November 12, 2009

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15

Thankfulness is first and foremost an attitude. You attitude determines your perspective. Here's a story that illustrates that truth.

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh yeah," said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.

How's your attitude?

November 11, 2009

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." Ephesians 1:15-16

Paul lived with an attitude of gratitude. It shaped his ministry, it influenced his writing and it sustained him through his sufferings.

His gratitude formed around his understanding of what he deserved from God - judgement; and what he had received - grace. Once that realization got into his consciousness it never left. Instead, it grew and flourished and deepened.

On this Veteran's Day I want to zero in on a specific area of his thanksgiving. Paul was thankful for the saints, those people of God who had gone before and those who stood with him in the work of the ministry.

Are you? When was the last time you thanked God for those saints who have gone before you? When was the last time you thanked those ministry veterans or those well-seasoned saints who have shaped your life? Paul was very aware of the place he occupied in the history of the Church. He knew that he stood on the shoulders of many faithful men who had gone before and he appreciated that he stood shoulder to shoulder with the current generations of saints. And, he also knew that future generations of the faithful would stand on his shoulders.

Today as you stop to thank God for the many brave veterans who have fought to defend our freedoms, those who came home and those who died on foreign soil, will you also take a moment to thank God for those saints - veterans of the faith - who have defended the faith through praying and serving and sacrificing to build churches or strengthen churches so that the hope of salvation could be shared with a new generation?

Will you commit to become one of those for the next generation? Will you stand on the shoulders of the saints and shoulder to shoulder with you pastor and the saints at your church? Steve Green sang this song years ago, but on this veterans day will you make it your prayer?

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone

And our children sift though all we've left behind

May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover

Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Amen!

November 10, 2009

"Our God, we thank you for being so near to us! Everyone celebrates your wonderful deeds." Psalms 75:1

Our awesome God is the sum total of a number of incredible attributes. One of His attributes is omnipresence. Omnipresence refers to the fact that God is fully present everywhere in the universe at all times. God has always existed and has always filled every square inch of His creation! He can do that because He is a spirit - an amazing, eternal, holy, powerful, and loving spirit.

If that were not true, then God could only be at one church on a given Sunday. That would mean that if He showed up at your church He would be absent at mine. But, fortunately, He is able to be fully present at every church everywhere.

That is what the Psalmist is giving thanks about! He is thankful that God is near! Not only is He near to you but He can be near to me at the same time! God is ever near everyone! His presence fills the universe. As the Psalmist celebrated:

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you." Psalm 139:7-12

The Psalmist is thankful that God is near, but who would't be?

It would seem that only a person who is not living well or who is self-willed would not be excited by the knowledge that God is near. For those who are seeking to serve God and to know Him, it is a blessed thought that God is near.

So, how do I know when God is near? How can I be sure? I can't see Him or touch Him, so how can I know that He really is near. The Psalmist answers that in the second part of this Psalm - God's presence is accompanied by His wonderful deeds. He does not hide Himself from us.

Why then does it seem sometimes He is not near when, by His very nature, we know He has to be? Could it be that we don't see or recognize His wonderful deeds? Could it be the deeds that He is currently doing is a work within you and you cannot yet see what He is doing?

It is impossible to have His presence and not have His deeds. Be thankful that He is near! And because He is near, He is at work accomplishing His wonderful deeds!

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?