Daily Devotional for November 23, 2023 – Give thanks, love one another, stay on track and steady in God…lessons for this Thanksgiving Day

Philippians 4:1; 4-5
My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.

It is late in the afternoon as I write this message, and I have just now looked at social media for the first time today. I was busy this morning baking a turkey breast and getting things ready for lunch with Greg and his brother and sister-in-law, who drove up from Little Rock to spend Thanksgiving Day with us. We talked about the years when our gatherings were much larger – and all the fun we had and being together and playing games and “cards” (Hearts!).
 
When I finally looked at Facebook, my “memory” was a picture taken 12 years ago at my grandmother Polly’s Assisted Living Facility. My sister and I were enjoying  a “Thanksgiving dinner” with Mam-ma Polly. I shared the photo and said I was sure that my sister and grandmother had cornbread dressing and a good hot roll today for their Thanksgiving Dinner in Heaven.
 
Thanksgiving Day – and all holidays – look so different these days than even 10 years ago. Our immediate family has dwindled and scattered to the point that “family gatherings” are almost a thing of the past. Yet we are no less grateful, and our love for each other is still strong. We’ve gotten creative, and we find new and different ways to celebrate and share our love for each other. Yesterday, Greg and I took the children to “Urban Air” (an indoor amusement park in a nearby city) for a day of fun. Our “Thanksgiving Meal” shared together was burgers and fries at McDonald’s…and we savored each bite and a great, lively conversation.
 
The words of Paul to the Philippians are profound and important- and I echo them today. I love each of you with the love of Christ…and I love my family and friends dearly. Truly, I want the best for each one. My prayer is that of Paul…that we would all celebrate God every day. He is so good to us – far above and beyond what we could imagine or deserve – and worthy of our praise every day of the year, not just on this one!  
 
I don’t know what Thanksgiving Day looks like for you, but wherever you are and however you are celebrating, put God at the forefront. Truly make this day – and every day – a time to reflect on His goodness and put it into practice as you interact with others. Follow the commands we have been given…love one another…and work together to further God’s Kingdom. Someday, we will all have the opportunity to sit at God’s Heavenly table and have cornbread dressing, a good hot roll, and whatever else our heart (and stomach) desires – even a burger and fries! Be ready for the Master’s return…and make sure you serve every day with words and actions that reflect your steadfast obedience and faithfulness. Happy Thanksgiving Day! Alleluia!

©2023 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for January 28, 2020 – Sharing the Good News of Jesus with others – to the last minute!

Romans 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is God’s powerful method of bringing all who believe it to heaven. This message was preached first to the Jews alone, but now everyone is invited to come to God in this same way. This Good News tells us that God makes us ready for heaven—makes us right in God’s sight—when we put our faith and trust in Christ to save us. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scripture says it, “The man who finds life will find it through trusting God.”

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The world has been turned upside down in the last few days by the news of the tragic deaths of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna – and 7 other people… baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa (a team-mate of Gianna Bryant); Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton (also a member of Team Mamba); Christina Mauser (Mamba Academy basketball coach) and Ara Zobayan the helicopter pilot. This heartbreaking event has dominated news headlines around the world, as people struggle to wrap their brains around this heartbreaking loss.

This disastrous event reminds us all that life is incredibly short and tentative. None of us are promised another minute. What we do, how we live, and Who we serve is incredibly important. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:16-17 that God’s promise of Heaven is available to EACH of us. All we must do is believe in Him and surrender our will to His…or as this passage says it, we must “put our faith and trust in Christ to save us.” We must speak and act in a way that demonstrates to others that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life everlasting.

I don’t know much about any of the people I have mentioned here. It has been said many times these last two days that a lot of people related to Kobe Bryant – that they felt as if they knew him because he “visited our living rooms” on a regular basis via the television screen. People can also relate to the victims of this tragedy because they were husbands, wives, and parents…or because many of us have young people in our own immediate circle – perhaps even teenagers. We cannot imagine our lives without them.

We are not wrong to grieve when a person passes. The Bible tells us that when Lazarus died, even Jesus Christ shed tears of sorrow. But the bigger question for me when someone dies is always, “Will I see him/her again in Heaven?” Sometimes, I know the answer…sometimes, I am left to wonder. None of us truly knows what is in another person’s heart.

But I would remind you again that Luke 12:48 tells us…”Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater.” For those of us who have confessed our sins to Christ Jesus and surrendered to serve Him on this earth, we are called to share His Good News at every opportunity – and with every person we encounter. This doesn’t mean we have to stand on the street corner and preach – but all of our words and actions should honor and glorify God – and give others a model of Christ’s teachings and commands.

I have read that Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, attended early Mass on Sunday before boarding their helicopter to travel to their ballgame. I know that attending a church service doesn’t necessarily mean that the Bryants were Christians. But the fact that they took time to attend a worship service before heading to this ballgame leads me to believe that they knew God and revered Him. And it demonstrates to the world where their priorities lay.

We have been given such an incredible gift…Salvation by the blood of Jesus and the promise of Eternal Life in His presence. We should be so grateful and thankful that we want to shout from the rafters about Jesus and His wonders, miracles, grace and mercy. We should want to live in a way that others know Whose we are – and more importantly, they want to get in on this gift for themselves! We should be speaking and acting like every minute of our lives might be our last…that in the next few breaths, we could wake up quite literally at the feet of Jesus in Heaven. Because this is the truth.

What – and Who – are you representing to the world? And what will be your legacy when you have passed from it? Are you “right in God’s sight” – and living like it? Don’t you think it’s time you were?

©2020 Debbie Robus