An Attitude of Gratitude

Thanksgiving Day "An Attitude of Gratitude"
November 28, 2019

So I got to thinking, what are the proper ways to make a thanksgiving offering unto our God?
Leviticus 22:29 says, And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

The word will, as used here, means delight, desire, good pleasure, voluntary.

1. When we offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, we should do it voluntarily and out of
     delight in our heart. 

David gives us the answers in the book of Psalms:
2. We tell of all God's wondrous works in our life and thank Him.
     That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Thy wondrous works. (26:7)

3. We pay our vows, which are promises to God.
    Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows  unto the Most High. (50:14)

4. Praise the name of God with a song.
    I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. (69:30)

5. Come before His presence and joyfully sing psalms. 
     Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with
     psalms. (95:2)

6. When we come into His sanctuary and even the throne room of Jesus in prayer, we are to give
     thanks, praise, and bless His name as an act of adoration while kneeling down.
     Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful
     unto Him, and bless His name. (100:4)

7. Declare the works (actions) of God with rejoicing.
     And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.  
      107:22)

Which one do we need to apply in our life today?
Are we singing God's praises?
Are we giving thanks for His wondrous works?
Do we bless His name with adoration?
Is our attitude of gratitude?

Thank You Jesus, for giving everything to me that I have!
Thank You for everyone who joins me in this study.
Have a blessed day everyone!
    

Who Will Go?

O. T. #1574  "Who Will Go?
Nov. 27, 2019
Isaiah 6-Part 5
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.  (verses 6-7)

LET IT GLOW

Isn't it comforting to know that we were once a condemned sinner and now we are forgiven? Now, what must God do to us before we are willing to join Him on mission in Kingdom work?

It happened the year King Uzziah died and the throne of Judah was empty. Isaiah went to the Temple to pray, turning to God for help and comfort. It was in his hour of great burden that God gave him a vision. As Isaiah looked up, he saw King Jesus, the LORD of Hosts, sitting upon His throne of intercessory in heaven. Then Isaiah looked inward, seeing his sinful heart and unclean lips, confessing his sins.

What occurred next? Our key verses explain:

• An angel, seraphim, flew to the burnt offering and obtained a live coal with tongs from it. This was the place of blood sacrifice, where an undefiled and perfect animal was burnt in payment  for the owner's sins. A burnt offering, 'olah, signifies to ascend or cause to go up. This animal was burned up in complete devotion to God.
• The coal, a hot stone, which was taken from the blood altar, could be used as the means of cleansing.
• This imagery of Isaiah's, is figurative since the burning coal would have literally burned his mouth. It symbolizes the application of the cleansing of God on the basis of the shedding of blood on the altar of sacrifice.
• God offered a means of consecration to Isaiah, who gladly accepted the cleansing coal.
• Thus, Isaiah's sin, which means an offence (sometimes habitual); sinfulness; was purged, is to cover; to cancel; make atonement; forgive. [Resource: Liberty Bible Commentary]

What an experience for Isaiah. Why was this necessary? God's cleansing of Isaiah's personal sin equipped him for service to the Lord. He was to speak the words that God told him to say, as a prophet to Judah, warning them what would come if they did not repent of their sins and worship God instead of idols.

How does this apply to us? Hebrews 9 speaks of animals offered for sin provided sanctification, then Christ being our High Priest, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God.

How about you dear one, are your sins forgiven? Have you believed that Jesus made the required sacrifice for your sins? Do we have family members that are not saved? Will we take a minute this Thanksgiving to be thankful for our salvation provided by Jesus? Such sweet grace and mercy!
Will you go for Jesus and God to share Their redemptive message?

LET IT GROW

After Isaiah's sins were purged, forgiven, what happened next?
Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? (verse 8a)

Jesus (Adonai)spoke, asking whom He should send and who would go for us, God the Father and Jesus the Son. The question was asked in order to give Isaiah a choice to be Their messenger and prophet, sent with a purpose, and a message to Judah.

What was Isaiah's response? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
His was an immediate response of courage and faith.

None are allowed to go for God but those who are sent by Him; He will; own none but those whom He appoints, Romans 10:14-15, How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

(Let me say, I am not a preacher, for I believe women are not called to preach. I am a teacher of God's Word, sent to teach children and women. My husband is a preacher. There is a difference, but both are commissioned from God for His purpose.)

Friend, we Christians are all called to share the gospel with others. It may be in the form of a testimony or through good works, meeting needs of others.
Are we, like Isaiah, willing to go and share the good news? Jesus is the Good News-He saves.

LET IT GO

Use me, Jesus, to teach the truth of Your Word.
Use me, Jesus, to share the glad tidings with others-our sins can be forgiven.
Use me, Jesus, to share the gospel of peace.

Unclean Lips

O. T. #1573  "Unclean Lips"
Nov. 26, 2019
Isaiah 6-Part 4
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.
(verse 5)

LET IT GLOW 

In verse 5, who did Isaiah say that he saw?
It was the King, the LORD of Hosts that he saw in the vision God gave Isaiah. The title LORD of Hosts is used 62 times by Isaiah, and 285 times in the Old Testament.
It pictures God as a warrior, a leader of armies, who is able to conquer all of Israel and Judah's enemies. Also, a remnant of faithful believers, He can save.

Psalm 24:10 says, Who is this King of glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. 

Can we imagine our glorious King Jesus in all His splendor, ready to lead His army of heavenly hosts to victoriously destroy our enemies?
Should we be reaching out to Him? Are we fighting our battles alone? Our Jesus is all-powerful. Are we asking Him to fight our battles?


LET IT GROW 

How many times do we women put lipstick on, masking our unclean lips?
What do I mean by that? Read on, friend. 

After Isaiah saw God in His holiness, how did he see himself? In his self-evaluation, Isaiah declared, Woe is me! In Hebrew, the word woe is in the sense of crying out after; lamentation; Oh! alas.

It was a legal charge (I am ruined or I am dead). (Falwell)
In his vision, Isaiah was standing before the throne of God. Could he have been saying, "Oh me, I am speechless!"?
Here Isaiah was face-to-face with the Holy Trinity. Isaiah realized that he was undone and had unclean lips.
Undone refers to be brought to silence; hence to fail or perish; utterly undone.
Unclean means defiled; polluted.
Lips, used here, is talk, speech; vain words.


Seeing the Lord and listening to the praise of the angels, Isaiah realized that he was sinful and unclean before God, with no hope of measuring up to God's holiness. (Life Application Study Bible)

Our righteousness is as filthy rags, garbage. Paul recognized that when he experienced the Lord of Righteousness, Jesus Christ. He was humbled and broken. Aren't we the same?

Isaiah confessed the sinful state of his soul. Have we done so, too? Now is the time to ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins, before we stand before Judge Jesus, facing eternity.

LET IT GO

Sweet Jesus, You are Holy. 
I am a sinner in need of Your cleansing and forgiveness. 
How merciful You are!
May my lips say encouraging and lively words. 

Shaking Things Up

O. T. #1572 "Shaking Things Up"
Nov. 25, 2019
Isaiah 6-Part 3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.  (Verse 3)


LET IT GLOW

This is the vision that Isaiah had when he was commissioned as a prophet, a spokesman for God. First, Isaiah saw Jesus seated in His throne in heaven. Next, he saw angels around the throne.
Then, Isaiah heard the song of praise, as one angel declared the holiness of Jesus, and he whole earth is filled with the glory of Jesus.

What is glory?
Glory means splendor. 
According to Webster Dictionary, splendor refers to something excellent. 

Not only are the angels declaring Jesus to be holy, but His glory fills the earth.
Do we look around and recognize the splendor of  Jesus?

On my country road, we still have colored leaves, especially red ones, still hanging on some trees. We have a couple of neighbors who raise sheep. Those little white lambs are so precious. These are evidence of  the splendor of Jesus as His creation honors Him.

Folks, my imagination does not do justice to how splendid Jesus is as He sits in His holiness upon His throne in heaven. My minute mind is so limited. Just think, we have loved ones in heaven seeing Jesus in all His splendor and glory. One day, you and I shall behold Jesus, our glorious Savior. In the meantime, let us sing His praises.

LET IT GROW

What happened when the the angels song praise to Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
Verse 4 tells us: And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 

There was a shaking and smoke filled the throne room. God's majesty, power, and presence are evident.

The shaking and smoke symbolize God's holiness as it relates to His wrath and judgment (Exodus 19:16-20; Rev. 15:8). MacArthur

God's moral perfection, properly seen, will purify us from sin, cleanse our mind from our problems, and enable us to worship and serve. (Life Application Study Bible)

Does God's presence shake us up and shake things up in our life?

LET IT GO

Shake us up, Jesus, as we see Your holiness and our sinfulness.
Shake up my prayer life and my Bible study with Your presence.

Angels

O. T. #1571  "Angels"
Nov. 22, 2019
Isaiah 6-Part 2
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  (Isaiah 6:2)

LET IT GLOW

As previously stated, Isaiah went into the Temple to pray due to his burden for Judah. (King Uzziah had died.) While there, he had a vision. Jesus was sitting upon the throne, high and lifted up and rightfully adorned with His royal robe, which filled the temple.

What else did Isaiah see in his vision? He saw angels (seraphims) with wings standing above the throne.
Seraphims are defined as burning ones; copper.

How many wings did these creatures ministering to God have? Six each were the number of wings each one had.
Why so many wings?

 The MacArthur Study Bible explains:

• Two wings covered their face because they dared not gaze directly at God's glory.
• Two covered their feet, acknowledging their lowliness, even though engaged in divine service.
• With two, they flew in swerving the One on the throne.
• Thus, four wings related to worship, emphasizing the priority of praise.

These six-winged creatures constantly fly in the presence of God declaring His threefold holiness. The fact that they are burning indicates that they are literally continually burning up in the presence of the glory of God. (Falwell)

These seraphims who minister to Jesus on His throne have a holy love, great humility, and reverence. If they approach the throne of God is such a way, shouldn't we also?

LET IT GROW

What else did these seraphims do?
They honored the One who sat upon the throne with songs of praise, fervently and with zeal. They cried aloud to one another, singing alternately, but in concert and harmony, according to Matthew Henry.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.  (verse 3)

With joy the angles sang praises to the Lord God Almighty. His holiness is recognized thrice, representative of the Trinity- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
God is above all creation in His holiness. It indicates God is separate from His fallen creatures.

The earth is the worldwide display case for His immeasurable glory, perfections, and attributes as seen in creation. (Romans 1:20. (MacArthur)

Will we glorify our God and Savior?

LET IT GO

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty. 

How Do We View God?

O. T. #1571  "How Do We View God?"
Nov. 21, 2019
Isaiah 6
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Verse 1
LET IT GLOW

How do we view God? Is He in control of everything or not? Is He real or just a story in a book?

This chapter is out of chronological order of events that took place. Who knows why it was not the first chapter, but it isn't. Isaiah is recalling his call into the prophetic ministry.
What happened?

• It occurred the year King Uzziah died, which was 740 BC. Ten years earlier, the good King Uzziah entered the Temple and burned incense on the incense altar, which was the priest's duty. As a result of his prideful disobedience, the King got leprosy. He remained in isolation the rest of his life, 10 years. (2 Chronicles 26)
• Isaiah was so burdened with the pressures of the hour, that he went into Solomon's Temple to pray.
• This is where Isaiah had a vision of God that renewed his concept of who the Lord was.

God had a plan for Isaiah's life, to join Him on mission, kingdom work.
Is our heart open to join God on the mission He has planned for our life?

LET IT GROW

Judah's king had died, but their King of kings, Jesus Christ, was still alive and sitting upon His throne  in heaven.
What was Isaiah's vision?

• He saw the Lord (Adoniah) sitting upon His throne, high and lifted up. 
• After Jesus's resurrection, He sat down on the right hand of God, where He was before          (John 17:5) and still is.
• The sovereignty of the Eternal Monarch sits upon a throne of glory where all is subject to Him and in the throne of grace where we can boldly come.
• His train, royal robes, filled the Temple. The Hebrew word for train is shuwl (shool), which refers to skirt; to hang down; a bottom-edge; hem.

Human rulers come and go, but our God still sits upon His throne. He is still in control of the affairs of this world. He often overrules the sinful actions of men to bring glory to Himself.
[Resources: Liberty Bible Commentary; Matthew Henry's Commentary]

Dear one, how do we view our God and Savior?
Are we resting in His sovereignty and Lordship?
Are we trying to manipulate circumstances?
Are we trying to figure out what His next mission is for us, instead of trusting His direction and timing?
Are we sure beyond a doubt that Jesus is our Savior?

LET IT GO

Your will, Your way, today, Jesus. 

Kind Words or Condemning Words

O. T. #1570  "Kind Words or Condemning Words"
Nov. 20, 2019
Isaiah 5-Part 2
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; and put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20


LET IT GLOW

Are we living in the same time when moral standards are reversed, as people:

• call evil good,
• call good evil,
• say dark is light,
• say light is dark,
• that bitter is sweet,
• and sweet is bitter.

Matthew Henry explains:
These people live in the omission of that which is good, condemn it, argue against it, and because they will not practice it themselves, run it down in others; they do evil, justify it, applaud it, and recommend it to others as safe and good. Virtue and piety are good, for they are light and sweet, they are pleasant and right; but sin and wickedness are evil, darkness, which is bitter.

Biblical examples include: Adam and Eve were persuaded by Satan to disobey God; King Saul sought Samuel's affirmation for the sacrifice he had offered, in direct disobedience, since he was not a priest; the Amalekite soldier sought David's praise for Saul, God's anointed king; Ananias and Sapphira expected praise from the early church for their offering, when it was a lie; Christians who add one to the prayer list, but are actually spreading gossip. (Blackaby)

We hear people say, "No one can decide for anyone else what is really right or wrong." They try to justify their sins, which God calls sin-drunkenness, extramarital sex, money used for pornography, etc.

God's standards are to be the guide for our lifestyle. We are not to make excuses for our actions. Our moral choices should not appear fuzzy. I know it is hard to remain faithful and good in such a world that we live. Especially when our political system is always trying to find faults in the good people.

May we stand for the right and good and against the wrong and evil.


LET IT GROW

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (verse 21)

Do we have pride in our self-wisdom and self-determination?
We may be wise in worldly things, but are we wise in God's Word and His wisdom?
The foolish try to disprove God's Word. They don't care what it says, they are right and it doesn't matter to them.

Prudent means discern, perceive, understand, deal wisely.

Shouldn't we be prudent in God's Word and ways, not our own ways? God resists the proud.

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7)
Be not wise in your own conceits. (Romans 12:16c)
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. (1 Cor. 3:19a)
When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. (Prov. 31:26)

Are we careful as we approach those who think themselves wise? Is our way condemning or helpful?
Are our words kind?

LET IT GO

May I stand for what is good, not evil.
Let my words be kind, not condemning.