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Be Thankful, November 23, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Well, here in the United States, it’s almost Thanksgiving again. It’s probably a good time to stop and think about that psalm that’s most appropriate for this time of year. And that’s psalms 100. it goes like this:

Sing to the Lord, all the world!

Worship the Lord with joy;

come before him with happy songs!

Acknowledge that the Lord is God.

He made us, and we belong to him;

we are his people, we are his flock.

Enter the Temple gates with Thanksgiving;

go into its courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise him.

The Lord is good;

his love is eternal

and his faithfulness lasts forever. (Psalms 100 GNT)

Thanksgiving preparations take a lot. perhaps we think about sending out invitations to family and friends. we have to make that list of what we’re going to put on the table; the beverages that we’re going to have, the appetizers that we’re going to bring out before the meal begins or as the meal starts, maybe the meat or maybe two. is it going to be Turkey or ham or both? maybe some kind of fish, who knows? Vegetables. all the different desserts. my favorite is pecan pie. my wife’s is pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.

perhaps we have games in store. is it going to be football for the guys? is it going to be some kind of outdoor game for the kids? or do we have something lined up indoors if the weather is bad? and then we have to get the house ready. there’s cleaning to do. maybe there’s extra chairs we have to obtain. or maybe extra tables. What about the place settings? or are we going to use good China or everyday plates? do we have enough?

Well, all of those preparations we have to take care of, but this year it’s a little, isn’t it? there’s going to be smaller numbers, perhaps. maybe not the big crowds that we’re used to in the past because of the covid pandemic. in fact, some states say that we can’t even have more than ten gathered for Thanksgiving even if it’s in our families. some might be missing from that Thanksgiving table whether they are ill or quarantine because of the covid symptoms. or maybe some have passed away, and we’re missing them because of that reason.

or maybe the Thanksgiving preparations will be short this year because of unemployment, food shortages, and essentials that just aren’t there. it’s going to be different this year that’s for sure. and this year it’s different because of the turmoil. I don’t know whether it’s the politics that has caused all of it. certainly, that’s part of it. we don’t yet know whether we have a president. no one’s been declared yet, not until the electorate votes in January. not until all the lawsuits are over. not until all the craziness that’s going on has ended, will we really know what’s happened.

and the turmoil with the pandemic. is this the 2nd way the 3rd wave? is there another one coming? certainly, we are facing some dire times as our health care workers are really getting fatigued? and we’re all getting exhausted with this separation anxiety? and what about our economy? as we have more lockdowns and more unemployment, our businesses just begin to crumble because of the lack of people going into our stores. and the turmoil that just continues to climb day after day.

and our social life, the turmoil that we see there. the separation just continues to eat at us a little at a time day after day. when we can’t have the contact that we had in the past. we are social creatures. when we can’t meet together, when we can’t have that physical contact, when we can’t touch and meet and be face to face with people that we love, with friends that we’re usually in contact with daily, it affects us. and all of that turmoil together creates anxiety. it creates problems for us.

many people will ask, so what do we have to be thankful for? well, there is hope for Christians. we have the same hopes that we’ve always had. we have hope in Christ. we have hope for a home in the future. we know that this is not our home. our citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. our hope is in something more than this place.

it’s not a hope for just the beginning of a new year. it’s not just hoping for a fresh start as 2021 starts and maybe a new beginning that a new set of politicians might bring to us. it’s not hope for the government to do something that will bring change. or that new politicians or a new regime will finally fix everything. that won’t happen. it’s not hope that there will be an end of turmoil because the White House might flip. it’s not hope that that might end the racial tension or that the economy will suddenly spring up.

Our hope is in Christ. we hope that he will change our hearts. and he does change our hearts. He gives us peace that only Christians can understand once they’ve been forgiven of their sins. once he comes and indwells us. that’s when we understand what this is all about. what this Christian life is all about. can I explain it? can I understand how it happens? No. except that I understand that Jesus Christ forgives me, and it fills me with His peace and comfort and a joy that despite all that’s going on, I can still know that there’s hope for tomorrow.

so I can worship him. I know about the present. I know that God Reigns. I know that God is still in charge despite all the different things that are going on around me. I know that he protects his children. do we have suffering in this world? Yes, but this isn’t what it’s all about. it’s life after life that creates our hope. it’s what happens after this place that makes all the difference.

that’s why the apostles could be bold in their preaching. they could stand before the Sanhedrin. they could stand before Roman soldiers. they could give their lives because they knew that this wasn’t all there was. they were different from the world because of what they knew about the present. they knew that this wasn’t all there was.

we can worship because we know the end. we know that there will be a renewed heaven. there will be a renewed earth. creation will be renewed and made perfect again. we also know that in the end, they’ll be a judgment and what we do here will be judged by the one who judges perfectly. it won’t be our earthly judges that can be bribed or swayed by politics or caused to give different sentences or different punishments and rewards based on who they know or the wealth of the one they are facing. but will be judged by the one who knows our heart. the one who knows all about us. the one who created us and all there is. his judgment, his justice will be perfect.

we know the end. we know the present. we know the Lord. we know that he alone is worthy. he is our Shepherd. he is our savior. he’s the sustainer of all there is. he’s the creator. God alone is worthy of our praise and our worship. he alone is the one that is worthy of worship. so we go back to that 100th psalm. and as we approach this Thanksgiving season, it’s worth listening to one more time.

Sing to the Lord, all the world!

Worship the Lord with joy;

come before him with happy songs!

Acknowledge that the Lord is God.

He made us, and we belong to him;

we are his people, we are his flock.

Enter the Temple gates with Thanksgiving;

go into its courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise him.

The Lord is good;

his love is eternal

and his faithfulness lasts forever. (Psalms 100 GNT)

Enjoy this Thanksgiving. Worship God. We have a lot for which to be thankful. More than anything, else we can be thankful that he is God, and we or not.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Scriptures marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation®: Scriptures taken from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

What will you do in heaven? (Luke 7:44-50) October 15, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 7-8

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 7:44-50
Jesus: Do you see this woman here? It’s kind of funny. I entered your home, and you didn’t provide a basin of water so I could wash the road dust from My feet. You didn’t give Me a customary kiss of greeting and welcome. You didn’t offer Me the common courtesy of providing oil to brighten My face. But this woman has wet My feet with her own tears and washed them with her own hair. She hasn’t stopped kissing My feet since I came in. And she has applied perfumed oil to My feet. This woman has been forgiven much, and she is showing much love. But the person who has shown little love shows how little forgiveness he has received.
(to the woman) Your sins are forgiven.
Simon and Friends (muttering among themselves): Who does this guy think He is? He has the audacity to claim the authority to forgive sins?
Jesus (to the woman): Your faith has liberated you. Go in peace.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever thought about what you will do when you get to heaven and have an eternity to spend with Jesus? What’s the first thing you’ll do when you see Him? What do you think it will be like?

Some have written books about near death experiences and what they have described as glimpses of heaven they were privileged to see. Some have talked about people they’ve met, loved ones who passed on before them and greeted them as they entered the world beyond this physical one in which we reside. Some have tried to describe the incredible music that touched their ears as they listened the celestial choirs singing their praises to the King of Kings. Others have tried to describe the array of colors that make our color palates seem dull.

Writers talk about the conversations they have with those around them and the knowledge they have of everyone. No strangers in heaven. There is a familiarity among everyone because we are all brothers and sisters together in Christ. They talk about the indescribable light that floods the place. Brighter than the noon-day sun, yet they are not blinded by it, but rather they are soothed by its warmth and comfort. Writers try to describe the peace and beauty of the place they glimpse in these near death experiences, their glimpse of heaven, but they all tell us they fall short in their ability to adequately tell us of what heaven is really like.

But have you thought about what you will do when you get to heaven? I don’t remember reading any of those authors talking about meeting Jesus or falling at His feet. I think it’s because they only get a glimpse of heaven, not entry into that place. I don’t think we’ll get to see it in full, in all of its glory until the end of time, but I’ve not read any of those authors talk about falling at Jesus feet for some reason.

But I really think that’s what we will all do when we get there. This woman Jesus describes in Luke chapter 7 recognized what Jesus had done for her. She was an outcast to society. Everyone looked down on her. She was a prostitute. She sold her body to survive in a territory that said she should be stoned for such a debasing action. God holds humans in such high esteem, He think treating His personal temple, our flesh, in such a way deserved the penalty of stoning. Or at least that’s what He told Moses to share with the Israelites, His chosen people.

Jesus recognized the potential in her when her sins were washed away, though. He saw who she could be and when she came to Him in repentance, He forgave. He looked beyond her sin and saw who God made her to be. He saw the beautiful creation God intended and lifted the guilt from her shoulders. What could she do but fall to her feet in gratitude and cry those crocodile tears of joy on His feet?

Simon, who thought himself better than the sinner cleaned by the power of Jesus’ forgiveness, still looked down on the woman because he couldn’t see what Jesus saw. Simon was repulsed by the woman, Jesus loved her as one of God’s children. Simon was disgusted with her presence, Jesus welcomed her. Simon chastised Jesus for letting this prostitute come near Him, Jesus elevated her action into the annals of history. What a difference in the way God sees us and the way others see us! Aren’t you glad God doesn’t pass judgment on us the way the rest of humanity does?

But maybe we should be taking lessons from Jesus, too. Maybe we should take care when we are quick to judge those around us and label them with all sorts of names. Usually those labels are given just so we can justify our own less than honorable actions. We look down on others so we can help ourselves think we are somehow better than those around us. We are not. We still far so short of God’s standard and need His forgiveness.

What will I do when I get to heaven? I think I will probably fall face down at Jesus feet and sob like a baby, thanking Him for His forgiveness for the first few millennia. After that, I might find enough voice to begin singing His praises.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Don’t tell, just do! (Matthew 8:4) February 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Romans 11-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 8:4
Jesus: Don’t tell anyone what just happened. Rather, go to the priest, show yourself to him, and give a wave offering as Moses commanded. Your actions will tell the story of what happened here today.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

How many times do we use our words to explain what happens to us in our religious experiences instead of our actions? We declare to the world, “I’m a Christian.” We say the right words and attend the right churches. We tell others of our generosity and our faith. We talk about our prayer life and our study. We have a lot of words we share with others and sort of brag about our relationship. I think that’s what Jesus warns against as He shares this instruction with the leper after his miraculous cleansing that day.

The law required a specific action when a leper’s spots disappeared. The Levitical requirement said the person marched himself to the priest and the priest determined if the spots were indeed gone and he was healed. It was the priest’s training and experience to validate the healing. Then the healed person gave a wave offering of thanksgiving to God in recognition of His hand at work in the healing process. The law was clear and so Jesus tells the man to just carry out the law’s requirements.

Just do what you should be doing as a child of God. Follow His instructions. Read His manual and do what it says. That’s enough. You see, the man won’t have to tell anyone he’s been healed. When he goes to the priest to show himself as the law requires, the priest will make the declaration. The former leper won’t have to shout to the world that he’s clean, the priest will do it. He won’t have to make a sign that says, “I’m not a leper. I’m cleansed of my disease. I’m one of you.” The priest, the authority, the one who sees him will know he has been cleansed of his leprosy and make that judgment for him and make that declaration to the world.

All the leper needed to do was praise God for what happened in his life.

That’s exactly what Jesus wants us to do as we come to Him for our spiritual cleansing. I shouldn’t have to scream out to the world that I’m a Christian. In fact, my having to tell someone that I’m a follower of Christ negates my testimony in some sense. See, my life should reflect Him in such a way that others will make that declaration for me. I shouldn’t have to tell anyone. Others should see by my actions that I belong to Him. Just like the leper that went to the priest and by his actions others learned he was no longer diseased, others should see I am no longer spiritually diseased with sin because of my actions in the world. Others should see that I am so changed by the power of Christ that death no longer holds its reign over me and I live according to the hope of Jesus’ resurrection power in my life.

It shouldn’t take my words, my verbal testimony, to make others believe I am a Christian. If that’s the only method I have to convince people of my loyalty to Christ, then I’ve missed it. I’ll be like those who at the judgment cry, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we do miraculous things in your name?” But Jesus said, “Depart from me, I don’t know you.” It’s the quiet, gentle, unassuming, behavior, the fruit of godly, obedient service, that others will see and know we are followers of Jesus. It’s the love of God we share with His family and even with our enemies that will demonstrate we know and are driven by the dictates of our Savior.

But then, don’t forget the last thing Jesus told the cleansed leper to do. It’s one thing to let others see your good works and for them to give glory to your Father in heaven. But Jesus also told the healed man to give that wave offering of thanksgiving to God. That’s something we need to keep in mind always. Paul says to give thanks in everything. He says to rejoice always and to emphasize how important rejoicing is to the Christian he repeated his admonition in Philippians. Give thanks for what God has done for you.

When we come to Jesus and He forgives us of the sin in our hearts, when He cleanses us from all our unrighteousness, when He covers us with His blood and redeems us, how can we not thank Him? How can we not lift our voice in praise to Him and give Him glory and honor and praise? But do we? Do we start our day thanking Him for the honor of being one of His children? Do we open our eyes with the thought of what privilege we have to belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords? Do we take that first conscious breath of the morning thanking Him for the opportunity to live this day with His grace and mercy?

Live each day in a state of gratitude for what God has done for you. When you accept Jesus as Lord of your life, when you let Him cleanse you, and fill that God-sized hole in your life, how can you help but rejoice in everything? He will not forsake us. He will be with us always. In the toughest times, we know we are not alone. He is with us and in us. Let you actions declare for themselves who you belong to in this world. And give thanks for what God does for you each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Erupt in praise (Psalm 149), November 14, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 149

Set – Psalms 149; 1 Corinthians 15

Go! – Psalms 149; 1 Corinthians 15-16

Psalms 149
¹ Praise the Eternal!
Write new songs; sing them to Him with all your might!
Gather with His faithful followers in joyful praise;
² Let all of Israel celebrate their Maker, their God, their friend;
let the children of Zion find great joy in their true King.
³ So let the music begin; praise His name—dance and sing
to the rhythm of the tambourine, and to the tune of the harp.
⁴ For the Eternal is listening, and nothing pleases Him more than His people;
He raises up the poor and endows them with His salvation.
⁵ Let His faithful followers erupt in praise,
singing triumphantly wherever they are, even as they lie down for sleep in the evening.
⁶ With the name of God and praise in their mouths,
with a two-edged sword in their hands,
⁷ Let them take revenge on all nations who deny God.
Let them punish the peoples.
⁸ Kings and nobles will be locked up,
and their freedom will be bound in iron shackles.
⁹ This judgment against them, decreed by a holy God, will be carried out.
It’s an honor for all His faithful followers to serve Him.
Praise the Eternal!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Sing a new song to the Lord. Let My faithful followers erupt in praise wherever they are… . I like that. I’m listening for that kind of response to My grace and mercy on your behalf. Do you ever stop to think about what I’ve done for you in the middle of the day or when you go to bed at night? Does it make you want to erupt in praise?

I love to the hear the praises of those who acknowledg Me as their Lord. I love to hear the music they make in their heart. I love to see them lift their eyes and their hands to heaven and sound the uncontained joy they feel as they remember the blessings I give them each day, the rescue from the penalty of sin, the new life they have because of the life I gave for them. I love to hear their praise.

So many times, though, the people I died for just go about their lives doing the things they’ve always done. They just live and die without acknowledging the blessings they receive. They never give thanks for the miracles I perform in their lives. They never stop to think about the life I give them each day, the food I provide, the air I give them, the water they drink that comes from Me. They just muddle through each day without thought of the God of creation.

David wasn’t special in any particular way except he worshiped Me. And so I honored him for it. Paul wasn’t special in any particular way except he often erupted in praise. So I honored him for it. Job didn’t have any special traits except he praised Me often and I reciprocated. Those you call heroes in My word didn’t have exceptional traits. They didn’t stand out in the crowd.

The thing all of those Bible heroes had in common, though, they erupted in praise…often. They lifted their hearts to Me in praise. They sang new songs to Me rejoicing in the freedom they enjoyed in their life with Me. They honored Me with their voice.

Don’t be afraid to lift your voice to Me. Don’t be afraid to erupt in praise. Don’t worry about what others might think about you. Don’t worry about the world’s thoughts. Just erupt in praise to Me because of what I’ve done for you. I like it…a lot. I’ll honor you for doing so.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.