JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Continually Give Thanks to God"

Psalm 100  "Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!  Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  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.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations."

Romans 1:20-22  "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools."

1 Thessalonians 2:13  "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

1 Thessalonians 5:18  "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Colossians 3:15-17  "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Insight: We all have many reasons to be thankful to God.  We need to continually thank Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.  God is worthy of our praise and our thanks!

Prayer: "Dear Lord, thanks for loving us so much.  There is no other God like You in all of the universe.  Help us to see You as You really are and help us to give you the thanks and praise that You deserve.  Forgive us for being silent and forgive us for being lazy.  Remind us to first thank You when good things happen.  Help us to thank you when difficult things happen as well.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

On January 11, 1672, Isaac Newton was given full membership in the British Royal Society today at age 30. The occasion was Newton’s invention of the reflecting telescope. All large telescopes built today are reflectors which use a concave mirror to gather and focus light. Newton wrote with a humble spirit: “I shall endeavor to testify my gratitude by communicating what my poor and solitary endeavors can effect towards promoting the Society.”

Newton was perhaps the greatest scientist of all time. He also believed firmly in the Creator and the inspiration of the Scripture. Newton’s theological writings, especially concerning prophecy, outnumber his scientific papers (see March 20).

This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Some people are singing praise songs about lifting their hands to God, but their hands are in their pockets.

Last words are important.

It's amazing how God knows everything about us and still loves us.

God's love purifies us.

Approving of everything someone does isn't the definition of unconditional love.

If people do not have boundaries, they will self-destruct.

God's love is a corrective love.

Genuine believers wrestle with doubt.

Be candid with your Heavenly Father.

Are you only giving God your leftovers?

These quotes came from the Holy Spirit, Ray Bentley, and Jason Gastrich.  If you'd like to read more quotes, you'll want a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.