Give Thanks for

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.

" Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations,And I will sing praises to Your name.

[ God Abases the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous. ] We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, For Your name is near; Men declare Your wondrous works.

Ephesians 5:20 1 Timothy 2:1 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Ephesians 1:16 2 Samuel 22:50 Psalm 75:1

Christ, the rock, is our sure hope.

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Faces

From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before him. God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word.

The day my enemies turned tail and ran, they stumbled on you and fell on their faces. You took over and set everything right; when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment], and by Your favor our horn is exalted and we walk with uplifted faces!

Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

Psalm 22:27 Psalm 9:3 Psalm 34:5 Psalm 89:17 Isaiah 49:23 Isaiah 25:8

God’s Spirit lives in us in order to work through us.

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Exhalt

Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.

Hope in the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

He rules by His might forever, His eyes observe and keep watch over the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves.

Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!

Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.

Let them praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! His glory and majesty are above earth and heaven!

Psalm 34:3 Psalm 37:34 Psalm 66:7 Psalm 75:6 Psalm 99:5 Psalm 107:32 Psalm 148:13

If you know that God’s hand is in everything, you can leave everything in God’s hand.

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Identity

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.”

The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh.

The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets on God's Son. His descent from David roots him in history; his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master. Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!

Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast. So let's live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious.

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

Matthew 5:48 Luke 6:35 Acts 7:13 Romans 1:2 1 Corinthians 5:6 1 Peter 2:10

When others think of you, do they think of Jesus?

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Safety

Would that you had known personally, even at least in this your day, the things that make for peace (for freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin and upon which your peace--your security, safety, prosperity, and happiness--depends)! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

FOR THE rest, my brethren, delight yourselves in the Lord and continue to rejoice that you are in Him. To keep writing to you [over and over] of the same things is not irksome to me, and it is [a precaution] for your safety.

While they are saying, " Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [ His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation ( that which is conducive to the soul's safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him.

I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

Luke 19:42 Philippians 3:1 1 Thessalonians 5:3 2 Peter 3:15 Psalm 11:1 Psalm 4:8

For time and eternity, Jesus is all we need.

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