Giving Thanks!

Today is Thanksgiving. The word rolls out of the mind and off the tongue almost too quickly, like a cliche. I think the meaning comes back a bit when you reverse the words that make up the one word: Giving Thanks seems to sharpen the focus. Thanksgiving is a great holiday of food, family, fun and football. Giving thanks takes it up a notch and we all can participate in an activity of expressing gratitude for life, love, and liberated souls thankful to the one true Lord. What a great preparation holiday for Christmas, when we greet God coming into earth to commence His promised rescue. I have been spending some time in Psalm 119 and hoped I'd find the word "thanks" in that psalm...but it wasn't there, at least in the New Living Translation. But I did find a psalm that is all about thanks.....Psalm 136!

-

Psalm 136

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.

-

Psalm 136 would be a good one to read while the family is together because it recounts God's faithfulness across time...from Creation through the miracles of the Old Testament. Each verse carries an expression of thanks followed by the phrase, "His faithful love endures forever." Perhaps that is what we are most thankful for...that God's love to us has always been, will always be during life on the planet and then in the place where time has no dominion.

-

Here's how Psalm 136 ends:

-

²³ He remembered us in our weakness.
His faithful love endures forever.
²⁴ He saved us from our enemies.
His faithful love endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every living thing.
His faithful love endures forever.
²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love endures forever.

-

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving....seems an appropriate thing to do!

-

Rob Smith

Treasure!

I have enjoyed pirate stories...from Peter Pan and Captain Hook...to tales about Black Beard...even to the Pirates of the Caribbean. The adventure, danger and triumph of good over evil (usually) are appealing themes. There usually is a treasure chest filled with gold involved in the story and a map to locate the goods! It occurred to me that we have a Treasure and we have a Map as believers in God. Psalm 119 paints a picture of one who has found the treasure and who clings to the map, even after finding it. The treasure is the direct and very personal relationship with God, Himself, and the communication and revelation that God provides to the believer. It turns out that the treasure and the map are closely related. The map of God's Word guides us into right paths, provides understanding into the mind of God, keeps our ways right and pure, delivers us from danger and, most of all, forms the core of our relationship with God on a personal level. God's Word is how He talks to us in the most personal of ways and we speak to Him in prayer, lifting our needs and responding to His revealed truth with praise. I believe that there are spiritual pirates who would distract us from the Map of God's Word and try to provide other, false maps. So we need to wrap the map of the Lord around our hearts and let it fill our minds. For the Map is the Word of God and the Treasure is the precious intimacy we have with the Writer...who gives us understanding and walks into our lives each day!

-

Psalm 119:162 I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure.

-

blessings and treasures of understanding!

Rob Smith

Rescue!

The other day I was listening to Psalm 119. It's a really long psalm with 176 verses. Every verse makes some kind of reference to God's Words...his commands...his law...his instructions...his promises. One word that stood out from the New Living Translation that I was hearing was: "rescue". Dictionary.com defines "rescue" as: 'to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil.'

-

Psalm 119:123 My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled.

-

Here is one of those verses. It occurs that a rescue is needed because help is needed that is beyond the capability of the individual in need. But, before a rescue can be found it is necessary that one realizes a rescue is needed. It seems that many people are cruising through life with no apparent awareness of need for a rescue. They seem to be doing just fine...at least in their own eyes. So, perhaps the first need is for people to realize their need.

-

¹⁵⁵ The wicked are far from rescue,
for they do not bother with your decrees.

-

Some of the other references to 'rescue' from Psalm 119 shine a little more light.

-

⁸¹ I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.

-

The rescue calls for endurance.

-

⁹⁴ I am yours; rescue me!
For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.

-

The rescue marks our identity with the Lord.

-

¹¹⁷ Sustain me, and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on your decrees.

-

Our attitude is right when our motivation for rescue is to draw even nearer to Him.

-

Blessings to all who have been rescued and who have seen their need for rescue and for those who are yet to even realize the rescue is essential!

-

Rob Smith

The Promise

Psalm 119:⁵⁰ Your promise revives me;
it comforts me in all my troubles.

-

We really should be careful about making promises. After all, how can we be sure that we'll fulfill them? We do not know the future and we do not know if we will be available, able or even true to our word. We may try our best to keep every promise, but we may fail at some point. I think the best we can do, when it comes to our promises is just that: the best we can do!. There is only One who can be relied on to keep a promise and that is the Lord. The assurance that He will fulfill every promise He has made becomes the greatest promise of all! I think the best we can do, really, is to renew our commitment daily to this One who is able to truly keep His word. After all, we have His promise that He will be with us all the way from now through eternity!

-

Psalm 18:³⁰ God's way is perfect.
All the Lord's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

-

blessings,

Rob Smith

news and weather

Watching the local news on TV can be depressing. It seems that violent crime and its consequences are headlined almost every day. The sports can be a little lighter, unless your favorite team isn't having a winning season. But the weather is a unique segment that is refreshingly distinct from the rest of the program. All of the rest of the local news is focused on what has already happened. The Weather does some of that, too, but then moves on to predicting the future! We aren't very good about predicting the future,in specific ways, in almost any aspect of life. We may have a pretty good idea of what lies ahead of us at the beginning of the day, but we really can't say how it will unfold specifically. But, with the weather, our science is pretty good. The range of temperatures, the presence of precipitation, the degree and direction of wind are pretty accurately forecasted for several days at a time. When we step into the day we can have pretty good confidence that the weather predicted will be the weather experienced. We would like to know how other aspects of our day and our life will unfold, but we generally cannot. If we knew what was going to happen ahead of time we might not feel the need to depend on the Lord or to build a relationship of trust. We cherish the promises of the Lord for salvation and restored relationship to Him so that we can live and move in the sure care of His hands. We have confidence in the ultimate future for our lives and we are confident that as we rely on Him the unknowns of our future days will be directed by Him. It may be good to consider that it's not so much where we are going, as how we are travelling, and with whom.

-

Acts 17:²⁸ For in him we live, and move, and have our being;

-

blessings,

Rob Smith

freedom

One of the reasons I like to run is the feeling of freedom that accompanies it. It's not all about freedom. There's fatigue and some degree of muscle pain that always accompanies running...but somewhere in the middle of the experience there is a serenity of solitude and peace, surrounded by the beauty of nature. This seems to lead to appreciative thoughts of, and about, the Lord. So I pondered the word "freedom". Freedom is certainly at the heart of our country and its origins. People crossed oceans for the opportunities they could find here that were closed to them in their homeland. Freedom was the cry that led to our war of Independence. Freedom was the driving force that led to the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. But, in our daily experience we may not always experience true freedom. There is an inner quality of freedom or bondage that needs to be frequently reviewed. Jesus said that He came to set the captive free. But freedom doesn't mean the absence of authority in our lives, but the establishment of the proper authority.

-

John 8:

³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

³³ "But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, 'You will be set free'?"

³⁴ Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. ³⁵ A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

-

blessings to all who long for true freedom and the freedom of truth!

Rob Smith

marching toward eternity

This day's a step, just one more step, toward eternity.

-

My Father waits, will one day greet me, when this shore I leave.

-

Heaven watches us in life as day by day we walk;

-

We may think this flesh is all, but in our hearts...there's more.

-

Forever is a place past time where God does truly reign.

-

Now's the time to face the Lord and let Him fill our days.

-

We're marching toward eternity, the seconds lead to years.

-

But growing old draws us close... a place beyond all fears.

-

How shall I live, now, in this place with forever looming near?

-

I'll face the Son and then bow down and let Him fill my heart.

Running

So I have been getting back into running over the past few months, but at 61 I have to admit that it must be characterized now as "jogging" because the pace is so slow. I have gotten the distance up to 7 miles (once a week and maybe one other 3 mile jog per week) but it takes me almost an hour and a half to go 7 miles! I am finding that moving my arms and shoulders back and forth for that long is as difficult as keeping the legs and lungs going. But there is great joy personally in the freedom of running for me. So I thought I'd look up a few scriptural references on running to explore the connection with spiritual health:

Job 9:25a ²⁵ "My life passes more swiftly than a runner."

-

We think of ourselves running through life and running through our days. Another way of looking at it is that life and time are running and carrying us toward eternity.

-

Psalm 143:⁹ Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me.

It is good to know where to run when trouble seems to come after us!

-

Proverbs 4:¹² When you walk, you won't be held back; when you run, you won't stumble.

-

Proverbs is talking about listening to the wisdom of God and the result of walking and even running in truth and clear direction.

-

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.

-

The Lord can help us stand, and not run, when we need courage!

-

1 Corinthians 9:²⁴ Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! ²⁵ All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. ²⁶ So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.

-

Life is to be lived with focus on an ultimate objective and life is to be run, as in a race, to win that objective. Just as running is a discipline and not altogether pleasant, so life can be that way. But the objective of knowing and experiencing a close walk with the Lord and sharing His Gospel is a worthy prize for us to pursue!

--

blessings,

Rob Smith

Thanks

Psalm 28:⁷ The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

---

We are approaching one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving. I love the family, food and noncommercial aspects of the day and I love that its purpose is to express thanks! When we start counting the many reasons to be thankful, we range from personal needs met to the blessings of family, children, grandchildren and good friends. We are grateful to live in a free land, where we can choose our profession and where we are able to worship freely. But I think the greatest reason for thanksgiving is the reality of God and especially the personal reality of God within our lives. The Psalmist captures it well, above, when he describes the Lord as his "strength and shield"...his energy and his protection. We truly need one who is greater than we are and the Psalmist has discovered the personal benefits of knowing and leaning on Him. The psalm captures this in the words: "I trust him with all my heart". I suppose that there is only one way to really experience the Lord properly and that is to rely on Him in a total way...letting go of self and of any other lesser sources of strength, apart from the Lord. For then we will know that He is the one who carris us. The Psalmist expresses this: "He helps me, and my heart is full of joy". When we know who has helped us our heart knows where to turn to express thanks. And through the wonder of song, where emotion, spirit and mind all join we find the proper outlet to express thanks. I hope your Thanksgiving is more than a day or even a season and grows to be your daily experience with the Lord!

---

blessings,

Rob Smith

pursue and be pursued

We are starting a pastoral search process in church and I did a word look-up on "search" to trace how searches took place throughout scripture. One of the truths that jumped out at me was that we may be searching for God (and we ought to be searching after Him...to know Him and to enjoy His company) but it is also true that He is searching after us. I thought it made a beautiful picture how we, with outstretched hearts and arms and minds extend to Him and He with loving arms comes after us. Certainly we are reassured that the "finding" that we need starts with "searching". Out of our need and out of our weakness and out of our despair and out of our joy we search for Him. And He will find us as His searchlight roams the spiritual landscape...after all, even our desire to reach toward Him is at His prompting!

---

Deuteronomy 4:²⁹ But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

---

Luke 19:⁹ Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Mancame to seek and save those who are lost."

---

blessings,

Rob Smith

breathing while singing

I love to sing...especially to sing worship songs. That's why being in the choir appeals so much. Your whole mind, heart and body join with your spirit in focused adoration of the Lord. The other day, as I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that at the same time we are singing we are also breathing. Of course our body must continue to function while we are engaged in the process of singing. The very same pathway that brings in fresh air and expels depleted breath is simultaneously being used in a spiritual exercise of praise and song. In a broader sense, that is how our lives are to be lived. While our physical body is going about all the necessary functions and processes of living, our spiritual side is simultaneously experiencing and expressing the presence and the purposes of the Lord! Body and soul coexist to display and to reflect and to express the reality of God through His created instrument (You and me !!).

-

Psalm 28:⁷ The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

-

blessings,

Rob Smith

Masterpiece

A word of encouragement. You are God's Masterpiece of Creation! Consider how, after making all the rest of the universe, including stars and planets and then our solar system with the sun and moon, He fashioned earth and then filled it with life. But His crowning achievement in terms of Creation was You! (And me and all people who have been made, unlike the rest of Creation, in the image of God.) We may not feel like a masterpiece at times. In fact we may be overwhelmed with the challenge of living this life. But from God's point of view, and in God's design, we are closest to Him. The quality of our composition is not a reflection of anything we have done. We could not enhance or detract from our essential worth and we cannot improve upon His design. Apparently He wanted to form something that would freely choose to adore Him, when all of the Heavenly beings obey and submit to Him in obvious deference to His Sovereignty, as they move about directly in His presence. What we now perceive as a cloud, or a fog, of incomplete knowledge and understanding of God and of life, will one day lift and we, too, will be directly in His presence.

-----------------------------------------------

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground."

²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."

-------------------------------

blessings,

Rob Smith