- araratchurch
- Nov 21, 2025
- 1 min read
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.“
Psalms 100:4-5 NKJV
We live in a time where many people have developed a sense of entitlement. As such, any good things are received as being “deserved.” And, any shortfall of
expectations is met with anger and resentment.
Tragically, even some Christians have come to view the Lord with the same arrogance and ingratitude. In such cases, the emphasis has shifted from the rule of Christ, to man’s rule.
As we discussed last time, that trend always ended badly for the children of Israel. Just so, it will end badly for anyone who forgets God.
”"Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver! The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"“
Psalm 50:22-23 ESV
In our opening scripture, we see the psalmist describing the attitude with which we must approach the Lord. Indeed, access to His presence is only afforded those who recognize the great things He has done for us, reflected in a grateful heart.
“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let pus shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”
Psalms 95:2 NKJV
Lord willing: Next time, we’ll continue our contemplation of giving thanks for the goodness of God
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Nov 20, 2025
- 2 min read
“What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me?“
Psalms 116:12 NKJV
Thanksgiving is a wonderful tradition in our country. Indeed, a grateful people are more likely to be a happy and peaceful people.
With that, the most important gratitude we should express is to the Giver of all things.
In Moses’ rehearsal to the people concerning their 40 year wilderness journey, he gave them a very important warning.
“When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.“
Deuteronomy 8:10-11, 17, 19 NKJV
Moses reminded the people of what the Lord had said concerning the fact that prosperity would tempt them to forget what He had done for them. And notice, the Lord said that forgetting about Him, would be the result of their personally taking credit for their victories!
Sadly, we know that the children of Israel did go through periods of forgetting God, resulting in their idolatry and the ignoring of God’s commands. And, each period of their ingratitude and rebellion led to the destruction about which the Lord had warned.
Our country has been truly blessed by the Lord; but the ingratitude and indifference for His blessings, exhibited by so many, is dangerous.
In our opening scripture, we see that the psalmist, having been delivered from destruction by the Lord, seeks to imagine what he could possibly give back in return for all God’s bestowed benefits. The ultimate answer? Our praise and gratitude!
Lord willing: Next time, we’ll continue our contemplation of giving thanks for the goodness of God.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Nov 19, 2025
- 3 min read
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”
Psalms 63:1 NKJV
“Near to the Heart of God,” is an old Hymn that has always been special to me. Consider the lyrics (Cleland B. McAfee, 1903):
1 There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God,
a place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.
Refrain:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
sent from the heart of God,
hold us, who wait before thee,
near to the heart of God.
2 There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God, a place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.
3 There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God, a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.
Now, dear child of God, there is a sermon in that song!
As we have spent the last 100 days with David, we came to understand that his main driving force, making all the difference in who he was, is the fact that he sought after God‘s heart above all else.
Additionally, we learned on our last day that when we seek the heart of God, we will always find Jesus. Indeed, it is through Jesus’ work that we are able to truly know the Father, to truly know His heart.
““My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””
Matthew 11:27-30 NLT
Imagine, our Lord invited us to allow Him to reveal the Father to us. And, through Him, we receive the Promise, the Holy Spirit of God, Who is the yoke of Jesus Christ. Indeed, as Jesus instructed, it is the Holy Spirit Who guides us into a deeper knowledge of our God and King.
Jesus assured us that if our earnest desire is to know the things of God, we will certainly receive the fulfillment of that desire.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 NKJV
The Lord Himself illustrated a life dedicated to the heart of God, dedicated to doing the will of the Father.
“In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
John 4:31-34 NKJV
A few weeks ago, during our time at the altar, I saw in my spirit, Jesus, from about the neck to about the hips. With His hands, He was holding open His chest as if holding open double doors so that I could see His beating heart. The Lord spoke to me, saying, “I offer My heart to those who truly seek after Me.” Now, who would possibly turn down the Lord’s willingness to share His heart with us? And yet, unbelievably, so many do just that.
In today’s portion from David’s psalms, we are reminded of the heart of David: a heart set on the heart of God. This, dear child of God, is what God seeks: those who truly want to know Him. Consider, He has made Himself known through Jesus Christ and has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. There is nothing more we need, to be able to know Him; and, oh, what a privilege, to be near to the heart of God!
“Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.””
Psalms 40:7-8 NKJV
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!