516. Celebrating God's Grace, Thanksgiving Eternal!

What is the true spirit behind Thanksgiving? We see this clearly in Christ Jesus as the First Pioneer of the faith, to bring many sons and daughters to God.

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Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, A Women World Leader’s Podcast, I’m your host Robin Kirby-Gatto.

Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God’s grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world.

Today’s Title: Thanksgiving Eternal

In seeking God on what to share today, He continually put on my heart to read the blog He had me write Thanksgiving Day of 2010. I pray this blesses you with the true spirit behind Thanksgiving.

9 “But we are able to see Jesus, Who was ranked lower than the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person. 10For it was an act worthy [of God] and fitting [to the divine nature] that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their existence, in bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect [should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest] through suffering. 11For both He Who sanctifies [making men holy] and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren;” Hebrews 2:9-11 AMPC

I woke up this morning, late of course, because we drove around 13-14 hours to get to my in-laws for Thanksgiving in Virginia.  Having stayed up late to fellowship and talk with my father and mother-in-law I went to bed exhausted and ready for a full rest.  I woke up this morning recouping from the long drive yesterday and the long day and night.  Grabbing a cup of coffee, greeting my husband and son with a Thanksgiving Day salutation, I then dove into The Word to eat my first Thanksgiving Meal!!! Jesus!!!!

Holy Spirit led me to Hebrews, and I simply started with Chapter 1 of the book of Hebrews and continued to devour and sink into the rest of the book, compelled to throw myself at the feet of My Lover, the One who is altogether beautiful and worthy of my devotion, Jesus!! As I read Hebrews beginning with the establishment of the person of Jesus, and the sacrifice He came to make for man in order to bring forth God’s new covenant of redemption and cleansing of sin once and for all I could not help but to consider Thanksgiving and what the meaning of this Holiday entails.

Thanksgiving has been a season for me to fellowship with people I love and enjoy a time of gathering from long distances in order to bring about a sweet fellowship where we share joys, trials, overcoming victories, hopes, dreams and God’s work in our lives.  It is a time to commune with our family and friends to edify and encourage each other, all the while thinking that it would be so nice if we had these meetings more often.  However, due to the great distance (13- 14 hours drive) between us, work, meetings, schedules and commitments coming together like that is not as frequent.  This year we have been blessed to visit my husband’s family four times.  In digesting all of these elements during the Thanksgiving Holiday and during my bible study this morning I felt as if I was sitting inside of the book of Hebrews, if that were possible.

While reading scripture after scripture and seeing the beautiful transition of God closing out the old covenant only to bring in His New and Better Covenant with man, all I could see was the first Pioneer, who went before us to a heavenly Kingdom, one that we reach as a result of Christ.  And I could identify with the Thanksgiving we celebrate here in America and the one that we continually celebrate daily in our hearts and spirits for our heavenly home, our glorious home, where eternity has been placed in our heart.

While thinking upon this I realize that through Jesus’ sacrifice each and every person has the opportunity to follow Him into the New Land, the Heavenly Kingdom, where Jesus and God are the Light, they are the Temple!   Seeing Jesus, being our High Priest, making intercession for us and entering the Most Holy place in heaven to offer His own blood as atonement for our sins I realize how that is truly Thanks Giving Eternal!!! Jesus only had to enter one time into the Most Holy place to atone for sins!!! Then He sat down at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool.  I stand amazed and overwhelmed at the simplicity of God’s Gospel, yet the depth to which it flows!!! It is Christ giving up everything!!! Giving up His throne even for a little while to be made even lower than the angels when He stepped upon this earth to carry out His duties, His oath to the Father!! It was God Himself, coming through Christ, to bring us forth into our land, our home, where we would be with God eternally!!! The simplicity of God’s Love that rings throughout the obedience of Christ Jesus’ sacrifice for mankind is easy to see.  It is LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God’s love that could not be without us, unconnected to His glorious jewels, His treasures that bring Him such satisfaction and pleasure!

I’m reminded of the image the Holy Spirit gave me years ago regarding my own son, Matthew.  I have two sons, Christopher and Matthew Kirby.  During the time God gave me the image; Matthew was still young, only six years old.  He still depended a lot on me to help him with daily activities, such as preparing his meals, putting bandages on injuries, supplying much love and support, etc.   Then God asked me “how would you feel, if all of a sudden Matthew could not see you or hear you?”  Moreover, I would have to watch Matthew go through the torture of looking for me only to never find me and not ever being able to hold him and assure him of my love, a mother’s love.  I thought about the idea and pictured such an occurrence. It was frightful and disconcerting if not even tormenting to see the reality of such a thing.  I responded to God, that I couldn’t live like that because it would be utterly too painful to go through and watch.  God showed me how it was no different for Him.  God completely loves us and desires to be there to provide for us every step of the way.  He desires to wrap His loving arms around us and bring us to Himself!  Moreover, He longs for us to live with Him eternally!

The image is such a picture of God’s love, His divine devotion and longing to have His children right there with Him!  As I see this in the picture of Jesus, who shows us the Father’s face, I see how the utter abandonment of His place in glory to come into earth as an infant, so dependent on care, completely helpless at a young age, having to be fed and clothed by Mary was a demonstration of the complete trust God has in His love in us, too! The Father could not be without us; neither could Jesus or Holy Spirit because from the beginning, man was made in the Image of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)!  He made us in His image and to be without us, He would be grieved, too.  Jesus, coming forth, in complete obedience to complete His Father’s will brought us back into communion with the Father.  The obedience of Christ unto salvation brought us into our land, into our position, into our home!! Jesus was the first Pioneer!!!!

JESUS WAS THE FIRST PIONEER!!! THE PIONEER OF OUR SALVATION!!!! BRINGING MANY SONS TO GLORY!!!!! FOR THAT I HAVE THANKSGIVING ETERNAL!!! GIVING THANKS CONTINUALLY TO CHRIST JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH!!!!!

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