A Day for Thanksgiving

We had the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on earlier today. We weren't watching it all the time. It was just on and we'd watch it as we passed the television. Once, I passed it and thought "What are we doing?"

Thanksgiving isn't supposed to be about parades and balloons sponsored by corporations. Thanksgiving isn't supposed to be about rushing around and beating other people to get the latest deals. Thanksgiving isn't about cooking so much food that we won't be able to walk after we eat it.

So, what is Thanksgiving really about?

Thanksgiving is an American holiday. Only America has this holiday. It's a day for remembering how two peoples, vastly different, came together to help one another and to share food, despite their differences.

It's about spending time with your family, no matter how much food you have or what you do. It's about taking the time to be thankful to God for all that He has blessed us with. On this day, more than any other day, we stop to be thankful for our blessings. But really, we don't have to wait until this holiday to be thankful.

Spend time with your families. Eat some good food. Read a book to the kids. Play a board game that everyone can enjoy. Maybe watch a movie.

But above all, be thankful that you got another Thanksgiving to spend with those you love. And when you pray today, remember how blessed you are, even if someone else gets that deal you're planning to try to kill them over tomorrow.

Be safe over this Thanksgiving holiday, and remember to be kind to people tomorrow, whether you're working or shopping.

God bless you.
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"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever" (1 Chronicles 16:34).

More and More

I've been really busy lately. I got a job. Finally. Thank God. But I've been really busy and tired when I'm not busy. However, as I get more used to it, I'll try to keep up with my blog better. Sorry it's been a while.

Today's post, however, is just going to be a song recommendation. We sang this at church last week, and prior to that, I'd never heard it before. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Wait. What Did He Do?

So, while I was reading in the book of Genesis - which I've finally read all the way through, yay! - I came across some verses that confused me. I am now going to show you the verses along with my thought process. The verses are going to be from the NIV.

Genesis 38:7 - But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death.
Okay. He was wicked and God slew him. I get it.

Genesis 38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, 'Sleep with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.'
Okay. That's a little more strange, but I guess it was common in those days. I get it.

Genesis 38:9 - But Onan knew that the child would not be [considered] his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death also.
Wait. What? I don't get it! What did he do that was wicked?

I read the verse again, and again, and again, and again. My Bible at the time was a KJV. So, I went to the Bible app on my phone, which I leave set to the NIV. I read the verses again. And again.

I paused. I put down my Bible. I stared at my wall. Then I stared at my blanket. I stared at the wall again. Then I picked up my phone to look at my Bible app again. I changed from the NIV to the amplified Bible. I changed it back to the NIV.

Then, I did the best thing I could have done. I opened the notes section and wrote one word. "Why?"

Why was it wicked? Then I really started to think about it. What did he do that was wicked? He was married to a widow, which wasn't bad.

Finally, it came to me. He was disobedient to his father, and deceitful. And he was using his brother's widow basically as a whore to satisfy him without giving her children to take care of her.

So, why was that so hard for me to figure out?

"It is better for a man's seed to fall in the belly of a whore, than on the ground."

Oh. That quote. That's what messed me up. That's why I was so confused. My mind immediately associated his preventing conception with God slaying him.

Wait. Where is that found in The Bible?

I searched, and searched, and searched. Finally, I just Googled it. Google is my friend.

It's not a Bible verse. Nowhere in The Bible does God say that it is okay to engage in sex with a whore. Nowhere does God say any of that is okay.

So, where is this quote from? Some websites say it might have been influenced from these verses about Onan and his brother's widow, but this quote is not in the Bible. I couldn't find any firm evidence of its origin.

What God does say about this quote can be found throughout The Bible, particularly in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

So, don't be afraid to ask "Why." You might learn something new. I certainly did.

Also, this link also has a good thought process on this topic.

Advent

So, I read Max Lucado's book In the Manger, and he uses the word Advent. The full title of the book is In the Manger: 25 Inspirational Selections for Advent.

So, my curiosity was peaked. What does the word advent mean in this context?

According to this online dictionary, the word advent means 1) "A coming into place, view, or being; arrival" 2) "the coming of Christ into the world" capitalized.

Huh. I never knew there was a word for that. But now I do! How cool! It's amazing what you can learn without even trying!

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"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to  you; he is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

Undivided Attention

There areally lots of thinges that can take our time away from God: work, television, hobbies, relationships, etc.

We have to keep an eye on the kinds of things that take up our time. Do they honor God? Do they enable or hinder our walk with Him?

Have they become more important than God? Are they becoming like gods or idols to us?

I have to keep a close eye on the types of shows I watch and the types of books I read.

What gets your undivided attention?

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"You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).

My Hero

What heroes do you look up to? Policemen? Firefighters? Military? Sports stars?

What about superheroes?
My favorites are Spiderman, Batman, and the X-Men.

Do we try to model our lives after our heroes? If so, who are our heroes? Do they really deserve that title?

What about biblical heroes - the men and women of God who gave their lives up to His service, the ones we should be modelling our lives after? Do we learn from their stories? Do we look up to them?

Jesus is the biggest hero we have. He is our savior. He gave His life so that we could keep ours - eternally.

This song is one of my favorites. My favorite lines are "Show me where my heroes lived the life I'm longing for," and "Help me have the courage to be more than what I am." Sure, some of them lived hard lives. Sure, some of them were persecuted. But some of the biblical heroes lived in God's presence. Got to experience it daily. Some actually walked where Jesus walked.

Who are your heroes?
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"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by work, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Nothing New

Psalm 24:1 - The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

There's a lot of stuff going on in the world today, and if you watch the news, it can get kind of scary. From mothers drowning their children to escalating wars, it seems there is always something new to worry about.

But we don't have to worry. My Sunday school class is reading the book of Isaiah, and one thing we've learned is that there is nothing new under the sun. All that is, was, and all that was, will be again. The most important thing we've learned is that God is in charge now just as He was then, and He is faithful to protect His people. He always keeps a faithful remnant for Himself, and that remnant continues on.

So, whatever is going on in the world today, we just have to remain faithful to Him, listen and watch, and pay attention to His voice, and His plan.

He's got it all under control, whatever is happening.

Don't Pick It Up

I feel like I have to make this post. I don't know if I want to, but I feel like I need to.

Is there someone in your life who irritates you beyond belief? Someone at work? At home? At church? Do they offend you?

There's a lady at my church, and she often rubs people the wrong way. She's offended me before, and I questioned whether or not I should stay at the church. I took a couple weeks off, forgave her the best I could, and stayed. Things are better now, and I think I have a better understanding of her.

Sometimes she likes to sing during the collection of tithes/offerings even though she's tone deaf. This happened a couple weeks ago, and at first, I was cringing, and I wanted it to be over.

But then, I heard a couple ladies near me laughing. I was suddenly angry. How dare they laugh at her? What if she heard them? Then, I realized that I was doing the same thing. Though my laughter didn't spill over, I was laughing on the inside.

Then, God revealed to me that I wasn't really listening to her. I was listening to her with my ears, and not with God's heart. So, I took a breath, and listened again. I heard the song she had chosen. I heard how earnestly she sang the song. And no, her tone didn't get better, but the song was good. I even started singing along. She couldn't sing badly, because she was glorifying God with her song.

So, we have to learn to listen with God's heart instead of our ears. To look with His heart, instead of our eyes. To touch with His heart instead of our hands. To speak with His heart instead of our mouths.

Then, we will be less likely to take offense at the small stuff.

Which brings me to the next point of this post: offense.

People don't usually mean to give offense. Even if they do, we have a choice.

It's called taking offense for a reason. We don't have to pick it up. We don't have to take it away with us. We can just leave it right where it lands. Whether they meant to give offense or not, it is always our choice to take offense.

So, the next time that person at work/home/church bugs you, try responding with God's heart. And the next time someone offers you offense, don't take it.
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"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes fro God's people in accordance with the will of God" (Romans 8:27).

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance" (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

More Than...

God loves us more than we can even begin to fathom. If we truly understood His love for us, we would never be able to see ourselves, or Him in the same way again. I think we would truly understand Him and ourselves.

"I am with you wherever, and where you go is where I am."

"Just a face in the city, just a tear on a crowded street, but you were a one in a million and you belong to me."

How amazing is God's love for us! He loves us more than we can fathom, more than we can ever fully understand. Shine for Him, so others can know His love.

I hope this song touches you today.

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"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16, emphasis mine).

Plagued

So, I've started teaching a Children's Church class. I know. Shocking, right? But it's a lot of fun.

Last week we talked about the plagues on Egypt, and I wanted to list them here, because I know that even though I learned about them as a kid, I had long since forgotten all of them.

1. Water to Blood
2. Frogs
3. Gnats
4. Flies
5. Pestilence - sick livestock
6. Boils
7. Hail
8. Locusts
9. Complete Darkness
10. Death of Firstborn

So, we also had to learn why God sent these plagues. Pharaoh continually hardened his heart and wouldn't let the Israelites leave Egypt to go worship God. Until the last plague, Pharaoh wouldn't even listen to his advisers, who wanted him to give in around the third plague.

These plagues showed how mighty God is, and how much He loves His people. After the third plague, the plagues only affected the Egyptians, too.

So, that's what we learned about in Sunday School class. Next week, we're going to learn about the Passover, and how God keeps His promises. I'm thinking of making some unleavened bread for the kids to try too. Should be fun!

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"Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death" (Psalm 68:20).