ULTIMATE THANKFULNESS RESTS ON LOVE

God holds nothing back in His love for us.  His “agape” love is passionate, self-sacrificing; fully committed and all consuming, a deep, constant, unchanging love for us.  Webster’s unabridged dictionary defines “passion” as a “powerful, compelling and extravagant emotion”.  This is why Christ’s willful sacrifice of Himself on the cross is called “The Passion of Christ”.  This is more than what mere mortals call love... this is way over the top supernatural love!  Another example of the passionate love of God is seen in the parable miss-titled the “Prodigal Son.” Webster’s defines “Prodigal” as “lavishly abundant, profuse, and wastefully extravagant”.  Now, who is the real prodigal in this story?  Not the boy although he is wasteful with his resources.  But the father is extravagantly “wasteful” with His love.  The father abundantly and profusely lavishes His love on the undeserving son.  The Father (God) is the prodigal... Our Daddy!  Passionate love is not simply God’s choice... passionate love is His nature... God is Love. It was God’s greater love for mankind... the world, that overwhelmed His great love for His only Son, causing Him to make the greatest love sacrifice creation will ever witness. God’s love is indescribable with the human tongue and scandalous to the human mind which can neither comprehend nor duplicate it.  He loves us with a perfect love... an everlasting love... a relentless love... an unquenchable, insatiable, immeasurable, inexhaustible, irrepressible, irrational, unshakeable, inescapable, unmovable, constantly constant unchanging love. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us more, and nothing we can do to make Him love us less.  God loves us 100%... all the way... all the time, and He never gives up on us... never... ever! He doesn’t love us for what we do - thank God - He loves us for who we are... His adopted children. So on this day of thanksgiving... first and foremost...  more than anything else... I am thankful for the love of God.

GOD’S LOVE GIVES MEANING TO THANKSGIVING...

“THEREFORE... LET US... “ (2 Cor. 7:1)

“THEREFORE, HAVING THESE PROMISES”: The Apostle Paul is speaking to the church at Corinth, to the brethren... saints... Christians, and to twenty-first century saints as well. These “promises” are found in the preceding verses: That God would dwell in us and walk among us, that He would be our Father and we would be His sons and daughters.

 “BELOVED, LET US CLEANSE OURSELVES”: “Therefore, having ... let us”: This construction imposes a condition on receiving God’s promises. The condition is that we cleanse ourselves. Note who is doing the cleansing... We are!

“FROM ALL FILTHINESS OF THE FLESH AND SPIRIT”: We may look pretty good to ourselves, but to God our flesh and spirit are filthy... vile... nasty... obscene... sordid... disgusting. Remember, Isaiah likened man’s righteousness to filthy menstrual rags. 

“PERFECTING HOLINESS”: “Therefore you shall be perfect... spiritually mature... holy, just as your father in heaven is perfect.” The purpose of our self cleansing is to bring to maturity our holiness... that we would be a “Holy temple in the Lord ... holy and without blame” For God has “predestined us to adoption as sons.” Holiness is not an option! It is a command: “Be holy, for I Am holy.” God is holy...  like Father... like son.

“IN THE FEAR OF GOD”: If love doesn’t motivate us... fear should! “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

“BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY”

GOD IS HOLY... 

LIKE FATHER... LIKE SON...

(2 Cor. 6:16-18; 7:1; Is. 64:6; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Eph. 1:4-5; 5:27; 1 Cor. 3;16-17; Heb. 10:31: Matt. 5:48)

FEAR NOT

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.  You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.

 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You. Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.

 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; in You I take shelter.  Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. In Your mercy cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant.

FOR I AM WITH YOU

(Psalms 139:1-18 & 143:8-12)