Christmas, God’s Love Letter to the World

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

INTRODUCTION: Christmas is a celebration of God’s love.

God is love.

“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Man is sinful and corrupt. From Genesis 3 till now, the only way of making reconciliation is a blood sacrifice. God made the first blood sacrifice in the garden of Eden, when He clothed Adam and Eve. Israel sacrificial system covered their sin, but was never permanent.

God tells of the coming Messiah.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

God tells where the Messiah will be born.

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

God tells when the Messiah would come.

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,⁵ To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

God tells why the Messiah came.

It was God’s love for His creation that caused Him to send Jesus to be the one-time sacrifice for our sin.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

God has a book.

It was all about the salvation of men and women. God has a book in which the names of all those who have trusted Christ are written. One day this book will be opened and those names not found in it will be cast into the lake of fire.

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

God expressed His to love to us by sending Jesus.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

What will we do this Christmas for Him? Step back and take time to remember why Jesus came. What can you do for others during this Christmas season?

God loved us. How should we love others?

 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:11)

“Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,⁵ Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.⁸ Love never faileth: (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

Love others.

If you know God’s love, share it with others. If you are not saved, this would be a perfect time to accept God’s provision for your sin.

READ Matthew 1:18-2:12 and Luke 2:1-38

The Christmas Story

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, plunged us into fierce and bitter war. This devotional by Ron Covey explains how good came out of evil. It is fairly lengthy, but worth the read.

Forgiveness and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Last Sunday I was away on a trip and missed the opportunity to editorialize a lesson on the subject of “forgiveness” that would have been so appropriate to the date of December 7th. As a lot of you know from personal remembrance and the rest of us know from history studies, on that date 73 years ago, the Japanese, in a Sunday morning surprise attack, bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii causing great devastation and a catastrophic loss of life and material. On Dec. 8th, 1941 President Roosevelt uttered the immortal words that have since defined that date and occasion: “A date which will live in infamy.”

But, you might be asking, “How does the bombing of Pearl Harbor have anything to do with ‘forgiveness?” and you’d not be remiss in asking such a question. I’m going to relate something to you that directly pertains to that event and also directly relates to a tremendous lesson on “love and forgiveness.”

Of course, nothing of this temporal, earthly life can compare with the lesson shown to man by Jesus Christ on the cross when he uttered the above cited words, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” The people Christ forgave from the cross were killing the Son of God, the Messiah sent from God to save man from his sins. But, the lesson stemming from this terrible and tragic event of Dec. 7, 1941, which began the long and destructive war with Japan, I feel can be a powerful one.

In setting the scene for our lesson, let me give you a few more dates that will come into play. April 18, 1942; September 2, 1945; the years 1948 and 1949. You will see how these dates come into play as we go through this lesson. And now, let’s get the lesson started.

On the morning of Dec. 7th, 1941, a flying armada of 183 bombers and fighters, led by Captain Mitsuo Fuchida, attacked the various military bases at Pearl Harbor and nearby towns. As earlier mentioned, it was a devastating attack. Capt. Fuchida was the pilot who gave the now-famous radio call “Tora Tora Tora” which signaled the attack. He was also at the Battle of Midway and several other major battles of the war. Was shot down several times and also wounded several times, however he survived each time and was assigned to Japan when the war ended.

On the date of April 18, 1942, sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers, led by LtCol. Jimmy Doolittle took off from the USS Hornet and bombed Japan. After the raid, one of the planes landed in Russia with the rest going on to China where all of them crash landed off the shore or on land. Some were captured and executed, some were saved by the Chinese and others were captured and taken to Japan as prisoners.

On Sept. 2, 1945 Japan officially surrendered to the U.S. on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Capt. Fuchida was present at the surrender signing. He had also been in Hiroshima on military duty until the day before the atomic bomb was dropped there.

After the war, Capt. Fuchida was very bitter and was determined to prove that the U.S. had mistreated Japanese prisoners of war and began interviewing the returning POW’s for this purpose. He found that he could not substantiate any mistreatment, in fact, several of them told him about how well they were treated. Especially by a young 18 year old social worker by the name of Margaret “Peggy” Covell at the POW camp. They told of how much love she showed them while they were there.

He eventually met “Peggy” Covell and learned from her that her parents had been missionaries in the Philippines and had been beheaded there by Japanese soldiers. Because of that fact he could not understand her showing such loving care towards Japanese POWs at the camp. She told him that she knew that her parents had forgiven their captors before they killed them and Capt. Fuchida said that he later determined this to be true.

Intrigued by Miss Covell’s attitude of forgiveness, Capt. Fuchida bought a Bible in 1948 and began reading it. It was also around this time that he saw an American passing out pamphlets entitled “I Was A Prisoner Of Japan” and he took one. This American was Jacob DeShazer, one of the captured crew members from the Doolittle raid and who had spent 40 months in a Japanese prison. He had returned to Japan after the war as a missionary and was teaching “forgiveness to one’s enemies” as taught by the Scriptures.

Capt. Fuchida said that he did not understand what motivated these two people, Miss Covell and Jacob DeShazer, to show the forgiveness and love towards those who had wronged them so much. Then, in 1949, he read Luke 23:34 and realized that this was the source of their love for their former enemies. Capt. Fuchida subsequently converted to Christianity from Buddhism and, because he was revered as a hero of the Japanese Empire for his exploits during the war, was reviled severely for having done so. He became a world traveling missionary himself and wrote a book entitled: “From Pearl Harbor to Calvary.”

I’m going to close with a statement made by Capt. Fuchida in 1970 that I feel speaks directly to our lesson here. Read them with me and see if you don’t agree that his words can’t be echoed by all of us when it comes to “forgiving” and understanding the source of our strength to change our lives and be able to “forgive.”

“I would give anything to retract my actions of 29 years ago at Pearl Harbor, but it is impossible. Instead, I now work at striking a deathblow to the basic hatred which infests the human heart and causes such tragedies. And that hatred cannot be uprooted without assistance from Jesus Christ. He was the only one powerful enough to change my life and inspire it with His thoughts.”

How many of us would “give anything” to “retract” some of our past actions? But, as Capt. Fuchida said, “it’s impossible.” What’s done is done. But, also like Capt. Fuchida, we can change. With the help of Jesus Christ, we can change our “heart,” cleansing it from the evil and hatred that brings about those “actions” which we wished we hadn’t done and will keep us from doing them in the future. If we remove “hatred” we can “forgive.”

Ron Covey

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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Christmas, God’s Love Letter to the World.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

This week we will be looking at four things about the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus.

God is love.

God tells us of the coming Messiah, where He will be born, when He would come, and why He would come.

God has a book.

Our response to what God has done.

God has a book

It was all about the salvation of men and women. God has a book in which the names of all those who have trusted Christ are written. One day this book will be opened and those names not found in it will be cast into the lake of fire.

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

God expressed His to love to us by sending Jesus.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

What will we do this Christmas for Him? Step back and take time to remember why Jesus came. What can you do for others during this Christmas season?

Is your name written in the “…book of life…”?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Christmas, God’s Love Letter to the World.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

This week we will be looking at four things about the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus.

God is love.

God tells us of the coming Messiah, where He will be born, when He would come, and why He would come.

God has a book.

Our response to what God has done.

God tells us of:

The coming Messiah

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Where the Messiah will be born

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

When the Messiah would come

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,⁵ To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

Why the Messiah would come

It was God’s love for His creation that caused Him to send Jesus to be the one-time sacrifice for our sin.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

God had a plan!

He laid out the Christmas story in the Old Testament and fulfilled His plan in the New Testament.

Some believed and some did not. Today is no different.

Believe, repent of your sins, and be saved.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

When God blesses, what should our response be? We should immediately thank Him. This week we will look at 5 people in the Bible that did just that.

They exulted, praised, thanked, and honored God.

Le Ann Trees wrote this and I added the complete Bible passages and challenges.

If God has blessed you, thank Him.

10. PAUL

Paul gave thanks to God for the believers in Philippi because of their partnership with him in the gospel (Phil. 1:3-11).

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,⁴ Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,⁵ For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:⁷ Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.⁸ For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;¹⁰ That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.¹¹ Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

Paul thanked God for those who were ministering the Word of God to others.

Do we thank God for those that minister the Word of God? Pastors, missionaries, Bible study teachers, and church workers. Satan attacks these people because they share with others about Jesus Christ. They need your prayers, thanks, and encouragement.  They are the ones who are on the frontline of the battle for the souls of men and women.

Lift them up!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskseniors.com

Good morning,

When God blesses, what should our response be? We should immediately thank Him. This week we will look at 5 people in the Bible that did just that.

They exulted, praised, thanked, and honored God.

Le Ann Trees wrote this and I added the complete Bible passages and challenges.

If God has blessed you, thank Him.

9. THE LEPER WHOM JESUS HEALED

Ten lepers came to Jesus and asked him to heal them. Jesus sent them to the priests, and they were all healed along the way. Only one of the ten healed people returned to thank Jesus, and that person was not even a Jew. He was a Samaritan who was considered to be a foreigner in Israel’s sight (Luke 17:11-19).

“And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.¹² And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:¹³ And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.¹⁴ And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,¹⁶ And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.¹⁷ And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?¹⁸ There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.¹⁹ And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

This was the story that precipitated this series.

Ten were healed. Only one gave thanks. The Samaritan.

Do we give God thanks in all things? It really doesn’t mater it is a big thing or small, we need to be thankful.

Are we?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskseniors.com

Good morning,

When God blesses, what should our response be? We should immediately thank Him. This next week, we will look at 5 people in the Bible that did just that.

They exulted, praised, thanked, and honored God.

Le Ann Trees wrote this and I added the complete Bible passages and challenges.

If God has blessed you, thank Him.

10 People in the Bible Who Remembered to Thank God 6-10

6. ELIZABETH 

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was thankful that God took away her reproach among the people of Israel (Luke 1:5-25). Before becoming pregnant with John, Elizabeth was barren and long beyond child-bearing age.

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.⁷ And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.⁸ And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, ⁹ According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.¹¹ And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.¹³ But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.¹⁴ And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.¹⁵ For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.¹⁶ And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.¹⁷ And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.¹⁸ And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.¹⁹ And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.²⁰ And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.²² And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.²³ And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.²⁴ And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,²⁵ Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

7. MARY 

Mary, in a beautiful song of praise known as the Magnificat, gave thanks to the Lord for being chosen to bear the incarnate Son of God (Luke 1:46-55).

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,⁴⁷ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.⁴⁸ For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.⁴⁹ For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.⁵⁰ And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.⁵¹ He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.⁵² He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.⁵³ He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.⁵⁴ He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;⁵⁵ As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”

8. JESUS

Jesus gave thanks to God before distributing the bread and fish to five thousand people who came to hear him teach (John 6:3-14).

“And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. ⁴ And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.⁵ When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?⁶ And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.⁷ Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,⁹ There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?¹⁰ And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.¹¹ And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.¹² When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.¹³ Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.¹⁴ Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.”

9. THE LEPER WHOM JESUS HEALED

Ten lepers came to Jesus and asked him to heal them. Jesus sent them to the priests, and they were all healed along the way. Only one of the ten healed people returned to thank Jesus, and that person was not even a Jew. He was a Samaritan who was considered to be a foreigner in Israel’s sight (Luke 17:11-19).

“And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.¹² And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:¹³ And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.¹⁴ And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,¹⁶ And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.¹⁷ And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?¹⁸ There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.¹⁹ And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

10. PAUL

Paul gave thanks to God for the believers in Philippi because of their partnership with him in the gospel (Phil. 1:3-11).

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,⁴ Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,⁵ For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:⁷ Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.⁸ For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;¹⁰ That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.¹¹ Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

LE ANN TREES

Le Ann is a writer, editor, speaker, wife, and mom who enjoys the Southern California lifestyle, including flip-flops, the beach, riding electric bicycles along the 101, and an occasional salted caramel Americano from Lofty Coffee in Solana Beach. She is exceedingly grateful for both the loving kindness of many people and the sound Christian doctrine that helped her to keep on living after her son died in a skiing accident in 2006. She holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Westminster Seminary California. Le Ann is managing editor of Beautiful Christian Life.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

When God blesses, what should our response be? We should immediately thank Him. This week we will look at 5 people in the Bible that did just that.

They exulted, praised, thanked, and honored God.

Le Ann Trees wrote this and I added the complete Bible passages and challenges.

If God has blessed you, thank Him.

8. JESUS

Jesus gave thanks to God before distributing the bread and fish to five thousand people who came to hear him teach (John 6:3-14).

“And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. ⁴ And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.⁵ When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?⁶ And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.⁷ Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,⁹ There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?¹⁰ And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.¹¹ And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.¹² When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.¹³ Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.¹⁴ Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.”

Jesus also gave thanks on the following occasions.

Before feeding the 4000 (Mt 15:36)(Mk 8:6).

Before raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:41).

Before sharing wine at the Passover meal (Lk 22:17-18).

Before breaking bread (Lk 22:19), and sharing wine (Mt 26:27)(Mk 14:23) at The Last Supper.

So, if Jesus thanks God, who is our example, shouldn’t we?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskseniors.com

Good morning,

When God blesses, what should our response be? We should immediately thank Him. This week we will look at 5 people in the Bible that did just that.

They exulted, praised, thanked, and honored God.

Le Ann Trees wrote this and I added the complete Bible passages and challenges.

If God has blessed you, thank Him.

6. ELIZABETH 

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was thankful that God took away her reproach among the people of Israel (Luke 1:5-25). Before becoming pregnant with John, Elizabeth was barren and long beyond child-bearing age.

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.⁷ And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.⁸ And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, ⁹ According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.¹¹ And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.¹³ But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.¹⁴ And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.¹⁵ For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.¹⁶ And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.¹⁷ And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.¹⁸ And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.¹⁹ And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.²⁰ And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.²² And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.²³ And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.²⁴ And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,²⁵ Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

7. MARY 

Mary, in a beautiful song of praise known as the Magnificat, gave thanks to the Lord for being chosen to bear the incarnate Son of God (Luke 1:46-55).

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,⁴⁷ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.⁴⁸ For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.⁴⁹ For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.⁵⁰ And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.⁵¹ He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.⁵² He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.⁵³ He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.⁵⁴ He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;⁵⁵ As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”

God allowed Elisabeth and Mary to give birth.

Both were supernatural.

Elisabeth was old and not able to conceive. While Zacharias served in the Priest’s office, Gabriel, the angel of God, spoke to him. He told him that Elisabeth would conceive and bear them a son who they were to call John. When Zacharias questions Gabriel, he was unable to speak.

God allowed John to be born. Zacharias receives his ability to speak and John serves God.

Elisabeth being barren was a reproach to her family. In Israel, it was important to be able to bear children. Especially male children. When God provided her the opportunity to bear a child she thanked God for taking away her reproach.

Mary is a Jewish girl. God chose her to be the mother of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. She magnifies God through her song of praise. She uses terms as magnify, rejoice, might, holy, mercy, and exalted. She understands that this was done by God. She believed what the angel had proclaimed and praised God.

What do we learn from these two women?

First, God does the supernatural. Second, when God does the supernatural, we should thank Him through our songs of praise. Third, when God blesses us, we should recognize it and thank Him.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskseniors.com

Good morning,

When God blesses, what should our response be? We should immediately thank Him. The next two weeks, we will look at 10 people in the Bible that did just that.

They exulted, praised, thanked, and honored God.

Le Ann Trees wrote this and I added the complete Bible passages and challenges.

If God has blessed you, thank Him.

10 People in the Bible Who Remembered to Thank God 6-10

6. ELIZABETH 

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was thankful that God took away her reproach among the people of Israel (Luke 1:5-25). Before becoming pregnant with John, Elizabeth was barren and long beyond child-bearing age.

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.⁷ And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.⁸ And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, ⁹ According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.¹¹ And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.¹³ But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.¹⁴ And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.¹⁵ For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.¹⁶ And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.¹⁷ And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.¹⁸ And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.¹⁹ And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.²⁰ And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.²² And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.²³ And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.²⁴ And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,²⁵ Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

7. MARY 

Mary, in a beautiful song of praise known as the Magnificat, gave thanks to the Lord for being chosen to bear the incarnate Son of God (Luke 1:46-55).

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,⁴⁷ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.⁴⁸ For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.⁴⁹ For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.⁵⁰ And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.⁵¹ He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.⁵² He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.⁵³ He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.⁵⁴ He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;⁵⁵ As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”

8. JESUS

Jesus gave thanks to God before distributing the bread and fish to five thousand people who came to hear him teach (John 6:3-14).

“And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. ⁴ And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.⁵ When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?⁶ And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.⁷ Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,⁹ There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?¹⁰ And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.¹¹ And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.¹² When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.¹³ Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.¹⁴ Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.”

9. THE LEPER WHOM JESUS HEALED

Ten lepers came to Jesus and asked him to heal them. Jesus sent them to the priests, and they were all healed along the way. Only one of the ten healed people returned to thank Jesus, and that person was not even a Jew. He was a Samaritan who was considered to be a foreigner in Israel’s sight (Luke 17:11-19).

“And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.¹² And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:¹³ And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.¹⁴ And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,¹⁶ And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.¹⁷ And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?¹⁸ There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.¹⁹ And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

10. PAUL

Paul gave thanks to God for the believers in Philippi because of their partnership with him in the gospel (Phil. 1:3-11).

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,⁴ Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,⁵ For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:⁷ Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.⁸ For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;¹⁰ That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.¹¹ Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

LE ANN TREES

Le Ann is a writer, editor, speaker, wife, and mom who enjoys the Southern California lifestyle, including flip-flops, the beach, riding electric bicycles along the 101, and an occasional salted caramel Americano from Lofty Coffee in Solana Beach. She is exceedingly grateful for both the loving kindness of many people and the sound Christian doctrine that helped her to keep on living after her son died in a skiing accident in 2006. She holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Westminster Seminary California. Le Ann is managing editor of Beautiful Christian Life.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com