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."
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Another Look at Thanksgiving Brings Peace
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.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
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.
"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.
Friday, June 24, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
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."
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."
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