DECLARE IT “MARVELLOUS”

In everything give thanks: – 1Th 5:18

Thanksgiving doesn’t automatically come when God does things. It is a conscious decision of the beneficiary.

Our Lord once quoted the psalmist to the Pharisees when he declared, “Did you never read in the scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?”

There’re two parts to that psalm, the Information and the Conclusion.

It says “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head stone of the corner.” (Ps 118:22). That, is INFORMATION.

Then it says, “This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” (Ps 118:23). That, is his CONCLUSION.

Part 1 does not automatically lead to Part 2.

- That you woke up this morning is information,

- That it rains and snows is information.

- That you have a child is information.

- That you have a job is information.

- Whatever has happened in your life is information.

What you make out of that information is the conclusion. You could conclude that it was ordinary, expected, ‘lucky’, a result of your astute and deliberate decisions over the years... 

Or you could conclude like the psalmist that “This is the LORD’S doing; and it is MARVELLOUS in my eyes.”

Beloved, we have a great year ahead of us. Let’s live it with thanksgiving, joy and hope in the presence of the LORD.

 “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together”. – Ps 34:3

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE SIGN OF THE TIMES

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come... – 2Ti 3:1

Believers love to hear about the end times. They get fascinated with dates, key international events, ‘blood moons’, events surrounding the nation of Israel, etc. Some authors have latched onto this hunger for end-time prophecy and made a small fortune (even franchises) from pointing out the signs to look out for to know if the end has come.

But I believe, we’re missing an obvious, glaring index of the Last Days, and that is an ungrateful, thankless spirit. The Apostle Paul, speaking with prophetic authority and clarity to Timothy says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be ... UNTHANKFUL,” (2Ti 3:1,2).

Ungratefulness is definitely one characteristic of this generation. This is the most privileged and richest generation in all of human history, yet the most miserable. The ‘poor’ people today own things that were inaccessible even to the wealthiest some generations ago.

But this goes more than a lack of an ‘attitude of gratitude’ for the fine things of life; it’s something more fundamental: it’s the deliberate non-acknowledgement of the Creator.

For example, the wholesale embrace of the theory of random Evolution and the “Big Bang” as the official, irrefutable and undeniable explanation for the existence of the entire Universe is symptomatic of a generation that will go to any extreme, no matter how inane, to do without acknowledging its Maker.

Rom 1:21 says, “People knew God, but they did not honour him as God, and they did not thank him. Their ideas were all useless. There was not one good thought left in their foolish minds.” (ERV)

So, while others try to calculate the names of world leaders to see whether they add up to “666”, or debate the implication of the recent  U.N. resolution against Israel, or even theorise whether ISIS is the prophesied Antichrist; we can just simply look at the godless, thankless state of the world today and know that the end is near, “even at the doors” (Mt 24:33).

Nevertheless, we Beloved, though we are in the world, are not of it. Therefore our lives should be that of gratitude, thankfulness and worship.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

CHECK THE MANNA WITH WHICH YOU SPEAK

In everything give thanks: – 1Th 5:18

The multitude of Israelites that moved around the wilderness with Moses for 40 years are arguably the most pampered people of all time. They were sheltered in the daytime from the scorching desert Sun by a pillar of cloud and at night were warmed and lighted by a pillar of fire. (Ps 105:39)

For 40 years, their clothes never wore out and their feet never swelled. (Dt 8:4). Unlike normal human beings in a desert, they were never parched because water gushed out for them. Ps 105:37 says “there was not one feeble person among their tribes”, and when they needed meat, it just dropped from the sky!

However, the most singular object of God’s provision and supply to them was the “MANNA”. The Manna was a unique type of food miraculously supplied to the Israelites during their wanderings in the wilderness (Ex. 16:15-35). The inspired writer called it by various names: “Bread of heaven” (David), “Corn of heaven”, “Angel’s food” (Asaph), and “Spiritual meat” (Paul). Jehovah Himself called it “Bread from heaven” (Ex 16:4).

But what did the beneficiaries call it? They called it manna (“what is this?” or “what is it?”).

What a derogatory way to refer to something of such supernatural origin. The Almighty God Himself cooked up a meal that no one has ever tasted before (Dt 8:3; 8:16); yet they showed no appreciation of it: and ate the same thing for 40 years!

It was though God declared, “All you can say is ‘what is it’? Then THAT IS IT.”

It is very important that we show reverential gratitude to all of God’s providence. The Sun shines on both the Just and the Unjust (Mt 5:45) but only the Just take the time to thank God for it.

At no time did the Israelites thank God for the manna, or for cloud, or the fire... or for ANYTHING. They just saw it as their right, and complained.

It’s quite interesting that though we have no record that the constituents of the Manna ever changed, apparently because of their griping about it, it moved from looking snow-white and tasting like honey wafers (Ex 16:31) to looking blackish  and tasting like oil (Num 11:7,8).

Take a moment to thank God for all His providential blessings today.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

SENSELESS THANKSGIVING

In everything give thanks: – 1Th 5:18

It takes spiritual and mental insight to live a life of constant gratitude to God. A man of God once said, “if you THINK well, you will THANK well”.

Anyone who has had whitlow before can testify how one little finger can suspend every other part of the body from enjoying peace. Problems are like that; they are attention-grabbers. But if you THINK well, you will THANK well.

I learnt a lesson recently from our 3-yr old daughter. When we ask her to pray during devotion, she’d first begin with our customary opening phrase “thank you for daddy, thank you for mummy...” But then, with her eyes open, she’d begin to list just about anything her eyes fall on:

Thank you for ball,

Thank you for book,

Thank you for ‘mischa’ (Mickey Mouse),

Thank you for slippers,

Thank you for this-man-walking-in-the-TV...

And so continues the weird thanksgiving (thanks-listing?).

We used to find it amusing, but then I thought to myself, “Do I ever thank God for any of those things? Or am I waiting for God to do the BIG ONE before I roll on the floor in gratitude.”

When you open your eyes, you’ll see that there’s a lot more blessings in your life than you’re ever aware of. When you “count your blessings one by one”, you’ll realise you’re richer, stronger and more advantaged than you realise.

You may not be where you want to be; but where you are now is someone else’s miracle. Take a moment today to do some ‘senseless’ thanksgiving. Thank God for your unique accent, for your big toe, for your child’s appetite, for the fact that you know what “appetite” means, ...

You’d be amazed that there’s absolutely nothing in your thanks-listing that will sound strange to God. He’s not going to say, “Wow, I never thought of that; I guess I really did give you a fine nose, you’re welcome child.”

No. Every ‘senseless’ thing you thank Him for was a conscious blessing of His to you, you’re only just beginning to notice them. When you THINK well, you won’t just THANK well, you’ll also LIVE well. Because you’ll get a fresher outlook on life and possess greater energy to face the challenges ahead.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

GOD’S WILL FOR YOU

In everything give thanks: – 1Th 5:18

Greetings Beloved, and welcome to the New Year.

I'll begin by explicitly declaring God’s will for you this year. Indeed, not just this year, but for your entire life. And that is, THANKSGIVING.

OK, admittedly, it doesn't sound very charismatic, or even ‘prophetic’, but it really is God’s expectation of you this year.

The New Year is usually the time when we lay out big plans and resolutions for ourselves. It's also the time when we lay out BIG plans for God to carry out. Those plans come in the form of our prayer lists, our “expectations for the year”, our “17 miracle for 2017”, our "requests", etc. Whatever name we call it, when reduced to its most basic, it’s simply a list of things for God to do for us before the year runs out.

Well, here’s one thing God requires of us: giving Him thanks.

1Th 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you .”

That’s God’s plan, His purpose, and His desire.

Beyond the miracles,  God wants you to give thanks.

Beyond the requests, God wants you to give thanks.

Beyond the plans, God wants you to give thanks.

Give thanks, not just for what He will do, or what He has done; but for who He is and what you are.

When your life is characterised by thanksgiving, you’re zooming out to the Big Picture; you’re taking a God-perspective of life. You’re seeing things the way God sees them and are persuaded that all things are working together for your good, because you love God, and are the called according to His Purpose.

As we step boldly into this season, here’s the Apostle Paul’s admonition to us:

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body; and be thankful. (Col 3:15).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN