Nvember 25, 2012

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Ephesians 5:15-20

 

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” -- Cicero

“The gracious stirrings of grateful affection to God," in which love flows from the heart as a response to the Divine, is one of the surest ways to discern the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life.” – Jonathan Edwards.

 

For this penetrating insight into gratefulness, I am grateful to Dennis Prager, author of the shrewd and perceptive "Happiness is a Serious Problem."

 

"There is a secret to happiness,'" Prager writes, "and it is gratitude. All happy people are grateful, and ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that it is being unhappy that leads people to complain, but it is truer to say that it is complaining that leads to people becoming unhappy. Become grateful and you will become a much happier person."

 

This is a keen observation, and it helps explain why the Judeo-Christian tradition places such emphasis on thanking God. The liturgy is filled with expressions of gratitude. "It is good to give thanks to the Lord," begins the 92nd Psalm.

Why? Is it because God needs our gratitude? No: it is because we need it. Learning to be thankful, whether to God or to other people, is the best vaccination against taking good fortune for granted.  And the less you take for granted, the more pleasure and joy life will bring you.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

Salvation

 
I am thankful that God sent Jesus to pay a sin debt that He didn't owe to redeem me from a debt I couldn't pay!

I am not only thankful that I got what I didn't deserve but also that I didn't get what I did deserve.
 

Savior

I thank God for a Savior Who I can know personally. As the hymn writer put it, "He walks wit me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own......"

Spirit

The Spirit is the Comforter who helps me through difficult times. He is the Spirit of truth Who leads me into all truth. He helps me when I pray and convicts me when I stray.

 

Sanctification

I am thankful that the Blood of Christ can cleanse my sinful nature and allow the Holy Spirit to fill me until His will is my will!

Security

 

I am thankful that when I am in Christ and when His Spirit indwells me, I can know I am secure in His love - forever.

 

Scripture

I am very thankful that God has written a love letter to me that reveals all of His truth and details His will.

Saints

I am thankful that I get to share my spiritual journey with others who are saved and Spirit -filled and who love the Scriptures and enjoy serving Him within the fellowship of the church.

 

Struggles

I am even happy for the struggles of life. Even though I don't enjoy them I understand their value in developing my faith. The only way to really understand how strong and faithful God is through the struggles of life.

Sovereignty

I am thankful for a God Who is the First and the Last - the Alpha and Omega - and everything in between! He had the first word in creation and He had the first word in my recreation. Everything is under His control and He is bigger than life and bigger than death!

 

How about you? Will thanksgiving be just a holiday or a habit?

 

I will add force to my life by changing the focus of my life:

-       I will commit to thanking God for everything every day.

-       I will commit to thanking others on a daily basis.

November 24, 2012

^"Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.  Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Ephesians 5:15-20


A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign, which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote, "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

This simple story Illustrates the power of thankfulness.

A simple focus on thankfulness added a new force to his life and changed his fortunes.

Never underestimate the power of thankfulness.

Cicero once said, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
 

The Puritan preacher John Edwards wrote, “The gracious stirrings of grateful affection to God," in which love flows from the heart as a response to the Divine, is one of the surest ways to discern the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life.”

Thankfulness acknowledges God is the giver of all gifts and the ultimate foundation for thankfulness. There is a feeling of indebtedness to the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. God's generosity provides the model for how Christians are to deal with their own children and with each other.

What message is written on your sign?

Have you made thankfulness the focus of your life?


 

 

 

November 23, 2012

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:31-40

 

Over these past several days you have been taking stock of all you are thankful for. And the list is considerable in size!

 

It is good to count blessings and healthy to give thanks.
 

As you were giving thanks, did you ever wonder what makes God thankful?

 

If giving Him thanks is very important, wouldn't it also be important to make Him thankful?

 

How does that happen?

 

According to what Jesus says in this teaching, the way you make God thankful is by ministering to people in need.

 

In other words, you make Him thankful when you give others a reason to be thankful.

 

Though He is attentive to the needs of His children and it troubles Him to see them suffering, He depends on His people to be His hands and feet so hungry people can be fed and ill people can be restored to health and naked people can be clothed. When their needs are met and they are thankful God is thankful to those who met the needs.

Recently our church people got to experience first hand the joy of meeting needs and making people thankful. At the request of our people we prepared all the food for our annual church Thanksgiving Dinner but rather than enjoy it ourselves we were privileged to take it to a local motel populated with working poor families. That evening we served Thanksgiving to 65 people who would not have had a hot home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner.

I know God put it on the hearts of our people to do this act of love and kindness, but I was thankful that they obeyed Him and served Him so well. Out of that Thanksgiving dinner we made needy people thankful, we were thankful and God was thankful!

That's a good Thanksgiving!

Have you made God thankful lately?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 22, 2012

"Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”  I Chronicles 29: 10 – 13

 

While the turkey is cooking and before you are invaded by family and friends, let me share some thoughtful and inspiring quotes about thankfulness from some great minds and hearts.

 

Matthew Henry, the great Bible scholar, author and preacher was once ambushed and robbed. How did he respond to this harrowing experience? He said, "I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed."

 

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice." ~ Meister Eckhart

 

"When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?" ~ G.K. Chesterton

 

"If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled." ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

"We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?" ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“A thankful heart cannot be cynical.” ~ A.W. Tozer

 

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." ~ G.K. Chesterton

 

"Receive every day as a resurrection from death, as a new enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments of God's goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things, new-created upon your account: and under the sense of so great a blessing, let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good and glorious a Creator." ~ William Law

 

"Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint. I can choose to be grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even when my inner eye still looks for someone to accuse or something to call ugly." ~ Henri Nouwen

 

So, how will you express your thanks to God today?

 

Who do you owe some “thank yous” today?

 

When will you express those?

How will you express them?

November 21, 2012

 

^"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

 

Something to reflect on as you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner:

If you had been a Pilgrim, would you have given thanks?

Consider what they had been through, the men and women who broke bread together on that first Thanksgiving in 1621.

 

They had uprooted themselves and sailed for America, an endeavor so hazardous that published guides advised travelers to the New World, "First, make thy will." The crossing was very rough and the Mayflower was blown off course. Instead of reaching Virginia, where Englishmen had settled 13 years earlier, the Pilgrims ended up in the wilds of Massachusetts. By the time they found a place to make their new home - Plymouth, they called it - winter had set in.

The storms were frightful. Shelter was rudimentary. There was little food. Within weeks, nearly all the settlers were sick.

"That which was most sad and lamentable," Governor William Bradford later recalled, "was that in two or three months’ time, half of their company died, especially in January and February, being the depth of winter, and wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases.... There died sometimes two or three of a day."

When spring came, Indians showed them how to plant corn, but their first crops were dismal. Supplies ran out, but their sponsors in London refused to send more. The first time the Pilgrims sent a shipment of goods to England, it was stolen by pirates.

If you had been there in 1621 - if you had seen half your friends die, if you had suffered through famine, malnutrition, and sickness, if you had endured a year of heartbreak and tragedy - would you have felt grateful?

 

We know they were. And we know why. With all their hardships and challenges they had the three things they had braved an ocean to gain - their freedom - their faith - and their families.

 

Therein lies two big keys to thankfulness.

 

The first key is know WHAT to be thankful for. In their former land they had limited freedom and their faith was under attack. So, now that they were free they could worship as they wished and offer greater opportunity to their families. Despite the difficulties they were thankful.

 

Secondly, know WHO to be thankful to. They gave praise to their God!

 

How about you? Will you be thankful regardless of the hardships you have faced this year?

 

Will you thank God for what He has done?

 

 

 

 

November 20, 2012

^“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:17-19

 

“Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” I Timothy 3:13

 

What do volleyball, tennis and ping pong have in common with FredWes?

A good serve is hard to beat! And the FredWes family served well and we had an experience that will be hard to beat!

 

I have never been more proud of a group of Wesleyans than I was last night watching you lavishly loving people and meeting needs!

 

Here are three reasons why I was so pleased by the dinner last night:

 

You served with excellence!


The event was well planned, well organized and well executed. Not only does that reflect well on you but more importantly it reflects well on God and it communicates to those we served that they are worthy of our best.

You served with empathy!

 

By the way you served them you communicated your recognition of their needs without seeming judgmental or condescending. That is HUGE when you serve under-privileged people. You did it very well!

 

When you serve the working poor you must do it with the very real understanding that you are just one or two bad breaks away from being where they are.

You served with enthusiasm!

 

Last night required a lot of hard work and long periods on your feet but you looked as fresh at the end as you did at the beginning! It was obvious you were excited about being there and energetic about serving them. Enthusiasm literally means “in God” from the root words “en theos”! You were clearly “en theos” last night!

 

Our annual church Thanksgiving dinner is an event I always enjoy and look forward to. I know many of you do, too. So to give that up to serve others was no small sacrifice. But in retrospect I think you agree it was a good decision!

 

From my perspective it seemed that the fellowship between our folks was better, there was more excitement among our people AND in the end we got to eat together anyway!

God got a big win through us last night! To Him goes all the glory!

 

 

Pray that the seeds of kindness we sowed last night will result in continuing ministry opportunities among this group and ultimately result into conversions for the Kingdom!

God was well served by FredWes last night!

 

November 19, 2012

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:24

A 16-year-old named William left home to seek his fortune. His earthly possessions were tied in a bundle carried in his hand. One day he met an elderly canal-boat captain who listened to his story that his family was too poor to keep him, and the only skill he had was making candles and soap.

The old captain knelt and prayed for the boy’s future and afterward gave him some advice.

“William, someone will be the leading soap-maker in New York. It could be you. Be a good man, give your heart to Christ, pay the Lord all that belongs to Him, make an honest soap, give a full pound, and I’m certain you’ll be a prosperous and rich man.”

The 16-year-old who listened to godly counsel was William Colgate, who not only prospered beyond his wildest dreams but was able to give millions of dollars to the Lord’s cause.

William Colgate found great success in life and was able to bless many with his generosity because early in life he committed to putting first things first.

The blessing comes down even to us today. Some of you used soap made by Colgate this morning in the shower. Or, some of you used toothpaste made by Colgate. Either way – we are blessed this morning because William Colgate put first things first!

I would not be a good pastor if I did a sermon series about stewardship and failed to remind you of the importance of putting first things first. I want you to find blessing in your life like William Colgate did!

Actually, my goal has been to take you beyond stewardship to a bigger idea – LORDSHIP! And Lordship requires that you put God first in every area of your life and keep Him there by keeping first things first.

What Is the Point?

There was a man the side of the road hitch hiking on a very dark night in the middle of a storm. It was late at night and no cars were passing. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car coming towards him and stop. Without further thought, he got in the back seat of the car, closes the door and, when he turns to thank the driver for stopping for him, he realizes there’s nobody behind the wheel. The car starts slowly down the road again. The guy looks at the road ahead and sees a curve coming his way. Scared, he closes his eyes and starts to pray for his life. Just before the car reaches the curve, a hand appears thru the window and turns the steering wheel. The guy, paralyzed with fear, watches how the hand appears every time they come to a curve in the road. Gathering his strength, he leaps from the car and runs to the nearest town. Wet and in shock, he goes to a cafe and asks for a cup of stiff coffee. He quickly drinks his coffee and starts telling everybody about the horrible experience he’s just been thru. A silence envelopes the cafe when the man begins to weep like a baby out of sheer fright from the experience he has been through. About half an hour later, two guys walk into the same cafe and one says to the other, "Look Bob, there’s that guy who got in the car when we were pushing it down the road"

The first thing you must do is make sure you have chosen to be in the right kingdom. Everyone belongs to a kingdom. You are either in the kingdom of God or the kingdom of evil. You are either in the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. No one is without a kingdom.

Jesus makes it clear which Kingdom you need to be in!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

If you are a Christ-follower today you have chosen to enter the Kingdom of God. When you made that decision you chose to live under the LORDSHIP of Christ or the KINGSHIP of God – two ways of saying the same thing.

The question is – do you?

How do you know?

A missionary in the New Hebrides watched some native killing hogs. These natives cut off the hogs’ tails and put them over in a pile. When the missionary asked the natives why they did this, they replied, “The meat is for us, the tails are for our gods.” Some Christians are just as foolish and sinful. They take everything for themselves and give God the leftovers, if anything.

If God is the King of your life and if Jesus is the Lord of your life – YOU DON”T GIVE HIM THE LEFT OVERS! You give Him the first AND the best of EVERYTHING:

1) Your Passion – What you love

2) Your Pay Check – What you earn

3) Your Pastime – What you do with your time

4) You Possessions – What you have

5) You Priorities – How you make your decisions

In other words, as a Christ-follower – you live like He is the KING of your life!