The 12 Days of Thanks Giving: Day 11

Pump OBP Header 12Day 11:Boldness

“But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.” 1 Thessalonians 2:2

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Boldness  [bohld] adjective

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1. not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring: a bold hero.
2. not hesitating to break the rules of propriety; forward; impudent:
3. necessitating courage and daring; challenging: a bold adventure.
I am often confused as to why people associate Christianity with weakness and timidity. The International Society for Human Rights estimates 7,000 to 8,000 Christians are martyred each year.  It takes great boldness to swim against the tides of culture and be what God has created us to be — born again believers. Thankfully God did not save us then leave us to fend for ourselves in a world that is not our home. He did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, sound mind, and love. Because of the gift of His  power, we may live with great Boldness.
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This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks  to God for His gift of boldness.

Boldness with Our Gifts: Dearest Father, we thank You for the blessing of boldness. Gifts are meant to be used; not relegated to  a shelf  to collect dust. Help us to claim Your gift  as our own, and boldly use it to make disciples, edify other believers, and bring You great glory. Give us  discernment to know when You’re calling us to boldly leap by faith and witness for the Gospel. We pray in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

Boldness with our Words: Dear Lord, thank You for entrusting us with the Gospel. Help us to faithfully fulfill this amazing privilege. We do not have to worry about what to say because You have given us the words in Your Word. We may boldly proclaim the truth, sowing seeds of salvation in every relationship, situation, and experience we encounter. Help us to boldly speak and trust You for the outcome. Thank You we don’t have to feel bold to be bold. Amen.

 

More Boldness

Worship with Abandon a blog post by Jane VanOsdol

 

Comment

Please leave a comment below in the Speak Your Mind section on what God teaches you today about boldness.

Bold. Dictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sacrifice (accessed: November 15, 2014).

“1 Thessalonians 2 (New King James Version).” Blue Letter Bible. Sowing Circle. Web. 22 Nov, 2014. <http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=111&p=0&rl=0&t=NKJV>.



The 12 Days of Thanks Giving: Day 7

Pump OBP Header 12 Day 7:Redemption

“He has sent redemption to His people: He has commanded His covenant forever:” Psalm 111:9

 

redemption [ri-demp-shuh n] noun

  1. an act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake, or the state of being redeemed.
  2. deliverance; rescue.
  3. atonement for guilt.
  4. repurchase, as of something sold.
  5. recovery by payment, as of something pledged

Redemption is one of the most beautiful words in the whole of human language. The fact that One would atone for  the sin of another is inhuman … in fact, it’s divine. In Hebrew the word redemption transliterates as peduwth, which means, “a division or distinction; from the primary sense of cutting.” Cutting. The cutting of the whip in the flesh of Jesus … the cutting away of the bonds of sin from our hands and feet. The cutting away of old habits, attitudes and mindsets of the old life. The cutting away of sin and shame by the cutting of Jesus. Redemption enables us to live as God created us to be, righteous and free.

This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks  to God for His gift of redemption.

Redemption of Purpose: Father, Your Word says we are Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  Thank You that You created us on purpose, for purpose. We confess we have used our gifts and talents for our own purposes. Please redeem every sinful act. We ask You to recommission our lives  for Your purpose. Thank You for calling us to live effective, significant, purposeful lives for You.

 

Redemption of our Mind: We thank You, Father, that You have given us a sound mind.  Your word says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. May we use our mind as tools to pursue You rather than instruments of sin. Please redeem every sinful habitual thought pattern  by the truth of your Word. Thank you that You train our mind to think Your thoughts, that we might not sin against You.

 

Redemption of our Past: Dearest Father, we thank You that in Christ Jesus we have been completely redeemed. You have bought us back from the  bondage of the Enemy with the precious blood of Christ. We are now free to live as slaves of righteousness. Where we have squandered our talents and treasures on sin and pleasure, Your Word promises to restore the years “the locusts have eaten.” We give thanks that You give beauty for ashes. Every act and deed of our past has been redeemed for our good and Your glory. We truly thank you.

 More Redemption

Redeeming the Time a blog post by Jane VanOsdol

Walking with God a Bible study by Mary Kane

 

Comment

Please leave a comment below in the Speak Your Mind section on what God teaches you today about redemption.

 

redemption. Dictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sacrifice (accessed: November 15, 2014).

“Psalms 111 (New King James Version).” Blue Letter Bible. Sowing Circle. Web. 22 Nov, 2014. <http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=111&p=0&rl=0&t=NKJV>.



The 12 Days of Thanks Giving: Day 1

Pump OBP Header 12Light

“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5

 

 

 light1 [lahyt] noun 

1. the medium of illumination that makes sight possible
2. mental understanding or spiritual insight
3. the radiance or illumination from a particular source:
4. a person who is an outstanding leader, celebrity, or example; luminary:
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Let there be light. God’s first act of creation was to create light. This makes sense as God is the Father of Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. Despite our modern age and technologically advanced society, an estimated 1.5 billion people in the world today live without electric light. When was the last time we gave thanks for the light we easily access with the flip of a switch?
Light helps us see where we are walking, avoid danger, create, work, play, and read. Without light there would be no life. How can we be so careless of something  so essential? We are never more thankful for something than when we’ve had to do without it for a while. Remember the last power outage at your house? This Thanks Giving let’s give thanks to the Father of Lights.
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 Pray for light.

  1.  Do you have any dark areas in your life? Since darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, find a Bible verse that applies to a current area of challenge or temptation  and pray the light of God’s Word into your trial.
  2. Pray for God’s light to shine on the next step for your life, and the lives of your loved ones.
  3. Pray for the lost of the world to accept the Light of the World.

 

More Light

Do you want to go a little deeper in your study of light? Click on the link below.

Walking in Love, Light, and Wisdom.

 

Comment

Please leave a comment below in the Speak Your Mind section on what God teaches you today about light.

light. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/light (accessed: November 12, 2014).

 

 




12 Days of ThanksLiving

Introduction

Thanksgiving: noun

  1. a public celebration in acknowledgement of divine favor or kindness.
  2. A day set apart for giving thanks to God

Thanksgiving, the forgotten holiday, is sandwiched between two holidays which have become focused on receiving. Giving thanks seems to be a leftover attitude from a bygone era. Is thankfulness no longer an important part of American culture? Have we busied ourselves out of the time required to reflect and give thanks?  Is giving thanks a forgotten art?

A thankful attitude

Thanksgiving is not so much a holiday as an attitude. If there was ever a year in which we needed a new attitude it’s 2020. As we move into the holiday season, lets quit complaining about what we’ve lost and start giving thanks for what we have. Let’s change our holiday noun (Thanksgiving) to a holiday verb:

ThanksLiving: verb

  1. living a life of thanks and gratefulness

What if we only had tomorrow the things for which we gave thanks for today? Please take a moment to reflect on this thought provoking quote. Would we have our homes, running water, indoor plumbing, and our families and churches? With that in mind, let’s make a change for the good. For the next 12 days, before the rush of relatives, parties and presents, let’s take time to reflect and give thanks. We invite you to join us for 12 Days of ThanksLiving.

12 Days of ThanksLiving

Beginning November 13th, 2020, we will post a new devotional each day until Thanksgiving. Each post will contain scripture, a theme and a prayer all focused on helping you live a thankful life. ThanksLiving!

We look forward to cultivating an attitude of thanksliving with you!

What are your thoughts about ThanksLiving? What are you thankful for this year? Please leave a comment below. We’d love to chat with you!

All rights reserved. copyright 2020

 



Scripture Prescriptions: Thankfulness by Mary Kane

ID-100109270“In all things, give thanks.“God commands us to give thanks in all things. It’s easy to give thanks for the blessings, for the beautiful things, for the lovely things. But what about the hard things … the blessings in disguise … can we give thanks for the hard things? To cultivate the habit of thanksgiving in your heart, please click on the link: Scripture Prescriptions: Thankfulness

 

 

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