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Giving Thanks
Andrea Lende • March 5, 2021
Luke 22:17 and 19
Giving Thanks
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Giving-Thanks-erjvif
Luke 22:17 and 19
“And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He said, Take this and divide and distribute it among yourselves.”
“Then He took a loaf [of bread], and when He had given thanks, He broke [it] and gave it to them saying, This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Jesus gave thanks.
He gave thanks for the sacrifice He was going to make.
The suffering He would endure.
In verse fifteen Jesus said, “I have earnestly and intensely desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
He was looking forward to this day.
The day He would eat His last supper with the disciples.
It was one day closer to the day He would give His life for all people for all time.
One day closer to fulfilling His purpose here on earth.
One day closer to His suffering.
And He gave thanks for this.
For the pouring out of His blood and breaking of His body to save us.
He used the word suffer.
He would have to suffer to carry out His purpose which was the greatest act of service known to mankind.
This gave me reason to pause as I reflected on the Lord’s holiness, goodness, mercy, and love.
His love is just so far above our comprehension.
So beautiful and so perfect that we are unable to understand or fathom it in its fullness.
I am thankful.
Thankful for the Lord’s devotion.
His devotion to us as He delivered Himself into the hands of the ones who would take His life.
This devotion is no less real for us today.
Jesus gave thanks to His Father as He so willingly gave up His life.
And what a beautiful example He set for us in that moment.
To be thankful.
Be thankful in the difficult things.
Be thankful for God’s use of us even though it may be hard.
Today I choose to be thankful to the Lord in all things and through all things.
May you find that thankfulness brings you closer to the Lord’s presence.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me the power of being thankful. Thank You for showing me that being thankful makes the difficult things possible to move through. Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die for my sins so that I may be whole and perfect in Your sight. Thank You for the promise of eternity with You. Thank You causing me to come near to You. Keep my heart seeking You, Lord. Keep my eyes on You as I traverse the trials of this world. Keep my heart soft toward You even when the pain of this world tries to harden my heart. Help me serve those You ask me to serve. Help me give when You say give. Help me step aside when You tell me to make room for something else. Help me give up what does not serve You. Keep me from temptation and deliver me from evil, Lord. Fill me with Your love. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM walking with you My child and will keep you close to Me as you serve Me.
Response: Help me serve You well Father according to Your plan.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.