|
|
|
August 24, 2010
Out of Africa
The Cup of Thanksgiving
|
|
Greetings!
Currently, I am in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on a trip to Covenant for Tanzania Children (CTC). CTC is our orphan ministry partnership with International Christian Ministries Tanzania (ICM). We support an orphan home for 25 children. The trip is going extremely well and you can follow the updates at www.covenantcs.net under the Blog section.
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to speak at the Wapo International Missions Church for Pastor Michael Mgulu. The service went for over four hours and was an incredible experience. There were some things that happened in the service that inspired this devotion. One was a time set aside in the service for testimony and thanksgiving.
After I preached and before the break for second service, the Pastor called six people forward from the large open-air crowd. As the people came forward, I asked my interpreted what was happening. He stated these people have had miracles and answered prayer and are coming to give a thanksgiving offering and testimony!
One by one, my brothers and sisters in Jesus came forth and shared amazing testimonies about healing, provision, comfort, salvation and God's goodness. After they shared their testimony, they gave an offering into a special basket. It was a great time with God's people. There was no rush and people simple shared about God ... they bragged about God and gave Him glory.
So many wonderful things have happened on this trip and I am so thankful to God for all that He has done. I guess I loved this aspect of the worship service because it formalized something that we should be doing daily and that is giving thanks.
To often as followers of Jesus we get caught in the hustle and business of the day and forget to speak to our God and King about His goodness, grace and love. We may ask for things but we are probably not as thankful as we should be. After all, He has done so much and will continue to do so.
|
|
God's Word and the Cup of Thanksgiving
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
~ Psalm 95:1-3 ~
15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is
not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in
the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation
in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
~ 1 Corinthians 10:15-17 ~
|
|
The Cup of Thanksgiving
In
the book of First Corinthians, Paul is teaching about error in worship.
One of the key facets he corrects is the attitude of our heart in
worship, communion and fellowship. In verses 15-17 of chapter 10 Paul
uses the term "cup of thanksgiving" to describe the communion vessel.
But Paul goes beyond that simple vessel to include it as symbolism for
God's provision.
When Jesus sacrificially died on the cross He was providing eternal
life and peace for you and I. Thus, the cup that is used to celebrate
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is really the cup of
thanksgiving. This chalice is used to contain the wine that represents
the blood of Jesus. We drink it in thanksgiving and when we drink we do
it in remembrance of all Jesus has done.
The cup of thanksgiving was a crucial part of the service I went to
Sunday. The time devoted to giving thanks and bragging about God was
very special. In and of itself, the thanksgiving offering used in that
church was a testimony to God and gave Him room to move and minister.
This was not a special part of the service ... it was and is a key part
of every service.
Friend, we should be more thankful. We should be the ones leading the
way in thanking God but I am afraid we are too consumed with all the
blessings to stop and thank the One that blesses. Meanwhile, our
brothers and sisters in Africa, who have a fraction of the material
things and opportunities we share, are thankful for the smallest move
of God or provision. Remember, to whom much is given much is required (Luke 12:48).
We have been given much. We should be very thankful. We should always
be before the Lord thanking Him for life and life more abundantly. We
should thank God for the simplest provision to the greatest miracle. To
help attain the task of being faithful simply remember this acronym
when you pray:
A ... Adoration - start your
time in praying simply adoring God and loving on Him - "Our Father who
art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name" - brag on God's majesty, grace,
and unending love - Adore God in worship.
C ... Confession - confess your
sins before God and repent - "Forgive us this day our trespasses as we
forgive those who have trespassed against us and lead us not into
temptation" - seek God's face in forgiveness and repentance.
T ... Thanksgiving - Hold the
Cup of Thanksgiving up to the Lord! Tell God how incredibly thankful
you are for His love, mercy and grace. Even on your worst day ever you
have so much to be thankful for as God has saved your soul and you will
live eternally with Him in peace! Wow! How can we not thank Him!
S ... Supplication - This is where you ask! Note, it is the last thing we do when we approach God and not the first! "Give us this day our daily bread".
Friend, worship God and love God and drink deep of the Cup of Thanksgiving. Do not hold back your gratitude for all that God has done in and through you but give Him the glory and majesty due His Name!
Please continue to pray for us in Africa and thank Him for the work He is doing!
|
|
For King and Kingdom,
Randy Martin
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
