Tag: choices

CONSIDERATIONS FOR GIVING THANKS

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

As most believers already know, the first thanksgiving celebration was held in December of 1621.  The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists and at one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn for each person.  However, history records that an unexpected trading vessel arrived, and the early American settlers were able to swap beaver pelts for corn which provided for their severe need.  The next summer’s abundant crop brought great hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621, be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer for the colonists to express their gratitude to the Lord, which continued for three consecutive days.


These settlers openly and willfully gave thanks to God for His provision of:

1. 20 acres of cleared land.

2. Peaceful, non-hostile Indians in the region

3. The freedom they enjoyed allowing them to live openly and worship as Bible believing Christians.

4. Squanto, (A member of the Patuxet tribe, Wampanoag Confederacy. who had previously crossed the Atlantic Ocean six times, traveling with colonists to London and back) who could interpret for the 80+ friendly local Indians (who contributed to the first thanksgiving feast by bringing wild turkeys and venison).

From that time forward, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a day to give thanks to God for His gracious and sufficient provision. US President, Abraham Lincoln, officially set aside the last Thursday of November, in 1863, “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.”  Then In 1941, Congress declared that the fourth Thursday of November should be set aside as “Thanksgiving Day”  and observed as a legal holiday.

As believers, the biblical admonitions related to the ideas of giving thanks far proceed that of our American culture and celebrated holiday.  Almost cover to cover throughout the scriptural text, one finds continued references to the idea of thanksgiving or the giving of thanks. The Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving when they were delivered from Pharaoh’s army after their crossing of the Red Sea (See Exodus 15:1-18) declaring …

The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will extol Him. The Lord  is a warrior; the Lord  is His name.

Later, the Mosaic Law set aside three times each year when the Israelites were to assemble and give thanks to the Lord for His provision and grace:

1. Unleavened Bread (also called the Feast of the Passover) — Exodus 12:15-20

2. Harvest or Pentecost —  Leviticus 23:15-21

3. Feast of Tabernacles or Ingathering —  Leviticus 23:33-36

The celebrations of both Harvest and Tabernacles took place specifically in relation to God’s provision as related to certain fruit trees and crops. In addition, the book of Psalms is packed full of songs declaring thanksgiving to the Lord God for His grace to the Israelites, as a people/nation, as well as for His outpouring of blessings upon individuals. (See Psalm 36:1, 106:1; 107:1; 118:1)

As Christ’s faithful followers, we must consider these following New Testament scriptures as well, where we are consistently prompted and coached to offer God  thanksgiving:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. — I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. — Philippians 4:6

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.– I Timothy 2:1

For God’s greatest gift, that of His Son, which meets our greatest need, the Apostle Paul says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! — II Corinthians 9:15

Nonetheless, just like the early colonists, we have many choices in life.  There will always be those things that we can find adequate reason, or at least some personal justification to complain about (those early settlers had lost many loved ones).  However, there will also always be much to be grateful/thankful for!  As our society becomes increasingly secular, the actual “giving of thanks to God” during our annual Thanksgiving holiday is being severely neglected and generally overlooked, leaving behind only feasting with family and friends.

 I’m praying for all of us at WOF, that He might grant us much better understanding and a heart filled with genuine gratitude – not just as we approach the holiday season, but that we be found grateful/thankful every day for all of His precious gifts, both spiritual, relational, and material!  According to His Word, He is good and “every good gift comes from Him” (See James 1:17). In addition, for those that know Christ and are called according to His purpose(s), we know that He causes all things … “Everything to work together for good,” even events we would not necessarily consider good (See Romans 8:28-30).

In light of these truths, Lord please help us to become, and find us to be, grateful children who continually, openly, and unashamedly offer an abundance of thanksgiving to You … from Whom all blessings flow!

His & Yours, PF

PARTIALITY

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

In Romans 2:11 the scriptures declare that “there is no partiality (respect of persons)(Gk – prosopolempsia) with God,” meaning that our Lord shows no favoritism in respect to one’s earthly position or rank, popularity, circumstances, wealth, knowledge, power, influence, etc. in His judgments.  In Ephesians 6:9, we are reminded once again that, “there is no partiality with Him” and in Colossians 2:25 we see that Christ, as the ultimate judge of humanity, will arbitrate “without partiality (favoritism).”

In these biblical references, the nature and character of God/Christ is clearly revealed in a sense much too broad for human understanding.  However, from a spiritual perspective … a renewed mind in the Lord, and with the inspiring assistance of God’s Holy Spirit, believers are able to gain a glimpse/foretaste of understanding, in spite of our lingering sin nature (fleshly passions), worldly perspectives (ungodly thinking), and ingrained cultural influences. As a result, Christians, whether admitted and addressed (dealt with) or not, genuinely struggle with the deeper truth and internal applications of unpretentious/unassuming spiritual impartiality as emphasized in James 2:1.  

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

The apostle James continues in 2:2-10 (please read before going on) by providing an explanation of what would be considered improper behavior within Christ’s church.  Perhaps you recall Samuel’s struggle in I Samuel 16 while searching in the household of Jesse for the nation’s second king. But the Lord said to Samuel:

Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

The Lord does not see what man sees!  Partiality occurs when one shows favoritism with respect to the outward appearance or circumstances of another human, instead of their intrinsic merit and value as determined from God’s perspective.

YIKES … My exact word to myself!  As the human race increased on this earth, human standards of judgment were erected by men to replace the divine ideals, which they continually rejected. Cain murdered Abel, and his descendants, while seemingly successful, became immoral oppressors. As individuals took upon themselves the position of judges over their fellow humans, they deemed others as inferior because of wealth/possessions, supposed intelligence (or lack of it), heritage and skin color.

As humanity grew, it also divided into various strains/groups where almost everyone looked down upon someone else for one reason or another.  Individuals have always sought to cover their own inferiority by creating another class beneath them, upon which they can vent the expression of their indignities. The inferior members of one group were despised by their supposed superiors, so they in turn looked down upon other groups because they differed in race, language, abilities, etc., etc.

Thousands of partialities have scarred the human race — thousands of resentments have risen.  Mankind is hopelessly trapped (without Christ), unable to resolve this problem. Society itself demonstrates the demented, growing intricacies of human interactions, which will eventually reach such entanglement that only the Sword/Word of God will be able to cut through the stronghold of partiality/favoritism bringing about right thinking and right living.  

Nonetheless, one must recognize that God created human life and left us choices. The fruit of wrong choices, such as partiality, which ultimately denies the truth that all are created in the image and likeness of God, is like a spider’s web. If a fly chooses to enter the web, or is attracted to the snare by some enticing temptation, it’s entrapped by the very nature of the web itself.  At that point, refusal to accept God’s abundant grace (through faith in Jesus Christ) and apply God’s Truth/Word has enmeshed that individual into a life from which they can never escape, having no power to free themselves!  This concept is pretty obvious if you simply consider the behavior of human beings towards one another throughout our world, and even currently in our own nation. 

While the perfect context of Romans 2:1 is in reference to God’s perfect, impartial, unbiased judgments, the born-again, faithful believer, who is living by faith in Jesus Christ, is clearly admonished throughout scripture to live life without partiality, preconceived bias, favoritism, prejudice, and/or bigotry.  While this does not mean living without discernment or wisdom, it is certainly a call for a redeemed thought process and overriding godly character!      

These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.

Proverbs 24:23

The goddess of Justice, in the Greek system, had a bandage over her eyes so that she could not see the person (no face) who came before her for judgment. She also carried a set of scales so that justice could be given with absolute balance and equity.  Needless to say, we as believers are never called to function in blindness, but we must certainly desire to have the mind of Christ in all our judgments, in supreme superiority to the partiality and favoritism imbedded in every aspect of human society and reasoning.

May we be free of this menace! -PF