Many are going through rough times. Do we stop to give thanks for the many blessings that we have in our own lives? How often do we stop to consider the needs of others and how it can be spiritually fulfilling to bless and serve others? In this season we should be supporting those in need and those less fortunate. How can we give in such hard times as these? How can we show our appreciation and thankfulness toward others in these times? Within this podcast, my good friends Glynda Lomax and Tom Bixler lay out some powerful suggestions.
Note from Ray: We need to be giving thanks for all of our blessings each and every day and honoring each other and giving thanks to one another always. It’s just the polite thing to do regardless (manners) and we are told to treat others as we would want to be treated (Matthew 7:12). Many tend to hear the message, but then do not put it into practice. We need to make sure we are not falling short of what the Lord commands us to do and this includes taking care of one another and not only looking out for our own interests -Tom mentioned this in this podcast, but this needs special emphasis because it can be often overlooked or forgotten.
Philippians 2:4 (NKJV) ‘Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.’
James 1:22 (KJV) ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’
To put this into perspective, ask yourself if it were you in need, how it would it make you feel if you were forgotten and/or neglected? If you did good for someone and they didn’t seem appreciative, how would you feel? You have to put yourselves in that persons shoes or if you are in a situation, reflect on how you have treated others. We need to remember that when we serve others, we are serving the Lord and following His decrees. Sometimes God will take us down a notch to show us how merciful He is to us and to show us how we ought to treat others. Brothers and Sisters, we really need to stop and think about these possibilities given the uncertainty of things. We do not want our hearts to be waxing cold. There is a real danger of that in this season and many are already witnessing it from family and friends. The Lord is merciful to those who are merciful and you never know if that person in need may eventually be you who is in need in the future and I say this because I’ve been there and the Lord took care of me through all of my wilderness.
This is why I have continually a few times mentioned ‘What You Do Now Will Matter Later.‘
As children of God, we should realize that Thanksgiving for true believers and good works should be carried out and honored always -not just once a year and then forgotten. In other words, Thanksgiving should be every day and so should Christmas for that matter. Romans 12 (below) specifically tells us how we ought to behave as Christians when it comes to one another. Why do we have so much trouble with this? Why is it so hard to give? Why is it so hard to say thank you to someone?
If you have not listened to it yet, I also recommend the ‘Significance of Mercy‘ podcast that Tom and myself did a couple of months ago where in that show we presented many suggestions at that time as well and how mercy goes hand in hand with serving others and giving thanks.
I give thanks to Our Father In Heaven for Glynda and Tom as they are great friends who have supported me immensely through times of discouragement. Thank you also guys, for the mention of Innocence Redeemed in this podcast, I was not expecting that!
I’m also thankful for all of you who have supported this ministry and commented which really can lift me up some days -you know who you are and I want you to know that I truly do love you and am very appreciative as well when you give feedback and support! It means a lot to me and it does not go unnoticed by the Lord or myself!
Visit the Just Praise Him Today podcast here
Verses as they pertain to this podcast (some of these were not directly mentioned in the podcast but I have added a few more here as they are appropriate for the topic):
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 (NKJV)
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.
Ezekiel 21:10 (KJV)
10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
Leviticus 22:29 (NKJV)
29 And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will.
1 Chronicles 16:34 (NKJV)
34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
1 John 3:18 (NKJV)
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Proverbs 11:25 (NLT)
25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Proverbs 17:1 (NKJV)
Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.
Proverbs 29:23 (KJV)
23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Proverbs 3:27 (NKJV)
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
Galatians 6:10 (KJV)
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Matthew 7:12 (KJV)
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV)
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Deuteronomy 15:10 (NLT)
10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
Romans 12:3-16 (NKJV)
Serve God with Spiritual Gifts
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Behave Like a Christian
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Colossians 3:15-17 (NLT)
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Thank you so much, Brother, for posting our podcast here for your listeners. ‘Tis the season to give and to give thanks, even though the world is a mess. But truth be told, every day of the year has the potential to be Thanksgiving. I really hope your listeners enjoy listening as much as Glynda and I enjoyed putting it together. And thank you, Brother, for your solid teachings and your unwavering firmness of position. Never back down. Never apologize for your gifts of exhortation and wisdom. May many hearts be convicted. This is a time for us all to be building backbone and boldness in order to stand up and fill in and shed light where the darkness otherwise seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you brother. I will never back down -if anything I will get more aggressive. The time for sugar-coating is over. Listening to this podcast really ought to show everyone how good we really have it when we stop to consider what others are going through. I really hope that it receives more feedback. We need to give thanks to those around us because we never know when they will be checking out of here and in this season it could happen to any of us at any time. Jesus told us (Matthew 5:15) that nobody lights a light and puts it under a table, but rather be the shining light (an example of Jesus by living in His ways) for all to see and we do that by our works by faith as you and I have discussed and have done podcasts on, now a few times. I have to be consoled in what I do here by shining that light on the things that are wrong; I just desire that there would be more cohesion among other members of the same body in Christ. Sometimes the messages I put out are encouraging and sometimes they are of a serious nature as a need to inform as you well know. Regardless, we all have a part to play. We all have a gift we can use well to serve others. We should not just be idle.
The Word tells us to work together as one body and be like-minded (1 Peter 3:8, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Romans 12:16), yet there seems to be a disconnect. It’s disconcerting because if we don’t stick together now, how will it be when things get really bad, especially once the persecution begins? People complain about being isolated and alone, but why do they not reach out? I have been trying to figure this out for a while now. I mean, I know we are all going through something but we don’t need to be hiding in a corner in our own echo chamber or sitting on the sofa eating a bucket of ice cream until Jesus returns. On the contrary, we should be sticking together, building community and doing the Works He has chosen us to do. I look at it like this; The podcast has been heard so now do something with it. In other words, run with it and try putting the advice into practice.
We would do well to work while it is still light by reaching out and helping those in need while we still have the chance to live for HIM. Folks would also be surprised how much support they would have or could even offer to someone else if they would only try to interact, which I have tried to encourage, but I can’t force others to do what they simply do not feel like doing. We can only endure and push forward my friend and try our best to work with the blessings we are given. Thank you for your encouraging comment and podcast!
You’re most welcome, Brother, and I wholeheartedly agree with you. I, too, well keep moving forward because at the core of it, I’m first and foremost concerned about the Lord’s opinion. However, I care deeply about my brothers and sisters, and have a heart for them. While it’s true that it’s not all about works, at the same time, faith without works is dead. There isn’t nearly enough love or expression of love in this world.
Ray, this is SUCH a good blog post! Yes, we need to be doers of the Word, not hearers only if we don’t want to be left behind for further refining in the Great Tribulation which is about to begin. We are to be doers of the Word all day, every day.
Thank you for sharing our podcast here, I hope your listeners enjoy it and take it to heart.
Thanks Glynda and thank you for putting together such a wonderful and timely podcast! =)