Do we have to have a day set apart to give thanks or to be thankful for what God has blessed us? As Christian, thanksgiving should be an every day event or daily giving thanks to God. Why do we have a national holiday set aside for Thanksgiving? I did a google search on Thanksgiving and found a piece of information that was fascinating to me.
We all were taught in school the first Thanksgiving Day was the Pilgrim's giving thanks with the Indians. What we failed to recognized, the year before is when the Pilgrim's came to Massachusetts they were not prepared the harsh winter and half the population dies from starvation. The Pilgrim's had gather together to give thanks to God for the bountiful harvest of that summer. The giving of thanks to God was merely a celebration for the bountiful harvest.
President George Washington in 1789 signed a decree to entitled the "General Thanksgiving", the decree appointed the day "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."
It was not until October 3, 1863 that Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the observance of the fourth Tuesday of November as a national holiday. This proclamation came after a bloody battle in Gettysburg. This is where Abraham Lincoln found peace with God after touring the battle ground.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November (to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy). After a storm of protest, Roosevelt changed the holiday again in 1941 to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today.
So, my question is: "Do we truly set apart this fourth Thursday of November to be thankful and reflect on what God has done for us this past year? Or do we treat this day as a day of rest to gear up for the biggest shopping day of the year?
I give thanks to God every day for the blessings and the opportunities He presents to me. Thanksgiving Day to me, is a day where you gather with your family and have big feast and share in together what God has done over the past year.
I go back to Abraham Lincoln in his proclamation for thanksgiving. A national day of observance for the battle at Gettysburg. Take time today and reflect on our men and women serving in our military. Especially those serving in the battle fronts in the middle east.
This is my perspective view of Thanksgiving.
David Cromie
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
God on the Throne: A Picture of Holiness
Holiness Describes Separation
There can be no personal revival without a right view of God. If you want more of God in your life, begin with more accurate.
What comes to your mind when you think about God?
What do you picture when you consider deity?
Not what do you think He looks like, but how do you envision God's capacities and interests?
What do you believe matters to Him, and where do you conclude His great interests and passions reside?
Write words or phrases that immediately come to your mind as you think about the essential nature of God and His work.
A.W. Tozer rightly observed that you what you think about God is the most important thing about you. It's true whether or not you realize it: your entire life revolves around your view of God. Your personal spiritual revival is waiting. The downpour begins with an exalted view of God.
The Bible repeatly reveals that God of teh universe resides in a throne room; He is there right now. Through the centuries God in His grace has allowed certain messengers to visit His throne room. We are going to see God's throne room afresh through our eyes.
What exactly is holiness? Holiness means: "to be set apart." Holiness does not mean being legalistic. Some people think of holiness you must take vow poverty and live like John the Baptist, eat honey and locust and wear carmel hair clothing. Holiness has nothing to do with being legalistic and living like John the Baptist. Holiness is saying "awesome" or "unbelievable" or "unfathomable." That's holiness! God is more righteous and pure, more piercing and powerfull, more strong and impentrable than anything we can imagine. We comprehend only fractionally, even infinitiesimally, all that He is. He's so different - so other - so holy. Every time you hear the word Holy, think separation, God is completely apart and entirely different from you and me.
If we're going to see revival in our lives, it has to start here: a right view of the infinately exalted nature of God Himself. All revival flows from this fountain: a biblical view of God Himself. He is holy.
Isiah 6 is the hub for our study on holiness. There Isaiah describes seeing God in His exalted holiness, and his life was forever changed. Isaiah saw the throne room of heaven and was captured by four insights into God's Spirit, what he wrote for us in God's Word.
Isaiah 6:1-4
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple.
2 Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.
4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
There can be no personal revival without a right view of God. If you want more of God in your life, begin with more accurate.
What comes to your mind when you think about God?
What do you picture when you consider deity?
Not what do you think He looks like, but how do you envision God's capacities and interests?
What do you believe matters to Him, and where do you conclude His great interests and passions reside?
Write words or phrases that immediately come to your mind as you think about the essential nature of God and His work.
A.W. Tozer rightly observed that you what you think about God is the most important thing about you. It's true whether or not you realize it: your entire life revolves around your view of God. Your personal spiritual revival is waiting. The downpour begins with an exalted view of God.
The Bible repeatly reveals that God of teh universe resides in a throne room; He is there right now. Through the centuries God in His grace has allowed certain messengers to visit His throne room. We are going to see God's throne room afresh through our eyes.
What exactly is holiness? Holiness means: "to be set apart." Holiness does not mean being legalistic. Some people think of holiness you must take vow poverty and live like John the Baptist, eat honey and locust and wear carmel hair clothing. Holiness has nothing to do with being legalistic and living like John the Baptist. Holiness is saying "awesome" or "unbelievable" or "unfathomable." That's holiness! God is more righteous and pure, more piercing and powerfull, more strong and impentrable than anything we can imagine. We comprehend only fractionally, even infinitiesimally, all that He is. He's so different - so other - so holy. Every time you hear the word Holy, think separation, God is completely apart and entirely different from you and me.
If we're going to see revival in our lives, it has to start here: a right view of the infinately exalted nature of God Himself. All revival flows from this fountain: a biblical view of God Himself. He is holy.
Isiah 6 is the hub for our study on holiness. There Isaiah describes seeing God in His exalted holiness, and his life was forever changed. Isaiah saw the throne room of heaven and was captured by four insights into God's Spirit, what he wrote for us in God's Word.
Isaiah 6:1-4
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple.
2 Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.
4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
From the life of Josiah: We need a downpour
As Josiah’s team rebuilt God’s temple, in ruins after generations of neglect, they found God’s Book buried in obscurity. At age 26 Josiah read God’s Word for the first time, and took him to his knees.
Josiah had not known that God had written down instructions. He had not heard the promises of warning and blessing based on obedience. And now his heart was exposed to God’s Word for the first time, and it convicted him to the core.
Josiah did not realize the wrath of God was against him and the people. “Great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.” 2 Kings 22:13 The clock had been ticking all the time God’s Word had been buried, and judgment was closer than they had realized.
Josiah, a man before God and a king before his nation, Josiah invited God’s Word to change their thinking.
- Josiah recognized that some things had to go. We’re going to live differently.
- Josiah repented of how his nation had walked away from God. We’ve been wrong, and we’ve turning around.
- Josiah and his people returned to the Lord. We’re leaving this sin behind us. We want what God has for us.
Josiah mission was again clear: Revive us, Lord! We need a downpour!
God blessed Josiah’s tender heart and his compassion for his people. In holiness God could not overlook evil that had been done, but He held back the clock so this repentant generation would not experience consequences.
Revival begins here: with a profound awareness of God’s absolute holiness, our absolute sinfulness, and our inability to bridge the divide that separates us. Revival always begins with God reaching down to us – not in a tickle of blessing but in a deluge of Himself that covers our past and welcomes us to begin again.
Josiah life should be inspiration to all of us. Finding a hide treasure, a manual for living, instructions how to lead and guide a nation, he accepted what God said in His Word. He obey the Word of God, and He gave a charge to the nation to repent and return to God.
Is God’s Word still refreshing to you? Is it a live? As I teach adults and young adults, I emphasis that God’s Word is a Living Word of God and it is real and powerful for our daily living. “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Friday, December 19, 2008
Josiah's Personal Revival
Revival is renewed interest after a period of indifference or decline. It is God, gladly at the center of my life, experienced and enjoyed. One of the first barriers to revival we must face is PRIDE. It is pride that says with attitude, "What have I done?"
In Hosea 7:10 says, "The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the LORD their God, not seek him." It's not easy to admit that my heart is parched and dry. It's not easy to confess that what I set off in search of has not delivered what it promised. It's hard to swallow my pride and say that what I really needed is back where I left it, waiting for my return. There is an example of personal revival in scripture when a king overcame his pride.
Read 2 Kings 22:1-23:27 or 2 Chronicles 34-35 and read about the picture of personal revival from the life of Josiah. Then answer the following questions.
How did Josiah respond when He heard God's Word read for the first time?
How did God respond to Josiah's humility and repentance?
Ask God to reveal pride or any other sin that may be a barrier to personal revival.
In Hosea 7:10 says, "The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the LORD their God, not seek him." It's not easy to admit that my heart is parched and dry. It's not easy to confess that what I set off in search of has not delivered what it promised. It's hard to swallow my pride and say that what I really needed is back where I left it, waiting for my return. There is an example of personal revival in scripture when a king overcame his pride.
Read 2 Kings 22:1-23:27 or 2 Chronicles 34-35 and read about the picture of personal revival from the life of Josiah. Then answer the following questions.
How did Josiah respond when He heard God's Word read for the first time?
How did God respond to Josiah's humility and repentance?
Ask God to reveal pride or any other sin that may be a barrier to personal revival.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Personal Revival
As I take you through the Down Pour book, I am sharing information about Revival. For me, Revival is something we did every year at church, like a mission conference. The pastor would bring in another preacher or evangelist and would lay guilt trip on you. They would preach against the latest fashion trend and how you are like the world. They would preach against the latest communication technology that is corrupting your mind and how you need to be in the Word. Then they would preach that you need to give your life to the Lord and sell out for the Lord and sell all your possessions. Is this Revival?
I have to be honest here, when our church decided we were going to do Down Pour and what I heard about the book, I said, “Great, another guilt trip study of how my life is not living for God.” I had reservation about going through the Down Pour study. But when I started reading the book, I realized this was a different approach to Revival. It starts out how our hearts are hard as the ground gets from a drought. And our relationship with God is in a drought and we need the soft rains to soften the ground of our hearts to allow the blessings of God to flow. And once our hearts are soften; God can pour down the rains of blessings in our lives.
Hosea 6:1-3 is A Call to Repentance. It is call for us to come back to God. A call to revive us again, and let God rains a down pour in our hearts.
Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn [us],
and He will heal us;
He has wounded [us],
and He will bind up our wounds.
He will revive us after two days,
and on the third day He will raise us up
so we can live in His presence.
Let us strive to know the LORD.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the land.
Revival is about your personal relationship with God. Is your heart hard? Is there a drought in your life where you do not see the blessings of God? You need to get on your knees before God and repentance by saying, “I am sorry God.” Just stop and get away from your routine in life and get alone with God. God is waiting and He wants to rain a Down Pour upon your life.
I have to be honest here, when our church decided we were going to do Down Pour and what I heard about the book, I said, “Great, another guilt trip study of how my life is not living for God.” I had reservation about going through the Down Pour study. But when I started reading the book, I realized this was a different approach to Revival. It starts out how our hearts are hard as the ground gets from a drought. And our relationship with God is in a drought and we need the soft rains to soften the ground of our hearts to allow the blessings of God to flow. And once our hearts are soften; God can pour down the rains of blessings in our lives.
Hosea 6:1-3 is A Call to Repentance. It is call for us to come back to God. A call to revive us again, and let God rains a down pour in our hearts.
Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn [us],
and He will heal us;
He has wounded [us],
and He will bind up our wounds.
He will revive us after two days,
and on the third day He will raise us up
so we can live in His presence.
Let us strive to know the LORD.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the land.
Revival is about your personal relationship with God. Is your heart hard? Is there a drought in your life where you do not see the blessings of God? You need to get on your knees before God and repentance by saying, “I am sorry God.” Just stop and get away from your routine in life and get alone with God. God is waiting and He wants to rain a Down Pour upon your life.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
What Do We Mean Revival?
What do you think of when you read the word Revival?
□ Tent meetings
□ Crazy things happening like people barking and jumping around
□ Masses of people getting saved
□ Television evangelists
□ Yearly revival week at church
When you say the word Revival today, people think of all the circus and religious nonsense that accompany flesh-induce spiritual fervor. Revival is not long lines of anxious sinners waiting for a turn at the microphone to reveal their most secret sinful something. Revival is not emotional feeling where people are caught up in the moment and fall down, act bizarrely, unbiblically, and out of control. That’s not Revival!
Revival means – “renewed interest after a period of indifference or decline.” God wants to wake us up, to refresh our faith – to fire us up again. Revival is getting back on the path, getting the goal in view again, and pursuing with new passion again. Revival is putting God back into center of life.
Let’s face it, we all get busy and we don’t intend to drift away from God. Sometimes, we think everything is okay and we can make it up back up by going church. Pride is main factor in getting in the way of our relationship with God. Being honest with ourselves is something we don’t like to do but if we are going to live for the Lord, then we need to be transparent.
Revival is being honest with yourself before God. Daily renewing your mind, Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Daily denying yourself and putting Jesus first in all things we do. This allows the Holy Spirit to work within us and guide us daily.
Is revival an everyday event in your life? Think about the word Revival, it means to revive. Daily are you reviving yourself with the Word of God and bathing yourself in prayer and being honest before God?
□ Tent meetings
□ Crazy things happening like people barking and jumping around
□ Masses of people getting saved
□ Television evangelists
□ Yearly revival week at church
When you say the word Revival today, people think of all the circus and religious nonsense that accompany flesh-induce spiritual fervor. Revival is not long lines of anxious sinners waiting for a turn at the microphone to reveal their most secret sinful something. Revival is not emotional feeling where people are caught up in the moment and fall down, act bizarrely, unbiblically, and out of control. That’s not Revival!
Revival means – “renewed interest after a period of indifference or decline.” God wants to wake us up, to refresh our faith – to fire us up again. Revival is getting back on the path, getting the goal in view again, and pursuing with new passion again. Revival is putting God back into center of life.
Let’s face it, we all get busy and we don’t intend to drift away from God. Sometimes, we think everything is okay and we can make it up back up by going church. Pride is main factor in getting in the way of our relationship with God. Being honest with ourselves is something we don’t like to do but if we are going to live for the Lord, then we need to be transparent.
Revival is being honest with yourself before God. Daily renewing your mind, Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Daily denying yourself and putting Jesus first in all things we do. This allows the Holy Spirit to work within us and guide us daily.
Is revival an everyday event in your life? Think about the word Revival, it means to revive. Daily are you reviving yourself with the Word of God and bathing yourself in prayer and being honest before God?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Down Pour
Our church recently finished a 12 week series entitle, Down Pour written by James MacDonald. The book deals with revival within ourselves. taking look at ourselves with our relationship with God. The is book gets down to the core or as James MacDonald says, "seeing yourself as dirt." The book is centered upon this one passage of scripture found in the Old Testament. Hosea 6:1-3 says,
Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn [us],
and He will heal us;
He has wounded [us],
and He will bind up our wounds.
He will revive us after two days,
and on the third day He will raise us up
so we can live in His presence.
Let us strive to know the LORD.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the land.
What does revival mean to you? Does revival have a place in today society or culture? Is revival viewed as being out dated or narrow minded? I am curious what your thoughts are on this subject of revival.
Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn [us],
and He will heal us;
He has wounded [us],
and He will bind up our wounds.
He will revive us after two days,
and on the third day He will raise us up
so we can live in His presence.
Let us strive to know the LORD.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the land.
What does revival mean to you? Does revival have a place in today society or culture? Is revival viewed as being out dated or narrow minded? I am curious what your thoughts are on this subject of revival.
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