11.21.25 ~ Living His Will Daily
Good morning!
We are less than a week away from a thanks-giving day, traditionally known in America as the Day of Thanksgiving! Thanks Mr. Obvious :-)
It truly is a day to give thanks and it’s a day where most of us really do count our blessings for what we have vs what we do not have. For me, I have more to give thanks than I could really express to you and most of us I, if not all of us would be the same. The Apostle Paul said that we should give thanks in everything for this is the will of God in Messiah Yeshua (1 Thess. 5:18). Everything?
For a devout Jew, and some others :-), they would wake up first thing in the morning and give thanks for the very breath that God has given to them to start the day; or each time they use the bathroom/washroom they give God thanks that their elimination system is working. Yes, giving thanks in all things is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. And for those who might be enduring difficult times and are having a difficult time giving thanks, Psalm 136 is a great place to start.
In my previous trips overseas to countries like Pakistan, Africa and India, I've had the privilege of watching people who had virtually nothing, comparatively speaking, living in a state of constant thankfulness. And for me, that was a reminder of giving thanks for all I had in my possession.
I asked myself frequently, ‘what is it inside of them that makes the difference?’ ‘How can they give thanks in everything’? In order to draw a proper conclusion I had to remind myself what 1 Sam. 16:7 tells us that God sees not as man sees, man focuses on the external, but Yahweh looks at the heart. Literally, man does not see what he thinks he sees. This is why Yeshua said, never judge based on appearance (John 7:24). Little do we know what's really going on beyond our 'ears and eyes' (Isa. 11:3,4).
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7)
Did you notice that God tells Samuel that men do not see what they think they see. They look at the outward appearance and make judgments on that basis. Even when men gather personal information and insights about you, they still do not know everything there is to know about who you really are. But God is different. He puts very little stock in outward appearance (that's not an excuse for not taking care of yourself :-). He did form you and He doesn't make junk.
However, in the midst of your beautiful 'soul suit' that He made for you, ultimately, He looks for the real self, the inner being of who we are. God alone knows us thoroughly. Nothing is hidden from Him. Most of us would rather not have anyone know all about us. There are thoughts and deeds that each of us would rather keep secret. Yet God knows them all and He still keeps loving us. Amazingly, in spite of this complete knowledge of who we are, He stands ready to accept us exactly as we are; but not leave us where we are...don't get complacent in your journey! The greatest fear that all men have is this: if you knew all about me, you wouldn’t love me. God says just the opposite: I know all about you and I love you.
Some of us, speaking of me, myself and I, have a hard time believing that this can be true. After all, we know ourselves pretty well. We know how many times we have broken promises, betrayed trust, acted with selfish motives, lied, deceived, grieved others. We know that all those past acts present a formidable picture of a very imperfect human being. And, if the truth were told, we would probably not want to be associated with someone like us. But God sees something we don’t see. He sees the work of His hands in who we are. He sees us as we ought to be, as we were intended to be. And that, my friend, is worth giving thanks for!
Next week, when you get together with friends or family, share in the bounty of food and give thanks for what you have. I pray that we’ll be able to stop and recognize the ultimate reality of thanksgiving, that we have the One True God, Who sees us for Who we really are and loves us still. And for those 'overachievers' (lol) there's a whole lot more days during they year to live the will of God.
"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18)
Happy preparation day and Shabbat shalom!
Alan
It truly is a day to give thanks and it’s a day where most of us really do count our blessings for what we have vs what we do not have. For me, I have more to give thanks than I could really express to you and most of us I, if not all of us would be the same. The Apostle Paul said that we should give thanks in everything for this is the will of God in Messiah Yeshua (1 Thess. 5:18). Everything?
For a devout Jew, and some others :-), they would wake up first thing in the morning and give thanks for the very breath that God has given to them to start the day; or each time they use the bathroom/washroom they give God thanks that their elimination system is working. Yes, giving thanks in all things is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. And for those who might be enduring difficult times and are having a difficult time giving thanks, Psalm 136 is a great place to start.
In my previous trips overseas to countries like Pakistan, Africa and India, I've had the privilege of watching people who had virtually nothing, comparatively speaking, living in a state of constant thankfulness. And for me, that was a reminder of giving thanks for all I had in my possession.
I asked myself frequently, ‘what is it inside of them that makes the difference?’ ‘How can they give thanks in everything’? In order to draw a proper conclusion I had to remind myself what 1 Sam. 16:7 tells us that God sees not as man sees, man focuses on the external, but Yahweh looks at the heart. Literally, man does not see what he thinks he sees. This is why Yeshua said, never judge based on appearance (John 7:24). Little do we know what's really going on beyond our 'ears and eyes' (Isa. 11:3,4).
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7)
Did you notice that God tells Samuel that men do not see what they think they see. They look at the outward appearance and make judgments on that basis. Even when men gather personal information and insights about you, they still do not know everything there is to know about who you really are. But God is different. He puts very little stock in outward appearance (that's not an excuse for not taking care of yourself :-). He did form you and He doesn't make junk.
However, in the midst of your beautiful 'soul suit' that He made for you, ultimately, He looks for the real self, the inner being of who we are. God alone knows us thoroughly. Nothing is hidden from Him. Most of us would rather not have anyone know all about us. There are thoughts and deeds that each of us would rather keep secret. Yet God knows them all and He still keeps loving us. Amazingly, in spite of this complete knowledge of who we are, He stands ready to accept us exactly as we are; but not leave us where we are...don't get complacent in your journey! The greatest fear that all men have is this: if you knew all about me, you wouldn’t love me. God says just the opposite: I know all about you and I love you.
Some of us, speaking of me, myself and I, have a hard time believing that this can be true. After all, we know ourselves pretty well. We know how many times we have broken promises, betrayed trust, acted with selfish motives, lied, deceived, grieved others. We know that all those past acts present a formidable picture of a very imperfect human being. And, if the truth were told, we would probably not want to be associated with someone like us. But God sees something we don’t see. He sees the work of His hands in who we are. He sees us as we ought to be, as we were intended to be. And that, my friend, is worth giving thanks for!
Next week, when you get together with friends or family, share in the bounty of food and give thanks for what you have. I pray that we’ll be able to stop and recognize the ultimate reality of thanksgiving, that we have the One True God, Who sees us for Who we really are and loves us still. And for those 'overachievers' (lol) there's a whole lot more days during they year to live the will of God.
"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18)
Happy preparation day and Shabbat shalom!
Alan
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