Thanksgiving Day is upon us! We are busy preparing for the day! There are so many emotions that can surface during the holiday season. Happiness, joy, sadness, anger, and fear are just a few examples of feelings that people may feel on Thanksgiving. What are your feelings for Thanksgiving 2018? Some may be dreading the day because of tension or issues in the family! Some may feel fearful of the expected disappointments that the day will bring. Some may not even participate in the day because they do not want to have to deal with people. Some may be over the moon excited to spend time with friends and family! The food, fellowship, and fun are all on the menu for the day. Some may be feeling very sad because there are a few chairs that are empty this holiday season. Every family is unique and face different issues. Every one is dealing with something. "See a need, fill a need" in the words of Mr. Bigweld off the movie Robots. Be mindful of that when you celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Extend grace. Show kindness. Be a blessing to someone. Smile! Use gentle words and tones when you speak. Reflect on life. Be thankful for the many blessings that God has given you. You may have tension in your family unit. You may not have family or friends to celebrate with. You may be really missing someone this Thanksgiving. You may be fighting depression and issues within yourself and not wanting to deal with the day. In other words, life may not be perfect in your world, but you are blessed. You can be a blessing to someone today. There is always something to be thankful for. You woke up this morning. You have breath in you lungs. You have been given another chance to be active in purpose! Be the best version of you that you can be. Meditate on that! Once again, I am not perfect! I am blessed. I may fail, but I am trying. I am holding onto the scriptures and trying to have an attitude of gratitude this Thanksgiving. I do not want anything to take my praise! Psalm 118:1 says "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" and Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." I hope you find something to help you in today's devotion of Let There Be Praise! I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Genesis 29:15-35 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
Have you ever felt you were just not good enough? You felt second best? Jacob went to Laban’s, his uncles’ house, to visit. Laban had two daughters. Jacob fell in love with the youngest one, Rachel. He worked seven years for Laban to be able to marry her in Genesis 29:20: “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” In that culture, the youngest could not marry before the oldest. Laban deceived Jacob. He sent Leah, the tender-eyed, oldest daughter unto Jacob. Much to Jacob’s dismay, it was not Rachel. It was Leah, the daughter he did not work for! Even though Leah was aware of Jacob working for Rachel, it most likely hurt her feelings, a little if not a lot, for Jacob to react the way he did. Leah was older. She was supposed to marry first. She was being obedient to her father. She was able to bear sons to Jacob. She did what she was asked to do. Yet, it did not seem like enough compared to Rachel. We have all been there. We have all felt second best at some point in our lives. It may be you feel like you are not a priority compared to your spouse’s job. It may be your sibling is praised more. It may be you feel what you do in ministry does not matter because it is not recognized. It may be you feel like you do what you are asked to do and give everything you can give, and it is not even noticed. We live a Godly lifestyle, obedient to our Heavenly Father, giving of our time and talents, yet we still feel lacking in some way and unappreciated in our efforts! It is painful to give of yourself and feel it is not enough. It is disturbing! It hurts! It affects the soul. So, you feel pressured to do more, to give more, to be more in an attempt to please or gain approval. A lot of times, it will still not be enough! Leah gave birth to multiple sons and Jacob still favored Rachel. Genesis 29:32-35 reads: “And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.” So, what is the point? Why try to do more to please man when man is blinded to all of you offer? Man may be blind to your commitment, hard work, dedication, loyalty, and pain, but God is not. God sees all, knows all, and is working on it all! Our validation comes from God alone. The sooner we realize that, the better off our lives and homes will become. When we receive this revelation, a praise will break forth to God. True praise! It is in digging deep into the soul that we recognize God’s greatness and his power! Leah had done all she could do. She conceived again and bore a son named Judah. His name means “praise.” She determined within herself to praise instead of dwell in pain. That is what God wants us to do! No matter the situation or circumstance, he wants us to realize our validation comes from him alone. He knows the intent of our hearts. He sees and understands the sacrifice we make for our families and his kingdom. He knows our deepest pains and our greatest joys. Through it all, he desires our “true praise.” We must not let anything or anyone take our praise! Psalm 147:1 says: “Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.”
Prayer:
Lord, let there be praise, the kind of praise that rings loud from the innermost depths of our souls and echoes from generation to generation. Let there be a growth mindset of “I am of value to God. I am significant to God. I matter! What I do matters!” Help us give praise to you, Oh Lord, not just with our lips, but with actions. Let us magnify your name. Let there be a praise on our lips at all times, regardless of the situation/circumstance around us or how we feel! In every season, you are still God! Let there be praise. In Jesus Name!
Quote: When you start your day with praise, you start your day with power. – Victoria Osteen
Comments