The Heart of the Matter

Pt.7 on Psalm 51 - David's prayer of repentance (and a good one for us, too)
What we've seen so far is that the heart of the matter is that to the core of my being, down to the embryonic me - I need God's love, compassion, cleansing, and restoration. And, it is to that level that God plans and provides for our cleansing and forgiveness.

Psalm 51 says sin is very real. Be very ashamed. If you're guilty, there's nothing wrong with feeling guilty. It isn't just a bad emotion, it's a proper response to guilt.
It also says, the proper response to guilt and shame is to go to God sincerely acknowledging your failure and seeking His cleansing (you won't find it anywhere else).
And finally it says, you will find cleansing in Him. He desires to not only forgive, but to thoroughly cleanse-to the very core of your being. Not only that, He will take you deeper into Him providing salvation, intimate relationship, knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately joy, rejoicing and praise. 
David continues in vs.14 - "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness." After all that's been said, he's still begging for forgiveness. He certainly didn't flippantly say, "You're right, Nathan, I sinned. Lord, forgive me. Okay, I'm good." He was hurting and struggling deeply in his heart to find forgiveness. He did not presume on God's grace and goodness. Numerous songs have been written through the years based on Ps.51:10-13, I believe because of the hope of forgiveness received expressed in those verses. We stop there. David went on, still pleading for deliverance.

This final plea for forgiveness is an important one. Sin is a matter of the heart. As a physical organ, it is deep in the chest, in the "center" of the person, as it were. It is a symbol of the innermost being. Furthermore, when the blood is poured out, so is life. The "life is in the blood" and so in the Levitical sacrifice the blood was not to be consumed, but to be poured out on the altar for the forgiveness of sins. So, if sin is a matter of man's innermost being not following the will of God, if it is a matter of the heart, then it should be of little wonder that the wage of sin is death. It goes to the core of the man, his heart, and consumes the life, pollutes the blood.*

So, David's plea is basically, Deliver me completely-to my core, my heart. Filter the impurity of sin from my very blood. Don't let it flow through me any longer. Wash me. Filter my blood with the blood of the Lamb. When I know that level of cleansing, when I grasp that dimension of your love, joy will come and it overflow in song as I declare that it is Your righteousness that flows through me. Let Your blood course through my spiritual veins and replace sin with righteousness.

God's forgiveness brings joy, and joy takes expression in praise. So David continues, "Lord, open my lips...." Guilt shuts our mouth in misery, depression and solitude. But there are people around who still need to hear the Good News. Shame, and fear of shame, can keep us from talking. "What if I speak and then fail? Or even worse, what if they learn of my past failures?"  True forgiveness, the salvation that God provides, eliminates that fear and shame. It is exactly what we need to be proclaiming to the lost and dying world around us. "Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise."

"For." Why? Because (for) it is a broken and contrite heart that God won't despise. It is true sacrifice that He seeks. Without that, religion is just empty ritual. "Sin" has become a non-word, void of any real meaning. We either use it as a club to bludgeon people into feeling guilt. Or, we go to far the other way avoid even talking about it. We watch TV and movies and laugh at the humor of the situations in which the characters find themselves and shrug off the immoral relationships in which they are depicted.

As a result, salvation means nothing. On the one hand, we have many Christians who are so caught up in law and rules, they don't understand grace, and are every bit in bondage to a morality to which they cannot accede as the ancient Hebrews were. They call themselves Christians, but are modern day Pharisees. On the other hand, we have people call themselves "Christian," but aren't the least bit concerned about the areas of immorality that still characterize their lives. Pop-psychology of the 60's and 70's is the norm of many modern churches: "I'm OK, you're OK." There is no guilt. Guilt is just a bad emotion we need to learn to deal with and put aside. It isn't "sin" because right and wrong are relative, there are no moral absolutes. That's just being judgmental or "phobic."

David knew the reality of sin, guilt and shame. He also knew the reality of a God who not only was able to make him clean, to forgive him, to remove guilt and shame and restore him to joy, but actually desired to do so. He also knew that what God wills to do, He will do.

He concludes with a reference to Zion - Jerusalem, and the restoration of "righteous sacrifices." For us, Jerusalem is "The Lord Our Righteousness" - Yhwh Tsidkenu (Jeremiah 33:16). His righteousness is our dwelling place.

It is also our "starting place." Acts 1:8 says we are to be His witnesses, starting in Jerusalem and going to the uttermost parts of the earth. Spiritually speaking, I think it is also our heart - the Holy City, as it were - "right here," my dwelling place, where I am right now. It is my innermost being, my heart, where I long for Christ (who is my wisdom and righteousness) to dwell, to be at home. It is here that true worship takes place - in the very core of me. All the sacrifices for atonement, including the passover Lamb, culminate here. Christ in me is my hope of glory (Col.1:27). It is the summing up of all things in the heavens and things on the earth in Christ. In Him, we have obtained an inheritance with the Holy Spirit as the irrevocable earnest of that inheritance (Eph.1:10-14). And so we are admonished to "keep seeking the things above, where Christ is.... Set your affections on things above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col.3:1-3).

God is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Have you experienced God's forgiveness at this level? Have you found that God really does desire to forgive and cleanse? Without sharing details of your sin, feel free to share your insights into God's grace and forgiveness.

He truly is a rewarder

Pt 6 on Psalm 51.
Wow, this is the 2nd time I had a series going and down to the final installment when it got put on hold - and during the break, God showed me more. I won't go back through all the previous verses, but there were some insights that made the remaining verses (14-19) even more meaningful for me. I'll share some of that today, and hopefully finish the passage in the next post (to avoid one really long blog-post). As I've stated, we as Christians can read Ps.51 from a standpoint of great rejoicing because we have as our experience much for which David prayed. The fact is, though, sometimes we don't feel that joy and come to God in earnest longing for renewal.

What stood out to me most as I reread this passage a few days ago was the depth of our need and thoroughness of His response.
vs.1. "...according to the greatness of Your compassion...." - massive, expansive, broad, deep, huge, mountainous, unfathomable compassion - more than enough, but exactly what I need to blot out my transgressions, failures and sin.
vs.2. "Wash me thoroughly...." - thoroughly - completely; permeate me; every nook and cranny, every micro-pore of my spiritual being where iniquity and sin do or could possibly reside - "and cleanse me from my sin."
vs.3. Because that's what it will take. I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.
I know them. I see them. I can't shake the memory of them. I look at me & I see my failures.
I know them. I understand them. I see how they work, how they stain and soak in and permeate (hence, the need for "thorough" washing.

vs.5. "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." I am evil down to the moment of conception, to the embryo, to the fertilized egg - to the very core of my being. Hence, again, the need for Your thorough cleansing and Your great compassion.
vs.6. Again, "Behold." It is at that very level that You, God, desire truth - my innermost being. In the hidden part - the core of me, every nook & cranny & micro-pore - You will make me know wisdom - as thoroughly, if not more-so, than I know my sin. I will see it, constantly. I will look at me and I will see wisdom. I will see Jesus, who is wisdom from God & righteousness & sanctification & redemption. I will understand wisdom, how it works, how it operates, how it/how HE frees me from transgression, iniquity and sin.
vs.7.Father, I don't fully understand "hyssop", but I do understand "shall." You purify and I shall be clean; You wash and I shall be whiter than snow.
My need is thorough, but so is His response.

Turning Point of Hope

Repentance & Ps. 51, pt.5
About 1/2 way through his prayer, David seems to hit a turning point where it's apparently becoming more real, more believable, that he may indeed find the forgiveness for which he's been pleading and the joy he once knew in "You only." There seems to be a renewed hopefulness emerging in verses 10-13. It's a hope we can know, too.

Again and again David's prayer is fulfilled in the New Testament experience. David cried out for a clean heart. Sin has dirtied us. We do not deserve to be in God's presence, yet that is the very place in which we are invited to dwell. We are cleansed by the blood of the Sacrifice Lamb, sprinkled clean and invited into the Holy of Holies. He cried out, "take not Your Holy Spirit from me." For the follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit has been given as an earnest of our inheritance. (An earnest is something given to confirm a promise. If the promise is not kept, the earnest is forfeited. For example, when you buy a house, you put up "earnest money" as a promise that you really do intend to buy this house, not just get them to hold it while you look for something else. If you do not follow through, you forfeit your earnest.) God gave the Holy Spirit. He (the Spirit) cannot be forfeited. He is God's promise of full payment to come - of being in His presence in this lifetime as our earthly heritage, and of our eternal home in heaven, forever before the throne of God.

David longed for the joy of salvation and a "willing spirit." The cleansing of repentance brings joy in the Lord. It opens us to the sustenance of a willing spirit. His Spirit is given to both will and work for His good pleasure. He has made us new creations, no longer slaves to sin. Although housed in the flesh, our spirit, the new man within us, is inherently good, desiring to love and honor God. It is willing, though the flesh is weak, to walk in a manner worthy of Him, to please Him in every respect, to bear fruit in every good work, and to increase in the knowledge of Him. It is willing to trust Him and to receive from Him whatever He brings, to the point of giving thanks for all things. It is willing to do what He says, constrained by the love of Christ.

Oh, the joy of His cleansing blood. The joy of cleansing is the motivation to share the good news. It is powerful enough to bring positive results to the sharing - "sinners will be converted to You." The world needs this joy.

Feel free to leave comments or questions. If you want references for some of the statements above, let me know. I'd be glad to post them.

Clean Up on Aisle 7!

Repentance & Psalm 51, pt 4
Hyssop was used in the Passover to sprinkle blood in the cross-shaped pattern above and on each side of the doorway of the homes of the Israelites. It was also used in the ceremony for a leper who had recovered
from his disease. Perhaps these things were in mind when David prayed in verse 7: "Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."

I believe was really sweating it out as he prayed this entire Psalm. In verse 8, he describes himself as having broken bones - crushed by the holiness of God. I don't think he was entirely sure God would forgive Him for what He had done. I do believe He was absolutely convinced there was no hope but to throw Himself on the mercy of God - a mercy He had experienced from a God whom He knew and loved intimately in times past. He knew if God was willing, he would be truly cleansed, and once again know joy and gladness in His relationship with God. There may be times we feel the same way - our heart is as filthy and hideous as the infected wounds of the leper; we're crushed by the guilt of our sin. But, we have something even David didn't. We have the ultimate sacrifice. We can come to the Father as one already healed, saved, by the shed blood of the Passover Lamb on the cross of Calvary. There is no doubt, no room for dispute. I shall be clean. It is accomplished, and it applies to me. I need only to turn to Him (repent, change direction), receive His cleansing, rest in it, and experience joy and gladness in fellowship with Him.

David's sin was "ever before him." He'd done what was evil "in God's sight." His only hope was in God's willingness to stop looking at his sin. Only if God was willing to turn away and leave David's sin behind was there any hope of David being able to do so as well. So, he prayed, "hide Your face from my sin." Whether David fully experienced this freedom in his life, we are not told. However, the fulfillment of His prayer came on the cross as God hid His face from our sins and Jesus cried out, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?"

How awesome is that?

Psalm 51, pt 3

It took two blog posts to get thru verse 1? hmmm. Let's see if I can pick up the pace.

Unlike Pilate, who symbolically washed his hands after turning Christ over for crucifixion, David knew that the source for true and total cleansing was God Himself, and so he had hope of being fully cleansed. Do you feel you can never be clean because of the stain of sin on your life? Cry out to God, and know that He will hear you, and He is both willing and able to wash you completely clean.

In vs. 3 David says, "For my sin is ever before me...."  "For" is a reference to what precedes it. It is because he cannot shake the awareness of his sin that David cried out in the opening verses for cleansing. Is your sin "ever before you?" What does that mean? I think in part it is a reference to the difficulty we have forgetting our failures and letting them go, and forgiving ourselves. Even long after a failure, a casual word, a scene from a TV show or movie, the words to a song, can spark a memory. Beyond that, just the idea of spending time in the presence of Holy God, at some point has to make you realize you're not worthy to be there. Awareness of sin should cause us to run to God, not hide from Him. Nothing's hidden from Him anyway.

Okay, David took another man's wife to bed. We don't know how willing she was in this, whether she was longing to be with the king, or if she was too intimidated to say no. Then he had Uriah killed, involving his army commander in the crime. Together, David and Bathsheba suffered the death of the child conceived through their union. Nathan said David had shamed God before the enemies of Israel. It wasn't a secret sin at any level. Yet, David says, "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight...." All sin, ultimately, is against God. No matter who else is involved or affected by it, it is against God. He alone is perfect and sets the standard for holiness and righteousness. It is when we let other things take the place in our lives that belongs to Him alone that we wind up doing things that are evil. It's letting other things take His place that constitutes sin in the first place and results in the actions we recognize as "sins." The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack. My God shall supply all my need.... If I truly believe that, I will act on the basis of that truth and not seek to meet my needs in any shallow thing the world offers. Whatever the outward expression of sin may be, it comes down to this - putting something or someone in the place that belongs to God alone.

"...what is evil in Your sight" is another phrase that can be taken a couple of different ways: It could be the things God "sees as" evil. I think it also recognizes that God "sees" everything we do, and nothing is hidden from Him. We all come into this world subject to sin. It's pretty much guaranteed, that at some point, we're going to (verse 5). But in direct contrast to the condition of fallen man, verse 6 declares that God desires truth in our innermost being and in the hidden part He will make us know wisdom. Isn't that awesome? What hope it brings. What He wills, He does. His command is His promise. The fact that He desires truth in our innermost being is His promise that He will endeavor to put that truth there. This is the God that spoke and the "bang" of His voice was so "big" that the universe came into being. I think He can handle putting His truth in your heart and mine. There is the basis for peace, hope, forgiveness, cleansing. God wills it.

Repentance, pt.2 - Ps. 51:1

Okay, so maybe "Repentance" is not going to be the best on-going title for this series of posts. It definitely is the theme of David's prayer. However, there is also hope, rejoicing, deliverance, and victory over temptation.

In the Model Prayer, any reference to seeking forgiveness is preceded by praise and adoration of the Father, an appeal that His kingdom come, His will be done, and our daily needs be met. Sometimes in the course of our praying, as we look at the holiness and the provision of our loving Father, we are confronted with our own sin. There are other times, however, when all we can see is the blackness of our hearts, and the only response we seem able to voice is a crying out for forgiveness and mercy.

Several years ago, as I was involved in an intercessory prayer ministry, I found myself spending a lot of time in Psalm 51. I found that I often needed to include repentance early in the process of intercession. Although I had always thought of this Psalm as dealing with repentance for "extreme" immorality, since it was written in response to David's sin with Bathsheba, it became an integral part of my prayer life. Even if your sin seems nowhere as dark as that for which David was repenting, this is a wonderful passage to guide you in repentance, and to open your eyes to the depth of love revealed in God's provision for our salvation.

In verse 1, David begins by acknowledging the absolute sufficiency of God as the source for his forgiveness. At the same time he was seeking God's forgiveness, David was acknowledging God's greatness. He had long walked in a knowledge of the deep lovingkindness of God, of His never-ending/always new compassion. Even though the depth of his sin forced him to forego his often eloquent words of praise, it was David's deep awareness of the goodness of God which was the basis for his confidence in coming to God in repentance. He didn't approach God flippantly presuming upon God's willingness to forgive. He was painfully aware of the seriousness of his sin. We shouldn't take our sin lightly either. Nonetheless, do not doubt the willingness of God to forgive, not only as the basis of His lovingkindness and compassion, but also in direct proportion to the abundance of His lovingkindness and compassion. What matters is not how bad you are, but how good God is.

David proclaimed in Psalm 103:10-12: "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." How much more real this truth should be to us who can say with Paul, "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).

I was saved at a young age. I knew little of sin, grace, or righteousness. I only knew I was a sinner, could not save myself, and needed to accept what Christ had done for my salvation by opening my heart to Him. However, He knew me well. He knew not only the sins of a small child, but also of an adolescent, and a grown man. In His mercy - His great and marvelous mercy - He saved me anyway.

Ps.51:1 (from my heart): O God, I was without hope because of my sin, yet in Your holiness You saved me. By Your grace, You gave me hope and eternal life. Now, again, Lord, be gracious to me in proportion to Your lovingkindness. In proportion to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out (soak up, eliminate) my transgressions (all the ways I have broken, and do break, Your law and fall short of Your will for me). Lord, I know so little of Your love, for I spend so little time with You. Yet I do know You love me. You have given me life and breath. You have forgiven me so much already. In proportion to my sin, and compared to Your holiness, I deserve to be a charred pile of ashes on the floor before You. Yet through the blood of Jesus, my High Priest, You invite me to enter boldly before Your throne to receive mercy and find grace to help in this time of need. And God, I need You now more than ever.

Repentance, pt.1

If there really are any absolutes - clear, definite rights and wrongs - and, especially if there is an ultimate absolute - a holy God - what should our response be when we have chosen to do what is wrong. The obvious response, in Christian terms, is repentance. Most likely, you've heard this interpreted in books or sermons as a change of mind, or a change of direction - going one way, realizing it's wrong, and turning 180 degrees and heading the opposite direction.

How do you really do this? How does the moment of change take place? Is it simply a moment of choice, a mental decision, that when made, all is said and done? I'd have to answer, "Yes.     --and, no."

Most of the Christian life can be explained as a moment of decision followed by a lifetime of process. Even salvation is describe in scripture in past, present and future tenses. I submit that repentance involves a moment of decision followed by an on-going process as well. One of the best examples of the nature and process of repentance is found in David's response to his own sin in the prayer recorded as Psalm 51.

King David is described in scripture as a "man after God's own heart." Yet, he took another man's wife to bed in an adulterous affair. Then, to cover his sin, he murdered the man by arranging to have him killed in battle. I've heard several people over the years use the life of David and the "man after God's own heart" idea to as an excuse to reject God. "If David's an example of the heart of God, I don't want to follow [or believe in] a god like that." I've heard some say it with such an air of condescension they obviously think themselves pretty smart for coming up with it. In reality, they're just showing off their own lack of understanding, but that's their excuse nonetheless.

Being true to your beliefs is easy when you don't have any. It's another matter altogether when you recognize there really is a God, He really is holy (pure, righteous), and to live in His presence you need to be holy also. When there is such an incredibly high standard to which to aspire, the odds of failing are significant. The Bible admonishes us to be holy, to be perfect. It also acknowledges we cannot be, particularly not on the basis of our own abilities and efforts. God desires for us to know that He exists (which we can only know by faith), and to know that He rewards those who seek Him. Corollaries include the fact that He desires good for us (not that each experience on earth will be good in and of itself - we will have troubles and tribulations on this earth. However, He will use each situation to bring about good in us - that we may become more like Him. It's a process. It's growth. It takes time. It begins with salvation. It begins with repentance. It begins when we faith Him. It continues all through life.

David understood that, probably more after his colossal failure than before. His sin drove Him to seek God even more passionately. Over the next couple of blog posts, let's look more closely at Psalm 51. What are your thoughts about it? Have you read this Psalm? Have you contemplated? Can you at all relate to it? Is it depressing to you? Or is it a cause of celebration and rejoicing? Please post your comments. And please tell others to check out this series of blog posts.

BC, GC & Freckles

Let me tell you about a friend of mine. Several years ago, a little black stray cat showed up in our yard. She was really sick, very weak. She wouldn't let us get too close, but we provided her with food and water for a few days until she felt better. She rewarded us a few days later by moving her 3 kittens into our barn. A couple of days later, she was run over and killed just up the road. We gave the kittens food & water. We placed the food dish on a platform in the barn where we keep our hay. They would scrample up on top of a chicken-wire cage that sat next to the table, but wouldn't come close to us. They'd wait at the back edge of the platform by the wall till we fixed their bowls and moved away before scurrying over to eat.

They were strays, and we refused to consider them pets, but over time, felt we needed to distinguish between them when we talked about them. One was mostly black, one was grey, and one was black with large brown spots. Hence, black cat (shortened to BC), gray cat (GC) and freckles. We didn't feel we could take them in as pets - we already had 2 indoor cats and 2 dogs. And strays don't have a great life expectancy. In a semi-rural neighborhood like ours, beside the danger of cars, there are dogs that sometimes roam the neighborhood, owls, and occasionally coyotes.

Freckles was the 1st to wander off. We're not really sure when or why. He just quit coming around. A few months later, it became obvious that GC also stood for girl cat, as local toms suddenly started hanging around. Within a couple of months she had kittens in our barn. About a week later, she moved them out of the barn - we never knew where. About a week after that, she quit going back & forth to her new den - apparently the kittens didn't survive. A couple of days later, I saw BC & GC sitting in the pasture. They were looking around and back & forth at each other - looking totally like they were carrying on a conversation. Then GC got up and walked away. BC sat there and watched her leave, never to return.

After that, BC tended to follow us around more. He seemed lonely and desiring companionship, but he still wouldn't let anyone near him. I felt sorry for him. Still, he was a "stray," not a pet. When I fed him, I began standing right by the table until his hunger forced him to venture over to his bowl in spite of my presence. Then I'd walk away. Eventually, I began to reach out toward him. As soon as he began to duck away, I'd turn and walk off. I'd push it right to the edge of his comfort level, and then remove the perceived threat. Over time, I actually touched his head. Same thing - when he flinched, I'd walk off. Then I would add a brief stroke to the process. He'd tolerate it for a few moments, then start to pull back. I'd walk off. In time, a good head rub before he began to eat became part of the morning routine.

Soon, he'd sit on the back fence in the morning while I topped off the horse trough & filled a couple of jugs of water to carry out to the stall. I'd prop my hand on the fence and he'd nudge it until I petted him. He'd follow Trish & me, around the yard when we were outside, but he still would not come near us, except in the barn, and on the back fence early in the morning. Those were the two "safe" places for him.

After filling the water jugs, I'd go get the muck bucket from near the compost bins to clean the horse stall. He'd follow me, and eventually, the compost bins became the 3rd safe place where he'd let me pet him. From there, we'd walk across the pasture to the barn. I'd speak to him, he'd meow back, and we'd "converse" all the way to the barn. If he wasn't waiting for me when I went out to feed the horse, I could call, "BC!", and he'd soon come running.

It took almost two years to get BC to the point that I could just reach out to him and speak to him, and he'd walk up and let me pet him - any time, any place. A couple of times when I was working in the yard and sat down to rest, he actually crawled up on my lap for a couple of minutes. Stopping to pet him while I was working outside, giving that once fearful little kitten a head rub and hearing him purr, was as refreshing to me as a drink of water. Trish could pet him occasionally. Our kids could pet him when they were feeding him. But he pretty much kept his distance from anyone but me or Trish, and mostly just me. We were friends.

About 6 months later, Trish called me late in the afternoon. As she was returning home from work she saw a black cat lying by the road at the end of our street and thought it was BC. I hurried home and found that it was. He'd been hit by a car several hours before. Probably was the reason he'd not come when I called him for breakfast that morning.

I did pretty good up to the point while I was burying him and thinking back over our time together. When I remembered thinking of him as my refreshing "drink of water," I couldn't help but weep.

I was surprised at how much his death affected me. It still affects me. We worked in the pasture today, and I kept thinking about BC. When we came in, I got out my journal and read what I'd written the day after he died, and my eyes teared up, and my throat tightened up. Ridiculous. After all, he was "just a stray." He never was really "our" cat. I knew from the start his odds weren't good. But I had poured a lot of time and effort into gaining his trust, just so this little stray could have the pleasure of receiving a good head rub every now & again.

God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. How much more must God grieve over us when we hold back, when we only allow him into certain "safe" places in our lives, when we roam the neighborhood and won't abide in Him, risking our lives just because we're free to do so. He is so patient with us. It's His kindness that leads us to repentance. It's His relentless tenderness that gives us time to allow us to develop trust to deeper levels. How it must make Him grieve that we do not understand and embrace how totally trustworthy He is. Why don't we run to Him to receive the love He offers, and passionately embrace Him and love Him back? This is where we begin - knowing Him.

The Nature of Evil

When Vladimir Putin was asked what he thought when Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire," he said he wasn't bothered by it. He said it was just a way of speaking about an enemy, basically, just rhetoric, and nothing truly offensives.

He was then asked if he thought the same about George Bush referring to Osama bin Ladin as evil. Putin's response was "No. That was mild language. The Muslim extremists truly are evil, because we are but dust to them."

Wow. "We are but dust to them." What an accurate and succinct definition of evil. To look at man as nothing more than dust, and hence of virtually no value is a valid depiction of evil. Satan himself sees man as no more than dust, and he brings evil into the world by devaluing man.

What you value, you cherish and protect. You don't destroy. You don't diminish it.

By way of example, this is the evil of the "theory of evolution." Granted there is scientific evidence for development and change within species over time. But to take it back to some primordial soup, or even to random atoms and molecules that were somehow charged into life by some random "bang," reduces man to dust, and relegates moral values to a system of situationally based social mores. Man has no real value other than what society places on him, and that can change from society to society, culture to culture, and time to time. This is where "situation ethics" and the "if-it-feels-good-do-it" philosophy of the 60's (which have stuck with us in varying forms and degrees ever since) came from. If there is no God, there are no absolutes - or at least no moral basis for absolutes - everything is based on chemical or electronic nerve impulses.

Is this about "creationism" or a "young earth?" No. This is about evil. This is about the basis for placing a value on man that is greater than dust.

Theft is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Adultery is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Murder is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.
Terrorism is evil because it sees man as no more than dust.

God is the opposite. God took dust, shaped it, stooped down and breathed into it the breath of life, and created man.

Using The Model Prayer as a Model

Thank You, Lord, for adopting me as Your child. You are my Father. Thank You for loving me, for caring for me as only a Father can, for feeding, sheltering, clothing, comforting, and counseling. Thank You for Your faithfulness. You are eternal, everlasting, endless. You are heavenly, not only in location but in character.

Your name is holy. Let it be holy among us. You are the Lord our righteousness. Thank You for making Your righteousness our dwelling place (Jeremiah 33:16ff). You are also the Lord who sanctifies [makes holy]. Thank you for indwelling me with, and adopting me through, Your Son, so that I may be holy and blameless before You. Thank You that You have taken on the responsibility of my sanctification, for only You are holy. You are the Lord My Peace. Thank You that in my coming and going You give me peace and comfort. Rest is in You. I am safe in You. You are "The Lord Who is There." Thank You that I can always count on You to be there for me. You are the Lord Who Heals. Thank you for providing for my healing through the torn flesh of Jesus. Thank You that on the basis of the cross of Jesus, He healed diseases of those who came to Him even before the cross (Mt.8:16-17;Is.53:4). You are the Lord Who Provides. You see my needs even before I ask and hear my prayers and provide all I need just as You provided the ram for Abraham's sacrifice (Gen.22:14). You are the Lord My Banner. Like a flag mounted atop a building to show ownership, You have given me Your Spirit [who needs a tattoo, when you have the Holy Spirit marking you as His?]. Like the flag lifted on a battle field to show victory, You, Lord are my victory flag. Thank You for claiming me as Your own. Thank You that Christ's victory over the grave was made my victory as well. You are the Lord My Shepherd. Thank You for shepherding me - feeding, guiding, protecting. You are holy, Lord, as Savior, King, Counselor, Father, Prince of Peace.

Lord, let Your kingdom come in my heart. Be enthroned in my heart and be my king. Show me Your will so that I can please You and be fruitful in all I do. Let Your will be done in my home, my wife, my children, in this church, in our nation. Establish Your kingdom in our hearts today. Be King of our country and grant Your will to be done in our land. Help us a Christians to be faithful to Your call to be witnesses and spread the Good News throughout our nation. [this is a good spot to pray for specific requests and concerns as well.] Thank You, Lord, that the promise is given in Your name - Yhwh Shammah and Yhwh Nissi - that You are here, raising the flag that proclaims the establishment of Your kingdom in our hearts - and Yhwh Tsidkenu and Yhwh M'Kaddesh - that You are making us holy and have given us Your own righteousness that Your will may be done; that You are "at work both to will and to work for Your good pleasure."

Lord, Your will is done in heaven. It is done by Your eternal power. It is done by the efficacy of the blood of Jesus, sprinkling clean the holiest of holies, and sprinkling us clean, that we may enter and remain in the presence of Almighty God. Let it be so on earth. Let the power of His endless life be worked out in our hearts. Let the full effect of the blood, even beyond our comprehension, be brought to bear in our lives.

Supply what we need in order to live, physically and spiritually, for You today. Thank You, Yhwh Yireh [the Lord our Provider] that you see what we have need of even before we ask, and that Your very name promises us that You will provide. [This is another good point to address specific needs and concerns both for yourself and interceding for others, keeping in mind what we "need" is often as simple as daily bread - not necessarily the fine wines and gourmet meals we may desire.]

Lord, with David I cry out, "Be gracious to me, O God, according to the Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin...." [You may even want to pray all the way through Psalm 51, or Psalm 25]. [Be as specific in your confession as you need to be. Sometimes God will see your heart as you pray His word, and wash you with the word, administering forgiveness to specific areas without your being specific. Often He will call to your mind specific areas or deeds about which your specific confession and repentance is needed. He will respond in His way to your broken and contrite heart. Let Him be sovereign enough to not lead you through the same pattern every time you come to Him. Be assured that He will respond to those who see their spiritual poverty and mourn because of it (Matthew 5:3-4).]

Lord, I know I deserve no forgiveness until I forgive those who wrong me. Give me a tender heart that is quick to forgive, and slow to anger. Let my response to everyone with whom I find even the slightest occasion for blame or accusation be forgiveness rather than being judgmental.

Help me respond immediately to the initial promptings of Your Spirit. Give me grace to be humble, and draw near to You as You have invited me to. You have provided the means for me to live daily in YOur presence throug Your Son. Do not let me neglect so great a salvation. Be the Lord my Shepherd, and guide me around the nettles, the cliffs, and the wolves and lions that seek to devour me. Protect me from the evil one. Thank You that You are faithful and will not allow me to be tempted without providing a way of escape. Enclothe me in Your armor so that I will not fall prey to the wiles of the enemy.

Praise You, Lord, that the kingdom is Yours. That, in itself, is assurance that You will establish it. Thank You that the power is Yours. Power [New Testament Greek word is "dunamis"] is ability. Indeed, You are able to see to Your will and perform it in Your strength. I am weak, but You are strong. You are God. I'm not. Glory be to Your holy name forever. I praise You, Lord, for Your grace. I give glory to You and honor. Majesty is Yours; dominion is Yours. You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is by Your doing that I am in Christ Jesus, and I praise You for it.

Peace with all men

Pt. 8 on the Power of Thanksgiving

Guess it's time to get back to and finish up the topic of giving thanks always for all things. It's my favorite topic, and I'm not sure I want to move on. I'm still growing in it, my experience of it is not complete. I know it's an important lesson for all believers to learn.


In 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Paul presents some thoughts on intercession: "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Three different words for prayer, plus thanksgivings. Why thanksgivings? We've already seen the relationship between thanksgiving and peace. Interceding for, praying for, and giving thanks to God for all men, particularly kings and all who are in authority, results in leading a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. That's how the early Christians changed the world. No military crusades. No evangelistic crusades. No mega-churches. They weren't afraid to share their faith. They were willing to die for their faith. But they led tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity, and the world took notice that they were different. Their lives were relational-gathering often to learn from one another, to encourage and build up one another, to minister to (serve) one another in love, and to pray.

The Roman emperors often sought to eradicate them. The people around them did not understand their beliefs and often distorted them - for example, accusing them of cannibalism because they spoke of eating the body of Christ. They, on the other hand, prayed and gave thanks and lived tranquil and quiet lives in godliness and dignity. In spite of persecution, where men are faithful to God, they can give thanks and lead a tranquil life, serving God. It does not matter what men say or do, or even what governments do. It does not matter if they are corrupt, or even if they direct their evil toward us. Even when we suffer for their faith, we can still know God's peace. Evil can't change that. Ultimately, evil will fail - not just in eternity, but here in space & time history as well. As Pharaoh hardened his heart, and his heart was further hardened by God, God's people suffered - for a season. Under the Roman Empire, some emperors persecuted Christians, some left them alone. Ultimately, the empire fell. Hitler fell. Stalin fell. The Soviet Union fell. The important thing is that in all things we trust God absolutely. Trusting Him, we can give thanks - the ultimate expression of total faith in God.

Sabbath Day, Lord's Day, or Sabbath Rest

In my earlier posts on the Sabbath, I emphasized that for Christians, the Sabbath is a Rest that we are to endeavor to attain 24/7/365. It isn't a day of the week. It isn't a once a week rest. It's a way of life. That's the short version, view the earlier blogs if you want to understand it better.

I recently viewed a video that argued that the Old Covenant Law regarding the Sabbath wasn't done away with by the New Covenant. Most Christians wouldn't argue with that per se, but most consider the Sabbath to be Sunday. That's what the video was refuting. One of the key points it stressed was that the early Christians still gathered on the Sabbath and that they did so until the time of the Catholic Church. It said that Constantine (apparently equating Constantine's making Christianity the state religion with Catholicism) made a law establishing Sunday as the day for the church to meet. From this, the maker of the video inferred that Christians must have still been meeting on the Sabbath or Constantine would not have had to make a law to change it. In logic, this is called an argument from silence - using what's not said to prove what therefore must be true.

I have a book called A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs (ed. David Bercot). It takes various topics addressed in the writings of the earliest Christian documents after the New Testament, and quotes the early Christians themselves. I've been amazed at how much stuff the Catholic Church and/or Constantine get blamed for that actually began somewhat earlier than either existed. Here's some of what the early Christians had to say about the Sabbath.

Didache (writing between AD 80 & 140) - "But every Lord's Day, gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgivings after having confessed your transgressions, so that you sacrifice may be pure."

Ignatius (AD 105 - 200+ years before Constantine) - "no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day."

Aristides (AD 125) (speaking of the Jews) - "However, they, too, have erred from true knowledge. In their imagination, they think that it is God whom they serve. Actually, by their type of worship, they render their service to the angels and not to God. For example, they do this when they celebrate Sabbaths."

Justin Martyr, known as one of the first Christian apologists (AD 160, also writing to Jews) -  "And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read.... But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God... made the world. And Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead on that same day."   "Is there any other matter, my friends, in which we Christians are blamed, than this: that we do not live after the Law . . . and do not observe Sabbaths, as you do?"   "You now have need of a second circumcision, although you glory greatly in the flesh. The new law requires you to keep a perpetual Sabbath. However, you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are godly.... There was no need of circumcision before Abraham. Nor was there need of the observance of Sabbaths, or of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses. Accordingly, there is no more need of them now."

The video quoted from the Old Testament that the Sabbath was a sign, saying that meant it was a sign that we are set apart from the world's way of doing things. Irenaeus (AD 180) had this take on it: "'You will observe My Sabbaths; for it will be a sign between Me and you for your generations.' These things, then were given for a sign.... The Sabbaths taught that we should continue day by day in God's service,. . . abstaining from all avarice and not acquiring or possessing treasures upon earth.... However, man was not justified by these things. Rather, they were given as a sign to the people. This fact is evident, for Abraham himself-without circumcision and without observance of Sabbaths-'believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness.'"

There are numerous other references especially as you get into the late 100's and throughout the 200's. I found it interesting that Origen (c.248), said, "To the perfect Christian, who is ever serving his natural Lord-God the Word-in his thoughts, words, and deeds, all his days are the Lord's. So he is always keeping the Lord's Day." (i.e., even the "Lord's Day" should be 24/7/365.) Victorinus (c.280) said they fasted on Saturday so that "on the Lord's Day we may go forth to our bread with thanksgiving." He added, "and let this become a rigorous fast, lest we should appear to observe any Sabbath with the Jews. For concerning [their Sabbath], Christ himself, the Lord of the Sabbath, says by His prophets that 'His soul hates [Isaiah 1:13,14].' In His body He abolished the Sabbath [Eph.2:15, Col.2:14]."

Ironically, it was the Catholic church in it's early stages, documented in the "Apostolic Constitutions" that established the observance of both the Sabbath "on account of Him who ceased from His work of creation" and the Lord's day "on account of the resurrection." They even said, "Let the slaves work five days" so they could have off for both the Sabbath and the Lord's Day.

Now, let me make it clear, I'm not arguing for Sunday (Lord's Day) vs. Saturday (Sabbath). If you read my earlier blogs, you know that my point is we need to quit worrying about a day of the week - period. The Sabbath for the Christian is a ceasing from your own works, as God did from His, and resting in Him for both your salvation and your sanctification - for your getting into the kingdom and your going on as a follower of Christ Jesus. The Christian life is not about Law or works or days or festivals or events or programs or meetings or seminars or any other man-made contrivance to produce holiness or a Christian lifestyle. It is purely and simply about faith in God. That faith will affect how we live. It will result in action or "works" - not for the sake of working, just simply as a result of faithing. It will be an entering into the good works which God prepared before hand so that we should walk in them. It's not about having a list of good works that we should do, but about pressing into God Himself and having His enabling power/ability to walk in a manner worthy of Him.

Highs and Lows

Trish & I were running an errand this afternoon and drove past a church. The sign indicated it was "New Heights Baptist." There's a New Heights Church of Christ near us, and not too far away an Eagle Heights Church. Believe me, I understand the concept, and am not knocking any of them for their choice of names. Nonetheless, the thought crossed my mind, why not a "Same Old Lows" Church, or "Yet Another Valley." Obviously, the heights are where we all want to live. We want our Christian experience to be a positive one, characterized by growth, mountain top experiences (like the transfiguration of Christ), overwhelming victory. That's as it should be.

At the same time, the reality is, we have life to deal with, and it's not always a bed of roses. Later this evening I heard Chris Tomlin talking on the radio about a new song that dealt with lifting our hands to the Lord. Instead of emphasizing lifting our hands in praise, this song emphasized lifting our hands when facing trouble. The next song played was Amy Grant singing,
"We pour out our miseries,
God just hears a melody,
Beautiful, the mess we are,
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah."

That's where we live sometimes. There are lows, valleys, ruts, even pits. Sometimes the day to day, mundane stuff is really hard. Sometimes the hard stuff goes on for days, months, even years. How do we deal with it? How do we help others deal with it? What do you tell a new believer who hits a crisis, or hasn't fully escaped the crises with which he/she was dealing when he came to Christ? Do we just name our churches "New Heights" and hold out the promise of soaring with wings like eagles?

I felt a little guilty, I guess, for suggesting that we should start a church called "Same Old Lows." I was being facetious. As I thought it through I decided a better name might be "Giving Thanks Church." I truly am convinced that learning to give thanks, joyously, from a heart of faith to a faithful God, for all things, is the way to victorious living. All things: a loving wife, or a cheating spouse; a loving father, or an abusive one; good health, or cancer; an obedient child, or a rebellious one; a new car or a wrecked one; a nice house, a tornado damaged house, or a homeless shelter; making the right choice, or reaping the "rewards" of a mistake.

High or low. Mountain top or valley. Good or bad. "All things" includes all things. If we are to give thanks always for all things, it must include all things. This can only be if we come to a place of totally trusting God - knowing that He is, that He is powerful, and wise. He is God. He deserves honor. He will use all things to bring honor, and glory and praise to Himself. He is also loving, and has our best interest at heart. He will use all things in our lives to grow us, to mold us into His own image.

We have two horses we are training - more accurately, learning to train. One of the things I've learned is that I must gain their trust. They have to learn that I'm not a predator. I'm not out to harm them. I found myself telling one of them this morning, "I will not hurt you. I will always look out for you and seek your benefit." The words of Jeremiah came to mind: "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." I need my horse to trust me that way. Even moreso, I need to trust God that way. I may let my horse down at some point. God will never let me down. Do I truly believe His plans for me are for my good, for my well-being, to give me a future and a hope? Then how could I not relax, let go of my cares and anxieties, and thank Him for all the things He's using to bring about that good - which, by the way, is all things.

At the Core of Christian Living

Pt.7 of the Power (Benefits) of Giving Thanks for All Things

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." What is? I mean, what does this refer to? Giving thanks? Or to whatever part of "everything" you happen to be facing, and in which you're looking for something for which to give thanks? In other words, is God's will for you to give thanks? or is God's will whatever is happening, and therefore you can give thanks in that situation? Or is it referring to the whole triad of verses 16-18. They all are one sentence, divided up by semi-colons.

1 Thess. 5:12-22 contains a series of phrases that sound almost like a list of Christian commandments. It's actually several groups of phrases, or compound sentences. The core theme seems to be in verse 13: "Live in peace with one another." Before that we are encouraged to love those who labor diligently among us. Afterwards we're encouraged to help those who are struggling and seek what is good for others. Next we're told to rejoice, pray and give thanks (vv.16-19). Then we're given counsel on how not to quench the Spirit.

At the heart of it is: "Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I don't believe they should be separated, and I do believe "this" refers to the whole sequence. Continual rejoicing, continual prayer, and giving thanks in all situations are the will of God for us. They are also at the core of the victorious Christian life - a life of peace - here characterized by honoring those who labor for the Lord, living in peace with one another, helping the weak, seeking after good for others, not quenching the spirit or despising prophetic words, and discerning and choosing good over evil.

Verse 23 picks up with "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."

Faithful. God is faithful. He will bring it to pass. What? Your sanctification, to the point of your being blameless, complete, mature at the coming of Christ. This is the Christian life simplified. Live in peace with others-honoring those who labor for the Lord, helping the weak; rejoicing, praying, giving thanks (all of which involve faith in God); and allowing His Spirit to work by not despising prophetic words, but listening with discernment to examine what you hear and hold on to what's good.  And all of this is realizing the God of peace Himself is the one who makes it all happen as He sanctifies you (makes you holy).

Holiness isn't about the things you do. It's about Him who is holy making you holy. The way you get in is the way you go on. He saved you, He sanctifies you. You get in by grace through faith, you go on by grace through faith. And faith both frees you to rejoice and be thankful, and is ultimately and most fully expressed by being thankful. You want peace with men and holiness before God? Be thankful.

Give Thanks and Control Your Tongue

Part 6 of the Power of Giving Thanks

Here's an interesting scripture to consider - "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Let that sink in. "For this you know...." "For" meaning because - for this reason. It links what follows with what preceded it. "Immoral, impure or covetous man, who is an idolater" is equated with immorality, impurity, greed, and is characterized by filthiness, silly talk, or coarse jesting. And, the alternative to those characteristics is giving thanks. Just as in Romans 1, giving thanks keeps us from sin, and the lack of it opens the door to immorality and idolatry.

In what follows, the point is not to create rules or New Testament "thou shalt nots" for right or wrong language. Rather, by understanding what is unacceptable and characteristic of an evil heart, we have a basis for examining our own hearts. If these things are common parts of our vocabulary, replacing them with an attitude of giving thanks to God will change us from within, making God our focus and bringing honor to Him.

So, watch your language. No, I mean watch your language; listen to what comes out of your mouth. Is it filthy? (The Greek word here means deformity or ugliness, obscenity. Could "deformed" words be literal? Would that include cleaning up our swearing by substituting gosh, golly, and gee for God and Jesus? Maybe. Certainly it means offensive, ugly, unacceptable speech. In other words there is a standard. Whose standard? Who's to say what is right or wrong or offensive or unacceptable? You know. No one has to say what the standard is. It used to be much more obvious. Words that even coarse men used when alone or in each other's company, they would avoid (or apologize for) when in the company of women, or Christians whom they respected. Now, even women and children let fly with such language, and woe to you if you're offended. But they still know it's offensive.

The next phrase, silly talk, is foolish talk, moronic words (from the Greek, morologia - moros meaning "dull, not acute," and logos meaning "word"). Is this immature talk? Is it telling jokes? Is it just foolish speculation about things? I honestly am not sure what ground this might cover. Maybe it's just ridiculous things like being discouraged and down on yourself when in reality, you're a child of the King, joint heir with Christ, and an overwhelming conqueror because of His overwhelming love for you.

The word for jesting actually has a positive sense in which it refers to wittiness. The root word carries the idea of turning or changing. It's the "turn of phrase" that can bring a chuckle or get a point across. Paul used it when standing in chains before King Agrippa: "I wish to God... not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains." However, it is also the insult that is clothed in politeness. It's the lewd comment or rudeness phrased in such a way as to seem innocent. (A lot of our modern comedy falls into this category). You may not come right out and say something crude, but yo say what you want in a way that suggests something crude or vulgar. The resulting mental image in the listener's mind is the same. Is it any less wrong to actually say the words than to suggest them in such a way as to generate the same image?

Having standards for behavior, or rules or laws or commandments, won't keep us from sinning. The standard is there to let us know what is right and wrong. Giving thanks to God, and continuing to do so until it becomes an attitude of our heart will also make it a normal part of our speech. It will override the attitudes of anger and immorality that are often evidenced in our language. This really is a heart issue, not a mouth issue; but what comes out of our mouth is evidence of what's in our hearts. And, as lesser drugs can lead to harder drugs, stepping off into the sinful pleasure of a little coarse language opens the door to "immorality, impurity and covetousness."

The Power of Giving Thanks for All Things, pt.5

"As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude" (Colossians 2:6-7). The way you get in is the way you go on. You have been firmly rooted (God's doing) and are now being built up and established (also God's doing). And, just as you were thankful and rejoicing and overflowing when you "got in," so should you be as you "go on." The God who saved you sanctifies you. He laid the foundation, and He's building on it. The building up and maturing process should bring you just as much joy and thankfulness as the getting saved part did. In a couple of earlier blogs I dealt with what it means to go on the way you get in and how it leads to true Sabbath rest. Overflowing with gratitude is again how we express faith in God's process of salvation and growth - by His doing, not by our works.

2 Corinthians 4:6-18 reveals a couple of more benefits of giving thanks. "For all things are for your sakes so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart...." The God who said, "Let there be light," is the God who qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Col.1:12). Or, as Paul put it, "The God who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." He goes on to talk about the suffering and affliction we experience as frail humans, made of clay, and about the meaning of the cross for our experiencing the crucified life and living in the power of Christ's indwelling. He echoes Hebrew 12, that the suffering in the temporal is to point us to the eternal, so that all things result in our increased faith, and in our sharing the good news. That results in more people coming to know the grace of God.

Even the decay, as he called it, of our physical body should only remind us to let go of the temporal and embrace the eternal. So, it's okay that our bodies wear out as we get older. It's okay that we get bifocals, our hair grays and thins, our joints ache. Thank God that our inner man is being renewed daily.

What's important is that our lives and our speech proclaim the grace of God - sufficient for all our needs, and the needs of a lost and dying world. That will be accomplished by, and result in, abundant, abounding thanksgiving to the glory of God. All things are "for your sakes." So we can thank Him for all things and through doing so, help spread His grace. The more people who experience His grace, the more people will give thanks, and the more God will be glorified. So, we don't "lose heart." We are not discouraged by "all things" (good or bad). We know that He will use this to bring glory to Himself, and to grow us and mature us.

Thanksgiving for all things brings us rest as we express faith in the process of God to save us and grow us spiritually. Thanksgiving brings glory to God. God uses all things to accomplish His purpose of spreading grace in the world, and shining forth His light through the darkness that we may know Him. Thanksgiving for all things keeps us from losing heart by reminding us that all things are for our benefit when entrusted to His wise and loving hand.

Another Look at Thanksgiving Brings Peace

This is part 4 of the Power (or Benefits) of Giving Thanks


Colossians 3:15 is one of my favorite verses. Where I first found it meaningful was in seeking God's will and direction in life. The peace of God is a valuable guide. This verse says, "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...." The word "rule" here is like an umpire in athletic games. It isn't rule as king. Rather, it is the one who lets you know if you're in bounds or out, following the rules, making the right kinds of plays, etc. As an umpire, the peace of Christ is a valuable resource for staying on the right track. No peace? Probably not the right choice.

This was one of those verses I mentioned where the idea of giving thanks seemed to be almost randomly thrown in. But it was also one of the first that made me realize that was not the case. Thanksgiving was the thread that tied all the lessons I was learning as a Christian into a unified whole, and not a unrelated pile of random spiritual truths. There was more to the idea of giving thanks than I realized. The verse goes on:  "...to which you were called in one body, and be thankful." The "be thankful" part wasn't too hard to see. It's easy to be thankful when you have His peace. It's easy to be thankful when His peace is assuring you that you're making the right choice. It was the middle part of the verse that threw me.


As a body, we as Christians, the Church, are called to the peace of Christ. That seems easy enough, but I always felt like there was more to it. The next two verses, 16 and 17, also mention being thankful, but I saw them, and heard them taught by others as well, as three distinct items on a list. Verse 16 talks about teaching and admonishing one another. One another, our fellow believers, the Church, is taught and reminded of the Lord by our singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in our hearts. That, in effect, is what started me on this journey to understanding thanksgiving, though I didn't realize it at the time. I was in church one Sunday soon after graduating high school, planning to go to college and prepare to be a missionary. I looked around as we were singing hymns, and saw faces that looked blanked and bored, routinely mouthing the old familiar words without thought to their meaning, and no expression of joy or thankfulness at all. At that moment, I felt God speak to my heart that He didn't want me in foreign missions, "I have plenty for you to do in this country." At least part of that is reminding the Church that whatever you do, in word or deed, do it giving thanks through Christ to God the Father. When you sing, sing with thanksgiving. When you do, it will admonish (put in mind) and teach one another of the truth that God is real. He exists. He is worthy of praise. He is worthy of our faith. He rewards those who seek Him. We truly have reason, as a body of believers, to rejoice and give thanks.


Thanksgiving brings peace. It protects us from sin. It's how we teach and admonish one another as the body of Christ. It makes our service acceptable.

Thanksgiving Brings Peace

This is The Power of Giving Thanks for All Things, pt.3

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:4-7) Here is another passage that is often preached. The part we most remember, if not that which is most emphasized when the passage is taught, is generally the last half: "the peace of God...will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Be at peace, and that peace will guard your heart.... It becomes almost a command to know His peace, rest in Him, and everything will be okay. Don't be anxious or troubled; be at peace. But how?

By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. When you do, His peace will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If you believe He is God, you will believe that He is capable of meeting your needs. If you believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, you will believe that He is willing to meet your needs and there is no need for anxiety. Thanksgiving is the expression of faith that He is & He is a rewarder. Thanksgiving says, "God, I have this need. I thank You for it because You will bring glory to Yourself through it, and You will use it to make me more like Christ. I voice my need to You, and ask that You resolve it; meet my need by Your awesome power and grace. I faith that You will do so, and so I thank You for that, too. I don't see the answer yet, but I thank You anyway, because I know that You are faithful, and You will take care of me."  Thanksgiving replace anxiety with an expression of faith that He is, that He is a rewarder, and that He will hear your prayers and supplications and supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil.4:19).

So, thanksgiving brings peace, freedom from anxiety, and rest. Thanksgiving is an expression of our faith in a God who is real, and who really loves us.

What does it mean that His peace guards your heart? I think it's two-fold. I think it guards in the sense that You know He is watching over you, that you are protected, and that brings you peace, so you are guarded from anxiety. More than that, it guards from sin (from the perspective of Romans 1). When you have His peace, you don't need anything else. You know that He is sufficient. You don't need anything the world offers to meet your need in that area of your life. So, temptation is defeated. There is no need to embrace or do anything sinful. If man would learn this lesson, to give faith God, and give thanks, we would not find ourselves embracing foolish speculations, having our hearts darkened, and falling into sin.

Giving Thanks - the Key to "Acceptable Service"

Do you want your service to God & His kingdom to be acceptable? It isn't by working harder and harder in your own strength to do whatever you think is His will. Heb.12:28-29: "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire."

How often have you heard sermons warning that our God is a consuming fire? "Offer an acceptable service because our God is a consuming fire." Or, "Be reverent and in awe of God because He is a consuming fire." Or even a "turn or burn" salvation message warning that our God is a consuming fire. How often have you heard a sermon on this passage that focused on gratitude? As I shared in the blog on Hebrews 12,this chapter demonstrates how the problems, struggles & persecutions of life serve to remind us that we need to depend on God and trust Him totally in all things, and let go of the temporal in order to know and embrace the eternal. We should do so, knowing that we receive an eternal, unshakeable kingdom, showing gratitude (because He has qualified us to inherit this kingdom). The result is that we will be able to offer to God an acceptable service. Is reverence and awe a matter of sitting quietly in church, straight-faced and dour? Here it appears to be a matter of showing gratitude-glorifying Him as God and being thankful. Sometimes that will be joyful and exuberant, and sometimes so amazed and in awe of God and what He's done that we stand, sit, or lie down before Him in quiet reverence.

An "acceptable service" is accomplished when offered out of a heart that trusts God through all things, and expresses that faith by showing gratitude. He is a consuming fire. He is working in our lives to burn every cord that binds us to what is temporal, and to free us to passionately, joyfully, and by faith embrace the eternal-to live a kingdom life, now and for eternity.

The Power of Giving Thanks for All Things, pt.1

This could also be called the "benefits" of giving thanks. As I looked at the verses on giving thanks, and considered what I'd written, it occurred to me, if you want people to accept something or understand the importance of it, you have to explain the benefits. I touched on this in an earlier blog, looking at Romans 1. If not giving thanks opens the door to sin as Paul indicated in Romans 1, then giving thanks opens the door to overwhelming victory, life, holiness and light.

Paul's prayer in Colossians 1:9-12 reveals another benefit of giving thanks. "Strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light" (vv.11-12). Paul's prayer for the Colossians is one we can pray for ourselves and for others. It is a prayer that they would be filled with a knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. The results of this filling, of knowing His will in this context, are that we may walk in a manner worthy of Him, please Him in all respects, bear fruit in every good work, increase in the knowledge of Him. God's part in this is strengthening us with His power for the attaining of steadfastness and patience. Our part, realizing that He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light, is to joyously give thanks. When you realize that attaining steadfastness and patience is not your job, it's being accomplished in you by His strengthening with His power, and that you don't have to qualify, but He has qualified you to share in this inheritance in Light - Hallelujah! - how can you not joyously give thanks? When you do, it is an expression of faith in His working on your behalf. It not only indicates your receptivity to His work, but provides further context for being filled with a knowledge of His will. Do you want to walk worthy of Him, please Him, bear fruit, increase in the knowledge of Him? The starting place for all these things is a knowledge of His will in spiritual wisdom and understanding. And the starting place for this is His strengthening you for the attaining of steadfastness and patience, and your joyously giving thanks for what He has done to qualify you to receive your inheritance.

Hebrews 12

We must lay aside like old clothes the things that entangle us & keep us from running the race that is before us. When it gets tough, and the temptations are fierce, and the pain is deep and burning, consider (that means think about) Jesus. He endured the cross. He hung on two pieces of wood, probably getting splinters in His already raw, scourged, torn & bleeding back, with nails through His arms & feet, with long sharp thorns digging into His scalp for about six hours. He had nothing to eat since the day before, and nothing to drink. He was stripped and hung up to die a humiliating death before a crowd of people. To be executed this way indicated He had committed a serious crime. But He was sinless. He endured the humiliation and death you & I deserved, and died for our sins. He endured the cross. In your striving against sin in your life, have you resisted to the point of shedding blood? Or are you bucking against the discipline of the Lord, which for a season is quite unpleasant, but will produce in you the very righteousness, peace, strength, and sanctification (holiness) you desire?

Some of the "what abouts" mentioned in the blog a day or 2 ago were very painful things. (When you say "give thanks for all things" people immediately say, "All things? What about...?") Most of us have experienced those kinds of pains, trials and wounds. In what I have said, and in what I'm about to say, please hear this: When wounds are deep, you are going to feel hurt, physically &/or emotionally, and probably anger, and maybe an array of other feelings. This is normal. This is okay. (Look at Job, and Jeremiah). What isn't "normal" for the Christian (it may be common, but it isn't normal) is to stay there. "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau who sold his own birthright for a meal." You see, God has grace for every situation. He has dying grace for a dying day. He has cancer grace (and radiation and chemo grace). He has my baby is crying & I don't know why grace. He has rape grace. He has incest grace. He has abuse grace. He has I failed miserably grace. He has jobless grace, homeless grace, tornado grace....  Do not fall short of that grace. It is your way out. To refuse the grace is to refuse to embrace Him. To refuse His grace is to hold on to the hurt, and that results in bitterness, and more pain, and more defilement. To refuse His grace will result in looking for other ways to ease the pain. Like Esau, you will grasp something the world offers. Since the world will someday end, that's essentially giving up the eternal for the temporary. It's giving up your birthright for a meal. It is not faith. It is the doorway to sin. See Tuesday's blog for more on that. The way to grasp the grace is gratitude.

You see, you have not come to Mt Sinai, where Moses went up to get the law, and the voice of God speaking to Moses was so awesome that the people requested God stop speaking out loud. No, instead of the mountain of the law, you have come to Mt. Zion. The city there is the one Jeremiah spoke of when he foretold the coming of the righteous Branch of David saying: "Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she shall be called, 'the Lord is our righteousness'." (Jer.33:16) The righteousness of God Himself is the city He has given us to dwell in. He has brought us to Himself, to dwell in His presence with Jesus Christ as mediator of a new covenant based on our being sprinkled clean by the blood of the lamb to enter into His presence and abide there forever.

Even so, there is a warning. Just as the earth shook when God spoke, giving the law at Sinai, He will shake the earth again, and only those things that are eternal will remain. What are you holding onto? When the shaking comes in your life, if you are not holding onto Him, you will be left holding onto nothing, because "created things" will be removed.

Now, I'm not suggesting that child abuse, bullying, rape, incest, or any of these other hideous sins of men are God's methods of chastising people. Those things are sins of men, birthed out of evil, lustful hearts of men who neither glorify God as God or give thanks. What I am saying is that if you have experienced any of these things, they are part of the "all things" of your life. And, God can use them to help you let go of things that will not last anyway, and learn to embrace Him. There is nothing else to hole onto that is dependable. There is nothing else that will bring you healing, comfort, rest, peace or restoration. There is no one else as trustworthy, who will never let you down or forsake you. Only the eternal will remain stable through shaking as severe as what you have experienced.

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire" (Heb.12:28-29). Whether it is a gentle, or even a firm, chastisement from the hand of a loving heavenly Father, or cruel defilement from the heart of sinful man (even an earthly father), when entrusted to the God who is faithful, the results are the same - a kingdom which cannot be shaken. Therefore, the response should ultimately be the same: "always giving thanks for all things."

The Most Important Thing to Do Today

If you've read my last few posts, you know what the most important thing to do today is. If not, you might want to, just to make sure you really understand why the most important thing you can do today is: be thankful.

Why be thankful?

I remember years ago, I think I was still in college. A long time ago.... I read a book called "Praise the Lord, Anyway." (PTLA was the predecessor to WWJD for those that remember that fad.) It was a good book about praising the Lord no matter what happened. It really was a good book, and helped me a lot. Where it fell short, I think, in retrospect, #1, was that it emphasized "anyway." Kind of like "in everything give thanks but not for everything." And, #2, as important, valuable and helpful as praise is - for one thing, it is in effect recognizing that God is, and probably even that He is a rewarder - it's still one step short of gratitude - actually thanking God for the situation.

To thank God for whatever you are facing, good or bad, is to lay open your heart and say, "I fully trust You." No matter what, you know that God cares for you. He has your best interest at heart. He will not allow you to suffer beyond what you are able and He will make a way of escape. He will bring glory to Himself and show forth His grace through this situation. He will use this situation to mold you into the image of Christ, to help you become more like Him, holy, full of faith, joyful, to lead you into a life abiding in His presence, resting in His power, His love, His grace, His arms. He will use this situation to bring you into the most wonderful, intimate relationship with Himself. And if you really believe that God is, and you have any concept at all how magnificent, powerful, & awesome He is simply because He is God, then you have to admit, that kind of fellowship with God is really a pretty fair outcome for whatever it is life is throwing your way.

To thank God for whatever you are facing often involves dying to self. It's hard to let go of our comfort zone and our idea of what life should be like and what "good" is. For example, cancer is not good. Being healthy and having energy and clarity of thought to do your work, make a good living for your family; being able to spend time with your family, quality time doing fun things together - these are good things. Cancer interferes with all that. But through having & being treated for cancer I learned nuances and depths to the lessons God had been teaching me I would not have learned otherwise. I moved into a deeper level of faith in God. I was challenged to apply the lessons I'd learned about the importance of knowing Him, about going on the way I got in, about Sabbath rest, about giving thanks for all things. And all of that is good. My choice would have been to feel strong and healthy and spend that summer working beside my wife doing yard work, and with my daughter doing portrait sessions, and to be working hard building my business, and generally living a "normal" life. It was frustrating. I could either get angry, or I could trust God for the grace to deal with the frustrations and thank Him for the whole experience and the truth that He was using it for His glory and my growth.

To not give thanks is to not faith that He is God - at least not in the area of your life for which you are refusing to thank Him. It's saying, "God, you are not powerful enough or loving enough to use this in my life. This is nothing more than a bad situation without any value, reason or purpose." Giving thanks for all things says: "God, I trust You that You are God, that You are faithful, and that You are using this for the highest purposes possible: 1. for You, to bring praise and glory to You for Your grace; 2. for me, to mold me into the image of Christ.

Faith is one of the key things we express and learn through giving thanks. But "faith" is not just blah spiritual principle. Faith is how we see and know and experience God. It's how we enter into and remain in relationship with Him - that intimate, loving, resting, joyful relationship I was talking about.

Why Is Giving Thanks Important?

Why would I say it's the key to victory? They cynic would say it sounds like a way to overstate the importance of a message to increase the likelihood people will believe it. But consider Romans 1:18-32. This is a classic passage for teaching about the wrath of God and the sins that men fall into. It's also one of those passages that mentions giving thanks, in which giving thanks is usually glossed over and ignored. If you're like me, you've probably heard sermons on most of the passages I listed that talk about giving thanks. I can't recall a single time I heard one in which giving thanks was emphasized or even really dealt with beyond just a brief reference. It's as though we think: "That doesn't really fit here, but since it's mentioned, I'll mention it too, but I don't want to distract from the real message of the text." I submit that in many of these passages, it is a significant part of the real message!

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.... For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." The implication seems to be that if men looked at the beauty of the world around them, all its intricacies, all its detail, and recognized it as evidence of the creator God, and worshiped Him as God, they would be saved. Instead, even though they could have, no man apparently has. Instead, they began to speculate about what all this meant, where it all came from. They professed themselves to be wise, and became fools with darkened hearts. They went on to trade the glory of God for darkness, and instead of worshiping eternal God, they worshiped temporal man, animals, and other parts of creation--none of which will last, and none of which can save. But look at the verse that describes this transition: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks" (vs 21 emphasis mine). From there they proceeded into speculation and darkness, hardness of heart, worship of creation, and all the sins that follow through the end of the chapter. Not being thankful is where they lost it.

Not giving thanks is the turning point! Why? Because giving thanks is the ultimate expression of our faith! Think about it.

If God really is, what does that mean? What is He? What is He capable of? What has He done? What has He promised? According to scripture, He is love. He is all powerful. He is righteous and holy, but not unapproachable. He seeks relationship with man - fellowship, joyful relationship, not cruel domination and subservience. He adopts us as sons and daughters and makes us joint heirs with His only begotten Son! He provides us His righteousness and holiness not on the basis of our works but on the basis of His love and the work of His Son on our behalf. He doesn't force us to live in a way that qualifies us for this inheritance, but He qualifies us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (not darkness). He works to build in us godly character. Our maturity is His job not ours. He is totally on our side! Look at creation! Look at the beauty with which He's surrounded us! Why? Because He loves us. Consider the marriage relationship. Why does it give so much pleasure? He could have made us like the trees. Men could blow pollen out of the tops of their heads and women could have pollen receptors in theirs - it could be totally random and impersonal and we still could effectively procreate. He made us so that the experience would be very personal and intimate and pleasureful. He didn't have to. He wants good things for us! It's just that there isn't any "gooder" thing than Him! Don't you see, Christianity isn't about rules and laws to limit us and squash us and hold us down. It's about embracing a relationship with a living, loving eternal God and not settling for anything less! Wow! Thank You, God!            ..... and that's where it starts.

If God truly is God, He can be trusted. If He can be trusted, we can and should thank Him for all that He does and all that He allows. If we really believe in Him, we will want a relationship with Him. He wants one with us! Wow. That makes it easier. How hard is it to be friends with someone who doesn't give a rip about you? God loves you! He wants a relationship with you! Thank you, Lord.

And, the way you get in is the way you go on!  He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it! This same God, who put everything in place from the foundation of the world to bring about your relationship with Him through Christ Jesus is doing everything to maintain that relationship and keep you holy and righteous and growing and learning and maturing. The new (as in never existed before) man that you became at salvation is being renewed (renovated, as in existed, but not to its full potential) according to the image of the One who create him (Col.3:10) from the moment you were saved throughout your life. God not only is, but He is a rewarder of those who seek Him! Wow! Thank you, God!

Giving thanks is the natural, spontaneous response to believing the incredible truth about God.
Giving thanks expresses your faith (believing) in these truths and in Him.
If you believe (faith) - If you "faith" that He is using everything (all things) in your life to bring honor to Him and to mold you into the image of Christ, that is the beginning of faithing that He is trustworthy, faithful, truly caring - a rewarder. If you know that He is using this (whatever your "this" is) to accomplish His will in your life, you can trust Him and even thank Him for it. To say thank you when I was diagnosed with cancer was the best way I could think of to say: "God, I really trust you in this situation. I don't know the outcome of it in terms of my life and health, but I know you will use it to make me more like Christ. And you will use it in the lives of my family and friends who are affected by my having cancer to do the same in their lives. I can't think of anything I want more. So I trust you, and I thank you." Did I feel that way every day throughout my cancer treatment? No. Radiation & chemo can be kind of rough on you. Did I say that every day? Can't say for sure that I did, probably not. But overall, I knew it to be true, and I held on to that truth, and it saw me through. Have I said it everyday since as we've dealt with the impact of having cancer on our finances and on my business? No. Frankly, it's been even harder to maintain that attitude dealing with those situations than it was dealing with the cancer itself. But it's still true, and the months of dealing with it have convinced me with even greater passion - God is, and He is a rewarder. God is using this to make me more like Christ. He is using it to take me into a deeper relationship with Him, and to strip away the stuff of earth that I would settle for when I could instead be enjoying Him! Wow! Thank you, God.

Always Giving Thanks For All Things

For all things 
I closed yesterday's blog with some of the "what about this?" examples that we would find it difficult to give thanks for - cancer, abuse, illness, injury, divorce, rape, incest, death of a loved one....  All these things and any others you can come up with are part of "all things" in your life. So they are included in the "all things" for which we should be giving thanks. Let me share why I believe this is true and why I believe it is of vital importance for us as individuals and for the body of Christ, the Church.

Jesus is heir of "all things." You are a joint heir with Him. All things that happen in your life, all the things you do, all the things that are done to you - all things are given to Him, to Christ, to be used to the praise and glory of His grace, and for the purpose of molding you into the image of His Son. There is no thing that is not included in all things.

1 Corinthians 10:13 declares: "No temptation [test or trial] has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it." A key phrase here is "God is faithful." You can trust Him. He knows what you can and cannot bear, and what He can and cannot use in your life to accomplish His purposes. He does not promise we will not face temptation, persecution, testing or trouble. He does promise it will not exceed the limits of what we can bear. And, He does promise a way out. If you think about this verse, you'll begin to see the implications of this.

1. If you are facing, or have faced, a given problem or temptation, it is proof that it is not more than you can bear, even if there are times you feel like it is. To say, "This is more than I can bear," is to call God a liar. It is also to agree with the "father of lies."
2. You can have confidence that the situation or temptation you are facing will never go beyond the limits of your endurance, though it may push you to the very edge.
3. If God could not in any way use a given situation in your life, you will never have to face that situation.
4. The fact that you have experienced what you have (rape, abuse, neglect, whatever), done what you did (drugs, adultery, pornography, foul language, bad temper, whatever), is proof that God can use and is using those very things to mold you into the image of Christ.
5. Not only is there a way out of temptation, but since that word can also be translated "tested" or "tried," however you see your situation, there is a way out. You do not forever have to remain in bondage to the hurts or scars of the past, whether inflicted upon you or self-inflicted.

Giving thanks for some, or any, of these things may seem absolutely contrary to all you have ever been taught, but stay with me on this. This is the hope of healing and liberty for which you've been longing. I firmly and passionately believe that this is the key to victory in the Christian life - a heart of thanksgiving - not just for the good, but also for the bad.
If your brain is just not wrapping around this, that's okay. Feel free to comment, question, argue. You might look back at some of my earlier blog posts, as they were foundational to this. You might particularly look at the April 26 blog about Job. And follow the posts for the next few days as they will further develop and clarify what I'm saying.

Give Thanks for What?!?

What we've looked at in the last several entries is leading up to a key lesson that will bring great peace and victory to our lives. It is both the result of growth and learning and maturing, and a doorway into greater understanding.

I think most Christians would agree that two very important things we all desire in our lives is that we could bring praise and glory to God, and that we could could become more Christ-like. All that I've written so far leads to this point. Especially in the last few blog entries, we've looked at the sovereignty of God in the context of the events of our lives (all things - good & bad), and how He uses "all things," how He gives us "all things," both to bring glory and praise to Himself, and to mold us into the image of Christ. So, not only is God trustworthy in all things, He is actually using "all things" to bring about the two things that true believers desire probably more than anything else.

In 2 Corinthians 1:11, Paul gives an additional insight into God's use of all things, including suffering. He points out that through it, God is able to bring honor to himself. He demonstrates that suffering trains us to depend on God, and that as God comforts us in our suffering, we are thereby equipped to comfort others. (So we have glory to God, and growth - into the image of Christ - for us). Then he adds: "And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us - that God blessed us because of their many prayers." The obvious implication is that prayer helps. God blesses as people pray. The part we gloss over is "many people will give thanks." The more people there are praying, the more people there will be expressing thanks when the prayer is answered!!

Giving thanks is probably one of, if not the, most important and powerful things we can do as Christians, and one of, if not the, most neglected things we can do, not only as Christians, but as human beings in general, in relation to God. I'm going to take several blog entries to write about this. Please tell your friends about this and encourage them to read it. If you, or they, have any feed back, please feel free to comment. You can disagree. You can ask questions. You can share testimonies of your own experience with these truths. If a light bulb comes on - and you suddenly realize: "Oh! That's how that works," or "That's why that happened that way" - share that. If it's just too much for you to accept, argue with me.

The pastor at the church I attended as a boy preached one Sunday from 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus." He made it very clear that the passage says "in everything, not for everything." He emphasized this with an illustration: "If you were in a car wreck, you would not thank God for the wreck. You might thank Him that you were not hurt as badly as you might of been, that the wreck was not a bad as it could have been, but you would not thank Him for the wreck itself."

Over the years following this I ran across a lot of Bible verses that talk about giving thanks. Many of them apparently have nothing to do with praise of thanksgiving, yet, suddenly, there it is - smack in the middle of an otherwise perfectly good scripture passage, some totally unrelated admonition to give thanks! The kind of phrase that leaves you wondering what does this have to do with what the passage is about. And so, it is also the phrase that is glossed over and mostly ignored when the passage is taught or preached, or applied to our lives.

The more I encountered these passages, the more I began to realize that all the lessons God had been teaching me through the years about various aspects of the Christian life were actually part of a unified whole. The relationship between them is broad, but this - giving thanks - was the thread that first began pulling them together. That's why this blog, and my book, deal with a variety of topics. They are all related to and foundational to this (and this is foundational to fully understanding and experiencing all the rest)!


I already mentioned by way of introduction, 1 Cor. 1:11. Here are some of the others:

• 2 Cor. 4:10-15 talks about the effect of the cross in the lives of believers in bringing us into the life of Christ. Vs. 15 says, "For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to maore and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God."
• 2 Cor. 9:8-12 is about the collection of money to help believers in Jerusalem. Vs. 12 says, "For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God."
• Ephesians 5:3-4 deals with purity in lifestyle and speech, saying "there mus be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks."
• Philippians 4:6-7: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
• Colossians 1:9-13 is a prayer that you will know the will of God in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Among the results is our being "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might... joyously giving thanks to the Father...."
• Col. 2:6-7: "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted.... and overflowing with gratitude."
• Col. 3:15-17: "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
• 1 Thess. 5:16-18: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks...."
• 1 Tim. 2:1: "First of all, I urge that entreaties and prayers, and petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men."

The clincher for me, though, was Ephesians 5:20. Remember, I had been taught "In everything give thanks, but not for everything." But Eph. 5:20 says: "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."

Already your mind is going.  "All?"  "Giving thanks for all?"  "All?"  And then the flood of "what abouts?".
What about losing my job? the economy? bankruptcy? my rebellious child? my broken arm? my amputated leg? that car wreck? being blamed for something I didn't do? divorce? my spouse's alcohol addiction? adultery? sexual abuse? child abuse? cancer? diabetes? (even harder than our own suffering as parents, someone's probably thinking:) my child's illness - cancer, diabetes....?

I'd like to go on, but this is long enough for 1 day's blog entry. More tomorrow. Again, in the meantime, please feel free to comment, and please share this with others.