispensation (1 Timothy 4:1-5). The creature should not be worshipped; only the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be worshipped (Romans 1:25). As long as we thank the Lord for whatever creatures we eat, consuming animal flesh is acceptable and godly. It does not sit well with the pantheists—who exalt nature as God—but it is approved of the living God, and that alone ultimately matters.

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #15

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

Remember when the Assyrians were preparing to overthrow Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings chapters 18–19? The angel of the LORD slaughtered 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night (2 Kings 19:33-35; 2 Chronicles 32:20,21; Isaiah 37:32-36). There is a prophetic parallel. In the ages to come, another Assyrian king will purpose to destroy Jerusalem—the Antichrist (who had initially pretended to be Israel’s friend but ultimately disappointed that apostate nation). His invading armies are in Ezekiel 38–39, Zechariah 12:1-3, and Luke 21:20-24.

As the angel of the LORD intervened to save Jerusalem in Isaiah’s day, so the Lord Jesus Christ will fly out of Heaven to deliver Jerusalem from the Antichrist. “For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof…. Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited” (Isaiah 31:4,5,8). See also Psalm 68:1-35, Psalm 83:1-18, Zechariah 12:4-14, Zechariah 14:1-5, Luke 21:25-28, Revelation 16:14-16, and Revelation 19:11-21.

God gave Moses a preview of Christ’s Second Coming in Deuteronomy 32:41-43: “If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.” Believing Israel can now join David (Psalm 124) in rejoicing in victory!

-FINIS!-

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #14

Monday, November 25, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

Exactly as God promised, constant pagan idolatry (violating the Law of Moses) caused Israel military losses to invading Gentile armies: “And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you…. and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies” (Leviticus 26:17,37). “And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 8:19,20). “The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:25).

Instead of turning to JEHOVAH God in faith and obedience, idolatrous Israel simply sought help in men—Gentile military allies. King Ahaz sent treasure to Assyria for support, but Ahaz was sorely disappointed when no aid came (see 2 Chronicles 28:1-25). Israel also asked Egypt for military assistance—to no avail (Isaiah 30:1-7; Jeremiah 37:1-10)! “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together” (Isaiah 31:1-3).

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #13

Sunday, November 24, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

Concerning Israel’s military loss at Ai: “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled [lied] also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you” (Joshua 7:10-13).

“And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it” (verses 20-22). Achan, his family, and his possessions were all destroyed (verses 23-26).

Like all heathen or Gentile cities, Jericho’s religious heritage went back to the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)—devil worship and sin. Hence, when Achan and his family (and, thus, national Israel) aligned themselves with the accursed thing (treasure from Jericho), Israel had no victory. Interestingly, one of the items Achan stole was a “Babylonish garment.” See the connection to Babel/Babylon! As long as Israel sins with false religion, she will not win….

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #12

Saturday, November 23, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

Every Bible student is acquainted with Israel’s first victory in the land of Canaan—the fall of the city of Jericho, just west of the Jordan River, as chronicled in Joshua chapter 6. Basically, the LORD commanded Israel to go about defeating Jericho in a most unusual way. They were to walk around the city one time for six consecutive days, and on the seventh day walk seven times. Of course, this is absurd to the human mind, and so many needlessly struggle with it trying to figure it out. If we submit to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, however, it makes perfect sense to us. Mark it well, dear friends: there was no military merit or strength in walking, so Israel had no choice but to see it was really God’s power that broke down Jericho’s wall! Never could they boast about what they did, because the real might was in the LORD who commanded them to walk.

Yet, in chapter 7, when Israel reached the next Gentile city, Ai (much smaller than Jericho), the Israelites were defeated. Joshua was horrified and embarrassed! Eventually, the reason for the loss is revealed to them. “And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD” (Joshua 6:18,19). “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing [from Jericho]: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel” (Joshua 7:1).

In the day of Ai’s victory, Israel learned how to lose….

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #11

Friday, November 22, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

Now that we have surveyed three-dozen references to the LORD fighting for Israel of old, how He secured for them a victory that they would have never achieved on their own, we turn our attention away from history and glance over at prophecy. After all, the various and sundry wars of time past were mere “dress rehearsals” (practices, drills, preparations) of a far more significant battle in the ages to come.

Zechariah 14:1-4 foretells something beyond our day: “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled [robbed], and the women ravished [assaulted]; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

The Prophet Zechariah sees how, in the ages to come, the Antichrist and his political-military allies assemble for the purpose of annihilating Jerusalem. Such violence prompts the LORD Jesus Christ to leave Heaven and return to Earth (His Second Coming). Zechariah 14:3 again: “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” The expression “day of battle” loops back to all those historical references of JEHOVAH God engaged in warfare to save Israel over and over and over and over. Yet, before Israel can ultimately win, she will have to lose over and over and over and over….

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #10

Thursday, November 21, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

Once, believing King Jehoshaphat of Judah foolishly aligned himself in battle with unbelieving King Ahab of Israel. Jehoshaphat found himself under attack from the Syrian troops! “And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him” (2 Chronicles 18:31).

After King Hezekiah of Judah noticed how King Sennacherib of Assyria threatened to conquer Jerusalem, Hezekiah encouraged his troops: “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah” (2 Chronicles 32:7,8).

“[Hezekiah prayed about Sennacherib] Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only…. [The LORD’S answer through Isaiah the Prophet] For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. [The outcome of the historical narrative follows.] And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore [80] and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh” (2 Kings 19:19,34-36; cf. 2 Chronicles 32:20,21; cf. Isaiah 37:32-37). “[The LORD again talking to Hezekiah through Isaiah] And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city” (Isaiah 38:6).

Let us condense our comments thus far….

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #9

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

“Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the LORD preserved [protected, guarded him in war] David whithersoever he went…. And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David’s servants. And the LORD preserved [protected, guarded] David whithersoever he went” (2 Samuel 8:6,14). “And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:…. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” (2 Samuel 22:1,4).

“And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him” (2 Chronicles 18:31). “And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD…. And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s…. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you…. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies…. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel” (2 Chronicles 20:4,15,17,27,29).

There is still more….

If Not For the LORD On Our Side #8

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:…” (Psalm 124:2,3 KJV).

Where is true victory for Israel?

“And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited [embarrassed, defeated] them; and they were smitten before Israel” (1 Samuel 7:8-10).

“[Samuel speaking to Israel] And the LORD sent [judges, or military and political heroes, or deliverers] Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered [saved] you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe” (1 Samuel 12:11). “[Little David addressing giant Goliath] And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47).

“And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all” (1 Samuel 30:8). “And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand” (2 Samuel 5:19). “[The LORD talking to David] And I was with thee [as a protector, guardian] whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth” (2 Samuel 7:9).

There are still plenty more occasions where the LORD fights for Israel and secures her victory….