Happy Thanksgiving 2023

 

Wishing You a Very Happy Thanksgiving 2023

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

Can you believe it’s Thanksgiving 2023 already?

It seems like time always flies at the end of the year.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say “thank you.”

My heart is overflowing with appreciation for all of you who have visited my blog, Delight in God, through the years.

It means a lot to me that you have followed me on my faith journey.

Whether it’s celebrating in God’s blessings, or working through the trials that He allows in our lives, we can know that our Father will lead and guide us – always to a greater good.

I am so thankful we have a loving God who cares about us.

We deserve His wrath, and yet He gave us His Son to pay the price for our sins so that repentant sinners will have eternal life.

Who would demonstrate such incomprehensible love like that for you and me?

Only a Holy Sovereign God, who deserves ALL of our praise.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2023, we give thanks to the One who created all things.

In closing, I wanted to share this encouragement from the psalmist in Psalm 146:

1Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, my soul!
2I will praise the Lord while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.Psalm 146:1-2, (NASB).

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1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

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The Majesty of God’s Creative Power

Appreciating The Majesty of God’s Creative Power

God spoke creation into existence

Have you seen it yet?

The International Space Station (or ISS), that is.

It’s a blast to search for it if you know when to look up.

Depending on your location, the time of day, and some other deciding factors, you can see this technological wonder pass overhead in the darkened sky.

Fun fact: Did you know that the ISS travels at a speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour? – as quoted on the nasa.gov website.1

That’s slightly faster than the average speed limit on some of our Texas highways. 😉

The ISS is amazing, but it’s just one of many other out-of-this-world technological advancements that we can appreciate.

As a nation, we’ve come a long way since 1969.

I remember watching that pivotal moment in history when astronaut Neil Armstrong announced after his moon walk, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Can you imagine the maximum operating power it takes in our modern day to operate the International Space Station?

The interconnecting systems are so complex that it’s hard for even an engineering genius to fully comprehend.

We are blessed with “even greater” than that.

The God of the Bible is the God of all power.

All power and all glory belong to Him.

Job tried, but even His description of God’s power doesn’t come close.

Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”
Job 26:14, (NASB).2

The Majesty of God’s Creative Power – Delight in God

The majesty of God’s creative power is on display every day in the world around us.

No human mind can conceive what it took to design our universe.

God spoke the whole creation into being!

The majesty of God's creative power

The concept of God as the Creator encompasses not only the role of a Designer and Engineer responsible for the intelligibility of the universe but also that of a skilled Artist. Nature can be amazing, almost to the point of incomprehensibility. The splendor of a sunset, the radiance of the stars, and the variety of animals are all evidence of a Creator and Designer. – Dr. Jonathan K. Corrado, PH.D., P.E., Christian theologian, and systems engineer.3

Heavenly Father, by the power of Your Word You made the heavens and the earth.

Thank You for who You are, and for sending us Your Son, Jesus.

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1 Nasa quotation [2020] Courtesy of Nasa.gov, “Science takes time, even in a lab moving 17,500 miles per hour ” Web. Accessed 30 September, 2023.

2Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

3Quotation courtesy of The Institute For Creation Research. By  Dr. Jonathan K. Corrado, PH.D., P.E. From “The Beauty of Creation: Created for God’s Own Glory”, September 7, 2023. para. 7. Web. Accessed 27th September, 2023. Retrieved from https://www.icr.org/article/beauty-of-creation

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Sing For Joy

To Sing For Joy – God-Exalting Reverence 

Occasionally on Delight-in-God.com, I like to share beautiful spirit-lifting music with you.

The song today is not only worshipful, I want to sing for joy every time I hear it!

I’ve listened to “Precious Jesus” dozens of times by now and it never gets old.

You might want to turn up the sound on your speakers for this one.

Jesus!

He is precious to God, a beloved cornerstone, described as such in 1 Peter 2:4-5 . . . 

Sing for Joy to our precious Savior

We, as Christians, are the living stones of God’s church.

His Son Jesus, our precious Savior, took the weight of our sins upon Himself and, through Him, we have eternal life.

Spurgeon writes, “He is preciousness, He is an honor, He is everything that is glorious to you. You can never think highly enough of Him, or speak well enough concerning Him. All the world beside may disallow Him, but unto you He is precious.” – as quoted in Precept Austin.org.2

To Sing for Joy – A Call to Worship!

What does the Bible say about singing?

Actually, singing is mentioned a lot in God’s Word.

Here’s just one example in Book of Psalms . . . 

Psalm 95:1-2 says:

1Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord,
Let’s shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
2Let’s come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving,
Let’s shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments.3

Together in churches across the nation we gather on Sundays to praise God by the reading of His word and through our singing.

When we sing for joy with a song like this, we are shining the light of our Savior to a dying world in need of Hope.

“Hope” –  as in the confident expectation of our precious Lord’s return.

As beautiful as this song is, can you imagine how heaven will sound?!

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Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2 Precept Austin quotation is from the 1 Peter 2:7-8 Commentary, [2022] Courtesy of Precept Austin, Subheading, “The Preciousness of Belief” Web. Accessed 12 September, 2023.

3 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

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Who Is God?

Many Will Ask: Who is God?

Who is God?

Are God and Jesus the same person?

To delight in God, we must first know who He is.

For the answer to that, we turn to His Word.

He reveals Himself in Scripture this way:

God the Father

God the Son

God the Holy Spirit

Matthew 28

This truth forms one of the essential foundations of our faith: We serve a triune God – that is, God in three persons.

Granted, the blessed mystery of the Trinity is hard to understand at times.

I’m humbly raising my hand here.

Pastor John MacArthur wrote, “the doctrine of the Trinity stands as a perpetual reminder that we cannot comprehend everything God has revealed about Himself.” (Pastor John MacArthur, March 4, 2020)1

There’s a reason for that.

All that I can write about God, when compared to the totality of His attributes, is like one grain of sand compared to every beach, every mountain, and every planet in the universe. In order to comprehend God, we would need to be God’s intellectual equals, but He has no equals and doesn’t tolerate the impudent pretense of anyone who claims to understand things better than He does (Job 40:6–41:34). – Pastor John MAcArthur, pastor and bible teacher from Grace To You.2

Even though we deserve eternal punishment for our wickedness, nothing about you and me is a surprise to God.

He is faithful – making a way for us to receive salvation through His Son.

What a beautiful example of His indescribable grace and love that should humble us every single day.

Therefore, we delight in Him not only for His faithfulness, but for Who He is.

God is the Source of all things and we are His created ones.

Who is God?

As our Righteous Judge, He punishes sin, but by His grace and mercy, He will also forgive repentant hearts.

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Who You are.

No matter what comes our way – whether rich blessings

or humbling trials – we thank You.

The single, greatest act of worship you can render to God is to thank Him. It’s the epitome of worship because through gratitude, we affirm God as the ultimate source of both trial and blessing—and acknowledge our humble acceptance of both. –Pastor John MacArthur, pastor and bible teacher from Grace To You.3

God The Son

Jesus!

It is our imperfection that brought Him here, and it is our weaknesses that will bring Him back to save us from our sins.

Lord, thank You for Your grace and

for sending us Your Son, Jesus.

Through Him, and by His death and resurrection,

You saved a wretch like me (and you who are reading this!)

With a thankful heart, we can recognize that, through Jesus, we are reconciled to the very One Who gave us life in our mothers’ wombs.

Only God could know what it would take to make a sinner acceptable to Him so that that sinner could escape eternal hell and live in the very presence of God in His own house. Only God could determine how the spiritual nature and the supreme authority and the unchangeable perfection of His law which is holy, just and good could be completely satisfied and the lawbreaker completely justified and rightly and purely forgiven and accepted, though fallen, guilty and depraved. Only God could bring all of those components to reconciliation. Only God knew what it would take. – Pastor John MacArthur, pastor and bible teacher from Grace To You.4

The Holy Spirit – A Distinct Member of the Trinity

What is the role of the Holy Spirit?

Pastor Alistair Begg writes this, “Enabling us to bow to Scripture’s authority and not man’s, the Holy Spirit plays the central role in the conversion of unbelievers. Being theologically accurate is of no assistance if the Holy Spirit does not live inside us.” (Pastor Alistair Begg, August 23, 2018)5

In John 14:26, Jesus comforted the disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit’s coming.

John 14:26

Thank You, Lord, for Your gift of the Holy Spirit –

our Comforter, Intercessor, Counselor, and

a divine and distinct member

of the blessed Trinity.

Heavenly Father, it is with gratitude,

that our hearts remain focused on You.

May we wake up every day praising Your Name.

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1-2 John MacArthur quotation, courtesy of GTY.org/library/sermons-library. “God Is a Trinity.” para. 10, March 4, 2020. Web. Accessed 22 August, 2023. Retrieved from God Is a Trinity.

3 John MacArthur quotation, courtesy of GTY.org/library/sermons-library. “God Wants you to Give Thanks, Part 1.” para. 4, March 4, 2020. Web. Accessed 22 August, 2023. Retrieved from Give Thanks.

4 John MacArthur quotation, courtesy of GTY.org/library/sermons-library. “Fifteen Words of Hope.” para. 16, April 23, 1995. Web. Accessed 16 August, 2023. Retrieved from Words of Hope.

5 Alistair Begg quotation, Christian pastor, author, and founder of  Truth For Life Teaching Ministry. “Sermons on the Holy Spirit.” para. 2, August 23, 2018. Web. Accessed 28 August, 2023. Retrieved from the Holy Spirit.

6 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

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How Can Anyone Not Believe

How Can Anyone Not Believe in Our Creator God?

How can anyone not believe

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved seeing fireflies.

Tiny twinkling lights randomly dancing across the neighborhood under the night sky.

It’s such a great childhood memory, and one of the many reasons I delight in God.

Thank you God for the little firefly –

an amazing reminder that

creation is Yours

and how blessed we are to even share in it!

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, the apostle reminded the people, and by extension all of us, of the glory of God unveiled each new day.

Even so, the foolish still refuse to honor Him.

Romans 1:20

The evidence that creation belongs to God is staggering, despite skeptics’ failed attempts to disprove what we all know is true.

How can anyone not believe in our Creator God?

There’s a song by talented singer-songwriter, Leanna Crawford, that I’m drawn to for this very reason.

It’s called, “How Can You Not.”

I hope you enjoy the God-honoring and heartfelt lyrics as much as I do.

How Can Anyone Not Believe

There’s a sweet story behind the writing of Leanna’s song.

In an interview she once said, “For me, being outside was another way to feel closer to God.”

“My parents were visiting me in Nashville and my dad had never seen fireflies before. Most people don’t know this, but there are no fireflies in the Pacific Northwest. We were out walking in the rain because we’re from the rainy state of Washington and don’t care about getting wet. But when the rain slowed down, the field next to us lit up like the night sky. My dad saw all those fireflies and said, ‘How can you not see the Creator?’ It was such a beautiful moment. And I was reminded that God created things like fireflies to show us how much He loves us.”Leanna Crawford, singer songwriter.2

Be sure to check out her YouTube channel and her “Leanna Loves” videos to learn more about this talented artist.

Her sweet spirit and engaging personality come shining through.

You can click here for a sample.

Leanna Crawford is currently on tour.

With stops from Tennessee to California, you can find her tour schedule here.

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1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Leanna Crawford quotation. “About Leanna Crawford.” [Leannacrawford.com]. Web. Accessed April 13, 2023. 

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