November 19, 2013

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Luke 10:17

All this month I have been teaching on three Biblical foundations for an attitude of gratitude. I believe a thankful spirit is one of the most important attitudes of a Christ-follower.

First, it is important to get your heart and mind around the significance of God's mercy and grace through Christ Jesus. 

You can be thankful that by His mercy He doesn't give us what we deserve and through His grace He lavishes us with wonderful blessings we don't deserve! If you aren't moved by that truth you will not have a capacity for gratitude.

Do live in amazement over His mercy and extravagant grace in your life?

Next, you must have fresh vision of Who Jesus is rather than Who you want Him to be. In Luke Chapter 8, you will find that He demonstrated power over four things that cause us to fear and despair. As His followers saw His power in those areas they were deeply moved by their new awareness of Who He is.

Do you need a fresh vision of Jesus in your life?

Finally, thankfulness results from the thrill of knowing you are in God's will and He can use you to change lives.

I find it amazing that a Holy and powerful God is able to use someone like me to change the eternal destiny of another person! But he can and He does!

Do know that thrill?

These are by no means the limit of things to be thankful for but I believe these to be the most basic understandings that form a foundation for an attitude of gratitude.

As you begin counting your blessings this season, those are a good place to start!

November 18, 2013

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13

Most people can be thankful for their freedom but who can be thankful while in prison?

The Apostle Paul was in prison chained to prison guards while he wrote these words about contentment. How do you do that? Not sure I could.

Are contentment and thankfulness the same thing? Can you be thankful and not be content? Can you be content and not be thankful?

What do we need to learn from this spiritual giant?

"I can do....."

The first thing is to decide to have a willing attitude. A willing attitude is a decision to do God's will. Paul discovered that contentment develops from accepting God's will and not from trying to convince God to do it his way. "I can" really means "I will".

"all things...."

That willing attitude is only as good as your willingness to live it out. It is one thing to say you are willing to accept God's will but it is quite another to stay committed to it when the shackles are applied and the cell door slams. I think sometimes "all things" really means "all my things". When Paul said "all things" he meant "anything God wills for me". Sometimes it meant abundance and sometimes it meant abuse, but Paul was committed to God's will in God's way.

"...through Him Who gives me strength."

Here's the key, when we have the will to do it His way then He gives us the strength to do it. I don't know about you but sometimes I have expected God to MAKE me willing and Give me strength BEFORE I commit to do His will. Paul shows us that it doesn't work that way. If I front load it with willingness and if I surrender to the circumstance, He will back load it with His strength!

Paul's contentment was a result of his relationship to his Christ not to his circumstances. THAT'S IT! That is the secret.

Most of us will never be shackled and thrown into a cell, but we have our prisons. Some of those prisons are prisons of discontent. For others, their discontent is the result of their prison. Either way, there is much to be learn from Paul's testimony of contentment.

You are only a couple of commitments away from contentment. The prison door is open.

November 17 2013

"In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:25

From the experience recorded in this verse I draw this significant truth - "God isn't limited by my concept of Him, but I will be!"

The disciples thought they had a good concept of Who Jesus was but they discovered they weren't even close! So, when they found themselves imperiled by the raging storm, they feared for their lives.

In their fear they badly misjudged Jesus and accused Him of being unconcerned. Fear caused their faith to be limited to what they saw rather than what they knew. What they saw was huge waves driven by fierce winds and a boat being filled with water while Jesus slept soundly in the bow of the boat. It appeared the ship would sink and they would drown.

Seriously, do you think  they really believed that Jesus was unconcerned? I can't imagine they did, but life can get confusing in a storm. When emotions get inflamed feelings will trump faith. 

I have been there and done that!

Perhaps you have, too.

They faced a choice in those perilous moments. Either they could let their danger be define by the storm, or they could choose to define it based on their Savior's power. Their concept of God was being tested. Jesus wanted to teach them to think outside of the storm.

Over the years as I have pastored and counseled and dealt with thousands of people, I have observed the importance of having a Biblical concept of God. It is crucial to maintaining spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health.

God knows you better than you know yourself. His "you concept" is better than your self concept! His "you concept" is better than your God concept. He wants you to know Him better so you can trust Him more, and love Him more, and serve Him better so when life gets bigger than you, you will remember He is bigger than life!

Sometimes, as Luke's account demonstrates, God is willing to rock your boat in order for you to experience a fresh encounter with Him through His Son, Jesus. I am not implying that God causes the storms but He knows when you need to have your boat rocked and He allows a storm to buffet you. But when that happens, remember that Jesus is in your boat and the storm is under His control!

If you are living in the midst of a storm right now, if your boat is being rocked, remember, Jesus is in your boat with you and He wants you to learn how to think outside of the storm! 

Look for Jesus in the middle of your storm and you will have a fresh encounter with Him!

  

That is unless you haven't invited Him into your boat.

November 15, 2013

^“One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown! ”He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:22-25

These disciples who had followed Jesus more closely than anyone else had an encounter with Jesus like none they had ever experienced. BUT, it took being frightened almost to death in a raging storm.

SO, BRAD, HOW CAN I HAVE A FRESH ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS?

It is possible but God may have to rock your boat. Are you willing to let Him rock your boat?

If so:

1) Live In His Presence - “One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.  

Receive Him into your life by faith.  Know Him as your Savior.

Have you done that? Have you received Him as your Savior?

2) Live In His Purpose – “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” 

Invest your life in His mission. Be His servant

What is the purpose of your life? What are you living for? Is it worth it? Is God pleased with it?

3) Live Under His Protection -”He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.”

Are you willing to go into a storm with Him in order to know Him better?

If you are in a storm, will you trust His protection, will you cling to His promises and look for His power?

Don’t be like the disciples:  “Where is your faith?”

·         They doubted His awareness – Have you done that?

·         They doubted His affection – Have you accused Him of not caring?

·         They doubted His authority – Have you wondered if He has lost it?

Think outside the storm! Don’t allow your fears and feelings to overrule your faith!

·         Give Him thanks for always being aware of you!

·         Give Him thanks for His great affection for you!

·         Give Him thanks for His great authority over any storm!

If you asked the disciples whether having their boat rocked was worth it, what do you think their answer would be?

November 14, 2013

During my current series of sermons I am dealing with some of the underlying reasons for being thankful.

Thankfulness results from coming to grips with the mercy and grace of God. And, this week I will teach that thankfulness is a result of knowing the greatness of God in your life.

In Luke 8, Jesus is preparing to send His disciples out to witness and minister in His Name, so He wants to give them a fresh encounter with His greatness. This chapter records four miracles Jesus did to demonstrate His power.

Let me give you examples of what I mean:

JESUS DEMONSTRATES POWER OVER DISASTER, Luke 8:22-25

The disciples were sailing across the lake with Jesus in the boat when a violent storm fell upon the lake. Matthew uses the word "seismos" to describe the violence of the waves shaking the boat. Luke calls it a "lailaps" or a whirlwind. The text in Luke makes it clear that the disciples' lives were endangered by this powerful storm.

In their fear-induced panic they cried out to Jesus for help and accused Him of not caring about their safety. But in a moment Jesus arose, spoke to the storm and they watched the storm instantly cease!

JESUS DEMONSTRATES POWER OVER DEMONS, Luke 8:26-39

Upon landing at their destination on the other side of the lake, they were met by a man possessed of numerous evil and dark spirits. Because of the violent effects of his possession, this man was a danger to himself and others. This poor soul was suffering from a spiritual storm raging within, but Jesus rebuked them and drove them out!

JESUS DEMONSTRATES POWER OVER DISEASE, Luke 8:40-48

After delivering the demonic, He met a desperate father whose daughter lay dying. This man strongly urged Jesus to come and heal his daughter.

Before He was able to make much progress, He felt a tug on the hem of His garment. Feeling that touch caused Him to stop and asked who it was who touched Him.

When this woman was identified as one having a bleeding issue, Jesus healed her of her disease and she was made whole!

JESUS DEMONSTRATES HIS POWER OVER DEATH, Luke 8:49-56

Continuing on His way to Jairus' house to attend to his daughter they were met by a servant bringing the terrible news that she had died.

Naturally, Jairus and his wife were distraught by this report but Jesus reassured them that it would be alright because she was just sleeping. Ignoring the ridicules of those who didn't believe, Jesus proved that not only did He have power over disaster, and power over demons and power over disease, He proved He has power over death when he took her by the hand and raised her back to life!

How can you not be thankful when you realize you know and serve a God who has power over any disaster that could ever befall you?

How can you not be thankful when you realize you know and serve a God who has power over demonic spirits that could trouble you?

How can you not be thankful when you realize you know and serve a God who has power over disease that could rob your health and threaten your life?

How can you not be thankful when you realize you know and serve a God who even holds power over death?

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?