Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, Good morning.
It is Sunday, August twenty two, twenty three. Hello, my name
is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is
no exception. We are continuing in our lessons study series through the Book of
Ephesians, and our caption for today is instead, let there be Thanksgiving.
We'll get into that in just a moment, but first I'd like to say
welcome to you and ask you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com.
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Portion dot com. Let's go ahead and pray and then we will get underway.
Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us this new day and for
the privilege we have to open your word again. Please make us thankful and
grateful in this name. I pray, Amen and Amen again. Instead,
let there be thanksgiving. I want to read one of my favorite passages where
this is concerned. And yeah, some people may not really too much resonate
with this, but I'm hoping that we will all grow into that space,
Okay, And it reads in First Thessalonians, chapter five, verse eighteen.
In everything, what does it say in everything? Give thanks? What did
it say in everything? Some things? No? Everything give thanks? For
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Now, some
of you would have read something into the text that is not There did not
say for all things. So it doesn't say if you total your vehicle and
break your foot in the process, that you should say thank you Lord for
a broken foot. It does not say that if you lose a loved one.
By the way, God never intended us to be separated by loss or
death or any other thing that we're supposed to say thank you for you know,
so and so whom I love passing away. That is not what the
text says. It doesn't say for everything. It says in everything. So
in whatever situation we find ourselves, whether it is a triggering, more difficult
situation or something that's just annawing, like bees buzzing around us, or our
net all in our face trying to go up our noses, like that's annawing.
But whatever the case, God is saying, give thanks, like in
everything, give thanks. Why because it's God's will in Christ concerning you,
Yeah, quench not the spirit, the Bible says in the following verse.
And then of course it says, prove all things, hold fast to that
which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil, and of course is
the promise and the encouragement that God, the God of Peace, will sanctify
you, will make you holy in every single way. That is, of
course, if you will trust him. Okay, So we're going back to
the Book of Ephesians, chapter five this time, and we will read verses
one and two, and it reads, be Ye, therefore, followers of
God, can I just pause right here for a moment and ask you a
question, like, what does that look like? In practical terms? How
do followers of God live and move and breathe like? How do they treat
people? How do followers of God live? Think about it? Be Ye,
therefore, followers of God, as dear children, and verse two walk
in love as Christ also loved us, and hath given himself for us as
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. So Jesus,
Jesus gave us the example. He gave us the example of living according
to the will of God. He followed as he lived on planet Earth for
three and one thirty three and one half years. The Bible says that he
actually lived according to the principles of God's Father. He followed God, and
now he has marked out a path for us to do the same. But
again it says that he gave himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet smelling savor. Can I just say that sin stinks.
It has a stench that elevates, It wafts all the way up to
heaven. And of course, in the Old Testament system of sacrifices, we
will see we would have seen that there was an altar of burnt sacrifice,
right, an altar of burnt sacrifice as you entered into the outer court,
right, and so at that altar, then animals were actually sacrificed. Can
you imagine the stench of burning flesh? Can you imagine how that would be?
And then you go through, you go through the outer court, keep
going, keep going, And then traveling west, you open and go into
the veil into the Holy Place. And inside of the Holy Place, keep
going, keep going. You get to another veil. But before you get
to that veil, there was another altar and altar of burnt incense or of
incense, and in that there was a certain aroma. Can you imagine now
that this aroma that represents the prayers of the saints, this aroma that Jesus,
being our advocate, can represent our case perfectly, so we can be
saved. This a roma, which is that we don't know what we ought
to pray for as we ought, but the Holy Spirit moans and in growns
that cannot be uttered. And so that is now ascending into that place,
the holiest of all, where the presence, the full the presence that God
had revealed to the people was that light unapproachable. So the stench of sin
was covered covered by the aroma, the sweet smelling savor of Jesus's sacrifice and
also his representation to us as we are praying. And so since that is
the case, we need to be imitators of God. Yes, we need
to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who lived a life of gratitude and
thanksgiving and power. Yes, so instead, no matter what we're going through
we need to go through, we need to model the behavior of thanksgiving.
Now, the Bible teaches us in the same chapter Ephesians chapter five, that
we are to walk in love. This is to be modeled after Christ's own
love for us, expressed in the way that I just described. And more
so four things about that sacrifice, that sweet smelling savor that Jesus is right.
Number one, it is motivated by love for God the Father and of
Christ himself. H Number two, it is substitutionary with Christ dying in our
place. Christ is no passive victim, but gave himself up for us.
The reason Jesus gave his life was so that we could live forever. The
reason Jesus gave his life was because God loves us so much that he could
not watch us just die and kill ourselves because of our sin patterns. God
is saying he wants to transform our lives. He has put everything in place,
yes, so that we can be saved. And for that we give
God thanks. Number three of the imagery of the Old Testament sanctuary service,
Christ's death is also a sacrifice which is made to God. And number four
and final, the sacrifice is accepted by God. Since it is a fragrant
offering. I think we covered that at least a little bit a moment ago.
So let me give you a couple of tips before we go to flee
from sexual impurity and all of the other impurity that is cited here in the
Book of Ephesians. Guards your mind, cultivate self control, seek God's guidance,
and treat others with purity of a wonderful day piece. Thanks for joining
us listening to friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your
daily portion with L. David Harris. Make it a great day.