Devotion for Wednesday 11/25/2020 8 Minutes

Good evening everyone watching by video this evening,,, it's time for our weekly devotion.

I'm praying that each of you have a Happy Thanksgiving and give God all the praise and glory that He deserves.

Our scripture this evening comes from Psalm 100 and also James 1:2.

And I'll be reading from the King James Version for both sets of scripture.

Psalm 100 KJV

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: Come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations.

James 1:2 (KJV 1900)

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this evening.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord,,, as we begin this evening,,, with all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen.

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I'm not sure exactly why that I always think of this Psalm when I think of Thanksgiving,,, but I usually do.

I do know that thanksgiving is all about giving God the praise and glory that He deserves,,, which we should do every day by the way,,, not just on Thanksgiving,,, but especially,,, we need to remember this,,, on this,,, special day!

And this psalm brings this out to us from the very beginning when it says: 1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD.

It's hard to make a joyful noise if you aren't in a close relationship with God because the burdens of this world will get you down.

But if you have that relationship then you can be joyful no matter what your circumstances.

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In Billy Graham's devotion yesterday,,, he used the scripture from James,,, and it was titled "THANKSGIVING AND THE PATH TO PEACE".

He said that God promises no easy life or days without troubles,,, trials,,, difficulties,,, and temptations.

He never promises that life will be perfect.

He doesn’t call His children to a playground,,, but to a battleground.

And,,, some people have a warped idea of living the Christian life.

He said that sometimes when they see talented,,, brilliant Christians,,, they want to imitate them,,, they want what they have.

For them,,, the grass on the other side of the fence is always greener.

When they discover that their own contributions are more modest,,, or perhaps,,, in their eyes,,, invisible,,, they collapse in discouragement and overlook genuine opportunities that are open to them.

Billy Graham says that we should be like the apostle Paul and say, “None of these things move me.”

Few men suffered as Paul did, yet he learned how to abound and how to be abased.

He learned to live above his circumstances—even in a prison cell.

You can do the same.

Refuse to permit circumstances to get you down.

In the midst of your difficulties, there will be a deep joy. “For the joy of the Lord is your strength,” says the Bible.

Believe it or not, this is the path to peace.

Paul said, “Troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8).

All of these qualities are characteristics of true Christians.

They can be yours, giving you the ultimate victory.

They are part of your birthright.

Claim them!

As a child of God,,, you will never suffer spiritual defeat.

Your days of defeat are over.

From now on,,, you will want to live every minute to its fullest.

Certainly,,, you will welcome each day as another twenty-four hours to devote to Christ.

Every new day will be filled with opportunities to serve others.

You will spend many moments with God,,, and you will know that your sins are forgiven and that you are on the way to heaven.

Taking this “servant” attitude of thankfulness in all of life’s circumstances will help you react as Matthew Henry did when he was mugged,,, in the later years of his life.

He wrote in his diary, “Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

Billy Graham wrote: “I wonder if I could be that thankful.”

“Could you?”

My answer is: This is something that I'm working on every day.

I pray that you are as well.

Remember to give God the praise and glory that He deserves,,, each and every day,,, and especially tomorrow,,, on Thanksgiving Day!

Let us pray:

Our Father and our God, I am so thankful for Your abiding joy and peace. In spite of my pains and problems, I am not depressed. In spite of sorrows, I am joyful. In spite of despair, I am hopeful. Your love and comfort well up inside me like an overwhelming fountain, and I praise the matchless name of Jesus, through whom I pray. Amen.

Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (pp. 375-376). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.