For His Deeds

*What is the best present anyone could give you?

*Besides salvation, what is the greatest thing you’ve ever received from God?

Psalm 75:1 is a perfect verse of thanksgiving: “People tell of your wonderful deeds.” By telling of God’s wonderful deeds, we show our thanks and bring him glory. That’s the way to show gratitude!

In Psalm 75, the psalmist celebrates God’s perfect justice, the fact that good will be rewarded and evil will be punished. He celebrates God’s power in holding the world together despite all the wickedness in it. He celebrates the fact that those who are arrogant and wicked will one day get what’s coming to them. Those are the deeds the psalmist wanted people to know about. Because his words have survived to this day, we can celebrate with him.

If we were to make a list, it probably would look much different than the psalmist’s. We might celebrate the good things that have happened at work and school. We might celebrate the way we’ve grown spiritually at church. We might celebrate our family bond. We might celebrate our friends. We might celebrate our ministry opportunities.

It doesn’t really matter what we celebrate, only that we praise God and share with others the amazing things he has done in our lives.

Prayer

Dear God, we celebrate your goodness in our lives in so many areas. You give us everything we need and more. Amen.

Taken from Once a Day At the Table

YouVersion

God is Good

Thankful, in Spite of . . .

You think you’ve got problems? Yes, you surely do; we all have our own set of problems, some worse than others. But during World War II, Corrie ten Boom faced more difficulties than I can even imagine when she was confined with her sister in Ravensbruck, one of the most notorious Nazi prison camps in Germany.

One special problem Corrie and her barracks mates faced was a terrible infestation of fleas. The fleas were thick and biting, a very real health issue. (Just think of how aggravating one flea is to your pet and multiply that by thousands.) But while most women would have whined and complained about their circumstances, Corrie thanked God for the fleas.
How could Corrie be grateful for fleas? Because of the horrendous fleas, the cruel prison guards would not enter the barracks. So Corrie and her sister were able to conduct uninterrupted Bible studies with the other women, bringing many of them to Christ. They were focused on the bigger picture — souls over fleas. They knew that God had not forgotten them — he had blessed them with fleas!
What are the fleas in your life? Unruly teenagers? Financial stresses? Pesky relationships? You name them. Whatever they are, be thankful for a God who is bigger than your difficulties, a God who sees the whole picture of your life, not just this irritating moment in time. Learn to thank God for his blessings in spite of your current problems. Be grateful that he has not forgotten you. And, yes, be thankful for your fleas, because they may well be opportunities in disguise.

Mary Hollingsworth
Taken from Fulfilled

Thousands Embracing Christianity in Syria as Local Ministry Struggles to Raise Funds to Build New Church

A ministry leader in the coastal town of Tartus in Syria has revealed that his organization can barely keep up with the desire of refugees to learn about Christ and the Bible as they struggle to raise funds to to plant a new church.

According to Al-Monitor, an estimated 700,000 people from other parts of Syria have fled to Tartus amid an ongoing civil war between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, opposition units, and terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS).

"They may be living in makeshift shanties or tents, or on the streets of Tartus," an indigenous ministry director told Christian Aid Mission said. "The church is overflowing, so new church plants are needed to serve the displaced seeking a safe haven."

Disillusioned by the horror perpetrated by followers of Islam, thousands of refugees have come to Christ at the indigenous ministry's existing church. Because of the large number of congregants, there is standing room only in the church building's patio.

To meet the spiritual and physical needs of the growing number of Armenians, Kurds and former Yazidis, former Alawites and former Muslims putting their faith in Christ, the ministry is currently seeking to raise funds for the creation of a new church.

See, more.