Coffee With The Lord

I’m encouraged by all my Facebook friends who are participating in “DAYS OF THANKSGIVING” this year!  I am uplifted by their daily FB posts of thanksgiving and gratitude! 

It’s a tragic thing when “Thanksgiving Day” becomes simply one day out of the year… even more tragic when it is secularized to become “Turkey Day”!!  It ought to at least be a “season” … no, better yet it needs to become a “life attitude” and practice EVERY day of the year!! … “THANKSLIVING!”

This morning part of my Bible reading was 1 Chronicles 29.10-13… Part of David’s prayer after personally giving generously for the construction of the temple and also urging the people he led to give generously for the project his son Solomon would carry to completion…  I read his words and decided I want to make them my mantra this Thanksgiving season…

“Praise be to you Lord…from everlasting to everlasting!  Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor!  Everything in heaven and earth is Yours! … You are exalted as Head over all!  Wealth and honor come from You; You are ruler of all things!  In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name!”

Following this David simply acknowledged “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand!”  He went to pray, “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity!  All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent.  And now I have see with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to You… Keep these desires and thought in the hearts of Your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to You!” (From 1 Chronicles 29.14-20 NIV)

What a noble attitude!  What a wonderful desire!  I want it to be mine!  I want it to captivate my heart and carry me from Thanksgiving to Christmas, then on up to the New Year and through the rest of my life!!  Don’t you! … “THANKSLIVING!”

STARK CONTRASTS IN THE WAY PEOPLE BEHAVE WHEN PROVOKED… EVER OBSERVE IT? Especially when it involves the proclamation of the gospel and the conviction of sin that the Holy Spirit brings. However it can be observed in any situation where you have a godly Christian – full of the Spirit; in contrast to another individual, self-righteous and arrogant, provoked and angry. Hey, there ought to be a contrast – and there often is!

I read the account of such a contrast this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord”… Acts 7:54-60 in your Bible.

Stephen had just preached a powerful message that traced God’s grace and goodness through Israel’s history… Then he got to the part of the message that addressed human sin and rebellion and dealt with the issue of the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ…

And what followed was two stark differences of response!

The response of those who had rejected and crucified Christ: “When they heard these things they were enraged, and ground their teeth at Stephen… They cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and rushed together at him. They cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul [who later was powerfully confronted by Christ himself, and became a devoted follower of Jesus – Apostle Paul]

Oh but what a contrast followed from godly Stephen! What a model for believers under pressure, provoking behavior, and persecution! Here it is… But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God! And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God! … And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep [he died]”

How similar to the response of Jesus Christ, our Savior, in His death (read Luke 23:32-43)! Christians through the centuries who have had to withstand unjust accusation, persecution and even martyrdom have exhibited the behavior of Stephen and their Savior!

Oh Lord, with the enablement of your Holy Spirit, that produces Christ-like love within our hearts, may my responses under pressure and persecution by like Stephen’s! I KNOW WHAT SIDE OF THE CONTRAST I WANT TO BE ON – MORE LIKE JESUS!

Encouraging words – comforting words – reassuring words for those going through deep trials…

I read them this morning embedded in Stephen’s sermon in the book of Acts. They reminded me of the truth upon which they are based in Exodus. I believe they will be a blessing to one of my Facebook friends that is a part of the “Coffee with the Lord” group today… Someone out there needs this reminder!

The Lord spoke to Moses and said to him… “I HAVE INDEED SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT. I HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANING AND HAVE COME TO SET THEM FREE.” (Acts 7.34 NIV)

And from Exodus… “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. GOD HEARD THEIR GROANING and He remembered His covenant … He looked on the Israelites AND WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THEM.” (Exodus 2.23-25 NIV)

“The Lord said, ‘I HAVE INDEED SEEN THE MISERY OF MY PEOPLE in Egypt, I HAVE HEARD THEM CRYING OUT because of their slave drivers, and I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR SUFFERING. So I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM… and bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.’” (Exodus 3.7-8 NIV)

As I read those words today I was reminded of the reassuring truth in 1 Peter 5.6-7… “Humble yourselves, therefore under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. CAST ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU!”

I don’t know who needed to be reminded of this truth today, but here it is… You may feel forgotten, even abandoned… you wonder if God is even aware of what you’re going through… HE IS! HE’S AWARE! HE’S CONCERNED! HE CARES! HE WILL ACT TO SUSTAIN YOU, HELP YOU AND RESCUE YOU! He did for His people Israel… He will for you!