Jude. Greetings from the half-brother of Jesus Christ to the called ones. Jude told the followers to contend for the faith for there had crept in apostates in the church, and since they lived in the last days he urged them to maintain their life with God and give all glory to God.
Nahum 1 speaks of God’s wrath on His enemies, in this case the coming destruction of Nineveh.
Nahum 2 is a prophesy of the coming fall of Nineveh.
3 John. The Apostle sent a greeting to Gaius, who was commended for his love and generosity, and urged to follow good people like Demetrius, but to avoid bad people like Diotrephes. The letter ends with a farewell greeting. That’s it.
Proverbs 25 is a collection of more proverbs of Solomon collected after his death during the reign of Hezekiah.
Psalm, 141, of David. A short Psalm telling that confession without compromise comes before God’s protection and victory over evildoers.
Psalm 142, of David. When all strength fails “The LORD is my only refuge.”
Psalm 143, of David. There is hope, even in the deepest despair.
Psalm 144, of David. He is a man of war, but gives praise to God with a new song, for God is the one who grants victory.
2 John is a very short letter, greeting the elect lady with joy that she and some of her children walk in Christ’s commandments, but also warning her to beware of Antichrist deceivers.
Micah 5. The promise of the coming Messiah: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” But first, God promised punishment of Israel’s injustice.
Micah 6. The LORD laid out His a case against Israel and how He will punish Israel’s injustice. One remedy: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?“
Micah 7. The prophet expressed deep sorrow for Israel’s sins, coupled with the hope that the nation will rise again and that God will forgive Israel.
1 John 5. Being born of God and believing in the son of God means exercising obedience by Faith. The certainty of God’s witness is : “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” There is confidence and compassion in prayer, We must follow the true one and reject the false. And so the letter ends: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”
Micah 1. The prophet told of the coming judgment on Israel with mourning for Israel and Judah.
Micah 2. The prophet proclaimed woe to evildoers and lying prophets. After that Israel will be restored.
Micah 3. There was wicked rulers and wicked prophets. Micah still had full confidence in God.
Micah 4 speaks of the LORD’s future reign in Zion and Zion’s triumph.
1 John 4. Test the spirits. There is the spirit of God, and then there are many spirits of the Antichrist. Remember: “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” We know God through love and we see God through love, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
Proverbs 24 completes the sayings of the wise, and begins some more sayings of the wise. The two last verses are notable: “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
Psalm 137. When the Jews were exiled into captivity they were forced to sing songs on their way. So somebody wrote a psalm about it. Compare that to when Paul and Silas were put in jail, they voluntarily sang songs of praise to God.
Psalm 138. David, as psalmist reminds us that God will honor His word and perform it to completion.
Psalm 139, of David. God knows everything, and He knows me much better than I know myself. Fittingly, the Psalm ends up with a song: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 140, of David. A heartfelt prayer for deliverance from evildoers.
1 John 3:11-24. We are children of God. As children of God we no longer sin, but it is important we love and show the outworking of love, for in it is the spirit of truth.
Jonah. The short but great story of Jonah, the famous solar eclipse of 763 B.C. the great solar eclipse of 2017, the eclipse of 2024 and the tearing down of statues.
Psalm 136 is called the Great Hallel (or Great Psalm of Praise). Each one of its 26 verses repeats the phrase, “His mercy endureth forever.” It was sung responsively by the Levites and the assembly of people at both Solomon’s and Zerubbabel’s temple dedication and is now sometimes sung or recited at the Passover Seder.
1 John 3:1-10. We are children of God, or as the King James Bible calls it “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:” As children of God we do not continue to sin, for if we do, we don’t have the spirit of God in us.
Proverbs 23, Sayings of the Wise. Do not be a glutton, do not desire riches, do not be a moocher, do not argue with a fool, do not change ancient landmarks, do not withhold correction from a child, do not envy sinners because they are having fun, do not drink wine to excess, do not despise your mother when she is old, honor your father and mother, keep away from harlots, stay sober and do not succumb to alcohol.
Psalm 134 is the last of the songs of ascents. 3 verses short and to the point. Bless the Lord and He will bless you from Zion.
Psalm 135 is a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving to the uniqueness and superiority of the LORD, His name and all that He has done! Compare that to the worthless idols!
This Thanksgiving, as families, friends, and loved ones gather in gratitude, may we all celebrate the many blessings of our great Nation.
Thanksgiving is at the heart of America’s spirit of gratitude — of finding light in times of both joy and strife. The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving to honor a successful harvest, made possible by the generosity and kindness of the Wampanoag people. On the way to Valley Forge, as General George Washington and his troops continued the fierce struggle for our Nation’s independence, they found a moment for Thanksgiving. And amid the fight to preserve our Union during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday, finding gratitude in the courage of the American people who sacrifice so much for our country.
We are a good Nation because we are a good people. The First Lady and I remain inspired by the everyday Americans who lift this country up and push us forward. Today, so many are among their family and friends, celebrating the love that binds them and creating new traditions that will carry on for generations. To anyone with an empty seat at the dinner table, grieving the loss of a loved one, the First Lady and I hold you in our hearts and prayers.
America is a Nation of promise and possibilities — and that is because, every day, ordinary Americans are doing extraordinary things. Our service members and veterans have given all, risked all, and dared all to keep our Nation free. Our first responders, firefighters, and police officers risk their lives every day to keep the rest of us safe. I can see the best of America in them and in our workers and union leaders, public servants and teachers, doctors and scientists, and all who give their heart and soul to ensuring people are treated with dignity and respect. And I find hope in our Nation’s families, who sacrifice so much to achieve the American Dream and build a future worthy of our highest aspirations.
This Thanksgiving — the last one I will declare as President — I express my gratitude to the American people. Serving as President has been the honor of a lifetime. America is the greatest country on Earth, and there is so much to be grateful for. May we celebrate all that unites us — because there is nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 2024, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people of the United States of America to join together and give thanks for the friends, neighbors, family members, and communities who have supported each other over the past year in a reflection of goodwill and unity.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
This is a Christian response to this, given by Dutch Sheets (Dutch Sheets ministries, Give Him 15)
A Day of Thanksgiving
The pilgrims first celebrated the holiday Americans call Thanksgiving after their first harvest in 1621. History says it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. The gathering lasted three days. In 1789, our first President, George Washington, issued a national proclamation of “Public Thanksgiving and Prayer, acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”(1) Abraham Lincoln issued another proclamation in 1863 and made it a national holiday, referring to it as “A day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”(2) In their proclamations, they refer to God as the: Almighty God (three times); that great and glorious Being; beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; the great Lord and Ruler of the Nations; Most High God; and beneficient Father. So much for the myth of separating God from America’s government.
Washington’s and Lincoln’s proclamations are reverential and God-honoring. I won’t read them, as the verbiage and style of the day are a bit different than ours, but I have included them as an attachment at the end of today’s post for those who do wish to read them. The following is a proclamation and prayer for us to offer today; please agree with me as I read it:
Heavenly Father, we in the U.S. pause today to acknowledge Your gracious and omnipotent hand. America was Your idea. You had in Your heart to form a nation of nations – Native Americans, Asians, Europeans, Africans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, and more. Though our journey included the inevitable challenges associated with human frailties, including evil actions, Your sovereign power overcame our flaws and formed the United States of America. We are very aware that this miracle was not just for our blessing and benefit; we were called to a covenantal partnership with You to release Your redemption from sin’s horrible curse. We acknowledge and agree with the words of Robert Hunt at Cape Henry in 1607: “The gospel of the kingdom will go forth from these shores, not only to this land, but to all the nations of the earth.” We agree with the words from Holy Scripture inscribed on the Liberty Bell: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof,” (Leviticus 25:10). This is our destiny and great honor.
We are thankful, Father, for the covenants our Christian Forefathers and Founders entered into with You. They sacrificed much in order to fulfill Your will, knowing they were drawn here – not just to enjoy liberty – but to accomplish Your divine purposes. We are grateful for their sacrifices made so long ago, and the incredible prosperity we have enjoyed due to their covenantal partnership with You. May they be forever honored and always see righteous fruit from their labors.
Thank You for preserving us in times of war, disease, sin, and rebellion. In the war of our birth, we were saved through appealing to heaven; in the horrific Civil War, we fought one another and lost half a million sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers, yet You kept the dream alive; in two world wars, You preserved us from evil despots intent on ruling the world. Through all the difficulties and trials of four centuries, YOU have been faithful to preserve us. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). You have blessed this nation – of You, through You, and to You are all things. Thank You, gracious and beneficent God!
Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, on this day, we as a nation thank You for Your great sacrifice in becoming one of us – a member of the human race. Thank You for experiencing the gnawing pangs of hunger, for feeling the heartbreaking pain of a loved one’s death. Thank You for walking dusty roads to heal diseased bodies, taking detours to redeem thirsty hearts, and spending sleepless nights in prayer. Thank You for exposing the wiles and hatred of the serpent, the destructive power of pride, and modeling true love. Thank You for revealing the Father to us once again, and creating the way for us to reconnect with Him as our Abba, our Papa. Thank You for paying such an incredibly high price: the incarnation, the beatings and lashing, Gethsemane, the mocking, the crown of thorns, the wrath of Hell, the hideous Cross, the stain of sin, and sting of death. Thank You.
Gracious Father, wonderful Savior, and blessed Holy Spirit, though we as a nation have dishonored, rejected, and even mocked You, Your love endures. We have worshiped idols, embraced false religions, shed innocent blood, defiled Your marriage covenant, and expelled You from our schools – yet Your mercies endure. Our government has risen up against You in pride and rebellion, rewritten Your laws, legislated murderous and immoral rights, and declared that You are no longer welcome in their functions and procedures – yet You have demonstrated amazing grace and patience. And while the church should have been Your instrument of preservation from these ills, she became lukewarm, complacent, and ineffective.
In spite of these and many more evils, You have promised to save America, healing our brokenness, returning our hearts to You, and preserving our destiny. Thank You, gracious Father. Thank You for the restoration occurring in the church; thank You for the army of intercessors You have raised up here and around the world – we owe them so much. Thank You for the awakening that has begun in America, regarding both our spiritual condition and the horrible fruit this has produced. Thank You for the overthrowing of evil in our government that has begun. Thank You, in advance, for the greatest worldwide outpouring of Holy Spirit in all of history. Because of Your mercy, America will once again be a strong voice for the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the earth. For all of this and more, we give You thanks.
1 John 2:18-29. The Apostle John explained there will come a last hour’s deception, so let the truth abide in You. Remember you are children of God.
Obadiah is a prophecy on the coming judgment on Edom, the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Edom mistreated his brother and this will lead to Israel’s final triumph.
Psalm 131. This is the shortest of the songs of ascents, only 3 verses. David showed his contentment in hoping in the Lord.
Psalm 132. This is the longest of the song of ascents, 18 verses. Remember God’s promise to David, to Israel and to the future Messiah.
Psalm 133, a Song of Ascents, of David. This Psalm too has only three verses, and the point of it is that it is good to dwell in unity.
1 John 2:1-17. The Apostle John explained for us how you can test if you know Him, warned of sin and was concerned for their spiritual state.
Proverbs 22, Proverbs of Solomon. This is a great chapter of wise advice, how to handle riches, and if not – how to come to poverty, how to raise children properly and how not to be a sluggard. It also contains some sayings of the wise.
Psalm 127, a Song of Ascents. This Psalm is written by Solomon, and tells that God is the real builder of houses, cities and families.
Psalm 128, a Song of Ascents. It states that the fear of the Lord gives blessings to families, it will go well with them, and they get to live to see their grandchildren.
Psalm 129, a Song of Ascents. In spite of many afflictions, Israel prevails thanks to the blessing of the Lord.
Psalm 130, a Song of Ascents. “Out of the depths” God helps and forgives. Wait for the Lord in hope, and He will redeem Israel.
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 