Enter With Thanksgiving

The best celebrations are ones fit for every day, and Thanksgiving is one of them.  I appreciate how the term "thanksgiving" remains in the present tense because there are always reasons to presently praise and thank God for the wondrous things He does.  Since God is good and always was, is and is to come, all He has done, is doing and will do is absolutely worthy of thanksgiving.

In light of God and His grace to all, Psalm 100:1-5 is a glorious exhortation God's people ought take to heart and practice:  "Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! ² Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. ³ Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. ⁵ For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

Nehemiah as cupbearer took care not to be sad in the presence of his king as cupbearer, and we ought to approach God with thanksgiving and praise.  But the Bible also reveals the Messiah to be a man "of sorrows, acquainted with grief."  He is not disgusted by the sorrowing heart nor repulsed by people who are overcome with grief.  All who come to God by faith in Christ He will not cast out, even though we mourn.  It was Jesus who said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)  Even in the depths of pain and grief we can rejoice in the LORD with thanksgiving, for we have the promise of comfort found nowhere else.  Our Saviour Jesus who drank the cup of wrath and death sinners deserved gives us forgiveness, salvation and eternal life we are ever thankful for.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, for Jesus Christ is the Door through whom we enter into the kingdom of God as He said in John 10:9:  "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."  Thanks be to God for the salvation He has given us and the abundant life provided by faith in Jesus.  Come to God with thanksgiving and praise for He has made us His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter in and abide with thanksgiving "for the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

Good Courage and Good Success

After Moses died, God spoke to Joshua and repeatedly encouraged him to "be strong and of good courage" because God would be with him wherever he went.  God said in Joshua 1:6-9, "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

It is interesting Joshua was exhorted to be of "good" courage.  This suggests there is a sort of courage that is not good, a courage not grounded in faith in the God who alone is good.  There is a courage that comes from a sense of duty and obligation as well as courage that springs from self-confidence.  There is a courage in the heat of the moment in a boost of adrenaline, and courage bold to take risks out of greed, pride and ambition.  The Philistines rallied when they heard the Ark of God had been brought into the camp of Israel, but their victory came because God delivered the Israelites into their hand.  Samson rose up with self-confidence to free himself and overcome his attackers, but courage in his own abilities was misplaced.  Good courage is that which throws itself wholly upon the LORD for strength, guidance and help to accomplish all God has commanded.  The Book of the Law which directed Moses to do God's will would also guide Joshua in his role ordained by God to lead the people into the land God promised to give them.

God revealed "good" courage was the path to prosperity and "good success."  Studying this passage in context reveals "good" success is not what a person fancies or desires but is directly tied to faith in God and doing His will.  Everyone is attracted to promises of prosperity and success because we often have selfish motivation with the primary aim to benefit ourselves.  People imagine prosperity to speak of monetary wealth and success means a favourable outcome for the desires of our hearts--which may have nothing to do with God, His plans, purposes or glory.  When Jesus was addressed as "good teacher," He responded in Mark 10:18:  "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God."  The only way we can have "good" courage and have "good" success is by faith in the Living God who is good.

The sure promises of God quickened Joshua to be strong and of good courage, and all who trust in Jesus Christ have the unshakable foundation provided in God's word.  Hebrews 13:5-6 says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." ⁶ So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"  Good success for Joshua was to fearlessly enter the land of Canaan and divide it according to God's direction, and good success for Christians is to live an abundant life of contentment without covetousness or the fear of man.  These strongholds in our hearts can be cast down by those who are strong and of good courage by faith in Jesus the Word of God, for He is good and glorious.  By faith and obedience to Jesus we will find our way prosperous because Jesus is the Way.

What Love Implies

The covenant and commands God gave to His people provided guidance over what to do and explicit instruction what not to do.  It would do little good to avoid what was evil and shirk doing what God commands or to imagine our souls are profited by embracing good and evil together by our practices.

When asked what the greatest commandment was in the Law, Jesus did not quote one of the Ten Commandments.  He instead summed up the Law this way in Luke 10:27:  "So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbour as yourself.'"  The active love we show towards God should be demonstrated by doing what pleases Him, and it is also implied we should not do what is wicked in His sight.  Implied in traditional wedding vows is a promise of faithfulness to your spouse, and this can be demonstrated by pursuing adulterous relationships.

God spelled out to His people the plain implications of what it meant to fear God, that they would not fear other gods.  2 Kings 17:35-39 says concerning the children of Israel "...with whom the LORD had made a covenant and charged them, saying: "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; ³⁶ but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. ³⁷ And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods.³⁸ And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. ³⁹ But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."  Over and over again God repeated His people were to fear Him and not fear other gods.  The historical account in the Bible shows God's people failed on both counts, for their spiritual adultery with idols demonstrated their failure to fear God.

This brings up and important point Christians ought to understand:  having chosen to trust and follow Jesus, we should not fear any other gods.  We should not be in fear over Satan and his demons, deities worshipped by people all over the world, nor of money or lack thereof.  If we are afraid or worried we will not have enough money to live or retire comfortably, it may be money has become the idol we fear not having enough of.  It is not money we need to live but Jesus Christ who is our Life and provides all for life and godliness.  Jesus said in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."  When Joshua urged the people to "choose this day whom you will serve" the idea was to choose the true God of Israel to the exclusion of all others.

How liberating the fear of the living God is, for placing our faith in Him casts out all fear of other gods who are nothing in comparison to Him.  Our God is the one who has made a new covenant of grace with us with His own blood and sealed with the Holy Spirit.  He is the God who has brought us out of a prison of darkness and eternal damnation and delivered us with the great power of our resurrected LORD and Saviour.  We ought not forget our awesome God, and in remembering Him we are filled with praise and thanksgiving.  Loving God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind means we do not fear other gods.

Jesus Knows What to Do

"Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" ⁶ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do."

John 6:5-6

When Jesus asked Philip where they should buy bread for a great multitude of people, it was not because Jesus was ignorant of the situation.  Jesus asked already knowing what He would do.  Because God is all-knowing and the source of all wisdom and understanding, He does not need to rely upon advisors, news reports or messengers.  Jesus revealed Himself to be the Living Bread come down from heaven, the Son of God, when He fed the 5,000 to the full with only five loaves and two fish.  I am amazed and in awe of God who has purposes, plans and foreknowledge of all that will happen for eternity.  No backup plans are needed for the God who knows and does all.

I had a friend in university who was studying to be a landscape architect.  He had impressive knowledge of different plants and their Latin names I had never heard before.  To perform well in his role it was necessary for him to know what varieties of plants would be suitable for different environments, how they grew, and the proper placement of trees with an eye on the future.  It would be silly to put a tree that needs full sun in the shade, or to plant palm trees near a footpath where in a few years it would lift and crack concrete.  An experienced gardener will know where particular plants will thrive:  how to amend the soil, when to feed, the best ways to prevent pests and when a trim is needed.

I remember walking by a little apple tree that must have had 30 apples on it, and it was hardly over a metre tall!  Because the buds had not been pulled off to stimulate growth and the maturity of branches, the poor little thing was struggling under the weight of fruit.  Pieces of wood had been situated under pencil-thin limbs to keep them from breaking off the trunk.  The heavily-laden tree that was not pruned stands in contrast to what Jesus said in John 15:1-2:  "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  God knows better than any vinedresser on earth what conditions are ideal for fruitfulness, and He prunes, supports and protects branches who abide in Jesus Christ.  The fruitful branches are not neglected but shaped and prepared to be even more fruitful.

We often do not know what to do, but Jesus always knows what He is doing and going to do.  What joy and rest this gives those who abide in Christ, for our fruitfulness is from Him and for Him.  When the fruit of our lips is sweet praise and thanksgiving to God, He is glorified.  When the fruit of the Spirit is revealed through our motives, actions and attitudes, God's grace and power is magnified.  Should our testimony result in more souls being added to the kingdom of God and the church is edified, exalt His holy name!  When we rejoice in trials and persecution to be counted worthy to suffer for His name and faith, hope and love are exhibited in and through our lives, all glory goes to Jesus who has made us fruitful by the Holy Spirit.  Without Jesus we can do nothing, yet when we abide in Him He knows how to make us most fruitful.