Day 12: The Presence

“And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Exodus 33:14

Presence  [prez–uh ns] noun

1. the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.

2. attendance or company

3. immediate vicinity; proximity

4. a divine or supernatural spirit felt to be present

The Presence of God

The Presence of God is a reason for ThanksLiving. In the Garden of Eden man walked in the very presence of God. After the Fall, man walked differently with God; he was separated from Him because of sin.

The first advent brought a baby in a stable and again man walked differently. God’s Presence tabernacled among us. God walked with us.

But that wasn’t enough Presence.

After the crib came the cross and then Pentecost. Again, man walked differently with God. No longer was God just with us, but God was within us.  His Presence tabernacle-ing within man. Hallelujah!

The Hebrew word for presence is paniym, which means face, surface, presence. But paniym also means, before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before, to the front of. Amazing.

His Presence leads to ThanksLiving

Why can we be at rest? Why can we be at peace? Because His Presence is behind us, going before us, in front of us, behind us, toward us, beyond us. He is with us, guiding us, protecting us, leading us, holding us in the palm of his hands.  God’s presence is all over and all in us. His Presence brings us rest. This holiday season, when we are feeling rushed and stressed, we don’t need to seek peace; we need to seek Presence. God’s Presence leads to ThanksLiving.

More ThanksLiving Presence

Day 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

.1. not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring: a bold hero.

This ThanksLiving, let’s give thanks  to God for His gift of boldness.

Day 10: The Gospel

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Meto preach the gospel to the poor: He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year  of the LORD.”

Gospel [gos-puh l] noun

Definitions:

1. the teachings of Jesus and the apostles; the Christian revelation,
2. the story of Christ’s life and teachings, especially as contained in the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
3. something regarded as true and implicitly believed,
4. glad tidings, especially concerning salvation and the kingdom of God as announced to the world by Christ.

Day 9: Discipleship

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Disciple [dih-sahy-puh] noun

1. Religion
   1. One of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
   2. One of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
   3. Any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.
2. Any follower of Christ
3. A person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower: “a disciple of Freud.”

Disciple: Your Identity

We spend much of our lives trying to get approved. Jobs have rigorous interviews. Colleges – and even some preschools — have intense application processes. Even getting a credit card requires a certain level of financial stability.

It’s in the midst of our performance-based culture that God offers us a free gift: becoming his disciple.

Surprisingly, Jesus doesn’t have a list of prerequisites we have to fulfill before becoming his disciple. He walked up to Matthew’s tax collector booth – maybe even while Matthew was in the middle of overcharging the poor and pocketing the surplus – and called him to be a disciple.

Action Step: As we near Thanks Giving, thank God for the gift of becoming his disciple. Express to God how much learning at his feet means to you.

Discipleship: Your Calling

As disciples, our mission is to follow God. We’re also called to disciple others. Take a look at Matthew 28:19-20 again. These were the last words Jesus spoke before leaving the earth. We should treat them like we would the dying wish of a loved one – with great weight and importance.

Jesus’ last words call us to not only be disciples, but also to make disciples. The Greek word for this is matheteuo. According to Bible Hub, it means, “helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured, growing disciple.”

Action Step: Ask God who in your life he is calling you to disciple. Then, reach out to them and help them learn what it means to live as an authentic Christ follower.

Discipleship Resources

The idea of discipling someone is intimidating for many people. If the prospect feels a little overwhelming, start with these fantastic resources:

• 7 Principles of Biblical Discipleship
• 10 Ways to Disciple Brand-New Christians

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Bio:

Our guest poster, Amber Miller, is a board game fanatic, coffee enthusiast, and proponent of loud laughing. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and son, trying to further God’s kingdom one small step at a time.

[https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discipleship?s=t]

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ThanksLiving, Day 8: Purpose

 “But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Exodus 9:16

Day 7: Redemption

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 a lifestyle of ThanksLiving as God created us to be, righteous and free.

This ThanksLiving, 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. Help us to focus today on redemption as part of our lifestyle of ThanksLiving.

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 Comment section on what God teaches you today about redemption.

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

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