A to Z Thanksgiving

A to Z Thanksgiving
Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (Holman Christian Standard Bible – Thanks to Dr. Roger Willmore)
I came across this little write-up on Thanksgiving and thought it would be good to share as we wind down this Thanksgiving weekend:
Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame.
Even when times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know.
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee.
Move out of Camp Complaining
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone.
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To thank is a command.
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We’ll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high.
Yes, there’ll be good times and yes some will be bad, but …
Zion waits in glory, where none are never sad!
Good reminder for you and me today. Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

JOIN US LIVE TONIGHT FOR THE KESWICK CELEBRATION CHOIR PRESENTATION OF ONE INCREDIBE MOMENT. 7:00 PM IN THE ACTIVITY CENTER OR WATCH LIVE @ www.americaskeswick.org
Dig This Quote: It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection and favor. – George Washington
Determined Digging: Level 1: John 14:6; Level 2: Matthew 5:10-16
Determined Praying: Prayer should be definite. What a lot of praying there is that prays for everything in general and nothing particular! C. H. Spurgeon

Respecting God’s Name

Respecting God’s Name
I’ve got an example of how you can break the third commandment that you probably weren’t taught in elementary Sunday School. If you remember, the third commandment reads thus: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
Before I give the example, I need to ask you what it means to take his name in vain. What do you think? The NIV’s translation is helpful here. It says, “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.” I submit there are many ways to misuse the LORD’s name.
Whatever else this commandment teaches us, it should be very evident that God is very protective of his name. In Exodus 3 we read the story of the burning bush and notice that God reveals his holy name to Moses. This is a BIG deal. Think of it—God trusting his holy name to a corrupted race of people knowing full well that they would drag it through the mud and profane it among the nations.
This in fact did happen and we can read about it in Ezekiel 36. Here God says of Israel, “And whenever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the LORD’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone…I will show the holiness of my great name…then the nations will know that I am the LORD.” (vs 20-23)
This example shows us the anger of the LORD at the actions of Israel because his name was losing respect among the nations. As Christians we should pay attention. We often do the same.
Here is my example: I was at a traffic light the other evening with my family in the car. From the left a minivan made a swerving left hand turn nearly hitting the curb before the light changed. We then followed this erratic driver to the next light at which we noticed him roll down his window to toss a smoldering cigarette out onto the pavement. My annoyance turned to anger when my eyes caught the Jesus fish on the back of the vehicle. God’s name was profaned by that man in that moment. And he never said a word. Where’s the respect?
We must guard our words and actions carefully. The name of the LORD is not to be trifled with. And, with all he has done for us shouldn’t we long to see it lifted high? See Philippians 2:9-11 – Pastor Jason Walsh serves as Youth Pastor at Whiting Bible Church
Dig This Quote: Gentle us, Holy One, into an unclenched moment, a deep breath a letting go of heavy expectations, of shriveling anxieties, of dead certainties, that, softened by the silence, surrounded by the light, and open to the mystery, we may be found by wholeness, upheld by the unfathomable entranced by the simple, and filled with the joy that is you. Ted Loder
Determined Digging: Level 1: John 14:6; Level 2: Matthew 5:10-16
Determined Praying: A prayer which only contains thanksgiving and profession and asks nothing , is essentially defective. It may be suitable for an angel, but it is not suitable for a sinner. J. C. Ryle

Join us tomorrow night at America’s Keswick for the Celebration Choir presentation of ONE INCREDIBLE MOMENT. 7:00 PM in the Activity Center. Come early and enjoy the beautiful 25 Trees of Christmas. We will also be livestreaming the concert: http://www.americaskeswick.org

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer
On behalf of the Freedom Fighter team, and the Board and Staff of America’s Keswick, Happy Thanksgiving.
The following prayer was written by the late Peter Marshall who served as the Chaplain of the United States Senate for many years.
Father, we around this table thank Thee:
For the great gift of life, that Thy love for us is not dependent upon any unworthiness of ours,
For good health, that we know neither hunger nor want,
For warm clothes to wear,
For those who love best,
For friends whose words of encouragement have often chased away dark clouds,
For the zest of living,
For many an answered prayer,
For kindly providences that have preserved us from danger and harm.

We thank Thee that still we live in a land bountifully able to supply all our needs, a land which still by Thy Providence knows peace, whose skies are not darkened by the machines of the enemy, who fields and woodlands are still unblasted by the flames of war, a land with peaceful valleys and smiling meadows still serene.
O help us to appreciate all that we have, to be content with it, to be grateful for it, to proud of it – not in an arrogant pride that boasts, but in a grateful pride that strives to be more worthy.
In Thy name, to whose bounty we owe these blessings spread before us, to Thee we give our gratitude. Amen.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Dig This Quote: “The solution to our need for holiness is Jesus. He alone has clean hands and a pure heart. He suffered an innocent death to remove our sin, as a substitute for any who will trust in him. At the moment of true belief, a believer’s sin is transferred to his account. Jesus also transfers to us his innocence. By faith in him God accepts us as holy before him. Now we dare to approach God’ holy presence—with boldness! Forgiven of sin, covered with Jesus’ innocence, our wings are now made of the right stuff! We not only ascend to God’s holy presence. We live there continually: “We are not seated with Christ in heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 2:6)”

Ancient Prayer, John F. Smed

Determined Digging: Level 1: John 14:6; Level 2: Matthew 5:10-16

Determined Prayer: The childish idea that prayer is a handle by which we can take hold of God and obtain whatever we desire, leads to easy disillusionment with both what we had thought to be God and what we had thought to be prayer.  Robert L Short

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Come, Ye Thankful People Come
“Sing to the Lord a song of thanksgiving, sing psalms to the lyre in honor of our God.” Psalm 146:7
I love this traditional Thanksgiving hymn written by Henry Alford I the late 1800’s:
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.
All the world is God’s own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrows grown;
First the blade, and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.
For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in the day
All offenses purge away,
Give His angels charge at last,
In the fire the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.
Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou they people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In Thy presence to abide;
Come, will all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home!
Brothers, reflect on these words this morning. Sing them back to the Lord and prepare your heart for this 2010 Thanksgiving day! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Dig This Quote: He is a Christian who follows Christ, who measures all things by the standard of His approbation[official approval], who would not willingly say a word which he would not like to have Christ hear, nor do an act which he would not like to have Christ see. He is a Christian who tries to be the kind of neighbour Christ would be, and the kind of citizen Christ would be, and who asks himself in all the alternatives of his business life, and his social life, and his personal life, what would the Master do in this case? The best Christian is he who most reminds the people with whom he lives of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who never reminds anybody of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a Christian at all. George Hodges
Determined Digging: Level 1: John 14:6; Level 2: Matthew 5:10-16
Determined Praying: True prayer is born out of brokenness. Frances J. Roberts

Now Thank We All Our God

Now Thank We All Our God
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted. Isaiah 12:4
Today’s hymn was written by a German pastor, Martin Rinkart, during the Thirty Year’s War. Rinkart faithfully served the Lord during those difficult times and in 1637, when hunger and plague were chronic problems, he conducted funerals for five thousand residents, including his wife. He penned these awesome words:
Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom this world rejoices;
Who, from our mother’s arms,
Have blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills,
In this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns
With them in highest heaven,
The one eternal God.
Whom heaven and earth adore;
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be evermore. Amen
A great hymn to prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving!
On Sunday afternoon, a dear friend of our family went home to be with the Lord. Rev. Len Chanoux, former director of the Boardwalk Chapel, died at age 80. Rev. Chanoux played a significant role in our lives during my parent’s involvement at the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, NJ for over 30 years. He also served as an Elder in the OPC and was often preaching in churches filling the pulpit. During his years at the Boardwalk Chapel many young men who were seminary students served as interns. One of those young men was Dr. Tim  Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church.  Thank You, Lord, for the impact of Rev. Chanoux’s life. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Dig This Quote: The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto.
A. W. Tozer
Determined Digging: Level 1: John 14:6; Level 2: Matthew 5:10-16

Determined Praying: Prayer is a swift messenger, which in the twinkling of an eye can go and return with an answer from heaven. William S. Plumer

Thanks to God for My Redeemer

Thanks to God for My Redeemer
O give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name … Psalm 105:1
This is Thanksgiving week and I want to share with you some great hymns that we tend to only sing at this time of year. The Scripture makes it very clear – we are not to just give thanks for some things, most things, the things that we deem to be thankful for – but in all things!!!
I love fall. This fall has been spectacular in terms of the brilliant yellows and reds. I am thankful for this display of God’s creative hand. But I sure have not been thankful for those same leaves I have had to rake!

But if I were to really stop and analyze my ungrateful heart, I need to be thankful that I can still see the leaves that need to be raked. My arms and hands still can rake the leaves. I can still lift, push the wheelbarrow and smell the leaves (though I’d love to be able to burn them …)

The writer of this hymn wrote this hymn when he was 29 and working for the Salvation Army. Eight years later he had a back problem that crippled him for the rest of his life. Despite the pain, he still served the Lord with the Salvation army for many years:
Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and dreary fall!
Thanks for tears by not forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!
Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!
Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for storms their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow;
Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!
Are you thankful today? Make this week the beginning a lifetime of a thankful spirit. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Digging Deeper: Proverbs 22;  Ezekiel 18-19; James 4
Dig This Quote:  Thanksgiving is the vibration of the soul’s heart-strings under the soft touch of God’s benevolence.
Determined Digging: Level 1: John 14:6; Level 2: Matthew 5:10-16

Determined Praying: Prayer is not designed for the furnishing of God with the knowledge of what we need, but it is designed as a confession to him of our sense of need. A. W. Pink

Worshipping God

Worshipping God
“Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. 1 Chronicles 16:29
Dr. Jerry Bridges, popular author and speaker who served with The Navigators, provides some practical insight to help us prepare our hearts for the Lord’s Day:
An essential part of our practice of devotion to God is worship. By worship I mean the specific act of ascribing glory to God the glory, majesty, honor, and worthiness which are His. Revelation 4:8-11 and 5:9-14 give us clear illustrations of the worship that goes on in heaven and should be emulated by us on earth.

I almost always begin my daily quiet time with a period of worship. Before beginning my Bible reading for the day, I take a few minutes to reflect upon one of the attributes of God or meditate upon a passage about His majesty and holiness, and then ascribe to Him the glory and honor due to Him.
I find it helpful to assume a kneeling position as a physical acknowledgement of my reverence, awe, and adoration of God. Worship is a matter of the heart, not of one’s physical position; nevertheless, the Scriptures do frequently portray bowing the knee as a sign of homage and adoration.

David said, “In reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.” (Psalm 5:7 NIV). The write of Psalm 95 said, “Come, let us worship and bow down in worship, let is kneel before the Lord our Maker (vs. 6 NIV). And we know that one day every knee shall bow before Jesus as a sign of homage to His Lordship (Philippians 2:10).

Obviously, it’s not always possible to bow before God in our times of worship. God understands this and surely allows for it. But when we can do so, I strongly recommend bowing before God, not only as a sign of reverence to Him but also for what it does I helping us prepare our minds to worship God in a manner acceptable to Him.

I often wondered what might happen in our worship services if instead of just standing in worship, we had the freedom to be biblical and get on our knees and bow down. Hmmm … I’ll leave it right there. “Come, let us worship and bow down!” Take some time to prepare your heart for worshipping Him corporately tomorrow. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Digging Deeper:  Proverbs 21; Ezekiel 16-17; James 3
Dig This Quote: Satan is allergic to praise. So where there is massive, triumphant praise, Satan is paralyzed, bound and banished.Paul E. Billheimer

Determined Praying: Level 1: John 14:6; Level 2: Matthew 5:10-16
Determined Praying:  Correction: Friday’s quote should have read: The great secret of a right waiting on God is be brought down to utter impotence. – Andrew Murray

Praying at All Times

Praying at All Times

Praying at all times in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18

I am still learning much about prayer. Prayer is such an incredible privilege give to us by our Father in heaven. Yet so few of us grasp the fact that we can be praying throughout the day and be in constant communication with the Father.

Puritan preacher, George Swinnock shares insight into “praying at all times in the Spirit”:

Prayer should be constant. It is your duty [and joy] to give yourself to prayer. It is like the fire on the altar – it must never go out day or night. It is like a saint’s breathing. A Christian’s prayer may have an intermission, but never a cessation. There is no duty give to a Christian for his constant attention so much as prayer; pray always, pray constantly, pray without ceasing, pray with perseverance, and pray forevermore.

To pray without ceasing means:

1. To be in a praying frame all the time. The soldier always has his weapon ready, though he is not always at battle. Your heart should always be in tune so you can make heavenly music. The believer’s spirit is like fire upon the hearth; though it is not blazing, it is ready upon any opportunity to be blown up into a flame.

2. No important business is undertaken without prayer. You are God’s servant, and must ask permission in all that you do. When you rise up or lie down, when you go out or come in, prayer is with you. The world’s poison can be expelled with this antidote.

3. Set a regular time aside every day for prayer. The Christian has his set meals for his soul every day, as well as for his body. With the marigold, he opens himself in the morning for the sweet dew’s of heaven’s grace and blessing. At night he finds the opportunity to conserve, as a lover, though hindered during the day by business.

4. Prayer is the key of the morning to open the door of mercy, and prayer is the bolt at night to secure him in safety. He that prays continually will lift up his supplication to God even during the day. Prayer has its internal arrows and apostrophes, which it shoots heavenward during the course of the day. Some seasons for prayer should never be slighted – when the Spirit of God stirs within us to come, we should make haste to come to God in prayer. (Adapted from VOICES FROM THE PAST – Banner of Truth)

I want to be a man who prays continually throughout the day. I am not there yet, but I am working on it. Will you join me on the journey? – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 20; Ezekiel 14-15; James 2

Dig This Quote: God is often disappointed that we are so busy doing things for Him, that we have no time to talk to Him… I have to guard against being so busy for God that I have no time for God Himself; and God created man for His glory…What is the ideal of human life? That he may enter into the secrets of God, and be the friend of God; and if God’s friends never visit Him, never talk to Him, even though they are busily occupied in His work, they are robbing Him. G. Campbell Morgan

Determined Digging: Level 1: John 11:25-26; Level 2: Matthew 5:1-9

Determined Praying: Prayer is not some mystic reasoning after the unknown; it is response to the God who speaks in Scripture, the God who personally acts in the lives of His people. – Iain H. Murray

A Well-Thought Out Gospel

A Well Thought-out Gospel
“As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”
                                    -Acts 17:2-3a
I jumped in the church van this morning to pick up pumpkins for a hayride event we’re doing this Saturday at the church. I didn’t feel like listening to the radio, so I brought along some dusty cassette taped messages from Dr. J. P. Moreland. The title of the first tape was “The Menace of Mindless Christianity.” So I pushed it in to the deck and shifted the van into gear.
Dr. Moreland had many insightful things to say, but there was one particular point that stuck out in my mind. After making the case that, as a whole, Christians don’t value the life of the mind like they should; he explained how this problem has severely hampered our ability to win souls for Christ. I shifted in my seat. He had my attention.
He went on to argue that we have traded in the Gospel as a body of  truth that stands the test of reason (and therefore must be dealt with), for a lesser gospel that is presented merely as a means of solving life’s problems. It sounds like something you would find in the self-help section of Barnes and Nobel. We tell people, “Is your life a mess? Do you have problems in your marriage, finances, parenting or work? Come to Jesus and he will straighten you out.” That’s fine for people at the end of their rope, but for the majority of American’s life seems to be going along well enough without Jesus as life-coach.
Is this the approach of the greatest missionary of all time? Over and over again in the New Testament the Apostle Paul used careful and patiently presented persuasive language to confront the thinking errors of those he met. He studied the ways of the people he was trying to reach and he was familiar with their favorite poets and philosophers (Acts 17:16-34). He was able to answer the questions that seekers presented him and many came to Christ.
Did he use personal experience? Absolutely. He had a powerful testimony like many who have come through the Colony of Mercy. I would encourage anyone who has experienced the power and deliverance of God in their life to weave it into their testimony. But, don’t forget to study! Be knowledgeable about how the message of the Gospel answers the burning questions of our time. — Welcome Pastor Jason Walsh to the team of Freedom Fighter contributors. Pastor Jason serves as Youth Pastor at Whiting Bible Church
Digging Deeper – Proverbs 19: Ezekiel 11-13; James 1
Dig This Quote – “Jesus claimed to come in fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies about who the Christ would be, where he would be born, how he would die. Have you ever looked into it? This kind of apologetic enquiry is as important to the Christian trying to understand his or her faith as it is to the non-Christian, who is honestly moved to examine these kinds of issues.” -Michael Ramsden, Beyond Opinion, p141. Ravi Zacharias, ed.  
Determined Digging: Level 1: John 11:25-26; Level 2: Matthew 5:1-9

Determined Praying:  The great secret of a right waiting upon God is to be brought down to utter importance. Andrew Murray

The Eternal Goal

The Eternal Goal
By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing . . . I will bless you . . . —Genesis 22:16-17
Devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, has been speaking to my heart for years. I have been reading his daily devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, since 1996. Over and over God has used him to speak to my heart. This is a powerful word for us today:

Abraham, at this point, has reached where he is in touch with the very nature of God. He now understands the reality of God.
My goal is God Himself . . .
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.
“At any cost . . . by any road” means submitting to God’s way of bringing us to the goal.
There is no possibility of questioning God when He speaks, if He speaks to His own nature in me. Prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says, “Come,” I simply come; when He says, “Let go,” I let go; when He says, “Trust God in this matter,” I trust. This work of obedience is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.
God’s revelation of Himself to me is influenced by my character, not by God’s character.
’Tis because I am ordinary,
Thy ways so often look ordinary to me.
It is through the discipline of obedience that I get to the place where Abraham was and I see who God is. God will never be real to me until I come face to face with Him in Jesus Christ. Then I will know and can boldly proclaim, “In all the world, my God, there is none but Thee, there is none but Thee.”
The promises of God are of no value to us until, through obedience, we come to understand the nature of God. We may read some things in the Bible every day for a year and they may mean nothing to us. Then, because we have been obedient to God in some small detail, we suddenly see what God means and His nature is instantly opened up to us. “All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen . . .” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Our “Yes” must be born of obedience; when by obedience we ratify a promise of God by saying, “Amen,” or, “So be it.” That promise becomes ours.
Brothers, is there an area of YOUR life where you need to obey? Can you say today, “My goal is HIMSELF, at any cost, dear Lord, by any road?” Take a few minutes and think it through. The purpose to obey! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
Dig This Quote: Slowly, slowly, if we plug ourselves into the socket of God’s way, God’s truth and God’s life, we will begin to see God’s plan for our lives and for the world. If we are attentive to God, and make ourselves present to him, we will begin to know what to pray for in our intercessory prayer. As we begin to plug ourselves into God, we will start to ask for the right things, and our prayers will start to be answered. As Jesus says in the Gospel, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” But to ask for anything in Jesus’s name means we must first be plugged into God’s way, his truth and his life. Benjamin J King
Determined Digging: Level 1: John 11:25-26; Level 2: Matthew 5:1-9

Determined Praying: Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it. Hannah Moore