Thankful Faith

What are you thankful for today? Are you thankful for family? Are you thankful for your job? Are you thankful for a roof over your head, clothing to wear, food on your table, and water to drink? Are you thankful for others who have put their faith in Jesus Christ?

We are instructed in Scripture to give thanks for all we have. We may have been told the same thing by our parents or grandparents. But in our culture of me first, it can be a challenge to be thankful. We are told we deserve so much more and feel like we are being slighted.

Having family around a table to share a meal is something to be thankful for. There are many who do not have that experience. I remember times of being deployed during holidays, being far away from family. I also think of those who are in nursing homes and whose family does not visit them. I think of the elderly whose children and grandchildren who live hundreds of miles away and who cannot visit with them during the holidays due to the cost of traveling.

Most of us take for granted the basic necessities of a place to live, clothing, food, and water. Yet, I have been to places where the water is not safe to drink, and people purchase their food day-to-day based on the money they have available. They are hardworking people, but their jobs do not pay enough for luxuries.

The Apostle Paul encourages us to be thankful for our brothers and sisters in faith. We are to love them and be thankful they have come to faith in Jesus. Again, our culture makes that challenging. We disagree and our culture wants us to hate based on disagreement. We have forgotten to be thankful for different points of view. If it weren’t for different points of view, we would be a stagnant society. It is our diversity that provides opportunity for growth. Let’s give thanks for people of faith and love every one of them.

I pray we all give thanks for the blessings of God. I pray we give thanks for family and God’s provisions. I pray each one of us give thanks for everyone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ. Be thankful. Give God’s thanks for his blessings. Be thankful for fellow Christians. Love one another.

Ephesians 1:15-16 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.

Sing with Joy

Do you like to laugh? Do you enjoy laughing with others? Do you like to sing? Do you sing at the top of your voice when one of your favorite songs comes on the radio? Do you prefer to be happy? Do you worship God in your laughing, singing, and gladness?

We all enjoy a good laugh. The old saying, laughter is good for the soul, I believe is true. I have seen a lot of healing take place in laughter. A patient in the hospital feels better with a little laughter. A broken hearth feels better with laughter. Whether a little chuckle or a hearty laugh, it is good for us.

Singing is also good for the soul. We may not be able to carry a tune in a bucket, but singing heart felt songs is good for us. We poor out our feelings. Singing sad songs allows us to get those sad feeling off our chest. Singing joyous songs raises our spirits. Yes, singing is good for us. Perhaps that is why John Wesley said to sing loud when we sing our worship hymns.

Some do not like contemporary Christian music. They think it is offensive to God. But we might want to go back and read our Bibles. David often celebrated to God with several musical instruments. He even danced in the streets singing and banging a tambourine in his underwear! God sees the heart and is happy anytime we sing with our heart, whether with musical instruments or not, whether the music is blaring at a hundred decibels or a mere twenty-five.

God desires us to worship him with gladness in our heart and singing his praises. Too often we go to him with worry, anxiety, fear, and wants. If we were to sing his praises more often, those feelings would go away. We would come to know that he is God, and he is in control. The hymns, especially, have well-grounded lyrics based in Biblical text. We learn more about God while singing, and we lift our spirits at the same time.

I pray we all sing praises to God. I pray we sing in our hearts throughout the day. I pray each one of us will choose to play old hymns, southern gospel, or contemporary Christian on our radios. Sing with gladness. Make a joyful noise to God. Worship God through music. Lift your spirits through music.

Psalm 100:1-2

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 

Worship the Lord with gladness; 

come into his presence with singing.

Saving the Flock

What do you look forward to? Are looking toward acquiring more? Or are you merely hoping to make it through this day? Have you made the glory of this world your desire? Or have you discovered this world’s glory is nothing compared to the glory of eternity?

We may look forward to many things. There are birthdays, national holidays, Christmas, and Easter. It seems as though each of them have become commercialized and celebrated elaborately. In some cases, they mean no more to people than a day off work.

All our national holidays were created to remember and honor others. Presidents Day was originally two holidays—Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday. Memorial Day is to honor those who have died in defense of our country. Veterans Day is to honor those who have served in the military and are still among us. Labor Day is to honor all our laborers. And, of course, Independence Day is to honor those who initially fought for our freedom.

Easter is the remembrance of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. We mourn His death on Good Friday. We remember the sorrow of His disciples through Saturday. On Sunday we celebrate His resurrection. It is a joyous celebration. A celebration unlike any other for it celebrates hope and salvation.

Christmas has a murky history. The early church did not believe in celebrating birthdays, rather they celebrated deaths as the true birth into eternity. In the third century some Christians began celebrating Jesus’ at winter solstice. Over the past few decades, scientific information points to Jesus’ actual birth likely occurring in the spring.

Jesus’ birth, death, burial, and resurrection all contribute to God saving those who have chosen to obey him. God decided long ago to save his flock, his people. He is the ultimate judge. Though this world may be harsh, God is loving and just. His plan has already been executed to provide for the saving of those who love him and follow his commands.

I pray we all understand that God will save his people. I pray we choose to love and obey God. I pray each one of us will celebrate God’s plan to save his flock and be the ultimate judge. Know that God will save his people. Choose to love and obey God. Celebrate God’s plan of salvation. Live with the hope of Jesus.

Ezekiel 34:22 I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

Lost and Found

Does it make you feel good to know that you are cared for? Do you like to know you are loved? If you were lost, would you like for someone to come looking for you? If you were injured, would you to have your injuries tended to? Do you want someone to strengthen you?

Being lost is no fun. It can be scary. Being injured can be painful and lonely. Having someone tend to us is comforting. Being weak can feel debilitating. Being strengthened by another can boost our morale. Knowing there is always someone there for us is encouraging.

I can remember one specific time being lost. It’s funny to look back on but we were a bit worried at the time. We were deployed to South Korea and tasked with going to meet another group at a beach. We were given rudimentary directions and no map. We ended up going several miles north of where we were supposed be. Thankfully, we ran into one of the “officials” for the war games who had a map and directed us to where we were supposed to go.

We get lost in life sometimes. We head down a path we shouldn’t be on. We get lost along the way and may not know how to get back to where we belong. But God will come looking for us. It doesn’t matter where we are, how far we have wondered, God will come for us and steer us back to the path he desires for us.

How will we know God is leading? We know when we hear his whisper. We know when our “gut” tells us we need to turn back. We know when we find peace in the path we are on. How do we get back? We rely on the strength God provides to overcome the wrong path we were on. We may have been wounded along the way, but God will grant us healing.

I pray we all seek to be on God’s path. I pray we know God will find us when we are lost. I pray each one of us will lean on God’s strength to overcome our mistakes and accept his healing. Know God will find you. Listen for his voice. Lean on God’s strength. Accept God’s healing.

Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

Submit to More

Do you get upset when you see people who are not followers of Christ reap rewards in this life? Do you ask why you are not receiving rewards? Do you wonder if God is paying attention? Do you ask God why?

We see people who are not followers of Christ become rich and famous. We know people personally who reject God but become wealthy. If we are honest with ourselves, it sticks in our craw. We think it is unfair.

Yet Jesus promised that we would be rewarded. In fact, He stated those of us who have will be given more. What was He talking about? Many of us do see that we are given more. Might I suggest we open our eyes, ears, and mind.

When Jesus made this promise, He was not promising us that we would be rich and famous in human terms. No, He was telling us that as we submitted to God, and began listening for him to speak to us, we would start hearing his small quiet whisper more and more in our lives. We would be granted more insight into how God is working in our lives and the lives of those around us.

In other words, we would be granted a deeper spiritual understanding. This deeper understanding would lead to us relying more on God. The more we rely on God the more he works in our lives. Blessings come in abundance, even if not financially.

I pray we all submit to God. I pray we seek to hear his small quiet whispers. I pray each one of us will receive a deeper spiritual understanding and blessings from God. Open your eyes. Open your ears. Open your mind. See God working in your life. Go deeper in your understanding of God.

Matthew 25:29 “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”

Given Talents

Have you ever been given a large sum of money? Did it change your life? Have you been put in charge of a large sum of money for business? Did it make you nervous? Did you feel like you had a huge responsibility? Do you know you have been given a lot already?

If we move up into management level, we gain more responsibility. The higher we go the more responsibility we are given. Depending on the company, we may be put in charge of a very large amount of money or the responsibility to make money for the company.

Jesus tells the parable of a man giving his slave or servants extremely large sums of money, making them responsible for it. In fact, a talent was the weight a typical soldier could carry. In today’s money, each talent would be about $800,000 in gold. The one who received five talents would have been given the responsibility for $4,000,000! Can you imagine?!

The first two servants did a good job. In fact, they doubled the money they were given. The third servant did not do so well. He simply buried it for safe keeping, which was a common way to keep your valuables safe. He did ensure he did not lose it. But he did not make any more money with what he was given.

We have been given quite a lot by God. Not necessarily money. We have been given talents, gifts, and grace. God expects us to do something with the blessings he has blessed us with. We can use our talents to do work for God, help bring people into his kingdom. We can use our talents to educate people on God’s Word. We can use them to serve others in our community. Whatever our talents are, God wants us to use them for him.

I pray we all use our talents to serve God. I pray we give thanks to God for the talents he has blessed us with. I pray each one of us will help build God’s kingdom, educate others, and serve our community. Thank God for his blessings. Use your talents for him. Bring others into the kingdom.

Matthew 25:14-15 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.”

Know Your Future

Are you looking for hope? Do you yearn for a guarantee? Would you like to know what the future holds for you? Do you long to know your destiny? Do you want to who can guarantee your future? Do you know that He already has?

Wishing to know the future is nothing new to us. We often wish we knew. We want to know if we will meet the right mate. We want to know if we will land the perfect job. We want to know if we will become rich and famous, or if we will be just another average person.

Wanting to know the future is not all bad. However, we cannot know specifics about our future here on earth. We don’t have a crystal ball that can tell us exactly what will happen. Though we can foresee possibilities based on the talents we have been blessed with by God and through our hard work. Yet, the unexpected still happens.

But there is one future we can know with certainty. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can be assured we will obtain salvation. We can know that regardless of whether we live until He returns, or we pass from this life beforehand, we know our destiny, which is to spend eternity with Him.

There is comfort in knowing the future. Knowing the future relieves us of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. It also allows us to live our lives at a slower pace and take things as they come. We live with confidence that we will overcome, regardless of what is thrown at us, because we know the battle has already been won.

I pray we all accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. I pray we know our future with certainty. I pray each one of us will live a fearless life at a slower pace in the comfort of knowing. Accept Jesus as your Savior. Make Jesus your Lord. Live your life without fear. Know your future.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.

Thief in the Night

Do you like to be surprised? Does it depend on what the surprise is? Do you like unexpected bad things? Are you happy when an unexpected, good thing happens? Are you on the lookout for surprises? Are you ready for the biggest surprise ever?

Surprises can be fun, or they can be downright horrible. Having a vehicle breakdown on the interstate is frustrating and can be scary. Getting an unexpected bad diagnosis from your doctor can be a shock and terrifying. Being surprised by bad news causes a range of emotions.

On the other hand, being surprised with good news can be exhilarating. Winning an award can lift our spirits. Receiving an unexpected pay raise is a joyous occasion. Being surprised by an unexpected visit from your child who lives far away, or an old friend makes us happy. Good surprises are welcome and can boost our energy level for a few days.

There is one surprise coming that isn’t a surprise, but it will come unexpectedly. Jesus will return, but we don’t know when. A variety of people have tried to predict His return. Predictions have happened for hundreds of years, and yet, He has not returned yet. The truth is, we know not the day nor hour He will return (Matthew 24:36, 25:13, Mark 13:32).

We are told to be ready every moment of every day for His return. That means we are to live according to God’s commands. It means to expect the unexpected. There is no need to live in fear of that day so long as we are following Him and living as He as instructed us. It is also the primary reason for us to tell others about Him and convince them to follow Him, too.

I pray we all live according to God’s commands. I pray we live as though Jesus will return today. I pray each one of us will live as He instructed us and tell others the good news about Him. Expect the unexpected. Be ready for Jesus’ return. Tell others about Him. Live as He instructed.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Bow to the Master

Are you head-strong and bent on being your own boss? Or will you work for someone else, and do as they instruct you to do? Are you seeking to be independent and not need assistance from anyone else? Or are you willing to accept the help of someone who can provide all you need?

We can be very head-strong, especially when we are young. We go out into the world thinking we are in control, or we believe we can be in control if given half a chance. It seems it is not until we have fallen flat on our faces a few times that we realize we are not in control.

The wiser we become, the more we realize there is someone far bigger than us who is in control. Our next step to take is to go beyond recognition of that person and submit to him—God. God is the one in control. When we realize that AND submit to him, we discover a new way of living. One that will lead to our success.

Seeing God as our master and the one who will direct us is the proper way of seeing him. Submitting to him and his will is the only way to live a truly successful life. We may never have more money than we can count. We may still go through troubling times. We may experience loss and heartache. But we will live a successful life because God will ensure it.

When we submit to God, we can be sure that his grace, mercy, and love will shower down upon us. We can be certain that God will light the pathway for us to follow, even if it is only one step at a time. The question we must wrestle with is, will we submit to God. It all boils down to whether we want a truly successful life or not.

I pray we all submit to God. I pray we know he is in control and will guide us down the path he desires. I pray each one of us will accept God’s guidance and live a successful life in him. Know that God is in control. Submit to his will. Follow his path for you. Trust God to lead you. Live a successful life.

Psalm 123:2

As the eyes of servants 

look to the hand of their master, 

as the eyes of a maid 

to the hand of her mistress, 

so our eyes look to the Lord our God, 

until he has mercy upon us.

In Need of Rescue

Have you been in dire straits and desperately seeking someone to help you? Have you been in an organization that seemed to be doomed to fall apart? Did someone come to the rescue? Were there a handful of people who pulled the organization out of the gutter?

Being in great need can be extremely stressful and can get to the point of being overwhelming. We may come to the point of thinking there is no need to keep going. We may be on the verge of bankruptcy. We may be about to lose everything we own.

There are cases of organizations that are poorly run and continue to sink. There comes a time when they have no choice but to close. Perhaps there is one last ditch effort that can be made to save the organization. Maybe there is a consultant that can be called in who has the required skills to bring the organization back from the brink of closure.

The Israelites had disobeyed God and he had allowed them to be ruled by a foreign king. They were being mistreated and oppressed. Finally, they cried out to God for help. They were afraid the king was going to annihilate them. He had nine-hundred iron chariots and had been oppressing them for twenty years.

Deborah was ruling the Israelites at that time as their judge. God heard the cry of the Israelites and sent Deborah a message. She was a woman of God who listened to God’s command and called Barak to lead Israel’s army against King Jabin. But she did not merely sit on the judgment seat and send Barak out. No, she went with him onto the battlefield and the Israelites won the day. God freed them from their oppression.

We may find ourselves being oppressed. In fact, in many ways we are being oppressed, even if we do not recognize it. Our spirits have been and continue to be attacked little by little. Our culture continues to whittle away at our belief and faith. Deep down, we wonder if God is still in control. At some point, we must cry out as the Israelites did to have God rescue us from our oppression. Otherwise, we face an enemy we cannot overcome on our own.

I pray we all recognize the oppression we face every day. I pray we cry out to God to rescue us. I pray each one of us hold on to our faith and pray that God will relieve us of our oppression. Believe God can rescue you. Cry out for him to do so. Pray that God move mightily in our culture.

Judges 4:4, 6a At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel…. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you,…”