“Oh, Give Thanks Unto the Lord”

What does it mean to Give Thanks to God?

Well, the words give thanks come from the Hebrew word Yadah, which means “to make public acknowledgment” in conjunction with another Hebrew word Yad, which means “hand.” So, in essence, to give thanks to God really means to lift our hands in public acknowledgment Him. But do we as people give thanks to God like we should?

Giving thanks to God is one of the most important things we as Christians and people should do because it is only through God that we are alive and it’s only through God that we wake up each morning. In Psalms 35:18, David calls the nation of Israel and even us today to give thanks to God before people.

Psalms 35:18

“18. I will give you thank in the great assembly; I will praise you among many people”

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure & The Pearl of Great Price (Part 6)

What is the Hidden Treasure in the kingdom of Heaven?

Well, in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, the Apostle Matthew focuses on the Kingdom of Heaven and how; as believers, we have responsibilities in regard to God’s kingdom.

So, let me ask you a question while reading this blog post: Are you willing to make every effort to obtain the true treasure of God’s Kingdom?

In Matthew 13:44, the parable makes a reference to a field that a man found the hidden treasure, but what caused him so much joy when he found the treasure.

If you haven’t read the Parable Series, you can click here for Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5.

Matthew 13:44

“44. Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.”

Are We Wrestling with God or Ourselves?

What does it mean to Wrestle with God?

Well, the word wrestle comes from the Hebrew word pathal which means “to struggle” or “be morally torturous”. So, to wrestle with God really means to struggle with Him, but why do we wrestle with God? For me, I feel that we aren’t really wrestling with God but wrestling with ourselves and the decisions we made in our past that come back and tell us that what God has planned for our lives is not possible.

We see in the Book of Genesis that Jacob struggles with all of the decisions he made when he was younger and finally accepts what he did and in the end, God blesses and rewards Jacob with a new name that will define the nation forever: Israel.

Genesis 32:25-26

“25. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26. And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks’ But he said, “I will not let go until you bless me!”

Are You Willing to Suffer for Christ?

Today, I want to talk about the suffering Christians face as followers of Christ and how we can still find joy through the suffering.

While reading this blog post, I want you all to ask yourself this question: Am I willing to endure suffering for Christ?

What does it mean to Suffer for Christ?

Well, the word suffer comes from the Hebrew word Oni which means “misery” or “poverty”. To suffer for Christ is something that we as Christians talk about and preach about, but we never actually discuss because we feel that we already know what it means. But do we? In Philippians 1:29, the Apostle Paul says that as Christians, we will suffer for Christ because we have faith in Christ and Paul says that suffering for Christ is actually a gift from God because it’s in the suffering that He comforts us.

Philippians 1:29

“29. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”