The Gift of Being Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5: 12 – 18 (NIV): Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

These are Paul's concluding remarks in this letter so he has a lot to say in a short space. But I want to focus in on the last part of this. He says it is God's will for us to be thankful in all circumstances. This is one of the secrets to being contented as a believer.

It's not easy to be thankful in every situation, but that's what he says God wants us to do. God wants us to remember that he is in control and that he is always up to something good. He is maturing us and making us more and more like Christ. This is often a painful process, but it is a good thing so we can always rejoice.

The idea, then, is to be a thankful person. This is a person who accepts God's will as the very best option. He understands God's power and goodness, even when life doesn't make sense. Thankful people are grateful people. They take time to pause and says 'thanks' for their blessings. They have learned that remembering our blessings is a great way to lift our spirits. They do not go through life taking their blessings for granted.

Thankful people are optimistic people. This doesn't mean they view life unrealistically, but they know that God is the ultimate reality and he is in control. Life is too short to spend even one day as a pessimist.

Thankful people are productive people. They realize their next breath is a gift from God and they want to use their time working for his Kingdom. They want to give back. They realize the prices that have been paid for their lives, freedom, salvation and opportunities, and they want to do their part for others. They want to live in thanks-living.

Are you a thankful person? Are you thankful for ordinary things and even for events that you do not understand? Paul reminds us that it is God's will that we be thankful in all circumstances.

Looking on the Bright Side

Philippians 4:8 (NIV): Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Do you tend to view the world in a positive or negative light? Paul understood that we get into a groove in our way of thinking. We are creatures of habit. Some see the glass half full, others, half empty. Paul was writing to the Christians in Philippi from a prison cell in Rome. He could have lamented how badly he was being treated and how unfair it was that he had been sent to prison for doing nothing more than spreading the Gospel. Instead, he tells the church to be joyful in all things and that he has found the secret to contentment no matter where he is. He tells them there is nothing better than knowing Christ. He tells them not to worry, but to pray about everything and not to forget to be thankful.

Then he writes this remarkable verse. He lists specific things to focus on as we shape our world view. This doesn't mean we look at the world through “rose colored glasses”, meaning we see only good. There is plenty of evil and we must fight against it. But it means we spend our thoughts on good and positive things as much as possible.

If we spend our time watching filthy movies, reading filthy books and magazines, listening to filthy music, or viewing filth on the Internet, we will soon have a filthy mind. If we surround ourselves with people who tell dirty jokes and see the world in an ungodly way, we may soon find ourselves sharing their world view. If we watch television shows that continually put down Christians, that will begin to erode our faith. Frankly, if we spend too much time watching the news we will become depressed.

I'm not suggesting we throw out our televisions and abandon our friends, but I am saying we have to make the effort to fill our minds with things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Look at that list again. Isn't that the world you want to live in? We have to look for it to find it, but it is there if we will try. Fill your mind with goodness. Concentrate on these things. If we do, we will find ourselves more Godly and more full of joy than we ever thought possible.

Pressing On in the Faith

Philippians 3: 7 – 17 (NIV): But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Compared to knowing Christ, Paul says, everything else is garbage. Once we find the love and power and strength and comfort of God, how can anything else compare? Paul was born wealthy. We know that because of his education. But he gave it all up to follow Jesus. He was writing this letter, in fact, from a prison cell where he had been sent for preaching the Gospel.

Far from feeling sorry for himself, though, he is writing about pressing forward in his faith. About becoming more and more like Christ. About his desire to know him more and more. About the joy he experienced because he was found in Christ.

He realized that following the law would never make him righteousness – only faith in Christ can do that. It was Abraham's faith that made him righteous, Paul says in Romans 4. After all, Abraham lived before the law was written.

Paul considered it a privilege to suffer for Christ. He wanted to be like Christ and he knew suffering was part of the deal. That was okay with him because he also knew living forever in heaven was part of the bargain too.

Paul wanted to forget his mistakes from the past and press forward in his faith. Like a runner in a marathon, he knew it was important not to look back, but to strain ahead. He knew a runner must keep his eye on the goal and train hard to reach it. He knew he must keep his mind on the prize. Let us press forward in our faith. Let us forget past mistakes and run the race. God is not through with us yet and his goal for us is to be like Christ now and forever.

Why We Shouldn't Worry

Matthew 6: 25-34 (NIV): Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I once heard a speaker say, “We belong to God and God takes care of his stuff.” That statement has given me much comfort through the years. I belong to God and he takes care of his belongings. Jesus is saying the same basic thing in this passage. He points out that God takes care of the wild birds even though they don't work for it – and he beautifully clothes the flowers even though they do nothing to earn it.

If God takes care of his creation, Jesus says, won't he take care of his own children? Aren't we more precious to him than birds and flowers? Did God send his son to die for anything in creation other than us? So don't worry. Instead depend on God.

This doesn't mean we do not have to work to provide for ourselves. Paul, in fact, says if a man won't work, don't let him eat. What Jesus means is that we should not count on our own resourcefulness to provide for ourselves, but on God's grace. Pagans “run after” material things and food and water; God's children count on him to provide for their needs.

When we count on ourselves, we become full of worry. When we count on God, the worry subsides. When we worry, we tell God we do not trust him, but that we think we are smarter or stronger or better than him. And worrying only hurts us, it never helps anything. Instead of worrying about getting enough of what we need, let's concentrate on getting to know God. Focus on him each and every day and let him worry about your needs.

Anger Management

Ephesians 4: 25 – 32 (NIV): Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

It's okay to be angry, after all Jesus showed anger towards those who were misusing the temple, but it's not okay to stay mad. The word for anger in verse 31 means to carry a grudge. That's why Paul said not to let the sun go down while you are still angry. This, he says, gives the devil a foothold and may cause you to do something you'll regret.

And what we do with our anger matters. Paul says not to repay evil for evil. Jesus said to turn the other cheek if we are slapped. In other words, Jesus said not to hit back. This may mean physically, but often it means verbally – which is how adults are normally slapped. (Jesus is not talking about children on a playground, he's speaking to his followers who are striving to be like him.)

This doesn't mean we should let people run over us. It does not mean we allow people to harm us or our families. It's talking about forgiving. It's also talking about not holding grudges, getting even, and lowering ourselves to revenge. God forgave us and expects us to forgive others. The only comment Jesus made after he gave his model prayer is that we must forgive others since we have been forgiven.

In the course of normal human interaction, we will get our feelings hurt. No one is perfect and people will make us angry. How we handle that shows our true character. It sets us free to forgive others – to realize that we make mistakes too and yet we are forgiven. What a wonderful world it would be if we all forgave each other, just like God freely forgives us.

When we hurt someone, we need to apologize, but when someone apologizes to us, we need to forgive them. What if they won't apologize? That's between them and God. You forgive anyway. It may save your marriage or a friendship. It may just save your life. Oh, and don't bottle it up inside either; tell God about it and ask him to help you keep your cool. He has all the power you need to manage your anger.

Free Crab Tomorrow!

Psalm 119:105 (NIV): Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Matthew 6:33 – 34 (NIV): But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

When the writer of this Psalms calls God's word a “lamp to my feet and a light for my path”, we mustn't think of a modern flashlight that shines ahead into the darkness. This is referring to a foot lamp that you swung beside you that only illuminated your next step. Our hope for finding our way is found in God's word, but God wants us to take one step at a time and live one day at a time. We tend to want to know exactly what God is going to do in our future, but Jesus said to seek God and his kingdom today and let tomorrow worry about tomorrow.

This doesn't mean we do not plan for our future. In fact, planning to spend eternity with God in heaven is the most important decision we can make, but there is a difference between planning for tomorrow and living for tomorrow. If we continually wait for tomorrow to start living, we may not ever begin. There is a sign on the wall at Joe's Crab Shack in Dallas that says “Free Crab Tomorrow.” That is clever to me because you can't go in there tomorrow! If you try tomorrow, it will be today when you arrive. So, in a sense tomorrow never comes and that's what God knows. It's always today so we must live for today!

We can live for today knowing that we have a future. We can know that God will never leave us or forsake us. We can know that His word will light our path and direct us toward joy and righteousness. Worrying about tomorrow robs us of our joy and keeps us from being effective in our witness. It's easy to get into the habit of worrying, but God says take one step at a time and leave the worrying to him.

Seek to know God. Seek to know his word. Seek his kingdom, his will and his righteousness, and allow God to take care of us. One. Day. At. A. Time.

The Faith of a Child

Mark 10: 13 – 16 (NIV): People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

It's a beautiful image: Jesus taking children into his arms and blessing them. It was a common custom for Rabbis to place their hands on children and bless them, so people brought their children to Jesus for this. The disciples probably thought the children were pestering him and not worthy of his attention, but he used this occasion to teach us something.

We must remember that childhood was not a celebrated phase of life until the twentieth century. Before the movies, books, parties and toys we see today, children were mostly viewed as weaker workers. The disciples rebuked the parents for bringing their children to Jesus because they figured religion was for adults; Jesus assured them that his love and grace was for everyone, including children. In fact, it is critical that we introduce children to Jesus at an early age when they are still pliable and open. Statistically, if a person is not saved by age 18, it is rare that he ever will be.

It shouldn't surprise us, then, that Jesus said it is children who show us how to have true faith and how to enter his kingdom. In other words, we must have a child-like faith to be saved. What is a child-like faith? Children have a simple faith. Once a child learns he can trust you, he will continue to do so until you teach him otherwise. Adults tend to want to know what God has done for us lately. Children have a humble faith. They realize they need help. We cannot be saved until we come to the place where we realize we need God's grace for salvation. We cannot save ourselves by our works or goodness – we need God's help.

Children have a complete faith. Once you've earned their trust, they will give it freely and completely. Years ago, when my son was about two, I walked past him as he stood on an elevated deck in our backyard. Suddenly, he ran and jumped off the deck at me, knowing that if I didn't catch him he would crash to the ground. Yes, I caught him just like he knew I would. God wants us to run and jump into his arms, placing our complete trust in him. It is not a blind faith, but a complete, child-like faith that he requires.