November 9, 2009

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe," Psalm 107:1-2

Who are the "redeemed"? What does it mean to be "redeemed"?

To be redeemed means to be "bought back". In this case, "Redeemed from the hand of the foe".

So, what's the deal with that?

The deal is we were sold out by Adam when he disobeyed God and sinned. When Adam sinned he became sinful, his nature became corrupted and his mind became wicked. Since we are his heirs we inherited his sinful and corrupt nature. Everyone born since Adam has been born as a sinner spiritually seperated from God and therefore, spiritually dead.

Because we are born as sinners we are cut off from the goodness of God. Even worse, we are unable to receive the love of God. His goodness and love have no effect on us when we are dead in our trespasses and sins. There is no hope in His goodness and no connection to his love.

But, because God is good and because His love endures forever, He would not allow us to spend time and eternity seperated from His goodness and love. Something had to be done. His goodness and love demanded it. A price had to be paid if we were to be redeemed.

What God did out His goodness and love was to send His Son, Jesus. Jesus became the second Adam and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. That enabled Him to be born with a sinless nature. He was uniquely and divinely designed to redeem us, to buy us back. Because He was without sin He could take our sins upon Himself and become the sacrifice. Only One so filled with goodness and love would do such a thing.

Jesus redeemed us. God bought us back at the cost of His Son. We have been ransomed and set free!

Let the redeemed of the Lord say this, "God is good! His love endures forever!" Thanks be to God!

November 8, 2009

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe," Psalm 107:1-2

Thankfulness is a forever thing. That's because those things that cause us to be thankful will be true forever.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good".

God will always be a good God. His goodness is a function of His "Godness". Have you thanked Him for His goodness to you? Have you thanked Him that that you can hope in His goodness?

"His love endures forever."

Just as God is good forever, His love also endures forever. He never changes. He doesn't change because He doesn't have to change. He doesn't change because He is perfect - perfect in His goodness and perfect in His love. His love endured the cross. His love was multiplied by the cross and it endures because of the cross. Have you thanked Him that His loves endures forever? Have you received His love? Are you sharing it with others?

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say this"

Say what? Say, "The Lord is good!" Say it to Him. Say it about Him! Tell Him thanks for His love and His goodness. Tell others about His love and His goodness. Show them His love by the way you love and show them His goodness by the way you live. Say, "His love endures forever!" Live in His love. Love Him with all your heart. Receive His love. Share His love with those who do not know His redemption. Hope in His love.

Thankful people should not be silent people. Thankful people should declare the goodness and love of God every day they live. Celebrate His goodness forever and when you awake tomorrow His goodness will await you. Cherish His love today, receive it anew in the morning and hope in it forever.

Are you living in His goodness? Are you living in His love? Are you thankful? Are you redeemed?

November 7, 2009

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28-29

True thanksgiving is fireproof!

True worship fireproofs us!

There is an inextricable link between thanksgiving and worship. You worship because you are thankful and worship is sincere thanks. Our word for "worship" derives from the old English "worthship" and had the idea of giving worth to God by acknowledging His worth to you.

You can't worship without thankfulness and you can't give thanks without worshipping. Both come from an attitude of the heart.

Hebrews cuts to the heart of issue here. Thankfulness comes from the realization that you are part of a secure spiritual kingdom ruled by a Holy and Powerful King. Nothing can shake Him therefore, nothing can shake His Kingdom. That is cause for thanksgiving. That is reason to worship.

There is a day coming when everything will be shaken and everything will burn. But you will will not be shaken or consumed because you belong to the King in His unshakeable kingdom!

Let the Consuming Fire consume your spirit and your heart. Let His love and holiness burn within you. As you are consumed within you will be preserved to everlasting life. That consuming passion will be expressed in worship and thanksgiving.

Worship is an attitude not an activity. It should flow and not be forced. The more you consider His unshakeable kingdom and the more you are consumed by the King, the more you will be overwhelmed awe and reverence. You will be consumed.

Don't just give thanks, live thanks. It's a kingdom thing.

November 6, 2009

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." I Thessalonians 2:13

So, is thankfulness something you do or something you are?

Yes!

The Great Apostle said, "And we also thank God continually......"

Can you actually be thankful ALL the time? Read the verse!

How does that happen?

Paul gives us a few insights:

He was thankful for the Word of God.

God's Word is life to the believer. It shows us God's way and God's will and God's wisdom. It connects us with the Person of God and the power of God and the principles of God.

If you have any doubts about this just stop and remember what your life was like before you knew His Word. I think you will notice an obvious difference.

When you are thankful for God's Word you can always be thankful since it is always true and transforming.

He was thankful for the witness of God's people.

One of the blessings of living in a faith community is watching lives being changed through the Word as it is lived out in a local church fellowship. This is why I am passionate about healthy local churches. I have seen the powerful positive impact when a group of Christ followers commit to love God together, and love one another, and live out God's Word in a lost world. I am the product of such a church. I have been privileged to serve in such places. I am involved in one now.

We was thankful for the work of God.

Anytime a believer or group of believers commit to honor and obey the Word of God, He works in their lives and in their fellowship. No matter what appears to be happening, trials, hardships, struggles, or strife - GOD IS AT WORK! It is Who He is and it is WHAT He does! Paul had as many hardships as any Christ follower ever suffered. If anyone would have had reason to be discouraged or downcast it would have been Him. But instead, he is thankful because He understands the goodness of God and the power of His Word. So, because He knew God always works in every circumstance at all times He lived in thankfulness. His attitude was one of continual gratitude!

How about you? Is thanks something you give or something you live? What will it take for you to develop an attitude of gratitude?

November 5, 2009

"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19

Few people are more hopeless or helpless than a leper. Not only did they have an incurable disease but they were social outcasts separated from loved ones and despised by all.

When they heard that this Jesus was passing through their region a strange and unfamiliar emotion began to stir within them - hope. Having heard of the miracles He had worked for others, they knew He was their one and only chance. So, they positioned themselves along the route He would be taking and there they waited and there they hoped.

At long last He came. There were so many people between Him and them. Those others blocked their view. A sense of desperation began to arise as they feared they might miss this chance. With a boldness born of fear one of them cried out to Him, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us."

He heard them. He halted. He located them and spoke to them, "Go show yourselves to the priests."

It was an unusual request. It was a risky one, too, because priests had nothing to do with lepers. But as they reponded in obedience, as they hurried to see the priest, a miracle occured! Their rotted flesh was gone and new, healthy flesh appeared! The incurable was cured. The untouchable became huggable. The outcasts were again mainstream!

What joy they must have felt! How radically their lives had changed! In an instant they were whole. In a moment they went from hoping to having. What they thought to be true and what they felt to be true, was verified and made official when they were declared clean by the priests!

Now they could return to their families! Now they could resume their careers! If you had been away from your family for years, if you had not been able to hold your wife or hug your children where you would go once you were healed?

We know where one of them went - back to Jesus to tell Him, "Thanks!" We're not so sure about the other nine, we can only guess. Jesus noticed and commented on it, "Where not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?"

Very revealing. Could Jesus understand their joy at being able to return to their families? Sure. Wasn't that part of the reason why He healed them? Absolutely! But did He excuse them for doing so? No, He didn't. There is no excuse for unthankfulness. Not then. Not ever.

So, what's the lesson for you? You cannot let anyone or anything be more important than Jesus. You must serve Him and worship Him for Who He is not what He can do.

The other nine wanted something FROM Him, the Samaritan wanted Him. They got healed, he was healed AND made spiritually whole. His thankfulness launched him on a life of thanksgiving.

Until you become thankful for Who Jesus is, to you, you will never be thankful for what He does for you.

October 4, 2009

"the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD, saying, "Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever." For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,' says the LORD." Jeremiah 33:11

Thankful people are happy people. There is no debating that.

But, the question is, "Are they happy because they are thankful or are they thankful because they are happy?"

Jeremiah gives us some insights into what it takes to become a thankful person.

First, be thankful for the goodness of God!

You have a choice. You can focus on the badness and unfairness of life, OR you can focus your life on the goodness of God. It is up to you. If you want to be sad and miserable all the time you can decry how unfair life is - because it is! Choose that disposition and your happy days will be few and far between.

However, if you are committed to the goodness of God you can ALWAYS be thankful because God is ALWAYS good! Thankful people understand that God is always better than the badness of life. God is bigger than the badness of life. In fact, God has promised to even make the badness of life into goodness!

Thankful people are focused on the goodness of God! They are always thankful because they understand that God is always good.

Secondly, thankful people are focused on the love of God.

Like the goodness of God, His love is a constant. Therefore, when you choose to be thankful for His love you can always be thankful! His love that sustained you through the unfairness and difficulties of yesterday will also sustain you through today - and tomorrow! Thank God! When Jeremiah wrote these truisms thousands of years ago, God's love was a constant. Now, centuries later, it is still true! And, centuries from now IT WILL STILL BE TRUE. How can you not be thankful for THAT!

Will you do this for God and for yourself today? Will you thank Him for His goodness and His love. Thank Him that these blessed characteristics are rooted in His eternal character! Will you make today the first day of a commitment to live in thankfulness for His goodness and His love?

You will be thankful you made that decision!

November 3, 2009

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:55-58

We are extolling the virtues of thankfulness and examining its nature.

From this great portion of Scripture I want to make two points:

Thankfulness is God-centered and grace-conscious. Those are both very good things!

"Thanks be to God......"

Obviously, you have to be thankful TO someone FOR something. True thanks should flow from you to God. If you believe that God is the Giver of all good things then all thanks is due Him.

You can be thankful to God for Who He is, a perfect, powerful and passionate Forever Heavenly Father. He knows you better than you know yourself and still He loves better than you love yourself. If you need Someone like that in your life, be thankful. If you need to be loved like that, be thankful.

"He gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Be thankful for the gift of God which is His Son, Jesus Christ, Who came to be our Savior. God offers to us His best when we were at our worst. God, essentially said, "I'll give you My Son in exchange for your sins." If you can use a deal like that, be thankful.

Also, you can be thankful for the grace of God. This is the attitude within the heart of God that motivated Him to offer us redemption, righteousness and resurrection from the dead through His Son, Jesus. Grace is defined as "God's undeserved favor toward us." If grace is important to you, be thankful. If you prefer to have God offer you His mercy in place of His justice, be thankful.

Although thankfulness is a 24/365 proposition, in this season of Thanksgiving I encourage you to be especially thankful to God for His grace and all that His grace means for you in this life and in the life to come.

In view of all that is ours in God and through grace is saying, "Thanks!" enough? It is a good place to begin.