I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your constant love and faithfulness. You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else. On the day I called, You answered me; You increased strength within me. (Ps. 138:1-3)(HCSB)Happy Thanksgiving! I pray that you and your family have had a great Thanksgiving week. During this holiday season, let's be thankful for God's constant love and faithfulness just as David was when he penned the above scripture. Let's remember that it is with thanksgiving in our hearts that we can enter His gates. It is with praise that we enter His courts where we can truly worship Him in His presence. (Ps. 100:4)
Let us be thankful for God's Word and the examples of faith we have to encourage us to put our faith in God as well. Here is another devotional from "Beside the Still Waters" by Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle:
"The heirs with him of the same promise" (Heb. 11:9b)(ASV)
The Thanksgiving of the Rich in Faith
In this thanksgiving season our minds should be on more than turkey and its "fixings." The spiritual provisions of the Lord make rich and add no sorrow. How rich and full are our lives if we have lived by faith, like Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham, not to mention the others in the hall of faith. Meditate upon the privileges of these believers as the brief outline-suggestions unfold.
Abel worshipping God (Heb. 11:4). Worship is not atmosphere but activity of the soul. Abel's worship was: (1) done in a potent way--by faith; (2) done in a prescribed way--in God's way; (3) done in a propitious way--satisfying God by sacrifice of a substitute.
Enoch walking with God (Heb. 11:5). Walking with God is a tremendous thing. Enoch's walk was: (1) pleasing to God--so much so that God would not let it be interrupted; (2) preserved by God--so that Enoch should not see death (compare John 11:25,26). Life from God issues in a walk with God--a walk all the way into glory.
Noah working with God (Heb. 11:7). Working with God involves eternal details. Noah's work was: (1) invited by God--in the midst of great apostasy; (2) identified with the grace of God--in view of faith-righteousness; (3) inheriting the riches of God--in spite of a disobedient world.
Abraham waiting for God (Heb. 11:8-12, 17-19). Not just waiting, but waiting for God's big moments--God's perfect timing. Abraham, and let's not forget his princess of the faith, Sarah, waited for God because: (1) a promise had been given; (2) a pilgrimage had been started; (3) a prospect had been made vivid. God is never late. He comes through every time He makes a promise to His own-- and always on time (4:16). Like many of us, they were heirs together of the Grace of life in Christ.
Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper