The deepest roots of Christian thanksgiving go back to the Old World, way back before the Pilgrims, to a story as old as creation, with a two-millennia-old climax. It’s a story that keeps going right on into the present and gives meaning to our little lives, even when we’re a half a globe removed from history’s ground zero at a place called Golgotha.
John Piper, founder and teacher of Desiring God, shares the following devotion:
Now and then, it needs to be said that not all thanksgiving is thanksfeeling. We can make ourselves (or our children) say, “Thank you,” whether we feel it or not. But it’s not a good habit, especially in relation to God.
Jesus warns against “vain” worship. “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me” (Matthew 15:8–9). Thanksgiving without thanksfeeling is empty. It does not count with God.
Thanksgiving is An Act of the Heart
Genuine thankfulness is an act of the heart’s affections, not an act of the lips’ muscles. It is not willed, but awakened. It is not a decision of the will, but a reflex of the heart. Thankfulness happens to us. We become aware of good will toward us, and either we feel gratitude or we are ungrateful.
It is not an inference; it is an experience. If the response of our lips is a mere logical deduction, it’s not heart-thankfulness. (Premise 1: Someone is willing my good. Premise 2: One should say thanks in such situations. Conclusion: I will cause my lips to say thanks.)
Now let’s relate this to the glory of God the way the Bible does.
Thanksgiving To the Glory of God
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me” (Psalm 50:23). This offering of thanksgiving which glorifies God is not merely external. It is gratitude truly felt in the heart. That is the only kind of sacrifice that pleases him.
“You will not delight in sacrifice . . . you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:16–17). This is the kind of heart that can truly feel gratitude for grace.
So the sacrifice of thanksgiving that glorifies God is the offering of contrite and broken-hearted thankfulness for undeserved mercies. This makes God look glorious — it glorifies him.
Similarly Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:15, “As grace extends to more and more people it increases thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” The sequence goes like this: God’s grace is experienced as wonderful and undeserved; heartfelt thanksfeeling rises in the heart; this true thanksfeeling overflows with thanksgiving; thus God is shown to be glorious — he is glorified.
Implications for Thanksgiving and Thanksfeeling:
God is glorified more fully when we feel thankfulness, not when we only say, “Thank you.”
Authentic heart-feelings are not in our control. We can’t make ourselves feel thankfulness. If our hearts are not moved by God’s goodness, we are ungrateful. Thanksfeelings are a work of grace.
Therefore, as fallen sinners whose hearts are often dull, we should regularly pray for God to overcome our sinful hardness, and cause us to see his goodness and feel thankful. (Psalm 51:10–12)
So the manifestation of the glory of God depends on 1) the appearance of God’s good will toward us in some undeserved benefit; 2) our eyes seeing it as from God; 3) the awakening of a sense of our being undeserving; 4) the awakening of the sweet thankfulness for being loved like this; 5) the expression of our thanksfeeling in thanksgiving.
May the God of great grace work these miracles in you this Thanksgiving.
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When you hear the word “glory,” how would you define it? If you had to explain to someone what the glory of God was like, how would you describe it? The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines glory as:
Weighty importance and shining majesty that accompany God’s presence. The basic meaning of the Hebrew word kavod is heavy in weight. Thus it can refer to a heavy burden. On the other side, it can describe extreme good fortune or mass numbers. The verb thus often comes to mean “give weight to, honor”
So then, God’s glory gives weight to who He is and honors Him.
How is the Glory of God manifested?
In Job, Chapter 36, Job’s friend, Elihu proclaims God’s greatness and glory. And in verse 26, he says, “Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable. Elihu continues in the next verses to describe God’s power and majesty as it is manifested in storms, through which he accomplishes whatever purpose he has in mind. Let’s look at some of the ways that we can see God’s glory.
The Glory of God seen in the universe:
The moon rises about 240,000 miles above the earth. That’s 500,000 times higher than the highest fireworks. It’s diameter is 2,160 miles (as far as San Francisco, CA to Cleveland, OH). It obits the Earth at about 2,288 miles per hour. The moon weighs 81 quintillion tons (that’s 3 zeroes more than a trillion – but I’m not sure how they got the moon on some scales!). It has mountain ranges with peaks almost as high as Mt. Everest (Did Neil Armstrong climb it while up there? He said he only took a small step!) and empty seas that measure 750 miles across. There are craters 146 miles wide and 20,000 feet deep (probably good there’s no gravity!). It’s power is unimaginable but it’s strong enough to control our tides here on earth. And that’s just the moon, folks!
In 2009 the largest explosion ever recorded from a super giant star 200 times bigger than the sun and the star was obliterated. It’s galaxy is 1.6 billion light years from earth but it is was still visible 2 years later.
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has 300 billion stars (someone must not have been able to sleep one night to count them) and with perfect eyesight you might be able to count 9,000 of them.
There is somewhere between 300-500 billion galaxies.
The Glory of God seen in the human body:
And what about the human body? Well, your fingernails grow four times faster than your toenails. Babies are born with 300 bones, but adults have 206 (I couldn’t find out what happens to other 94 – if you’re a doctor, please post it in the comments). Eyelashes last about 150 days.
Your heart circulates your blood through your body about 1,000 times every day. You make about half a quart of spit each day (EEWWW!).
The smallest bone in your body is in your ears. Your blood has the same amount of salt in it as the ocean does. A sneeze blows air out of your nose at 100 miles per hour (no wonder social distancing is 6 feet apart). You are taller in the morning than you are at night (I’m going to test this one tomorrow – I’m vertically challenged, especially with a 6’5″ hubby).
Humans are the only animals that cry when upset (but my daughter has a cat who’s eyes water a lot). Many more boys are color blind than girls are.
Children have more taste buds than adults (so this is why our tastes changes as we get older! I wonder if it’s also why kids don’t eat veggies?). Food spends up to 6 hours in the stomach being digested (at least we don’t bring it back up and chew it again like cows!).
Your lungs are the only organs in your body that float. Your eyeballs are actually part of your brain. Bones are 4 times stronger than concrete. And the largest muscle in your body is the one you’re sitting on. (These tidbits of information came from sciencebob.com.)
The Glory of God seen in everyday life
We can see God’s glory in the majestic mountains, a powerful waterfall, or a glorious sunset. You can feel His glory as you walk along the beach and listen to the wind and waves. His glory in the the splendid colors of a field of flowers. It’s in the gentle rain and the powerful thunderstorm. Everywhere you look you can see the glory of God.
The Glory of God seen in His own character
In Exodus 33, Moses says to God, “I want to see your glory.” Our first instinct is to think Moses is going to see something very powerful, such as God’s justice or His holiness. Maybe Moses will see God’s wrath or power. Will God move a mountain or makes the earth quake to show Moses His glory? In verse 19 of Exodus 33, we find out how God revealed His glory to Moses.
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-23)
God revealed his goodness to Moses. He also saw God’s grace and mercy. Moses saw God’s protection and his sovereignty.
Why would Moses die if he saw God’s face?
The glory of God is so brilliant and radiant it would consume you. It would be like trying to get close to the sun. The sun is so brilliant and radiant that it would evaporate you. Let’s look at a few verses to see what happens when people encounter the presence of God:
Isaiah’s reaction to the Glory of God
Isaiah 6:2. “Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew” Even these angels in the presence of God have to cover their face.
Ezekiel’s reaction to the Glory of God
Ezekiel gives us this description in Ezekiel 1:28. “His appearance was like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around Him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face down.
Daniel’s reaction to the Glory of God
Daniel has a similar reaction. In Daniel 10:5-8, we read: “I looked up, and there was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great terror fell on them, and they ran and hid. I was left alone, looking at this great vision. No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.
John’s reaction to the Glory of God
What was John’s reaction? (Remember John was one of Jesus’ disciples – the one known as the beloved disciple). Let’s read Revelation 1:12-17.
“I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool—white as snow—and His eyes like a fiery flame. His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters.He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at midday.When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.”
The simple truth
The simple truth is our human minds truly cannot imagine God’s glory and when people come into his presence, they are so overcome by His glory that they “become like dead men.” God is great — so great we cannot possibly know Him until we are in heaven with Him. But still, don’t you wish you could be placed in the cleft of a rock like Moses and see what He saw?
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Do you long to see the glory of God? Do you long for God to do something big in your life? Is there a prayer that you have been praying for some time and God seems quiet? Imagine how Martha and Mary felt as their brother Lazarus was sick and they watched as he grew worse. They sent for Jesus, but he didn’t arrive in time, and Lazarus died. They had probably seen Jesus heal many others and knew he had the power to heal their brother. But the truth is they longed to see the God’s glory revealed in their brother’s life, but Jesus didn’t come.
They knew Jesus loved their family very much. Can you imagine their confusion as Lazarus gets close to death and Jesus still hasn’t arrived yet? Can you imagine their heartache as their brother takes his last breath and Jesus didn’t come? Yet, they had enough faith to believe that, even at this point, Jesus could make a difference. As we look at the story of Mary, Martha, and Jesus when Jesus arrives after Lazarus’ death, there are three things we can learn that will help us in the moments that we long to see God’s glory show up in our own lives.
The Backstory
For a little backstory, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were friends of Jesus. In fact, the Bible records that it was this Mary that anointed Jesus with oil and wiped His feet with her hair. When Lazarus became sick, his sisters did the only thing they knew to do – they sent for Jesus. They had complete faith that Jesus could heal him.
However, we don’t find Jesus dropping everything and heading on over to Bethany as quickly as he can. He already knew what He was going to do, how He was going to do it and why. Unfortunately, in order to fulfill His will, it meant that Lazarus must die first (or maybe that’s not unfortunate for Lazarus because He got to spend a few days on vacation in Heaven!). So, Jesus hangs out where He was for another two days. Then He says to His disciples, “Let’s go to Judea.” Why? Because God’s glory was going to be revealed in a much bigger way than simply healing Lazarus.
Unfortunately, in order to fulfill His will, it meant that Lazarus must die first (or maybe that’s not unfortunate for Lazarus because He got to spend a few days on vacation in Heaven!).
God’s Delay Is Not a Delay in seeing the God’s glory
Lazarus, Mary and Martha needed their Jehovah Rapha – the God who heals. But Jesus chose not to go and these were His friends. Jesus was not being intentionally hurtful by not going right away. If we do the math, we know that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days by the time Jesus does arrive. That means that Lazarus was probably already dead when they brought the news to him that he was sick. He probably died not longer after the messengers left Bethany.
But the fact that Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus arrived is significant and we shouldn’t miss the point of that. The Jews had a belief that a person’s spirit left their body after three days, unable at that point to reunite with the body. Perhaps this is the same reason that Jesus rose from the dead three days after the cross. It reminds me of the movie, The Princess Bride, where Wesley is “dead” but the little old, odd couple says he’s not dead, just “mostly dead” which, of course, is different than “completely dead.”
Because Lazarus was 100% dead, there would be no doubt in God’s glory
By waiting a couple days before going, there would be no doubt that Lazarus was not just “mostly dead,” he was completely dead. Dead as a door nail. He was so dead that when Jesus tells them to open the tomb, Martha says, “But, by now, he stinks.” (If Jarjar Binks were on the scene we might hear him say, “How rude!”) But I think God inspired John to include that particular interchange between Jesus and Martha so that everyone throughout time who reads the story of Lazarus will know that Lazarus was 100% completely dead. So dead that his body had started decomposing and stinking. Lazarus D.E.A.D.
Lazarus was not just mostly dead, he was completely dead. He was so dead that when Jesus tells them to open the tomb, Martha says, “By now, he stinks.” (If Jarjar Binks had been there we might hear him say, “How rude!”)
“If you had been here” – we would have seen God’s glory
If any of us were in Mary and Martha’s shoes as they laid the body of their brother in a tomb and sealed it shut, we’d probably feel not just the sadness and grief associated with death, but also confusion and hurt that Jesus hadn’t come. Can you hear the frustration and hurt in their voice as both sisters say the same thing to Jesus when He does finally arrive? They said, “If you had been here, our brother would not have died.” They knew He had the power to heal and they just didn’t understand why He didn’t show up when they needed Him.
If this were us in this story, we might have questioned just how much Jesus really cared about us and our situation. Jesus knew that in not going to them and healing Lazarus, there would be grief and confusion, but Jesus had a greater plan and in that plan they would all see God’s glory perfectly revealed to them. So, the first that we can learn, is to trust God’s timing.
Jesus knew that in not going to them and healing Lazarus, there would be grief and confusion, but Jesus had a greater plan and in that plan they would all see the glory of God.
I have to admit that waiting is NOT my thing. If you want to see my grumpy side, just let me wait – for anything. I have a couple of games on my phone so that when I find myself waiting, I can pull my phone out and occupy my time. Yet, waiting on God often needs more than a few rounds of a match-three game. At times, we wait years to see God’s glory through answered prayer. You might have been praying so long that you don’t even know how to pray anymore. The good news is the Bible tells us that when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit will step in and pray for us (Romans 8:26-27). So if you have reached the place of not knowing what or how to pray, ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you and pray on your behalf.
Sometimes, we wait so long that we might even give up praying for that thing on our heart. But unless God gives us an answer of “no,” we need to keep praying, keep seeking His will, keep looking for where He is at work in our lives and know that in His perfect timing, He will show up and whenever He shows up, we will see His glory.
Unless God gives us an answer of “no,” we need to keep praying, keep seeking His will, keep looking for where He is at work in our lives and know that in His perfect timing, He will show up and whenever He shows up, we will see His glory.
Not only can we trust His timing, but we can trust that His timing is the absolute best because He loves us and He only wants the very best for us – even when we don’t know what’s best. Mary and Martha thought that what was best for Lazarus was for Jesus to come and heal him. Had Jesus only healed him, all of them would have missed out on the greater miracle that Jesus was going to do. Had Jesus only healed him, Lazarus would not have had the opportunity to spend four days in Heaven. Imagine the stories he could have told about what heaven was like! The point here is that God always gets the timing right and we can trust His heart to do what is absolutely best for us in ever situation – even when it doesn’t make any sense.
Had Jesus only healed him, all of them would have missed out on the miracle that Jesus was going to do. Had Jesus only healed him, Lazarus would not have had the opportunity to spend four days in Heaven.
We can see Jesus’ heart in verse 35 as His human emotions are expressed. This short verse simply says, “Jesus wept.” But what caused our Savior to cry? He already knew that He was going to bring Lazarus back to life, so he wasn’t crying because his friend had died. What cause Him to be “deeply moved” (verse 38)?
I can think of two reasons why Jesus’ emotions were moved to the point of tears. One reason may have been because as He saw the people standing around, He saw those who did not believe and would spend eternity in hell because of their hard hearts. But He also saw the emotional hurt and pain of Mary and Martha and He loved them. He cared about how they were feeling. He knew how heavy their hearts were in their loss, grief, and sadness, and because he cared about them, his heart was heavy, too. But, there is no better way for God’s glory to be revealed than when he steps into our brokenness and makes beauty out of ashes.
When we hurt, God hurts
My friend, when you are hurting, Jesus is hurting with you. When the people who should be there supporting you, cheering you on, and encouraging you instead would rather see you fail, Jesus hurts with you. Or when someone close to you dies, Jesus hurts with you. When your children turn away from the faith you’ve raised them in, Jesus hurts with you. And when you long to hold a child in your arms, but infertility is your reality, Jesus hurts with you. When your spouse ignores you, leaves you, or cheats on you, Jesus hurts with you. And when a friend betrays you, Jesus hurts with you. Jesus hurts for each and every hurt that weighs us down. When you grieve, God grieves. When you cry, God cries. We have a God with a big heart. You can trust God’s timing, and you can trust God’s heart.
When you grieve, God grieves. When you cry, God cries. We have a God with a big heart. You can trust God’s timing, and you can trust God’s heart.
Now remember that Lazaurs wasn’t just “mostly dead.” He was four-day, stinkin’ dead. They didn’t practice embalming, so decay had already set in. Prior to raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus had performed two other resurrections, but they had only been dead a short time. It would take a BIG miracle where Lazarus was concerned and Martha had to point out just how dead Lazarus was. But in verse 4O, Jesus speaks words that could turn the deepest, darkest grief and despair into bright, shining hope. After Martha points out that Lazarus’s decaying body would stink by now, Jesus replies to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” Then with a loud voice, Jesus says three words: “Lazarus, come forth!”
When God acts, He calls us by name
Have you ever thought about that fact that Jesus called Lazarus by name in raising him to life. The power of God is such that had Jesus just said, “come forth,” every dead body within the sound of His voice would have risen from the dead. Jesus had to call Lazarus by name so that only he came back to life. This moment, this act of God that would reveal His glory, was for Lazarus alone to experience.
Those who witnessed God’s glory in action saw it happen, but only Lazarus experienced coming back to life. In that moment, the cells in his body that had already started to break down and decay instantly reversed – in just a split second the 100% completely dead Lazarus breathed and he came hopping out of the tomb still wrapped up like a mummy, and the 100% completely dead Lazarus was now 100% completely alive! That’s the power of our God. And whenever and whatever God speaks to the need you have, He will call you by name so that His glory is revealed in your situation.
The power of God is such that had Jesus just said, “come forth,” every dead body within the sound of His voice would have risen from the dead. Jesus had to call Lazarus by name so that only he came back to life.
In just a split second the 100% completely dead Lazarus breathed & he came hopping out of the tomb still wrapped up like a mummy. The 100% completely dead Lazarus was now 100% completely alive! That’s the power of our God.
If you are longing and waiting to see the glory of God in your life, I hope that you will remember to trust God’s timing, to trust His heart, and to trust His power. If God can fix 100% completely dead, he can fix whatever is going on in your life. The same God that brought Lazarus back to life has the power to do the impossible in your life. The same God that wept when His friends were hurting, weeps with you because He loves you and you are so very precious to Him. And because He loves you, He will reign down His glory on you at only the most perfect moment and in the best of ways, so trust His timing. Rest in His love. Believe in His power and wait to see God’s glory.
Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
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Download our Free 2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan
We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.
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With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!
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Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.
In every battle and every situation, our first response should be to get on our knees in prayer. When life brings us to our knees, the battle isn’t over, it’s just begun. So no matter what happens in life, stop worrying, stressing, panicking, overthinking, assuming, controlling, and wondering. Just pray.
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
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There are moments in life that we just are not able to understand. In those moments it is hard to just trust God. Life feels out of control and you can’t stop it. But those are the very moments that we need to trust God and know He has everything in His control.
Job found himself in such a situation. Even though he was a righteous man, God allowed Satan to bring about utter destruction in Job’s life. It’s only natural to question such a thing and want to know why. Job was not different. He wanted to know why so much suffering had been heaped on him.
In Job 16:12-14 Job questioned God’s actions. But as God informs Job about His ordering of the world, Job capitulates and he comes to understand the powerfulness of God and understands that there is nothing God cannot do. When we know this, it can be even more difficult to wonder why God doesn’t heal our loved one or doesn’t seem to answer a certain prayer request. Or why he allows world-wide pandemics. We, like Job, want to ask “Why?!” Instead, we need to trust God who is both omnipotent and omniscient.
God’s got it! He doesn’t need help.
Whenever we begin to wonder if God is at work, we are tempted to step in and help God achieve His plans and His purposes. In other words, we don’t trust God. We think that because things are out of control in our lives, that God doesn’t have control. So we cry out asking “Why?!” and we go to working trying to help Him fix our problems. However, when we do, we just make a even bigger mess of things.
Abraham and Sarah
Sarah and Abraham did this when Sarah told Abraham to have a child by her maid. Abraham agreed and Ishmael was born – but that wasn’t God’s promise. His promise was that Sarah would have a son and through her son all the nations would be blessed. It would be through her son that the nation of Israel would come to be and through that nation, David would rule and through David’s family tree, Jesus would be born who would save people from their sins. That was God’s plan.
Rebecca, Isaac, Jacob, and Esau
In Genesis 27, we find four Biblical characters that tried to accomplish God’s plan their way. God told Rebecca that when she gave birth to twins, the older would serve the younger, but instead of trusting God’s plan, they get sneaky. Isaac, despite what God had said, tried to bestow the family blessing on Esau. Esau tried to take back what he had already sold to his brother Jacob. Rebecca deceives Isaac and tricks him into blessing her favorite son, Jacob. Jacob lied to his father and outsmarted his brother. As a result, Jacob has to flee from his brother’s wrath and he never sees his mother alive again.
Omnipotent and Omniscient God has a plan and a purpose
We need to learn, like Job, that God can do anything and everything. He doesn’t need our help. We may not understand what God is up to or why He allows certain things. But we can trust God has a plan and purpose. We don’t always have to know why. God wants us to trust Him.
We need to learn, like Job, that God can do everything. There is no impossible for Him. He doesn’t need our help. We don’t always have to know why. God wants us to trust Him.
When we cry out to God, “Why!?” God says, “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). And in Isaiah 46:11 God says, “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” We can trust that God always has a plan and He will see that it is carried out. He doesn’t need our help to accomplish His plans for us. In fact, if something is God’s plan – there is nothing that will stop it from happening and if it isn’t His plan, He will intervene to stop it. Whatever life brings us – every single moment and every single event – must pass through the hand of God before it ever reaches us.
We can trust that God always as a plan and He will see that it is carried out. Every single moment and every single event in our lives must pass through the hand of God before it ever reaches us.
Nothing happens in our lives without it going through God first
We know this is true because the book of Job opens up with Satan appearing before God. God asks Satan what he’s been up to and Satan says, “Roaming back and forth throughout the earth.” Now, God is omniscient (all-knowing). He doesn’t ask because He doesn’t know what Satan’s been doing and He also knows exactly why Satan is there.
God says, “Have you seen my servant Job? There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.”
Satan responds, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” In the verse that follows God allows Satan to tempt Job by doing whatever he wants to Job, only He can’t touch Job’s person. When this doesn’t work to make Job curse God, Satan comes back to God again and then God allows Satan to touch Job himself, but Satan cannot kill Job. Through all that Job goes through – he does not curse God. But he does ask why. He wants God to explain why all this happens, but He does not curse Him
God Reveals His omnipotence
It is not until we reach chapter 38 that God reveals His omnipotence to Job. He begins with a round of questions to Job that challenges his understanding of the Lord’s creative power (verses 4-15). He then challenges Job’s experiential knowledge of the earth based on Job’s limited travels could not include going into the depths sea. Nor had he seen the gates of death and he had not passed through them (verses 16-18). God then reminds Job that Job was not yet born when God commanded the light into being (verses 19-21).
God’s questions and challenges to Job continue through chapter 39 and then in chapter 40, verse 2, God says, “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?” Job’s only response is to admit his criticism was groundless. He says to God, “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” God continues to challenge Job. And then we come to chapter 42 where we find that Job repents.
Job learns that God can do everything
In verse 2, Job says, “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from you.” Job confesses God’s rightful sovereignty over all matters – even the situation Job found himself in. He learned that in all of God’s wise handling of the physical and natural worlds, his questioning of God was beyond his understanding and experience and it is beyond ours too. In verse 6 of Job 42, we find that Job was humbled that the Lord of the universe had granted him his greatest wish and spoke to him, reestablished fellowship with him, and with genuine repentance, he stopped relying on himself and began fully relying on God.
Stop helping God manage your situation and rely on your omnipotent God
Whatever you are trying to help God accomplish or whatever you are asking “Why?” about, let it go and learn to rely on the God who ordered the universe and holds it all (including you) in the palm of His hand. He has everything in control – even when it all seems out of control. Sometimes we don’t ever get the answer to “Why” but we can always know that God is working everything out for our good because He has good plans for us.
This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Couple activities include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.
Look for the GLMW Group on Facebook.
Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.
904.239.8937 A non-profit ministry located in Jacksonville, FL Follow us on:
After Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, they reported to the church on what God had been doing in Asia, especially in the Gentiles coming to faith in Christ. While they were there, some men from Judea came to Antioch and wanted to add to the requirements of salvation saying that the Gentiles couldn’t really be saved if they did not follow the practice of circumcision that God gave to Moses. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant made between God and Abraham, but it couldn’t save him. Abraham had to believe the same as we do. Rituals, regardless of what they are do no save us and when we add to God’s plan, conflict occurs. A debate ensued between Paul and these Judeans that ended with them sending Paul to Jerusalem for clarification.
Paul brings the conflict to the Jerusalem Council
Jerusalem, at this time, was still the center of the Christian movement and the apostles and elders were there. So Paul brought his case of rituals being required for salvation to the Jerusalem Council. Given that Christianity has its roots in Jewish history and customs, it is understandable that the church had to grapple with this issue as it transitioned from Old Testament Covenant to the New Testament Covenant. Isn’t the same true in our churches today. When make traditions and rituals and then attempt to change them, churches will split over them.
Peter addresses the conflict
After “much dispute,” Peter stood up and presented the Council with four truths:
1. God had chosen Peter to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles
We find Peter’s call to spread the gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 10:1-43. This is where Peter has the vision of clean and unclean food items that are lowered on sheet from heaven and God instructs Peter to “kill and eat.” Peter replies with “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” The voice speaks to Peter again and says, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” Shortly before this vision, Cornelius, a Roman centurion has a vision of his own and voice tells him to send men to Peter and bring Peter back to his home. He does so. The men arrive at the house Peter is staying at and explains why they are there and Peter goes back with them and preaches Jesus to Cornelius’ entire household.
If God gave instruction that what he cleansed should not be called common or unclean, then the Gentiles have the same rights to salvation that the Jews do and God was offering the free gift of salvation to all mankind.
2. The Gentiles believed and they placed their faith in Jesus.
Peter tells the Jerusalem Council that the Gentiles in Cornelius’ home believed – just as the Jews did. In fact, that is why Peter was sent to them. We find at the beginning of Acts 10 that Cornelius was a devout man who feared God and prayed to God always. Cornelius and his household had already chosen to believe. Peter was sent to disciple them.
Philip had already been in Caesarea and preached the Gospel there.
If we look backwards in Acts a little further we find that Philip had already been in Caesarea preaching to the Gentiles. Perhaps this was when Cornelius and his household placed their faith in Jesus. But there probably were not many strong Christians in Caesarea at the time and Cornelius was hungry to know more about God. So he had been praying. We don’t learn until verse 33 exactly what he had been praying for. He told Peter, “So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”
There was not a LifeWay Christian Bookstore where Cornelius could run down to pick up so he could read about God. There wasn’t a Christianbook Distributors where he could order a Bible to be sent to him. He needed someone to tell him about God and he was praying for God to send that person. God nominated Peter – and Peter went.
3. When the Gentiles believe, they received the Holy Spirit
In verse 44 of Acts 10, it says that while Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. The result of Peter preaching to Cornelius’ friends and family was they all believed and then they received the Holy Spirit – just as the Jews had. They had not been circumcised between believing and receiving. There had been no rituals performed. Peter was still speaking. He hadn’t finished his sermon. But the Holy Spirit showed up. And I think that’s the point Peter is making. Rituals were not a part of the Gentile salvation experience in Caesarea. The believed, placed their faith in Christ, and the Holy Spirit showed up.
4. The pattern of Gentile conversion was the same as it was for the Jewish believers.
God was making no ethnic distinctions in the building of His church. The process was the same whether Jew or Gentile. Whenever we attempt to add rituals or anything else to the gospel, we can expect conflict. Anytime we attempt to make salvation about what we do and not what Jesus did, then we are guilty of trying to earn salvation. But salvation is a free gift. Jesus paid the price for our sins and our redemption is His free gift to us. Salvation = Jesus + nothing. There is absolutely nothing we can do on our part to earn salvation. We just have to reach out and accept God’s gracious gift by placing our faith in Christ. Peter’s argument to the Jerusalem Council was that was exactly what the Gentiles had done. They believed. Therefore, they received the Holy Spirit.
No Rituals Involved
Based on these four things, Peter said the men that came from Judea and claimed the Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved were testing God and putting a burden on the Gentile converts that which neither the Jewish fathers or the Jews of their day could bear (Acts 15:10). Since it is impossible to perfectly keep the law, Peter insisted that salvation is only through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as a free gift – no strings attached. There’s no fine print. No rituals involved. We simply believe and accept Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins and place our faith in Him.
Salvation is Only By Grace through Faith
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me.”
Rituals such as circumcision, baptism, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, or any good works cannot save anyone. It is only by placing our faith in God’s gracious sacrifice of Jesus that we become a Christian.
This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Couple activities include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.
Look for the GLMW Group on Facebook.
Join the community of couples on Facebook who are committed to intentionally growing their marriage and learning how to have a marriage that honors God. Here you can post photos of the different activities as you do them, ask questions of other couples, share how God is using this book to strengthen your marriage, and grow with other Christian couples. We’ll see you in the community.
904.239.8937 A non-profit ministry located in Jacksonville, FL Follow us on:
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