God Has Proved Himself

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

As I ponder the last tweleve months since we last celebrated the Thanksgiving season as a church and as a nation, I am overcome with emotion as I think of all that God has done for me and my family. We have been so blessed financially, spiritually, emotionally, physically and in countless other ways that God has chosen to show Himself faithful and trustworthy. God has proved Himself, once again to be faithful and able to do exceeding, abundantly above what we were able to ask or think. It’s a good season and for that I give Him praise!

How has your year been? If God’s hand of blessing has been obvious in your life, lift up your praise and shout it from the rooftops in proclamation of the goodness of the Lord. On the other hand you may be wiping the tears and blood stains off of yourself as you are just desperatly holding on due to what you’ve been dealt this year. Maybe it’s a death, a divorce, loss of a job, a horrible marriage situation, a rebelious child, diaognosis of a terrible disease. Whatever it is and as bad as it might hurt, because of Who He is, all of us can, if we’ll put our trust in Him, say like the hymn writer Horatio Spafford, “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”

The Lord never tells us to be happy about everything that we already have or will go through, but we are told to give thanks in the midst of each of those circumstances. Why, because it feels good? No, rather because He is good and no matter what our situation, He is using and will continue to use it to finish what He has begun in us with the goal of making us more like Jesus. (Phillippians 1:6)

This Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year season, no matter what you are going through, take a moment, even if you cannot think of anything else and thank God for who He is and for making a way for you to be His child. Just meditating on that gives us enough to be thankful for for the rest of eternity. If you are still struggling to find something to give thanks about, take a moment and thank God that you have the ability to read this.

Blessings,

Pastor MJ

Two Ways to Give Thanks

Thank You.

The power of those two words is amazing. Saying thank you and showing appreciation is so important that Jesus shows us in Luke 17:17 how much it disappointed Him when 9 people who had been blessed by him did not return to give thanks.

Being thankful is so important that God expresses in His word that, not only is it important but that giving thanks is His will for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 )

There are two ways to say thanks.

First, there are the words – Thank you! I was taught from a very young age that when someone does something for you, that you should say thank you. It’s what we used to call a common courtesy. That courtesy is unfortunately not too common anymore. I believe it’s because we, especially in this blessed country of ours take so many things for granted. Have you ever done something for someone and not received a thank you? How does that make you feel? Saying thank you shows that the recipient appreciates what the giver has done or said. It recognizes that the giver did not have to do or say it, and it shows that the recipient does not take for granted the graciousness of the giver.

Secondly, there is the action – Thankfulness! Not only do words express thanks, but our actions and reactions give a glimpse into the true source of thankfulness, that is the heart. I remember when I got my first car. It was a 1976 Catalina! It was a tank, but it was mine. More than that, it was graciously given to me by an aunt who loved me, who cared enough to see a need of mine and meet that need. I remember her taking it to her personal mechanic and having it checked out. I remember that she had it detailed and got it looking incredible before she presented it to me. My heartfelt response was first a huge hug and verbal thank you, followed by a thank you note, but deeper way that I expressed my thanks was to care for that car like it was gold. Why didn’t I get on the road and drive recklessly, because that would have shown disregard for the gift that was given to me. Taking care of that car was an expression of thankfulness to my aunt for loving me enough to give it to me.

How have you said thank you, to the Lord lately? Notice I didn’t say, “What do you have to be thankful for.” That is because, if you can read this, you have at least one reason to give thanks.

Today, take a moment and exercise the two modes of thanks. First, acknowledge what you have to be thankful for than say, “Thank you.” Follow that up by taking care to live in such a way that will cause the Lord to be glad that He presented you with that gift!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Forgiven The Greatest, Loves The Most

“He, who is forgiven the greatest, loves the most.”

(See Luke 7:41-43)

 

Wherefore I say unto thee,
Her sins, which are many, are forgiven;
for she loved much.  (Luke 7:47)

As I write this, I’m aware of the depth of gratitude I owe because of the sins that God has forgiven me for. My debt is huge, but by His grace, love and mercy, I’ve repented, asked for forgiveness, begged for mercy and have been forgiven. Hallelujah! However, at times when I’ve been wronged I’ve gotten angry, held grudges and let it be known that it was not going to be easy for me to forgive or forget what the person had done. Even after God had “forgiven my sin and cleansed me from all righteousness” and had “cast my sin as far as the east is from the west” and “remembered my sin no more”, I still had trouble forgiving.

In light of my being forgiven greatly, I should always forgive greatly. Anyone who has any idea of the magnitude of their sin against God, after having been forgiven should by the power of the Spirit be the greatest forgivers.

Well, you may say, “I don’t have trouble forgiving others, I just can’t forgive myself!” My friend, no where in scripture does it say that you must forgive yourself. Many people are weighed down by the guilt and inability to forgive themselves. When in reality it is God’s forgiveness that we should truly seek. Yes, we should seek the forgiveness of others that we have offended, but even then, we are not required to receive their forgiveness and therefore should not be crippled if we don’t received it. The damage in that relationship may very well be a consequence that we may have to live with. However, Jesus paid the debt for our every sin and in reality every offense is ultimately against Him. When He forgives and cleanses from all unrighteousness He can pave the way as we live under His grace towards reconciled relationships that seemed impossible to mend.

Many times we seek forgiveness from others so that our circumstance will change and we’ll feel better. Seeking forgiveness from God paves the way for the changes to occur in us first and then by God’s grace our circumstances will follow through a journey of repentance, reconciliation and restoration, all of which begin with God first.

The next time you find it hard to forgive go back and read about the cross of Christ (Isaiah 53:5) and realize it was for you that died. Realizing that should help us in our decisions to forgive our offenders.

I Have Fought the Good Fight

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:7 NIV)

Throughout history we have examples of men and women who began their journeys as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, pastors, businessmen, and friends with a bang. Life was good and they were at the top of their game in every area of life. Their walk with God was good, their relationships with their wives/husbands and children seemed to be second to none. Their zest for life was energized simply by waking up in the morning. Then something happened, the circumstances of life took over and some, sadly enough, ended their journey here, sad, burnout, brokenhearted, rejected and alone.

Finishing well begins by viewing life not as a sprint, but rather as a marathon. Sprinting through life puts the weight of completion on our shoulders and when circumstances cause us to trip and fall, we become disillusioned and often feel like failures and ultimately, many times give up. Realizing that life is a marathon helps us to make it through the pit falls of life and get up again, not to give up, but rather to continue towards the finish line of life, longing to hear the most important duel words in eternity, well done.

Satan would have us think that we should rush though life and get all we can before the other guy gets it and all the while destroying anyone or thing that gets in our way. Jesus on the other hand set the example of the marathon in life that takes one day, one moment, one circumstance, one person at a time, keeping our eyes on the “Author and Finisher of our faith!” (Hebrews 12:2)

Where are you today? Are you on the sidelines, tired, bruised and injured after a long sprint? My friend, it’s not over, it’s far from over. Extend your hand out and our Lord and a brother or sister in Christ will join hands with you and help you to the finish line. Are you running well? Slow down and take a moment to pick someone else up and don’t rush through life so fast that you forget that you won’t truly finish well unless you bring someone else across the finish line with you. Whether talking about your marriage, your job, your health or most importantly your walk with God, determine not to only be good today, but to, with the Lord’s help, finish well.

Pastor MJ