Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear.”
“Is my name written there on the page white and fair? In the book of Thy kingdom, is my name written there? Yes, my name’s written there, on the page white and fair; in the book of Thy Kingdom, yes, my name’s written there!”
“Lord, I care not for riches, neither silver nor gold; I would make sure of heaven, I would enter the fold. In the book of Thy kingdom with its pages so fair, Tell me, Jesus, my Savior, is my name written there? O that beautiful city with its mansions of light, with its glorified beings in pure garments of white; where no evil thing cometh to despoil what is fair, where the angels are watching, yes, my name’s written there.”
To love God with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:33
And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22
Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for bringing us safely to the beginning of this new day, and for the new mercies that you will bestow on us. Lord, we know not what this new day will bring forth, but you already know; so, whatever comes our way, give us grateful thankful hearts.
“New every morning is the love, our wakening and uprising prove, through sleep and darkness safely brought, restored to life and power and thought. New mercies each returning day, hover around us while we pray and help us this and every day to live more nearly as we pray.”
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
“And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.”
Hannah prayed earnestly to God for a son. So, in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked for him from the Lord.’ 1 Samuel 1:20
How many of us make our requests to God, and even go as far as to make pledges to God; but when God answers us favorably, we forget? We must be like Hannah, who asked God for a son, and promised to give him to the Lord if he answered her prayer, and Hannah kept her promise. May the God of hope so fill our hearts with all joy and peace as we believe in him, for all the requests we make to him, this day and forevermore.
I get so sentimental every year around this time when I long to be home in Montserrat for a Harvest Thanksgiving service. It just brings to mind some of those beautiful hymns, and one of my favorites is this: ‘Come ye thankful people come.’ Lord, you know deep within my heart that I am truly thankful for all that you have done for me.
“Come, ye thankful people, come! Raise the song of harvest home; all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide, for our wants to be supplied; come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.” Lord, when you come to take the harvest home, let me be among the fruitful ears that you will store, and not among the tares that will be cast into the fire.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
My brothers and sisters in Christ, you and I have been given a choice, either to perish or to enjoy everlasting life. What will be your choice? I have already made Jesus my choice. I have rejected death by rejecting sin, and I have accepted God’s gift of eternal life by accepting and believing in Him. The choice is yours to make. Choose wisely.
“Others, Lord, yes others, let this my motto be; help me to live for others, that I may live like Thee.” It all begins with one kind deed.
“Lord, help me live from day to day, in such a self-forgetful way, that even when I kneel to pray, my prayer shall be for others. Help me in all the work I do, to ever be sincere and true, and know that all I do for you, just meet the needs of others. And when my work on earth is done, and my new work in heaven’s begun, may I forget the crown I’ve won, while thinking still of others. Others, Lord, yes others, let this my motto be, help me to live for others, that I may live like Thee.”
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
“Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, do you want to be weighed down today or be lifted up? Try laying aside your own worries and cheer up someone else. Know that when you carry the burden of others, God takes your yoke upon Him and gives you rest.