The Heaton File

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— better not to vow than to vow and not pay. (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)

Keeping Our Word

The veracity of God’s word has never been challenged with success. Critics of Jesus tried to dissuade the multitudes away from Jesus but they could never find error or falsehood in His teaching. They often tried to trap the Lord with His words. The Jewish leaders wove intricate questions designed to assassinate the character of the man from Nazareth and failed miserably every time. On one occasion, they confronted Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar and acknowledged how honest Jesus was and how He taught the way of God without partiality or favoritism. The word of Jesus was His bond, His character without reservation and everyone knew that.

God’s word has been true from the beginning. The word of man has not. Nothing challenges the heart of men more than keeping promises and fulfilling vows. God demands honesty in His children, which is especially true in the promises made by men. Nothing is more important to the character of the disciple of Christ than the words that come from his mouth. The wise man warns against speaking out of turn and failing to keep promises to God. Making a vow or a promise to God and refusing to keep that word is foolish and dangerous. Every judgment scene shows the Book of life open with all men judged by the things done in the body, good or bad. Unkept promises, lies, falsehoods and dishonest words will appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

Truth is the sterling character of a person of character. Their word is their bond not to impress others but to obey God. The Lord holds accountable the promises made. Two main areas of concern begin with the promise to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation comes from an obedient heart willing to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. With the mouth confession is made to salvation. The oath of allegiance to serve the Lord is a promise God demands His children keep. When someone becomes a Christian, they promise to serve the Lord and obey His word. Failing to keep that word will bring the judgment of God. It is foolish to make a vow of obedience to be a Christian and delay keeping that promise.

The second vow that must be kept is the promise made in marriage. Marriage vows are words of the covenant where a man and woman stand before God and promise to be faithful to one another. These vows are solemn and must be kept with great fidelity. Failing to keep marriage vows is displeasing to the God to whom those promises were made. It is easy to disregard a promise to others without fear of retribution. Failing to keep a vow to God has eternal consequences. God hates divorce in part because vows are broken, promises made are rejected, and a covenant broken. It would be better not to have made promises than to go back on those promises.

Jesus was known as a man of integrity because His word defined His character. The disciple of Christ must be a person of truthfulness by their words, keeping promises to God and one another. When a promise is made to God, He intends the person to keep that word. God takes no pleasure in fools. Failing to keep their word makes a man a fool and in danger of God’s displeasure. Speak the truth in love but speak the truth. Strive to keep promises or explain why it cannot be done. Let the example of the Lord guide the heart to be a person who is known for his honest character and a person of integrity. Do not be rash in making promises that cannot be kept. But fear God.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. (Titus 3:4-8)

Salvation’s Cornucopia

The question of salvation has divided the religious world for two thousand years and more prominently in the past five hundred years. Martin Luther rejected the works of salvation of the Roman Catholic Church, emphasizing salvation by grace alone. John Calvin advanced the doctrine of grace as the exclusive means of salvation. Almost all Protestant churches born out of the apostate Roman Catholic Church teach a pattern of salvation different from the Bible. Justification by faith alone is prominent among the Christian community of Protestantism. Men like Billy Graham taught if a man accepted Christ in his heart, he would be saved. The doctrine of faith alone is the bedrock of most religious groups.

Paul’s letter to Timothy concludes with a cornucopia of the will of God to save men. It begins with the Father who loved the world to send His only begotten Son. The love of God revealed the mercy of the Father through Jesus Christ. This divine gift was not because of any righteous thing humanity had done but quite the opposite. Nothing was deserving in man to qualify him to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. The wrath of God is what all men deserve. But God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son to die for the sins of all men. Only by the goodness of God did salvation come to men.

No one could claim justification through works of how a man could save himself. Without the grace of God, a man was helpless and without hope. The revelation of God’s love gave all men the blessing of redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Peter and the apostles opened the door of salvation in Jerusalem when they declared the gift of grace through Jesus Christ. When the multitude begged the apostles what to do, Peter declared the message of salvation by telling them to be washed in the waters of baptism where their sins were washed away. Repentance and baptism signified the grace of God to sinful men and three thousand Jews obeyed the word of the Lord. The promise of the Holy Spirit was given to those who obeyed the word of the Lord.

Grace is an abundant gift that can only come from God. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, the mercy of the Father takes a sinful man and washes away all his sins in the waters of baptism. Justification is found in the grace of God, where those who do the will of the Father become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Because of His grace, sinful man is made right in the sight of God, instilling confidence in the promises of God. Eternal life is granted to those who accept the mercy, grace, and kindness of God and obey the gospel message of repentance and baptism for the remission of sins.

Paul urges the saints to trust in God and devote themselves to doing good. He instructs the saved to be careful to maintain good works. This does not dismiss salvation by grace but enhances the pattern of salvation by the blessings of God and the works of men. When a man rejects salvation by works, he denies the teachings of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul confirmed to the saints in Ephesus salvation by grace in tandem with the writings of James that shows faith without works is dead. No one is saved by grace alone or faith alone and no one can be saved by works alone. Paul’s conclusion to Titus outlines the pattern of salvation by grace, mercy, kindness, baptism, love, justification and maintaining good works. He reminds Titus these teachings are good and beneficial for all.

As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” (Matthew 9:32-34)

Two Views Of Jesus

The miracles of Jesus were not charlatan exhibitions of sleight of hand or trickery. Men like Simon the sorcerer would later amaze the people with his supposed powers and the crowds believing he possessed some gift from God. Jesus defied all the tricksters of His day. His miracles were astonishing, demonstrative, undeniable, and of such a nature no man can deny. The harshest critics of Jesus never denied His miracles; they only denied the source of His miracles. Thousands of people were healed of paralysis, blindness, blood disease, infirmities, demon-possession, fevers, and some raised from the dead.

Following the healing of two blind men, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. Moved with compassion, Jesus cast out the demon and the man’s tongue was loosed. Healing a known mute who suffered from a demon was a powerful testimony that Jesus of Nazareth was not an ordinary man. No man had the power to immediately cause a mute to speak or to cast out a demon from a man. Jesus demonstrated unmistakably He was the Son of God.

As the crowds watched Jesus heal the mute, two separate opinions arose from what they saw. The crowds were amazed. They saw the man from Nazareth do what no other man had done or could do. Healing the mute was not a magician’s trick. Clearly, Jesus healed the man of an impossible disease. The multitudes marveled at the ease and power of Jesus to cast out a demon and make a mute speak. Their reaction was to claim that such a thing had never been seen in Israel. The people were correct in their observation. A second view of the same incident was heralded by the Pharisees as nothing more than healing by the prince of the demons. The Pharisees saw the same mute man possessed of a demon – healed and speaking and yet they could only conclude the ‘healing’ was done by the forces of evil. The people and the Jewish leaders saw the same miracle and came away with two different views.

The hard-hearted Pharisees saw the power of God in ways no modern man has witnessed and still denied Jesus. A failed philosophy of men suggests if Jesus were here today, the world would accept Him as the Son of God. In fact, what happened to Jesus two thousand years ago would happen today. If Jesus stood in the middle of Times Square and raised a man from the dead or healed a crowd of sick people of various diseases; most would accuse Him of trickery, dishonesty, and deception. They would heckle Him and run him out of town. Only a few honest hearts would see something never seen before and recognize the power of God.

What Jesus did with the mute and demon-possessed man pales in comparison to the miracle that happens every day. No one is raised from the dead or receives the healing power of the divine hand. Miracles of healing do not occur today as found in the First Century. No man has the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, cause the blind to see, or make the lame walk. Those who claim such powers are liars and frauds. The greatest miracle that declares Jesus Christ the Son of God is the Bible.

God never intended to keep men on earth to perform miracles. All those who were raised from the dead died again. The mute and demon-possessed man died, as did all those healed of diseases. Jesus came to bring the Word to heal the most serious malady man has – sin. The Bible is the greatest miracle of God that heals the greatest need of men. Blind men are healed of sin by the power of the word. People with cancer can find hope in the healing power of God’s grace. No disease can destroy a man who possesses the word of God. The Bible is the greatest miracle that heals the greatest disease by the greatest sacrifice through the love of the greatest Son ever known.

There are two views of the Bible: the honest heart recognizes the word of God as something never seen or heard in the wisdom of men. The majority of people view the word of God as a book of demonic origin because they reject it as a myth or fairy tale. Jesus is still dismissed as nothing more than a good man but not divine. How the Pharisees saw the miracle did not change the fact the man who was healed knew the power of God. It does not matter how the world views the Bible to those who know the power of the word. What the world does not realize is their view of the Bible will be brought to light at the judgment seat of Christ. It is then the view of all men will be that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God – the Word.

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

Hope Comes From The Word

There are about 592,439 words in the Old Testament. The New Testament covers about 181,253 words, with a total combined summary of 773,692 words in the complete Bible. Some years after Paul wrote his letter to the Roman saints, the canon of the Bible was complete, but he recognized the full value of the available scriptures to the early Christians. Paul understood the importance of the written word as a conduit transcending the generations from Moses to Malachi as a message of hope. Reading the word was not to be an intellectual exercise but an emotional experience to create in the heart a love for the promises of God with the blessed assurance that God never lies. Every story of the Old Testament resonates with the grace of God, telling man of the hope he has in the word of the Lord.

Hope is an essential ingredient in the life of the child of God. Paul did not have the advantage of the completed revelation but he knew what power lay in the words of scripture. The word of God is a powerful demonstration of the promises of God. Those promises never fail, whether good or bad. The word of God is true when the Lord promises blessings and His word is true when the wrath of God is unleashed. Hope does not come naturally. The experience of hope is honed by the many hours spent in the word seeing the struggles of faulty men seeking the righteousness of a loving Father and the constant forgiveness of a merciful God. Noah was a man who received the message of God’s wrath in the destruction of the world and the promise of salvation in building the ark. Reading stories such as Noah’s ark brings hope to the downtrodden soul.

Knowledge comes from reading the word of God. Hope springs from this knowledge and is proportionate to the amount of knowledge one has of the word. Often, the Christian life is filled with doubt and fear because little time is spent in the word of God to see how God cares for His saints. The Bible stories are not stories for the casual reader, but rather stories declaring the salvation of the Lord. Hope comes from seeing how God answers prayers, completes His will in the lives of His people, and remembers the frail dust of man’s nature in divine forgiveness. The stories change from generation to generation, but the Lord’s promises remain the same. Paul reminds the Roman saints that the scriptures give hope and encouragement to all who wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. This is a learned experience.

Earlier in the letter to Rome, Paul showed that faith comes from hearing the word of God. Hope and faith are inseparably connected to one another. Faith will increase with time spent in the word and hope becomes the by-product of faith. Learning requires effort. Putting forth the effort to learn the stories and teachings of the Bible (Old and New) will fortify the soul with courage, fill the heart with hope, and bless the mind with the assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ. All of these are contingent on the time spent reading the word of God. Too many Bibles gather dust rather than dusting off the cobwebs of doubt in the heart. The scriptures give hope. Read the word of God to be wise in this life and to know the glory of life to come. If you lack faith and have little hope – take time to read the scriptures.

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)

The Great Appearing

There has never been a gathering like the one at the judgment seat of Christ. Moses spoke the law to the children of Israel who numbered more than a million souls but his audience was small. Jesus fed more than five thousand people at one time and that crowd was infinitely smaller than those who will gather before Him at judgment. If technology could connect with every soul on earth (estimated at nearly eight billion) at one time, the number would pale compared to the day that is coming. There is a day coming that will gather every human from Adam to the final baby born to stand before the great and terrible day of the Lord.

The great appearing is when all will come before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Noble kings and queens will have no special place to stand. They will assemble with the peasants and common folk. Rich men will feel the same dread as poor men. Tyrants, despots, and bullies will have no courage but tremble in fear. The wisest men on earth will bow in the presence of the all-knowing. There will be no arguments, questions, or appeals. All will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive whatever is deserved for the good or evil done in the earthly body. It will be the most amazing assembly of people ever brought together.

When the book of life is opened, everything a person has done will be revealed. The 969 years of Methuselah will be detailed in the book with great care. Adam lived 930 years and it will all be there. The righteousness of Noah will be known, the faith of Abraham declared, and the heart of David confirmed. Ahab and Jezebel will not find joy in that day as they stand next to Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Cyrus, Herod, and Pilate, knowing the fate that awaits them. Rahab will hear the faithful words of eternal life, as will Samson and Saul of Tarsus.

The amazing realization of those who stand before a righteous God is that not everyone will go to heaven. All of humanity standing before the Lord will be judged according to what they have done. If it is the righteousness of obedience, they will be saved, but most people did not live that way in life. Their lives were not doing the will of the Father. The goodness of a person often measures salvation but good people will not be saved on the judgment day of the Lord. The judgment of God will come from a book that shows willing obedience to the will of the Father. To be well-pleasing to God is to submit to His will. Religious people will not be saved. Obedient people will hear the words of eternal life. Everything about the great appearing will come from the righteous character of God, not the wisdom of men.

Everyone will be at the great appearing. No one will be left out and no one lost in the mass of humanity. Everyone will be judged and this should bring a sense of awe and fear. There is such a thing as the terror of the Lord. It is real, it is powerful, and it will bring judgment to the billions of souls who have lived. There will be no partiality. Obedience will be rewarded and disobedience punished. Considering the great assembly, everyone must make it their aim to be well-pleasing to God. Eternity depends on it. Are you ready? See you there.

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Habakkuk’s Pandemic

Habakkuk did not understand how a just and merciful God could allow a nation like Babylon to afflict Israel. Babylon was a cruel and barbaric nation bent on the annihilation of any who stood in their way. God calls the Babylonians a bitter and hasty nation that is terrible and dreadful. Their horses are swifter than cheetahs and fiercer than wolves at dusk as the charioteers charge ahead. Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey and their army is bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand. This terrible army stands ready to destroy the people of God and Habakkuk is seeking answers.

God answers Habakkuk by reminding the prophet that Babylon is an instrument of divine wrath upon the sinful nation of Israel. The nation of Israel was to be an example of the glory of God but they had become like the nations around them. Judgment had to come upon the disobedient and that judgment came first from the Assyrians. They took the northern tribes away into oblivion and now the Babylonians stood poised to punish the remnant. God knew what He was doing. Habakkuk did not understand the mind of God but everything was following a divine pattern of the goodness and severity of a loving God.

Habakkuk struggled with a wicked nation like Babylon being used to punish the holy people of God. He failed to appreciate that Israel deserved such a severe punishment from an evil nation like Babylon. However, it was never God’s intention to allow Babylon to go unpunished. There is always an appointed time and judgment against any nation that forgets God and judgment would come against the Babylonians. Sin bears its own seed of self-destruction. Israel may be carried away to captivity by the Babylonians but they will return a remnant to preserve the seed. When the Medes and Persians destroyed Babylon, there was nothing left. The wicked nation of Babylon had its Waterloo as all nations will face the judgment of a wrathful God.

The answer God wants Habakkuk to understand is that in the face of the tragedy of the Babylonians, there remains hope and the promise of God. Babylon would bring great harm to Israel and many of God’s people would die but at the end of the day, the just will live by faith. What happens in the affairs of nations is God’s will, not the business of men. God will do what He must do without consulting men. Habakkuk needed to see that regardless of the chaos in the world, God still ruled and the faithful would be justified by trusting in the love and mercy of God. It is at the end of his short book that Habakkuk comes to realize the awesome power of trusting in God. No matter how bad things become, no matter how much harm Babylon will bring to the nation, and no matter what may happen to his life – Habakkuk will remain steadfast to the Lord.

Pandemics come in different forms. For Habakkuk, his pandemic was Babylon. It seemed insurmountable, impossible and full of dread. A lot of bad things were going to take place before it was all over. For many of God’s people, their faith is destroyed. Seeing the Babylonians march on Jerusalem took their spiritual life away and they turned against the Lord. Men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Ezekiel faced their captivity with faith, courage, and steadfast love for the Lord. They did not allow the Babylonians to destroy their relationship with God. The story does not reveal what happened to Habakkuk. Was he killed by the surging forces of the Babylonian army or did he suffer captivity with so many others? The Holy Spirit does not reveal what happened to the prophet of God and we are left to wonder.

Habakkuk had a clear view of his pandemic. He trembled inside and his lips quivered with fear and he shook in terror. But he decided to wait quietly for the will of the Lord. The prophet of God determined that even though the fig trees would not blossom or the grapes died and the olive crops failed and the fields lie empty and barren, he would rejoice in the Lord. He knew that God was his salvation and the Sovereign Lord was all the strength he needed. Habakkuk would not stop doing the will of the Lord just because he faced the pandemic of the Babylonians.

The pandemic of a virus has rocked the world. Like Babylon, it has come with fear and dread. It is beyond the scope of human wisdom to know how the providential will of the Lord has worked in this pandemic. Regardless, the pandemic has changed the face of the world and, sadly, has rocked the foundations of the church. There have been people of God who have succumbed to the fear of the pandemic and given up their trust and hope in the will of God. They have allowed the fear mongers to destroy their trust in the Almighty Lord God. The prayer of Habakkuk is the only answer to face the pandemic. If the virus destroys half the population of the earth, where will the just be found? The just will live by faith and will continue to follow the New Testament pattern of worship, praise, communion and obedience. This means no matter what happens and what the virus will do in the next one hundred years, the people of God will walk by faith and live in the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Babylon never defeated the people of God; it only emboldened them. No pandemic will destroy the faithful of God; it can only embolden them to trust in the Lord more.

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (John 12:42-43)

Seeking The Praise Of God

There are two kinds of praise: the honor given by men and the acceptance of the Creator. The praise of men is a strong temptation driving men to spend their lives to be remembered in history in one form or another. Ambitious men and women craft everything in their lives to be known throughout the world for economic, scientific, political, or athletic accomplishments. Monuments are raised in their honor, cities named after them, discoveries attributed to their genius, and endless volumes dedicated to their life work. The irony of men who seek fame and fortune for the praise of men is how short the memory of history defines their lives.

One of the great men of the nineteenth century was Henry Bradley Plant (1819-1899) but few people recognize his accomplishments. Along with Henry Flagler, he was a businessman and entrepreneur who changed the face of Florida, considered to be giants of their day. Their fame or “praise of men” was short-lived, with only remnants of their memories on the minds of people today. Alexander Fleming discovered one of the most important breakthroughs in medical science and few know what he did. Does anyone remember who won the 1956 World Series? The praise of men is only a brief footnote in the history of humanity.

Among the rulers of the Jewish Council, some men believed that Jesus was the Son of God. Because of their fear of the Pharisees, they did not confess the Lord. Anyone who acknowledged the legitimacy of the man from Nazareth would be expelled from the synagogue. The praise of men was more important to them than the praise of God. Their hearts were seeking worldly honor, fame, fortune, and power. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. If they never changed their hearts, they died loving the praise of men. No doubt, the funeral procession would have been an elaborate declaration of who they were and how important they were in the synagogue. Two thousand years later, does anyone know their names or what they accomplished?

Jesus had many followers who were not tempted by the praise of men. They sought the praise of God. In most cases, what men knew about those who sought after the praise of God was very little. The early Christians were honest men and women who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ with humility and devotion. History would not inscribe their names on plaques, raise monuments in their honor, or name cities after them. Instead, the Holy Spirit would remember a few of them so the world could read about them thousands of years later. Men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Peter, James and John, Paul, Barnabas, Timothy and Epaphroditus. Women like Sarah, Abigail, Hannah, Ruth, Rahab, Mary, Martha, Phoebe, and Dorcas are still talked about today. Their lives were in simple faith seeking the praise of God. They died with little recognition of the glory of men.

The praise of men and the praise of God have one distinct difference: the praise of men always fades away and the praise of God never diminishes. Death begins to erode the fame, removes the riches, and slowly takes away the remnants of a life wasted seeking the praise of men. The praise of God gives hope to the spirit in life and the promise of eternal life in death. Seeking the praise of men never brings peace in death, only fear. When the soul is facing eternity and the presence of the Almighty God, the praise of men has no power. No man on his death bed wishes for more money and more fame. All he can see is a vast chasm of blackness engulfing his life as the cold tentacles of death begins to surround him. He knows too late the value of the praise of men. Only the child of God feels warmth as the sleep of death covers his soul with tender caresses of joy as the angels prepare to transport the soul to the bosom of Abraham. The praise of God is eternal. It never ends.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

And Be Thankful

Paul describes the character of the Christian as being a changed person. Everything in the life of those who profess to serve Jesus Christ focuses on things from the Father’s viewpoint, not the earthly. There is an active work of removing those hindrances that challenge the heart of righteousness like fornication, impurity, lust, anger, slander, and ungodly language (and many more). The sinful nature of the old man is stripped away to renew the spirit with the godly character of Jesus Christ. As the elect of God, the Christian clothes his life with tender mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and all the attributes that help him dwell in favor of God. There is a significant change that takes place for the Christian.

In the midst of all the character traits changing the heart for the glory of God is the simple admonition to be thankful. Many changes must take place that will challenge the courage of the faithful to be like Christ, but nothing is more essential than remembering to be thankful. If there was a trait that was easier to implement in life, being thankful should be at the top of the list. It does not require deep intellectual insight to find a reason to be thankful. Three words sum up the spirit of a soul saved from the wrath of God and the promise of eternal life. A thankful spirit knows the value of salvation, the glory of divine mercy, and the joy of saving grace. Being thankful constantly tells God how grateful it is to know He loves and cares for His children.

“And be thankful” is not a hard concept to accept. It strips away the pride of boasting, removes the shadow of human wisdom and acknowledges every blessing comes from above without variation or respect of persons. God does not love one person over another. He gave His Son to the world so that all men could come to salvation. The blood of Jesus Christ will take away the sins of anyone who comes to Him with an obedient heart. There is no distinction of grace for one nationality above another. God’s love is for all men if they would but accept His will. Out of the billions of souls that dwell upon the earth, Jesus died for the individual who obeys the word of His Father as if there were no other souls on earth. To be thankful is to know the blessings of God come unmeasured upon His children. How can a soul not be grateful?

The spirit of thanksgiving dwells in the heart of the Christian each day. When a thankful heart only remembers the Lord once a year when the turkey appears, the soul dies with ingratitude. A happy heart awakens each day, seeing the hand of God ready to guide the soul with the eternal grace of His presence. Through the word of God, thanksgiving is learned from the stories of old where God never lies and every promise made was kept – without exception. Thanksgiving rises from knowing that God will keep His word because He is a righteous God. At the end of the day, the soul feels the peace of God ruling their hearts because they have been called in one body – and they are thankful. Thank you, thank you – thank you!

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 7:11-12)

Thanksgiving In Heaven

People often wonder what Heaven is going to be like. The scriptures hint at the glories that await but in human terms, it isn’t easy to put into tangible realities how the saved will dwell in eternity. Human wisdom clouds the images of the eternal when earthly ties are bound in the imagination of a world much like the one on earth. God uses pictures of a heavenly city with streets of gold, but these are only illustrative images to describe the incredible beauty of Heaven. There will be no literal streets of gold or mansions for families to dwell in and take long strolls through a garden of paradise. Heaven will not be a place to recount past histories with family. Jesus told the Sadducees there would be no marriages. Eternal life is not about the frivolities of earthly life. Heaven will be a place where the glory of God is magnified.

The revelation of the apostle John gives the clearest pictures of eternal glory found in scripture. There are many questions about standing before the presence of the Almighty, but the heavenly beings give one clear image. There will be worshipping and praising the glory of the Lord God with thanksgiving, honor, power and might to the heavenly Father. Thanksgiving will be a central theme in the ages to come. There is much to be thankful for in this life. The immeasurable blessings of God that provide life on earth cannot be measured with the joy of heaven. Thanksgiving is a way we seek to tell God how much we depend on Him and how thankful we are for His blessings. In Heaven, thanksgiving will be taken to an eternal level of praise, joy, and honor for the righteousness of His glory.

Men do not always appreciate thanksgiving. They can go all their lives and never find a thankful word for the Lord. Those who deny the blessings of God will not be singing praises of thanksgiving to God as they will not be in Heaven. The saved are those who spent their lives giving thanks to the Father for the blessings in Christ Jesus and, in their obedience to His word, followed His word. For those gathered around the throne of God, they will join the angels, elders and living creatures and sing joyfully with thankful hearts the glories of the great Savior and Redeemer. Thanksgiving will be an immediate response. Heaven will be the eternal thanksgiving.

The heart will not wonder what to say when standing before God. It will be an immediate and continual thanksgiving. The wonder of eternal life is cloaked in the garments of a thankful heart for the mercy, grace, and love of a benevolent Father. Thanksgiving is a natural response. Blessing and glory and wisdom will be the hymns for eternal ages. Everyone in Heaven will be thankful. If you think thanksgiving is awesome here on earth, just wait until the eternal experience is shared by the saved. Then, and only then, will the true meaning of thanksgiving be realized. Thank you, Father.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

Thanksgiving And Prayer

The greatest act of thanksgiving is the gesture of thanks. To be thankful without expressing thanksgiving is not a complete appreciation for what has been given. The irony of human wisdom is everything man has is given to him by God. There is nothing that a man can do that does not proceed from the throne of God. A man can plant a seed, but the Creator makes the increase and bounty of the crop. Technology has changed the face of food production, but God provides the abundance at the end of the day.

There is nothing in the world that is not governed by the will of the Father. Pundits declare the warning of global warming and yet the Lord God has said there will always be regular seasons. Human achievement will never change the divine plan of God. The nature of thanksgiving is realizing that life comes from the hand of the Lord and without God, life does not exist. Seasons come and go by the will of God. The sun and moon rule the sky because God said so. Clothing, food, stuff, health and life derive their existence from the hand of the One who made the heavens and the earth. Thanksgiving is not complete until man realizes from whence his blessings come and then tells God, “Thank you.”

Prayer is thanksgiving because the heart tells the Lord, “Thank you.” God wants to hear the voice of His creation tell Him he knows where his blessings come. Food is sanctified by prayer because the heart knows that there would be nothing to enjoy in life without the mercy of God. Thanksgiving is a holiday named for thanksgiving but to do so without the word of God and prayer is to lose the eternal meaning of life. God created man and breathed into him the breath of life. The bounty of food and worldly possessions comes from the hand of God. Man would have nothing if the Lord were not the provider of all things. Thanksgiving recognizes that everything comes from the hand of God and through prayer, the soul tells God, “Thank you.”

If the Lord allows the universe to continue after Thanksgiving, the need to see the hand of God in life remains. He is the One who holds the world together by His voice. The word of God created the world and the word of God sustains all life. Prayer is telling God thank you for His infinite mercy, kindness, grace, and love for allowing everything in life to continue. The day comes from the will of God and every morsel of food consumed on Thanksgiving is possible because of the blessings of the Lord God Almighty. There should be a spirit of thanksgiving but the reality is that Thanksgiving feasts will end and life continues. The greatest lesson to learn about thanksgiving is not about the food that perishes but the manna from heaven that will never perish. A more excellent feast of sacrifice was given two thousand years ago when the Son of God died for the sins of humanity so the redeemed can dine at the table of the Lord in eternity. The greatest thanksgiving can only be found in Jesus Christ. Now that is something to pray about. Thank you, Father. Thank you.