Chambersburg Bible Church

Psalm 100 is a famous song of thanksgiving to the Lord. Psalm 100 challenges us to praise the Lord with a mighty song, worship him in praise and thanksgiving, and serve him in obedience and willingness of heart. Our service to the Lord is simply showing our gratitude towards Him for what he has done for us in Salvation! God supplies our every need, and we can never be in spiritual want for the lack of God’s goodness.

We should always have thankful hearts, giving praise to our wondrous God!

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

- Psalm 100

Mid-week Minutes is a weekly summary of Pastor’s Bible Study from the mid-week Prayer Service.

Pastor Ben Fisler

Many times Thanksgiving Day is simply a time of eating tons of wonderful food, watching football, and spending time with family. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with any of these pastimes, but we truly need to focus on the reason for this holiday. In 1610 a group of believers in the Jamestown colony were suffering beyond belief due to the hostile weather condition. The group of settlers that had come across the ocean had been narrowed down from 409 to only 60 survivors. The group had prayed earnestly for the Lord to provide necessary provisions for them. In response to their prayers, a boat filled with necessities for daily living arrived. Many look to 1621 as the beginning of our Thanksgiving tradition, but 1610 was truly a time for thanksgiving.  Today we can be so thankful that these people took a stand for their Christian heritage. They truly provided a strong foundation for this country. 

Moving forward some 399 years later, we now have a matter to address in our own community–a threat to that Christian heritage.  That matter is the removal of the nativity from our town square. We truly need to rally around and make a statement that the reason we celebrate many holidays in this country is due to what Jesus Christ has done for us. It’s been exciting to see how the community is coming together and expressing faith in Jesus Christ as the reason for keeping the nativity. Whether you like it or not our forefathers have placed the Bible and Jesus Christ as the foundation for our nation. We cannot allow one man to destroy what we view as the reason for commemorating the various holidays that occur around the calendar year. But the exciting part about this is that whether people continue to keep the Bible out of schools, remove prayer from schools, force us to take down our nativity scenes, and no longer post the Ten Commandments in public buildings, no one can take away our personal salvation through Jesus Christ. And that is truly a reason to be thankful during this season of the year.

As we think about the faithfulness of the Lord at this time of the year, we give thanks for you and pray that you will experience his goodness and rejoice in him.  We live in a world filled with turmoil, uncertainties, failures and sometimes disappointments. Nevertheless, we can still rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.

David was a man whose life was filled with many ups and downs. For example, from a giant-slaying hero he was reduced to a fugitive by the jealous King Saul. From the position of a just and righteous king, he dropped into the valley of despondency-after he became guilty of adultery, concealment of sin and murder, and but for the pardon of God would faced the death sentence. He knew firsthand how it felt to be loved today and hated the following day. How it felt to be betrayed by those he had loved and trusted. His own son staged a coup and drove him out of his palace and would have succeeded in overthrowing him, but for God’s own intervention. David knew how it felt to be chastised of God for doing the right thing in the wrong way.    And yet his praises in the Psalms out number every Bible writer.  Yes, and he came to the end of his life not in the valley of despondency, but as God’s victorious warrior. Indeed a man after God’s own heart!  How did David accomplish this feat in spite of the contrasts and ironies in his Life? Third, He recognized his own weakness and shortcomings and sought to be strong in the Lord.

For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.  As for man, his days are as the grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.  For the wind passeth over it , and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more” (Psalm 103:14-16Psalm 103:14-16
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. ¹⁶ For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. it is...: Heb. it is not  
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Fourth, He focused on the goodness of the Lord so that he would not forget His benefits.

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.  To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.  The Lord has prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.  Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.  Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion; bless the Lord O my soul” (Psalm 103:17-22Psalm 103:17-22
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; ¹⁸ To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. ¹⁹ The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. ²⁰ Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. that excel...: Heb. mighty in strength ²¹ Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. ²² Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.  
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Like David, let us accept God’s forgiveness as well as his chastisements, when necessary, in good faith. Let us recognize our weakness and thus depend on him for strength. And let us learn to count our blessings so that we do not forget his goodness unto us.  Then could we, also, wholeheartedly exclaim:  “Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me; bless his holy name!”

Think about it: He forgives us, Heals us, redeems us from destruction, Crowns us with Loving kindness, Feeds us, Judges us righteously, Reveals his will to us. He is merciful and gentle towards us. He shows us compassion rather than consume us in his anger. God is faithful! “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good for his mercy endureth forever” AMEN!

Happy Thanksgiving!

George A. Dapaah