November 13, 2013

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night." Psalm 92:1-2

Being thankful and counting your blessings this Thanksgiving may help you mentally and physically -- recent research shows it's healthy to be grateful.

"Depending on your view of history, the holiday of Thanksgiving is either a commemoration of an event that changed North America for the better or for the worst; but the idea of Thanksgiving itself -- of reaching across the table, of being thankful for the good things that have happened throughout the year, particularly around the harvest time -- actually has a very important scientific basis in making us all feel better. It's going on inside of us, mentally, physically.Jeffrey Froh, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Hofstra University, is on "The Takeaway" (NPR radio program) to talk about research into the scientific biological basis of Thanksgiving itself.Froh's research focuses on being grateful as a continuing behavior, and the benefits that accrue by doing that: "The one particular study that we did was we had students count blessings, which is essentially focusing on the things they were thankful or grateful for, and we had them journal that daily for two weeks."We followed them up three weeks later to see the benefits, and we found that students who counted blessings reported feeling more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives, more school satisfaction -- and actually, the trend for being more satisfied with school not only occurred immediately after the experiment, but actually lasted up to three weeks later. "There's a broad literature emerging in science and psychology that is attempting to measure the benefits of certain consistent behavior, like praying and being thankful, and there are some surprising findings. Froh: "It's beyond feeling good, and beyond happiness ... we found that grateful kids tend to report less physical complaints; bit also in the adult literature ... they found that grateful people who counted blessings were more likely to exercise, more likely to report better sleep; less likely to report these physical complaints. There's even some research done, we're looking at, when you have a sense of appreciation your heart rhythms are more coherent and smooth, which of course is healthy."

There you have it! A liberal scientist agrees with the Psalmist - being thankful is good for you! It will preserve your mind, soul and body!

You know you have much to be truly thankful about, so don't be a turkey - be thankful. It's beyond being right - it's healthy!

November 12, 2013

"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, 2013

"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, 2013

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:22-24

What does a thankful heart look like?

The test of true GRATITUDE is GENEROSITY!

If you are truly thankful for your food, you will share it.

If you are truly thankful for your home, you will open it to others.

If you are truly thankful for your children, you will discipline them with love.

If you are truly thankful for others, you will serve them.

If you are truly thankful for your blessings, you will spread them around.

If you are truly thankful for your intellectual gifts and talents, you will use them for good.

If you are truly thankful for God, you will take time to worship Him.

In the 1980's, singer and songwriter, Andre Crouch, wrote a song that became an instant favorite of Christians world-wide. He named it "My Tribute" and it powerfully expresses the essence of a heart touched by the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ:

How can I say thanks 

for the things you have done for me
Things so undeserved 

Yet you give to prove your love for me
The voices of a million angels 

Cannot express my gratitude
All that I am or ever hope to be

I owe it all to Thee

(Chorus):  

To God be the glory 

To God be the glory 

To God be the glory 

For the things He has done
With His blood, He has saved me

 By His power, He has raised me.
To God be the glory

 For the things he has done

(Bridge): 

Just let me live my life
And let it be pleasing, Lord to Thee
And should I gain any praise,
Let it go to Calvary.

With His blood, He has saved me 

By His power, He has raised me.
To God be the glory 

For the things he has done.

The Prodigal Son found the joy he had been looking for once he received the mercy and grace offered by his father!

Have you opened your heart to receive that great gift of God's mercy and grace offered through Jesus Christ?

November 9, 2013

"Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."  Luke 15:11-24

I believe one of the big obstacles to having a thankful heart is an inability to embrace God's mercy and grace.

What do I mean by that?

Let me illustrate with the familiar story of the Prodigal Son. The Prodigal Son is not grateful at the beginning of the story but becomes thankful and is rejoicing by the end of the story. How does that happen?

Well, to my point, when we first see this young man we see someone who doesn't know how to handle grace or mercy.

First, he abused the graciousness of his father by demanding his inheritance. His father was not obligated to grant this unusual request but he chose to do it because he loved his son.  By doing this he broke tradition and social custom, bringing disgrace to himself and dishonor to his father.

Also, he abused mercy.

How did he abuse mercy?

The inheritance system was set up to protect young people from getting too much wealth and responsibility too soon in their lives. It was a form of mercy.

When you consider how he abused grace and refused mercy to get his own way, you know it is not likely to end well. He was ungrateful in his demand, and he was ungrateful in what he received so how do think he is going to turn out?

Once his demand was met and he got what he wanted from his dad, he took the money and ran! He ran to spend it on wild parties and wild women. unfortunately, when his money ran out so did his friends. Soon he found himself broke and lonely and hungry. He was in a world of hurt scuffling with swine for their scraps.

What if this young man had been grateful in the beginning?

What if he had honored the grace and mercy of his father from the start?

Imagine how much different the story would have been!

A truly thankful heart has learned to receive the mercy and grace of his Father.

November 8, 2013

 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."  Ephesian 2:1-7

There are two planks that form the foundation for true thankfulness! Having a thankful heart results from being amazed by God’s mercy and grace in your life. Mercy mercy is God sparing you from judgment you deserve and grace is God sharing with us blessings we don’t deserve. When you are able to grasp the significance of God's mercy and grace in your life, you will have a thankful heart.

The daughter of a well-known local judge was stopped for speeding and given a ticket. She knew she would have to appear before her father in his courtroom. 

When her father found out his daughter would be appearing before him he assured her that he would judge her according to the law as he would with any other citizen who would come before him.

Indeed, when she came before the bench he declared her guilty of this traffic violation and slammed his gavel as he sentenced her to a $100 fine.

But after he had pronounced the sentence he laid down his gavel, stood, took off his robe and went down to stand next to his daughter as a father, not a judge. After he hugged her he pulled out his wallet and paid her fine in full. 

This girl received grace from her father but not mercy.

A wonderful example of how to practice the lifestyle of grace comes from an incident in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on October 2, 2006, when a man entered an Amish schoolhouse and murdered 5 girls while wounding 5 others before killing himself. As horrific as this was, the greater story was the response of the Amish people in expressing their love and forgiveness to the shooter’s family. Ann Curry of NBC news, wrote: "I realize I did not know what forgiveness was until now."

Perhaps the most telling comments came from the pen of Marie Roberts, the shooter’s widow, in a note to the Amish. "Our family wants each of you to know that we are overwhelmed by the forgiveness, grace and mercy you’ve extended to us. Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community and is changing our world." Isn’t that the goal of the gospel of grace?

Receiving mercy and grace from these grieving families brought this sincere expression of from the killer's widow.

The two planks of thanks are mercy and grace.

                                   

November 7, 2013

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Genesis 3:6-7

After spending several days studying Adam and Eve I want to distill it down to one simple truth:

Gratitude = God focused

Greed = self-focused

Thankful people are God focused people as opposed to dissatisfied unhappy people whose lives are self-focused.

I think that is obvious from the reading of this tragic story of the Fall.

Gratitude and greed are the flip sides of the same coin.

When Adam and Eve walked with their lives centered on Him, they enjoyed contentment and satisfaction. When their will was surrendered to His will they lived in the wonder of His presence. When they found their pleasure in pleasing Him, they reaped all the joys of Paradise. As long as God was their chief desire, He filled their life with delight. When they kept focused on all their blessings from God they lived in humble gratitude.

But something happened one day in the Garden! There was trouble brewing in Paradise!

Did they begin to take their perfect fellowship with God for granted?

Did they let their thoughts drift toward curiosity about the Tree of Life?

Did they allow a wrong desire to creep into their spirit? 

Whatever the cause, the first couple wandered carelessly close to the forbidden tree. Once they were close to the Tree they were within range for the Tempter. And because they had allowed their focus to drift away from God and onto their fleshly desires they were susceptible to the tempting offer.When it was given they willfully disobeyed.

Could it be that gratitude is the most basic of all the Christian attitudes?

Is it possible that ingratitude, or greed, is the root cause of sin?

Think about it.

When Adam and Eve remained grateful they remained holy, but then they got a little greedy.....