Saturday, October 27, 2018

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!



WHAT COMPELS YOU TO BE THANKFUL?  In today’s world, if you look in the stores, the Thanksgiving holiday gets run-over and over-shadowed by the other holidays so much so that any reminder of being thankful and grateful is almost non-existent.  And yet, God’s Word is rich in reminders to us to be thankful to our God, to live in gratitude, to let the praises in our hearts roll from our lips, and to walk in worship of the One who is worthy of our thankfulness and praise!  And yet, how much of this do you see and hear when you are out on the streets or in the stores, in public meetings, or even in private gatherings?  Our challenge to you in these weeks prior to Thanksgiving Day is that you will begin writing words of gratitude on a clean sheet of paper … each time you are aware of something that we should be grateful to God for!  There’s one necessity for this to work:  we must open our eyes and our hearts so that we will truly recognize the countless things in our lives that we should be thankful for … that we all too often just take for granted.  What if those gifts and blessings from the hand of God were no longer present in our lives?  Just what would that look like?  After your list is made, make a copy of it and on that copy just take a big black marker and place a big black X across the entire list of blessings.  That’s what your life would have looked like without those God-gifts that you were so abundantly blessed with.  Which way would you rather live?  Did you know that God inhabits the praises of His people?  Did you know that out of praise comes victory?  And the more that we praise Him, the more we are aware of the blessings He is pouring out into our lives!!  And did you know that it is just not people who praise the Lord?  His entire creation praises Him . . . the billions of galaxies, planets and stars, the mountains and rivers, the islands and oceans, the air and raindrops and snowflakes, the animals and birds and fish, the trees and plants and flowers, the soil of the earth and yes, even the rocks!  Everything that God created cries out in praise to Him!  How do we know this is true?  Listen to what God’s Word tells us . . .

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”  ~ Isaiah 55:12

He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”  ~ Luke 19:40

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded and they were created. ... “      ~ Psalm 148:1-14

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” ~ Psalm 150:6

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!” ~ Psalm 96:1

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” ~ Psalm 19:1

“The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare My praise.” ~ Isaiah 43:21

“Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:”
~ Psalm 102:18

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” ~ Psalm 145:3

So, dear ones, let’s get writing!  We have pages and pages to fill of God’s everlasting love and faithfulness … to us and to ALL generations to come!  What promises are ours!  We praise you, O God, for Your presence, peace, power, protection, and provision!

REMEMBER . . .

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! … “  
Psalm 150:1-6  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie


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