By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
The essay reflects on biblical gratitude, highlighting the lone thankful leper as a model for believers. It contrasts outward blessings with deeper spiritual gifts and reminds Christians to thank Jesus not only for physical provision but also for salvation and enduring spiritual blessings, especially at Thanksgiving (and always).
Continue reading “More Than the Nine: A Call to Spiritual Thankfulness”By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
I reflect on entering a short rest period with deep gratitude for God’s spiritual and earthly blessings. Anchored in Christ’s unshakable kingdom, I emphasize learning contentment through all circumstances, inspired by Paul, and encourage believers to remain steadfast, faithful and definitely grateful amid any challenges.
By Elizabeth Prata
Justin is a traveling evangelist known for his discernment seminar called Clouds Without Water, a biblical critique of the Word-Faith/New Apostolic Reformation/Prosperity gospel. He also preaches, “communicating biblical truth through expository preaching and teaching resources designed to deepen the believer’s knowledge of God and, in turn, his love for God” as his About statement reads. He and his wife are members of a church outside of Billings, Montana.
Mr Peters sends out a monthly newsletter bringing his followers up to date on his ministry activity. This month, November 2024, I read the following:
As of this writing, I’ve had two international trips, Brazil and the Philippines. Each was special in its own way, but something quite memorable happened in the latter. At my first preaching venue, there were about 1,100 in attendance. One of my presentations, delivered on a Friday, was on the history of the charismatic movement during which I made a brief point on the biblical truth that only men can serve as pastors and quoted 1 Timothy 3 as support. It was not a major part of this message, and I did not think much about it – until a few days later.
One of the Filipino brothers who organized the conference came up to me and said, “Justin, remember what you said on Friday about how women cannot serve as pastors?” “Yes,” I replied. “Well, you did not know this but towards the back of the room there was a group of female pastors who attended the conference. One of them was convicted by what you said and resigned as pastor of her church the next day.”
“Really?!” I replied. I was floored. But isn’t that amazing? She was a pastor on Friday, was convicted by the truth of God’s Word, resigned as pastor on Saturday and did not even preach in her own home church on Sunday! Praise the Lord! It’s not often that we get to see such a dramatic and immediate change in people – especially one that comes at a great personal cost. God’s Word indeed will not return to Him void without it accomplishing what pleases Him (Isaiah 55:11).
It might seem strange to post an excerpt of a ministry newsletter update on Thanksgiving, but isn’t that what a Christian’s Thanksgiving is all about? Praising the Lord for His work in hearts? The blessing of the Holy Spirit’s piercing of bone and marrow to bring conviction, then light, to minds?
Happy Thanksgiving to my friends. The Lord God above, for whom we are all thankful, is working today on this holiday and every day.
But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” (John 5:17). As we gather today on a day of not working, but a day to praise and thank, we are grateful for the Lord’s work in us humble and frail humans. As Mr Peters’ Philosophy of Ministry quotes Charles Spurgeon,
We are nothings and nobodies, but that we do not think so is very evident, for as soon as we are put on the shelf we begin anxiously to enquire, ‘How will the work go on without me?’ As well might the fly on the coach wheel enquire, ‘How will the mails be carried without me?’
And yet the Lord chooses to use us for His glory. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36
By Elizabeth Prata
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a time when we traditionally celebrate the blessings we enjoy in life. Many families have a tradition of sitting around their table and each guest or family member saying what they are thankful for.
I’m thankful for my salvation. For that to be possible I am thankful for the Holy Spirit drawing me to Jesus. For that to be possible I am thankful to Jesus for obeying the Father and dying on the cross. For that to be possible I am thankful for God who created all the world and who is so Holy that His Son obeyed Him and took all the wrath that was destined for me on that cross. I am thankful He revealed Himself to us in His word, and that we have the privilege of prayer, the Bible, the gifts, the fruits, and eternal life. I am thankful for the promises of prospering us in the regenerative process of growing in Christlikeness, for treasures and rewards in heaven, for the promise of rest and peace.
Continue reading “Tis the Season of Thanksgiving”By Elizabeth Prata
I got up at 5:00, and made a pot of coffee, and turned on the Christmas lights in the dark morning. I’m sitting here watching the day light up, sipping coffee in the peace and quiet of low-volume cello music and the ticking coffee pot. I have a lot to be thankful for.
I was talking with a friend about how so many people complain. It’s always an attitude of “What have you done for me lately” rather than reflect or ponder what HAS been done for you, whether from a friend, family, colleagues, or stranger. And whether it was done for you recently or long ago. It seems that increasingly, people immediately forget right away the graciousness given to us in the form of gifts or time, or love, or energy…
Not every gift to be grateful for has to be huge, like Oprah’s “You get a car! And you get a car!” A child shares a knock knock joke, a local merchant gave a discount, a bird tweeted in the fog, hearing laughter at work, a friend sent a card, your fridge is full of healthy food… Small daily gifts for which to be grateful.
But people are forgetting recent benevolence faster, while they expect future benevolence to increase in size, frequency, and scope sooner.
We should be content with what we have, and when something good comes our way, be grateful. Remember our bounties.
How might we might endure and be faithful in this? 2 Timothy 2:8, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel.
Abner Chou on 2 Timothy 2:8 and endurance & remembering:
“-we remember him in his person
-we remember him in his power
-and we remember him in his preeminence.”
In that verse, Chou said, remember doesn’t just mean casually recollect, it’s a perpetually active verb meaning a deep intention, and usually tied to sanctification.
More below with Abner Chou sermon The Secret to Endurance.
I personally believe that two of the many secrets to endurance are contentment and gratitude. When you are content with what you have, your spirit isn’t restless and always seeking something else. When you’re grateful for what you have and for what is given to you, large or small, it infuses your spirit with new eyes and leads to contentment with what you have.
The biggest item we should be grateful for is our faith of course, a gift from above made possible by the sinless life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. We best show our gratitude by obedience.
John 14:15, If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
“Obedience is the best way of showing our gratitude to God for His grace.” (John Owen Communion with God, p.140)
See in the meantime that your faith brings forth obedience, and God in due time will cause it to bring forth peace. ~John Owen
By Elizabeth Prata
I watch the History Channel’s program “Alone”. It’s a wilderness survival competition where 10 contestants are dropped in a remote area of the world (Patagonia, Labrador), with ten allowed items of their selection, plus a ton of provided camera gear so they can film their endeavors. Whoever lasts the longest wins money. Contestants have a satellite phone to ‘tap out’ if they so desire. In addition, the producers send doctors every week to perform medical and mental health checks on the contestants. They are involuntarily pulled out of the competition if doctors feel the contestant is in irreversible health danger.
Continue reading “We don’t need to grope for words when we thank the Lord”By Elizabeth Prata
I want to spend a few minutes recording some things I’m grateful for. I wrote these down in a journal I keep of short mementos of things for which I’m grateful. I’ve been writing about heavy topics, and there are heavy things going on in the world … so perhaps to brighten the atmosphere (even briefly) might be in order.
Continue reading “Gratitude”By Elizabeth Prata
God thank you for the rain. Thank you for the refreshment from the skies of your bounty, and even as the rain drops fall I am reminded of the Living water that is Jesus. He refreshes and renews all the time, not just the ground but the soul. He who drinks of His water will never be thirsty again. (John 4:13).
Thank You for the beautiful creation, which will be greened after this refreshment. But even as its current beauty is marred by the curse of sin, I long to see Your creation in its full glory. Today I am grateful for the pastures and the rain and the beauty, even so, I know I am seeing through a glass darkly. On Your day I will see everything clearly. (1 Corinthians 13:12).
I awake this morning in the world this morning but I am not of the world. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
I’m grateful to God the Father, Jesus the Messiah and the Holy Spirit for my future with Him, my salvation, my sanctification, for hearing prayer, for the saints here on earth. How long this message would be if I listed all for which I am grateful! He is my All in All.
By Elizabeth Prata
One of the ways God intervenes in the world is providence. The quote below is from a sermon titled “Secrets of Contentment“.
“There are two ways God can act in the world: by miracle and by providence. A miracle has no natural explanation. In the flow of normal life, God suddenly stems the tide and injects a miracle. Then He sets the flow back in motion, just like parting the Red Sea until His people could walk across and closing it up again. Do you think it would be easier to do that—to say, “Hold it, I want to do this miracle” and do it—or to say, “Let’s see, I’ve got 50 billion circumstances to orchestrate to accomplish this one thing”? The latter is providence. Think, for example, of how God providentially ordered the lives of Joseph, Ruth, and Esther. Today He does the same for us.”
I find it incredibly restful to dwell in the knowledge of His sovereignty and His providence. It doesn’t mean I kick back and drift like a twig down a river, doing nothing. I still pray, study, and diligently perform all the things the Bible says we are to do. But I know that He is directing my steps. His providential care of me is in the best hands. What a great and glorious God we serve who providentially orders all events simultaneously to come together at every given moment to ensure His works come to pass!! How can I NOT worship a God who, from the moment He breathed life into Adam, has superintended every event at every moment to accomplish His divine will?
More importantly in terms of our worship, no one is self-sufficient, and everyone is answerable to God. Nebuchadnezzar praised God, saying,
“all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth;” (Daniel 4:35)
The sermon I linked to above concludes,
Contentment comes from learning that God is sovereign not only by supernatural intervention, but also by natural orchestration. And what an incredible orchestra it is! Appreciate the complexity of what God is doing every moment just to keep us alive. When we look at things from that perspective, we see what folly it is to think we can control our lives. When we give up that vain pursuit, we give up a major source of anxiety.
That God is ordering our steps, and doing so for all 8 billion people on earth, and every creature, and every storm, and every tide, and every cloud, and heaven’s hosts, and so on, should yield a gratitude that we can know this magnificent and powerful God. In your gratitude and prayers and praise, consider the providence of God. He preserves His own, down to the minutest detail.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.” (Matthew 10:29)
I think if we were allowed to see God’s providence in real form and in real time, how He connects everything to be consistent with His will and His glory, it might look like this photo by Steve Irvine for NatGeo, called Moth Trails at Night
Puritan Thomas Manton wrote of providences as one portion of our heritage. Here again we shout in gratitude-
“It is a full heritage, and nothing can be added to the completeness of our portion; for in the promises here is God, heaven, earth, providences, ordinances, all made ours, and all inward comforts and graces they are a part of our portion; and what can a soul desire more? Here is God made over to us; the great blessing of the covenant is, I am thy God. Other men say (and they will think it a great matter when they can say), This kingdom is mine, this lordship is mine, this house, these fields are mine; but a believer can say, this God, this Christ, this Holy Spirit is mine.”
God is great.
By Elizabeth Prata
Next week is Thanksgiving, a time when we traditionally celebrate the blessings we enjoy in life. Many families have a tradition of sitting around their table and each guest or family member saying what they are thankful for.
I’m thankful for my salvation. For that to be possible I am thankful for the Holy Spirit drawing me to Jesus. For that to be possible I am thankful to Jesus for obeying the Father and dying on the cross. For that to be possible I am thankful for God who created all the world and who is so Holy that His Son obeyed Him and took all the wrath that was destined for me on that cross. I am thankful He revealed Himself to us in His word, and that we have the privilege of prayer, the Bible, the gifts, the fruits, and eternal life. I am thankful for the promises of prospering us in the regenerative process of growing in Christlikeness, for treasures and rewards in heaven, for the promise of rest and peace.
Continue reading “Tis the Season of Thanksgiving”
the-end-time.org 