“The Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

In the presence of a great work or a great warfare, here is a text which should help us to buckle on our harness. If Jehovah Himself goes before us, it must be safe to follow. Who can obstruct our progress if the Lord Himself is in the van? Come, brother soldiers, let us make a prompt advance! Why do we hesitate to pass on to victory?

Nor is the Lord before us only; He is with us. Above, beneath, around, within is the omnipotent, omnipresent One. In all time, even to eternity, He will be with us even as He has been. How this should nerve our arm! Dash at it boldly, ye soldiers of the cross, for the Lord of hosts is with us!

Being before us and with us, He will never withdraw His help. He cannot fail in Himself, and He will not fail toward us. He will continue to help us according to our need, even to the end. As He cannot fail us, so He will not forsake us. He will always be both able and willing to grant us strength and succor till fighting days are gone.

Let us not fear nor be dismayed; for the Lord of hosts will go down to the battle with us, will bear the brunt of the fight, and give us the victory. ( Faith’s Checkbook)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.”- Psa. 71:8

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” – 1 Thess. 5:18

In thinking about Thanksgiving Day there just isn’t enough time to say all that I would like to say about it. Therefore I want to introduce you to this article by William Law (English cleric and theological writer, 1686 –1761), excerpted from his book A Serious Call To a Devout and Holy Life. I’m praying that it will help you to make every day a day of thanksgiving. He said:

Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God willeth, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it. …

If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing. Could you therefore work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit, for it heals with a word speaking, and turns all that it touches into happiness.…

Though it be the noblest sacrifice that the greatest Saint can offer unto God, yet is it not tied to any time, or place, or great occasion but is always in your power and may be the exercise of every day. For the common events of every day are sufficient to discover and exercise this temper and may plainly show you how far you are governed in all your actions by this thankful spirit.

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” – Psa. 107:1

   Giving thanks is more than an expression of gratitude. It is that, but truthfully we can say “thank you” to someone and not really mean it. Gratitude is more than words communicated; it is ultimately a mindset, a mentality. It is a keen awareness of our dependence upon a particular thing or person, and then demonstrating that appreciation through a charitable relationship.

    Thanksgiving is not really a holiday of indulgence and stuffing, it is a lifestyle that actually sacrifices and succumbs to the reality of grace – God’s grace imparted and enjoyed. So what does it really mean to give thanks?

    Most of the time we reduce our blessings to those tangible items found around the home. But what things unseen? Joy, peace, grace, contentment, assurance, hope, rest, and security: all of these deserve our gratitude and appreciation. 

    Giving thanks means assessing your life and recognizing all that you have. As the word suggests, thanksgiving is not just about “thanks,” it is equally about “giving.” Thanksgiving is about returning our appreciation to the One who abundantly gives daily to our needs, and even our desires.(copied)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”- Hebrews 13:14–16

What could you give to God that would express your gratitude and convey honor to Him? Hebrews 13 suggests the “sacrifice of praise.” All throughout Scripture we see people offer this sacrifice to God. Job worshipped God when he had nothing (Job 1:20–21). The book of Psalms chronicles David’s praise in both the good times and the bad. Mary expressed praise when she learned she was to be the mother of Christ (Luke 1:46–55). And one man from the group of ten lepers Jesus healed offered thanks and praise (Luke 17:15–16). From these testimonies, we see that our sacrifice of praise should be continual—not contingent on our mood or current circumstances.

A. W. Tozer said, “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” Even in times when we do not have as much as others in the way of material blessings, we still have so much for which to be thankful. And when we purposefully give thanks to God, that sacrifice of our heart is pleasing to Him.

The giving of thanks is a habit which we can develop and cultivate. By focusing on the good things we have and realizing that every one of them came from God, we find that even in times of lack we can be thankful. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Thanksgiving requires that we set aside our pride and our desire to take credit for what we have and that we acknowledge the goodness of God in providing for us. Your praise and thanksgiving for the blessings you have received is pleasing to God. (Daily in the Word)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346