One-a-Day Saturday, 11/30/13

Posted on by November 25, 2013
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number 1Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:19-25).

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln permanently established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.  As you read, can you imagine any modern president getting away with this admonition to the American people?

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America. 

A Proclamation. 

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. 

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. 

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. 

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth. 

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

Think about this: Lincoln referred to slavery as, “Our national perverseness and disobedience.”  He felt that the Civil War was, in part, a punishment for the sin of slavery.   Is there sin you need to confess, here and now, so that you can move forward with true thanksgiving for the grace of God?

Thanks for reading the Extend-O-Rama Thanksgiving version of the One-a-Days.  I hope you found them edifying and as useful as leftover turkey.

One-a-Day Friday, 11/29/13

Posted on by November 29, 2013
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number 1All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations (Psalms 22:27-28).

In the years following 1621, the colonists offered up their thanks on a variety of occasions.  On October 3, 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the first national day of thanksgiving in the United States.  Read his proclamation to these United States…go on, it’s not that difficult!

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas 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 humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. 

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be– That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions– to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Chew on this:  How does a proclamation like the one above fit the concept of a “Separation of Church and State?”

One-a-Day Thursday, 11/28/13 Thanksgiving Day!!

Posted on by November 25, 2013
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Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit of lips that openly profess his name (Colossians 2: 6-7).

The coming of spring brought, at long last, relief to the Pilgrims.  They met Squanto, a member of a local tribe who was fluent in English.

Squanto befriended the Pilgrims, teaching them how to plant corn, how and where to fish, and basically how to survive in their new land.  Squanto would stay with them, helping and guiding, for the rest of his life.

That year, 1621, there was food.  Between hunting, fishing, and the crops they were able to raise, The Pilgrims had enough to make it through the winter.  After the harvest, they set aside a day to give thanks to God for allowing them to make it through the brutal times.  They invited their new friends and allies, the Wampanoag, to join in the festivities.  The hard work was just beginning, and there were plenty of difficulties in the days ahead, but God had shown himself capable of surmounting any challenge on behalf of his people.

Ponderations: When you first received Christ as your Savior, you were probably “overflowing with thanksgiving,” as Paul encouraged.  Are you still? If not, what is keeping you from that? Are you willing to change what needs to be changed so you can overflow with thanksgiving again?

 

One-a-Day Wednesday, 11/27/13

Posted on by November 25, 2013
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number 1We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death itself. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).

Having arrived in America, the Pilgrims found that their troubles were over.  They stopped at McDonald’s, then checked into the Hilton for showers and a good long nap…

Ah, would that it were.

Perhaps if there had been some enterprising Wampanoag children waiting for them, with a lemonade stand and deep fried clams on a stick…but no.  In fact, the hard times were just beginning.  The Pilgrims found themselves at the start of a hard, cold winter.  They had little left on the ship in the way of provisions, no crops to harvest, and no homes waiting for them to move into.  Sickness and starvation began to claim passengers and crew alike.

The women and children stayed on board ship through the long, bitter winter.  The men went back and forth, building their new homes.  They wouldn’t need as many as they had planned; by spring, nearly half of those who had boarded the Mayflower had perished.

Ask yourself:  What is God’s top priority for His people? How does allowing suffering in our lives (even promising it), help to accomplish that? What is your top priority in life? Does it line up with God’s priority for us?

One-a-Day Tuesday, 11/26/13

Posted on by November 25, 2013
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number 1

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)

Heading off across the ocean to a new world falls cleanly into the category, “Easier said than done.”  It takes money, experience, and business savvy to put together a venture of this kind—tools which our Separatist friends did not have.  They formed partnerships, found investors, and got cheated.  They learned about bureaucracies and red tape and silly little bean counters who have no sense of adventure and no thirst for freedom and–

Well, they finally got settled on their ships, and—

Yeah, ships—plural.  You do know that they started with two ships, right?  Sure, they had the Mayflower, but they also had the Speedwell, a beautiful, sleek little ship that kept trying to sink.  Twice they left for America; twice they had to return because the Speedwell was leaking.  Finally, they decided to ditch the little ship, cram everyone they could aboard the Mayflower, and get while the getting was good.

They headed out for good in September of 1620—about six weeks behind schedule.  This was just late enough in the year to put the little ship, her 102 passengers, and her twenty-six crew members into storm season.  Battling storm after storm, Mayflower averaged less than two miles per hour.  Her destination was the Hudson River, in modern-day New York, but the weather pushed her well north of that, to a place we call Cape Cod.  There, in November of 1620, the little ship found shelter.

Question:  What can God do to “determine our steps” when our plans are different from His?

One-a-Day Monday 11/25/13

Posted on by November 23, 2013
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number 1Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

Life in Holland provided the religious freedom the Pilgrims were looking for, but at a high price.  Living conditions there were rough, to the point where they had to work brutal hours to survive.  Children as young as six years old were working twelve- to fourteen-hour days just to help make ends meet.  (Feel free to emphasize the above point to your kids, especially if they complain about chores.)  Parents began to fear for the health of their children as the hard labor took its toll.

Life among the Dutch was taking other tolls, as well.  Language, customs, traditions—all were different from what the Pilgrims were used to.  Parents could see their children growing less English, and more Dutch, with each passing day.  The greatest concern was over the moral “freedom” that accompanied Holland’s religious liberty.  Parents feared that they may have saved their children from persecution only to lose them to licentiousness.  They made the decision to protect themselves and their children by taking them to a new world.

Chew on this: How are you being polluted by the world?  What are you willing to do to “be transformed?”

One-a-Day Sunday 11/24/13

Posted on by November 23, 2013
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number 1But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ… (Philippians 3:7-8).

England in the 1500’s and 1600’s was a place of great religious freedom—you were free to attend the Anglican Church.  If, however, you didn’t agree with the Anglican Church, and chose to speak up about it, it stank to be you.  You could look forward to hefty fines, imprisonment, and other extreme levels of governmental harassment.  One group of people experiencing this grief was the Puritans.  They felt that the Anglican Church was polluted with all sorts of non-biblical fluff, and they wanted to purify it.  Hence the name.

Eventually, some of the Puritans decided that the Anglican Church was simply too far gone to work with, and they should separate from it.  These people called themselves Separatists.  It is from this group that the people we know as the Pilgrims came.

In 1607, a group of Separatists decided to leave England and move to Holland, a country known for religious freedom.  Easier said than done, for while the King of England made life intolerable for Separatists, he would not allow them to leave.  The Pilgrims had to sneak out of the country, leaving everything behind.

Question to chew on:  What have you had to leave behind in order to follow Christ?

One-a-Day Thursday, 11/21/13

Posted on by November 21, 2013
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number 1Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, or sinners in the assembly of the righteous. (Psalm 1:4-5)

Sometimes I forget.

Sometimes I look at the nonbelievers around me, and I envy their “freedom.”

Sometimes I’m a little short-sighted.

I forget their destiny.  I forget that, without Christ, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Ever wonder why chaff blows away, while the wheat (that would be you) remains?  It’s because chaff has no substance, no weight.  There is nothing solid to it, nothing to keep it from drifting away on the breeze.

So it does.

What I sometimes confuse for freedom is the aimless drifting of an empty soul.

One day they, like we, will stand before the Father.  They will not be clothed in the righteousness of Christ—they will be naked in their sin.  They will not stand firm in the armor of God—they will be crushed under the weight of their own earned guilt.  They will not rejoice in the fellowship of the saints—they will be ever, forever alone.

Sometimes I forget.  But when I remember, I praise God for his grace, and I remember never to envy the lost, but ever to pity them, to pray for them, to reason and wrestle and reach for them.

I’m telling you—I’d rather be a tree.

One-a-Day Wednesday, 11/20/13

Posted on by November 21, 2013
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number 1He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.  (Psalm 1:3)

OK, I really appreciate the tree image.  On a day like today, when I’m running crazy, the idea of solid, deep stillness is delicious.  On a day like today, when so little that I do seems to be of real value, the thought of being useful, of fulfilling my purpose, is profoundly satisfying.  On a day like today, when my back aches and the gray is spreading, the hope of not withering invigorates me.

I’ll admit, I struggle with the rest of the verse.  I’m trying to be a Psalm 1 kinda guy, but I can’t honestly say that whatever I do prospers.  Maybe I’m not Psalm 1ish enough.  Maybe I sit in the seat of mockers more often than I like to admit.  Maybe my meditation isn’t up to snuff.

Maybe.

Maybe I don’t have a good enough grip on what it means to “prosper.”  Maybe God is prospering me in ways I can’t see, can’t even imagine.

I like that “Maybe” better.

For all that I don’t know—which is plenty—there is one thing I do know.

I wanna be a tree.