Thanksgiving in Tough Times #30

We conclude our series on Thanksgiving with a glimpse forward into the throne room of heaven in Revelation 7:

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 

In this scene we find God the Father with Jesus Christ His Son, the Lamb of God, at His right hand, receiving the worship He deserves. There are seven forms and reasons He deserves it, and smack dab in the middle of the list is thanksgiving.  If thanksgiving is one of the critical ingredients in our future, it only makes sense we would make it part of our present relationship with God now. As some have said, this life should be practice for eternity: recognizing God as the giver of all blessings, acknowledging that God's plan is glorious, understanding that He is the source of all wisdom, honoring Him as holy God, depending on His infinite power, being in awe of His great might, and thanking Him for all He has made, given, and forgiven us of.  May thanksgiving be a part of your day, every day, both now and into eternity. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #29

 

Psalm 100:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Notice all the exhortations in this short Psalm: Make a Joyful Noise! Serve! Come! Enter! Give Thanks! All of these things are familiar in the Psalms as ways we can express our praise and thanks to God: We know we can and should come into His Presence, sing and proclaim, giving testimony to how Great God is. Like our Psalm from yesterday: He is the Master Creator, our Good Shepherd, our loving and faithful Father. But did you notice the exhortation I skipped over? "Know" - Know that the Lord, He is God! Let it sink in; have a mental and spiritual confidence that the Lord is on His throne, in control, and to be trusted. When we get that down pat, the others flow much more freely. Let's work today on knowing He is God. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #28

Another Psalm that immediately comes to mind when we talk about Thanksgiving is Psalm 95:

 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.

Come, let us sing. Sometimes people will say "I can't sing." Never true. Maybe they don't sing well, but all of us can sing.  It allows us to express our praise and thanksgiving to God, and recognize Him as God. The psalmist goes on to give three main reasons songs of thanksgiving are so important. First: He is our Creator - He has made us and all things, and He has done so in a magnificent way. Second: He is our Good Shepherd, who cares for us as His sheep. He is possessive and protective of us. Third, He is the Great Forgiver. Ungrateful people forget God and turn their back on him, becoming grumblers who stumble into the wilderness. Don't be that people. Sing to the Lord; give Him thanks; praise His name. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #27

Psalm 86 is one of those Psalms of David that begins with him calling out to God in a time of distress. After meditating on the truth that the Lord alone is God, He says:

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

David first asks for instruction: that God will teach Him. We must have a teachable spirit, admitting that we have a lot to learn. Then, in the second half of verse 11, he asks God to   unite my heart to fear your name. David is expressing what we all face at times: fears, doubts, and distractions that pull us away from Him and from the truth that God alone is God.  In order to counteract this proneness to wander into doubt and distraction, David determines to do his part: Give thanks. When we give thanks to God for all the ways He has shown His love and salvation in the past and present, it frees us from the fear and doubt that pulls us away from hearing His voice that teaches us, calms us, and keeps us grounded in the truth. Today, may we continue to thank Him and see what new things He has to teach us.  

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #26

In Psalm 50 Asaph pictures God as the Great Judge. As people stand before Him, He does not want them to just try to appease Him with sacrifices that bring with them empty words and hardened hearts. He says in verse:

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
    and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Many people were bringing Him offerings and treating Him as if He should be thanking them for feeding Him, as if His blessings were something they were bartering for. It doesn't work that way. God did not need their sacrifices to eat; He did not want them to bring sacrifices so He could have dinner; He wanted them to bring them because He had already provided what they needed and because they trusted Him to continue to provide for and protect them, answering their prayers. The goal of the whole process was not for them to purchase grace or blessing, but to Glorify Him as the Great and Good God that He really is. Should we give God offerings? Should we give to those in need? Yes, but not to buy His favor; rather, to give Him thanks and praise.

Thanksgivng in Tough Times #25

Many of the Psalms of David are filled with thanksgiving, even when he does not use the word. Like Psalm 27:

 4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

You can hear the sound of joy and thanksgiving in David's words. What he wanted most was the presence of the Lord, and the Lord said "yes." All those years that David was on the run from the Philistines and King Saul, the thing he missed the most was being able to worship God at the Tabernacle. In a sense, that kept him going, knowing that someday he could and would. God kept giving him that assurance he would, and at the same time the assurance that He was with David even when David was not at the tabernacle. It is the same thing we see in Psalm 23 - the Lord is with me here and now, watching over me, and someday I will be in His house, in His presence, forever protected and provided for. These are things we can give thanks for today.  Happy Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #24

In Psalm 9, David looks to God as the Sovereign king over nations and says: 

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

This is pure and simple thanksgiving: looking to the Lord and saying: "It's all about you, Lord. It's about Your deeds and Your name.  David throws his whole being into saying, singing and shouting how great God is; this is what gives him the deepest fulfillment in life: pointing people to God. He goes on in the Psalm to point out how God is his Savior and Stronghold against all those who oppose him, and always provides for and protects him.  Does God not deserve to hear such things from all of us? Should He not be the One all of us give our most to thank? Today, may we think of all His wonderful deeds and make this Thanksgiving a day of gladness and praise pointing at Him. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #23

Often times, we think that we are the only ones going through tough times. The Apostle Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers that that is rarely the case:

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,

Whether Jew or Gentile, in Judea or Macedonia, those who came to Christ were experiencing suffering and persecution for their faith.  Paul's thanksgiving was because they still believed the Gospel, and were still under the transforming work of the Word of God and Spirit of God. Why? They trusted the source, God Himself.  They trusted in Him as Creator, Sustainer, Defender, and loving Father; they took Him at His word.  Those are the kind of people we need to look to, be around, and encourage in their faith, as they encourage us. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #22

We've looked at a few occasions when Paul was thankful. How about Jesus? We find an interesting account in Matthew 11:

 20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

First, Jesus was upset because of the lack of Thanksgiving shown by these cities: He had done great miracles there in sharing the gospel, but very few responded in faith, showing they were ungrateful. He goes as far as to say they were even more culpable for their lack of repentance than Sodom, whose behavior Paul tells us in Romans 1 is a great act of ingratitude. Jesus then gives thanks to the Father. And what is He thankful for? That there are those who believe with the faith of a child: they did not need to be wowed; they knew Jesus was the real deal and responded with thankful and repentant hearts. Have we?

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #21

We have said earlier in our series that Paul's letter to the Colossians is key to studying "Thanksgiving." Today we look at his opening comments in chapter 1:

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

Thanksgiving transcends time and distance. Paul had a way of getting messages about other believers all throughout the Roman Empire. He had heard about the faith and love of the Colossian believers and was filled with thanksgiving, which flowed out in his prayers.  These prayers were able to cross the miles back to this church.  Paul prayed and gave thanks about the past, present, and future: they had put their faith in Christ; they were demonstrating love toward one another in the present, and they shared in the hope he had in the future - eternity in heaven with God and all His people. When we are thankful, and express it, that has a way of encouraging both ourselves and others when we find ourselves in tough times, even in prison unjustly, like Paul was. Let's help ourselves and one another today by Giving Thanks to the Lord. 

Thanksgiving in Tought Times #20

We've mentioned before in our series Paul's tendency to begin his letters giving thanks to God In Romans 1 he says:

 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 

When we are thankful for someone, we want to be with them.  As Paul travelled around from place to place establishing church after church, he met multitudes of people, many of whom became followers of Christ. When he went on each successive journey, he also tried to stop back and visit some of these congregations. There were other churches, like Rome, where he had members of the church there, but had never been able to go see them there.  In both situations, Paul always desired to go see them. If we are truly thankful for other Christians, we will want to be with them, and if we are not thankful for them, there is something wrong with us.  Even more so, if we are really thankful to God for all He has given and done with us, we will want to be with Him - not only in heaven, but here and now, daily, and weekly in worship. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #19

No study on thanksgiving would be complete without turning to the Psalms. Psalm 105 begins: 

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!

In this call to worship and thanksgiving, these things are not optional: open up your mouth and say something: make it known that you are thankful.  It may not be that everything is going the way that you hoped or planned.  If so, why would the psalmist say: 4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!? Thanksgiving is appropriate at all times, and it is to be done out loud. To Whom is it to be directed? "Glory in His Name!" That means when things are going the way we hoped or planned, we do not glory in our name, our efforts, our goodness. Whether things are tough or easy, we are to make Him known, tell of His works, glory in His name, and we are to rely upon His strength and celebrate His presence with us at all times. Simply put: stop ignoring the Lord; call out to Him in good times and bad; point others to Him, not your problems or your pride. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #18

When it comes to learning to be thankful even in tough times, there is no better teacher than Christ Himself. In the upper room, as He was instituting what we call "The Lord's Supper", He speaks words of thanksgiving. Matthew 26:

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

In one sense, Jesus' giving of thanks was just a part of the Passover meal, taking the cup of blessing, which represented the blood of the lamb, which God's death angel used as a sign to "pass over" that house. It was a meaningful blessing, or giving of thanks for God's deliverance. But think about what is going on here: Jesus is saying: "This represents my blood; I'm going to suffer and die for your sins." That is not something it is easy to say "thank you" for.  But, as we saw the other day, Jesus really was thankful; He was not just going through a ritual. He was thankful that the Father loved Him, and that He knew that what He was doing pleased the Father; it was His joy to do the Father's will.  When we have that kind of confidence and commitment, we will be able to give God thanks in tough times too. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #17

In Matthew 15 we find one of the few events found in all four Gospels: The Feeding of the Five Thousand:

35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 

Who gave thanks? Jesus did.  In some of the events that followed, we actually find that some people took this provision for granted and expected to be fed any time they wanted. Jesus was thankful, even though He did all the work.  He did so because he sensed the love and approval of His Father.  Thanksgiving goes far deeper than saying we appreciate something given to us or done for us. It is a state of mind and heart that says: "I trust God and I'm grateful for the life He has given me, for the time and place in which He has put me, and for the things He is willing to do in and through me." It is a matter of thanks and giving; we want to serve and give because we know how much the Father loves us. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #16

Jeremiah 33 is known as a chapter full of hope in the midst of judgment, destruction and exile. Verse: 

10 “Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again 11 the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord:
“‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,
    for the Lord is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!’
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.

As walls of the city of Jerusalem were falling down around them, their leaders being taken into captivity, their water and food supply devastated, and they were wondering who and what was next, God still says through Jeremiah: "Be thankful. There is something to look forward to. The temple may be gone, but it will be back. The songs may seem hard to sing, but someday they will return. God may seem far away, but He is still Lord; He is still good; He still loves His people, and He has a plan for them. Keep the thanks going.  

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #15

The book of Hebrews is full of imagery from the Old Testament, especially the system of sacrifices and priests.  The overall theme of the book is the superiority of Christ over all that has come before Him. In the final chapter, the writer gives a series of exhortations about how then we should live. He says in verse

14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Here are the sacrifices God wants from us now - not animals on an altar, but our words of praise, our witness to His grace, and our generosity that shows we have received His salvation and forgiveness.  These are all to be done in the name of Christ.  For the Old Testament Jew, it was always about going to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship God, but for us we are not looking toward an earthly city, but a heavenly one, and eternal one, where we will forever be in His presence, where worship will be perfect. When we really comprehend what God has provided for us in Christ - so superior to all that was before - we will live lives of Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #4

We're almost halfway through our series on Thanksgiving in Tough Times, and today we come to a passage that is very tough for some of us at times:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Sometimes it's not some physical or spiritual problem we're struggling with: it's relational. Sometimes, when it is people in power it is both: we don't like them and we don't like how what they do affects our lives and our situation.  God tells us to pray not against them, but for them: that we cry their names and their needs out before him; that we view them as people created in His image; that we ask Him to step in and do something for them, with them, and through them. Why? If there is peace and stability, we have the opportunity by our lives to shine and show the salvation God has given us. The Roman Empire was not an easy life for many people. It was idolatrous, immoral and oppressive. But it also offered people like Paul the peace and privilege of traveling all over the world, even on paved roads, to preach the gospel. Those are things that God sees we often cannot. So we should pray for our leaders, with thanksgivings for them. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #13

We noted our first day in this study that every chapter in the letter to the Colossians contains a reference to giving thanks. In chapter 4 we find:
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Prayer is one of the most practical things we can do in the Christian life, when we do it properly.  It is not something to be done quickly, half-heartedly or incompletely. It is to be done consistently, repeatedly, with our spiritual eyes wide open, expecting God to hear and to answer. And it is to be done with thanksgiving. It is almost like it thanksgiving is a special ingredient in the recipe. Thanksgiving makes us want to persist in prayer; it keeps us coming back over and over again; it opens the channel of communication so that our thoughts and God's thoughts flow back and forth more freely. We see that in what Paul then asks: "pray for us, so the Gospel will flow freely from our lips, and be heard and received.  Thanksgiving helps all of us communicate better, and if there is anything we need in our homes, churches, schools, and community, it is clear and holy communication.  Take time today to pray with thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #12

In John 11, Jesus was on the fast track to the cross, but He was taking His time, ministering along the way. This caused Him to arrive too late after receiving a message that His good friend Lazarus was deathly sick. Lazarus had died when Jesus got there, so He and the man's sisters made their way to the tomb.

41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 

There is an unmistakable connection between faith and thanksgiving.  Jesus was one hundred percent sure of His relationship with His Father. We was completely confident concerning the mission for which He had come. He was thankful for that relationship they had always had.  Now He wanted those around to see it and be able to share in it.  As He gave thanks to God in prayer He did so not for His benefit, but so that they might believe, that they might have faith. Our thanksgiving is not just for our benefit; it has an effect on those around us. As they see us go through tough times, like death, sickness, suffering or struggles, with thanksgiving in our hearts, words and actions, it challenges and encourages faith in their lives as well. Thanksgiving is good for you, but it is also good for those around you. Spread some thanks and faith today.

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #11

It's interesting that when Paul wrote his letters to the churches, he usually began by giving thanks for these people, even though he was probably going to correct some error in their faith or practice, Like Ephesians 1: 

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him... 

As many of you know, what follows is a long run-on sentence of everything Paul was praying for this church.  Despite the various problems and issues these churches may have had, Paul always sought something for which to be thankful about them. What happens when we do that? We pray for people, and for situations about which God is also concerned. When we give thanks for some way God has blessed us, we end up talking with Him about ways we and others can experience more of His blessings. Even as Paul wrote to churches that were being challenged by persecution, personality struggles, and other problems, or his own suffering and disappointments, he found ways and reasons to give God thanks and see His hand. This made all the difference in the faith and hope he had in what God could and would do. The same is true for us: if we will incorporate thanksgiving in our thoughts, words and actions, we will see not only what God has done, but what He is doing, and the answers to prayer He will give in the future. Look for ways to thank God today. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #10

Probably the best known passage in Paul's letter to the Philippians is found in chapter 4: 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[d] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We know that the overriding theme of this letter is joy. The fact is that it did not come easily.  In the immediate context, Paul began this chapter exhorting this church to "stand firm"; in other words, they were being shaken in their faith. Then he calls out come quarrelling members to behave themselves. In fact, in the opening chapter he refers to some of his own struggles and to some opposition they were facing.  Joy can be a challenge when you are anxious about relationships.  What makes this passage so popular and powerful is that Paul reminds us that prayer changes everything. When we come to God with a balance of crying our with our needs and our thanksgiving, we can have peace and joy. He then goes on to say that then we can think with balance, and not be overcome with anxiety. Thanksgiving is key in this process. Without it our prayers become complaint sessions without faith that they will be answered. With Thanksgiving comes hope that God will change things, beginning with us and how we face tough times. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #9

Paul opens chapter 5 of his letter to the Ephesians with the exhortation to walk in Christlike love, but very quickly he gives the contrast in verse
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

These are pretty strong words of warning: no immorality, no kind of impurity, no idolatry - coveting what we do not have - none of these things in word, in heart, or in deed.  Nestled in this nasty list is one thing: Thanksgiving.  Do we understand what an antidote thanksgiving is to these things? If we are thankful to God for all He has given, we will not covet anything else instead.  Eve and Adam were not satisfied in the garden and their ingratitude led to a whole lot of trouble.  If we speak out thanks, there is no room or time for evil speech. If we are thankful for the spouse we have, or trust God for the one He has in our future, there is no room for immorality.  It is not so much that thanksgiving is a substitute for these things, but that all these things put together are no substitute for thanksgiving in our lives. Today may we have thankful hearts, speak thankful words, and live thankful lives before Him. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #8

In II Corinthians 9, where Paul is talking about the offering being taken in the Gentile churches to send the the suffering Church in Jerusalem and Judea, he talks about thanksgiving:

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

Thankful giving is a clear indicator of spiritual understanding and growth. When we give out of thankful hearts, because we have come to understand how much God has given to us in Christ, it gets a big ball of thanksgiving going: those to whom we give are thankful; those who like Paul see what is going on are thankful; even God, who multiplies our gifts is thankful, because He sees we understand what Grace is all about. God gives us what we need, and if we rightly understand what He has done, our response will not be to hoard it, but to pass it on. This covers all sorts of blessings: physical like sharing food and resources, emotional like giving comfort and encouragement, and spiritual like sharing the Gospel and what God has been teaching us with others.  A few verses after this passage, Paul blurts out: 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! May we cry out the same to God today. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #7

As we read the letters of Paul to the churches, it becomes immediately obvious that he is not the perfect man writing to perfect people, but rather sincere believers who struggle with sin in their lives. One place we see that clearly is in Romans 6:

16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 

Our struggles against sin in our lives could make us discouraged, hopeless, and asking "what difference does it make?" Paul points out here that a major difference has occurred: through Christ we have been freed from slavery to sin; through the Holy Spirit we can say "yes" to righteous living. As the old saying goes: "I'm not what I should be; I'm not what I shall be, but thank God, I'm not what I used to be." When we have this attitude of gratitude for what God has done, it changes our whole perspective about what He still will do.  Thanks be to God for changing Who we belong to: we belong to Him, and He's still working on us. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #6

I noted on day one of this series on Thanksgiving that Paul's letter to the Colossians is a great study on the matter, and that we would return here. Today we look at chapter 3:
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Paul has just discussed relationships with fellow believers, and all the things we need to put off, put to death, and then put on in order to conduct ourselves in an appropriate manner. It's not easy.  When He talks here about having peace in our hearts, plural, it is still in the context of our relationship with one another - I am at peace when we are at peace with God and one another.  Then, three times he tells us to be thankful, have thankfulness in your hearts, and do everything giving thanks.  We need to constantly be reminded to be thankful: using our voices to build each other up, not complain to and about one another; appreciating everything God has given to us, not griping about what we do not have; doing everything in our power to create this atmosphere of thanksgiving that helps each of us grow, and bring God glory. Today, do everything you can to bring about a thankful atmosphere everywhere you go, and see what God can do. 

Thanksgiving in Tough TImes #5

This year seems to be flying by, and before you know it we will be into Advent, which ends with this account in Luke2:

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Anna was burdened for her people - so deeply burdened she committed her life to prayer and fasting, calling out for God to send His Messiah, their Deliverer. All those years and she never gave up. Lest we think that she went around sour-faced in sackcloth and ashes every day, notice that she was worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. She was praising the Lord, obeying the commands of the Law and the Psalms to "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise."  She was thankful day in and day out. So when she saw the Messiah, the baby in the temple, she was really ready to give thanks and testify of Him.  Thanksgiving doesn't wait for something good or great to happen. Thanksgiving happens daily, and when something big does happen, it erupts. Let's worship and thank God today, and trust Him for those big reasons in His time.

Thanksgiving in Tough Times#4

In our initial passages on Thanksgiving, we have seen that though we are called to live thankful lives, it isn't always that easy. Our minds are not naturally geared to being thankful; our enemy is always trying to get us to be ungrateful, complaining and rebellious; bad things happen to us - both because of evil in this world and our own sinful, stupid actions. Today we add another:

53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Our bodies are falling apart. Our awareness of this may not come till much later in life, but some day, you get up in the morning and things don't work right, hurt like crazy, or keep you from doing what you want to do.  Our bodies are mortal, perishable, going downhill, dying. That can lead to lots of disappointments and complaints and ingratitude. But it doesn't have to. Paul presents to us here the alternative: looking beyond this life and this dying to Christ's victory over death and our ultimate victory through faith in Him. Christ is a game-changer when it comes to thanksgiving. Thankfulness is a trademark of whether we truly are born again and trusting in Him. Can you join in the rally cry Paul has here: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ?

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #3

28 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, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

These words are the conclusion to Hebrews 12, which many of you know begins with the call to endure the difficulties of life, and especially following Christ, "the Author and Perfector of our Faith.  This is followed by a reminder that God disciplines us out of love, for our good. In the middle of the chapter the writer then turns our thoughts back to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai, standing before God on His holy mountain, filled with fear as they considered the power He has to shake and consume everything in judgment - even that mountain, and leaving nothing behind.  The application for us as followers of Christ is that even if God takes everything away from us, be it for discipline or for His glory, we are not left empty-handed. We still have something that is worth everything: we have the kingdom of God, which cannot be shaken or destroyed or taken away. Be grateful that we can know and serve and be received by the True and Living God. Everything else pales by comparison. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #2

As we saw yesterday, there is a pressure in our hearts, minds and lives from everything around us against Thanksgiving.  This was not just something the Colossian church had to deal with: it was something Paul told Timothy to beware of as he was ministering in Ephesus. He says in chapter 4 of his first letter to him:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

Satan has always been about discontentment, complaining, and rebellion against God.  He is extremely upset when people come to Christ and find meaning, purpose and fulfillment in their relationship with Him.  So he does everything he can to make us discontent and ungrateful for the life, food, marriage partner -everything good God has given us. He wants to pull people away from God by destroying thankful hearts. And it is effective.  Ungrateful people are untrusting, unbelieving, and unpleasant to be around. The enemy wants to pull us apart and make us unhappy with our life, our surroundings, ourselves, and most of all, God.  Don't give in. In everything give thanks. It will change your day and your life. 

Thanksgiving in Tough Times #1

As we begin this new month and this new series of scriptures, we really want to focus on living lives of thanksgiving, even when life gets tough.  In his letter to the Colossians Paul was writing to a group of believers whose faith was under attack.  Heretical teachers were playing mind games with them to try to get them to abandon their faith in Christ.  After an introductory chapter exalting the person of Christ, in the second chapter Paul warns them to not be deluded or have their thoughts taken captive. In between he says this in verse
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

We are called to live a life of thanksgiving.  When we trust and obey Christ, when our lives are built on Him and what he has done for us, the result will be a life of confidence and thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving protects our minds from false thoughts. It is a shield and a sword to fight back against tough times in life. We will be back here in each chapter of this letter during our study; it is a great read if you are struggling to be thankful. But we will also be throughout the New Testament and Psalms learning to be more thankful. May God give us hearts for thanksgiving not just for today, or this month, but from this time forward.