Giving Thanks to the Lord

1 Chronicles 16:8  Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

This verse is David’s response to the return of the Ark of the Covenant.  The Ark represented the presence and power of God in Israel.

All believers can be thankful that God is present in our lives and that we have His power through the Spirit of God Who is resident in our lives.

1 Corinthians 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

We have many things to be thankful for.  One of the greatest is that God is with us.

The Kind of People You Want on Your Side

When I was a kid, we would often play games where we would have to pick teams.  We would elect two captains who would begin to take turns picking who they wanted on their team.  The picking was often strategic.  For example, the captain not only wanted good players, he also wanted team members who would be loyal to the team and would follow his leadership. Who would you want on your side?

When Saul was king of Israel and after he had rebelled, God told Samuel to anoint David to be king.  Saul, being who he was, continued in his rebellion and tried on a number of occasions to kill David.  David stays on the run during this time and gathers an army of followers.  These men help him evade capture and also fight the enemies of Israel.  The ultimate goal, however, was to turn the kingdom over to David as God desired.

1 Chronicles 12:23 And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD. Continue reading