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Be Thankful in all Circumstances

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Several years ago, I read a book that really challenged me regarding experiencing joy in life. According to the author, Andy Andrews, a grateful spirit is a powerful deterrent against self-pity, writing, “the seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart.”

Often, we find ourselves complaining about seemingly mundane aspects of life when we should really be grateful. For instance, instead of complaining about a sink piled high with dishes, we should be thankful for the shared meal with dear friends. Likewise, household chores and the physical strain of a hard day’s work should be seen as reasons for gratitude, acknowledging the privilege of having a home and the ability to work.

When we really think about it, we have much to be thankful for.

This past summer we were able to go to South Africa. And once again I was challenged by the children. I have been to some of the poorest places in the world. Despite having nothing, the children in these places radiate unparalleled joy. It is humbling to see the depth of true joy and gratefulness.

In our society today, thanksgiving is treated as an interfaith holiday or perhaps even a faith-optional holiday. But looking back to the pages of History, we know that the original thanksgiving celebration was dedicated to thanking God for his provision and protection.

Thanksgiving is all about God, and recognizing who he is and all the blessings he has freely given us (see James 1:17)

“The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank”.

Dante Rossetti.

Psalm 105 begins with the line, “O Give thanks to the Lord…”

But true gratitude is more than simply thankfulness, it is acknowledging and praising God for His attributes. The Psalmist is not simply thankful for the blessings, he is thankful for the attributes of the Giver Himself. Spending time thanking God should always lead to worship.

Not only does thanksgiving lead to worship, it also leads to making the works of the Lord known as we read in the second parts of verse 1 and 2. If we are thankful to God for what He has done for us, we will be compelled to share the Good news of salvation with those around us. A heart for missions is driven by a heart of gratitude.

Verses 3 and 4 emphasize that thanksgiving will lead to worship and declaring the attributes of God. We as His children can become so wrapped up in what we need from God and we become so focused on the mighty hand of God that we seldom seek the face of God. James 4:3 is a clear reminder that we need to check our motives before coming to God in prayer.

As we seek the face of God, we see his attributes. To be truly thankful, we need to meditate on the nature and character of God.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to remember what the hand of God has provided for us and in so doing we begin to praise him and declare his attributes.

God has made a way through the death and resurrection of Jesus for us to know Him. To have a close relationship with Him. The Psalmist encourages us to seek the Lord.

The Psalm continues in verse 5, with a call to remember the works of God. This is not simply remembering the facts of what happened, but it is a call to meditate on the wonders that God has done. The Psalmist is saying to the people, slow down, stop what you are doing and hit the pause button and dwell on what God has done.

Then in verse 6 the Psalmist reminds the people of their identity, as the chosen people of God. And we are included in this reminder. We as followers of Jesus Christ, sometimes forget who’s we are. We have so much to be thankful for because the creator of the universe calls us his own special possession (see 1 Peter 2:9).  

Everything that we have on this earth, all the many material blessings will one day pass away. Only one blessing from God is infinitely more valuable than any other, the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to suffer and die on the cross, in order that whoever believes in the risen Lord Jesus Christ will have eternal life. That is something we are grateful for today.

But what if you are suffering today? You might be enduring financial, emotional or physical trials.  How do we live with thanksgiving through hardship?

George Matheson was a well-known Scottish preacher in the mid to late 1800’s. He suffered terribly from poor eyesight and eventually total blindness at a young age. He once wrote the following in response to his suffering. “My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn. I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross; teach me the value of my thorn. Show me that I have climbed to thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.”

What thorn do you have in your life today?

To thank God for the thorn takes faith and an eternal perspective. He is making a rainbow out of your tears.

If we as believers are grateful for the suffering Jesus endured on the cross, then we must pray that we would be grateful for the suffering that God allows in our lives, that brings the beauty of the cross to those who watch us endure with thanksgiving.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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Pray for the Persecuted Church

In the book of Acts, we read about the beginning of the church. The Holy Spirit had filled the early church with power and there was favor and great expansion as the church began revolutionizing the first century world.

In Acts 2:47 we read: “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

This past week, I was reading Acts 7, and the account of the sermon that Stephen preached before the Jewish religious leaders leading to his death by stoning. The death of Stephen began a tremendous persecution aimed at  the early church as we read in Acts 8:1, “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

The history of the church since that day shows us that persecution has always been a part of the church. This should not surprise us. In John 15, where Jesus speaks about him being the vine and his followers being the branches, he also says that his followers will experience persecution, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also,” John 15:20.

The Bible teaches us that testifying to the truth of the Gospel will not always be well received and may even result in physical harm, even death. In fact, we should be concerned when we don’t experience persecution of some sort as we live for Jesus as our Lord. And by persecution, I am not talking about being unfriended on social media or some trivial discomfort.

But God has a purpose for allowing this persecution, it always spreads the Gospel. People throughout the ages have always wondered what it is about the message of the Gospel that someone would be willing to give their lives for it? The early church was scattered, and took their message with them, the Gospel spread, and the church expanded rapidly throughout the known world.

Isn’t it interesting that in Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his followers, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And a few chapters later we read the account of the dispersion in Acts 8:1. Could it be that Jesus was prophesying of the coming persecution that would force the church out beyond Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria and ultimately to the ends of the earth. Ultimately persecution is part of God’s plan to see His name glorified throughout the nations of the world.

So, this week, as we pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted, let’s pray for them to remain strong and unwavering in their testimony. As we heard today from Dr Pam Arlund, the word “testimony” is another word for “martyr”.

As we pray for the churches around the world who are experiencing persecution, let us pray for our churches that when the day comes for us to experience persecution, we will remain faithful. Firmly grounded in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Jesus is the Head of the Church

Last week, Debbie and I were blessed to attend a conference called Replenish, hosted by the North American Mission Board. We have attended similar conferences before and have always enjoyed the time of worship, encouragement and refocusing on the call of God on our lives.

However, we noticed that something was different with this conference. And as we processed the sessions of teaching, we realized that none of the speakers were pastors of large churches or had authored best-selling Christian books. In fact, you would probably have never heard of their names. But the content of their talks was life giving and real. Filled with, “in the trenches” stories of real life and ministry in a small to medium church environment. This is something I was longing for in our age of celebrity Christianity.

The Apostle Paul made a similar point to the church in Corinth, when he wrote, “So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, all you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s”, 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.

Apparently at that time in the early church, there was division between groups of people who had been baptized by different church leaders. The church members were prideful in their association with the leader who had baptized them and this was causing painful disunity in the Body of Christ. The root concern is people who follow man rather than following the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. And sadly, this still occurs today, and even on a greater scale than the first century church.

The greatest tragedy in following man is that everyone is a sinner saved by grace and flawed. The more we set our eyes on a fallible leader, the more likely we are to be disappointed by them in the future.

Most of you have heard about the challenges that Forerunner Church and IHOP are facing currently. My goal is not to make any judgment since we don’t know the outcome of the investigation.

In a situation like this, we are often tempted to point fingers and jump to conclusions, maybe even posting our opinions of the church on social media. I would suggest that we refrain from any such activity, as it will produce no life-giving fruit.

In preceding verses of 1 Corinthians 3 we read, “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God,” 1 Corinthians 3:18-19.

I would suggest that the wisdom we need to apply is to grieve with those who grieve, love them and care for them as we are invited to do so. Most of all, we should be praying for the church, praying that the Body of Christ in South Kansas City will become known for proclaiming and demonstrating the hope of the Gospel. And as a church we would always set our eyes on Jesus as we are encouraged to do in Hebrews 12:2.