Thanksgiving has come and gone...all too quickly, if you ask me.
And this afternoon, we collected all the pilgrims, pumpkins, and "Give Thanks" pillows and plates and hauled them all back up to their big old storage bins in the attic. They won't reappear again until next September. (Yes, Thanksgiving makes an appearance by mid September in our house--much to my family's chagrin--as I believe in beginning the celebration of Thanksgiving as early as possible. Why? Because we all desperately need the reminder for as long as possible to have an attitude of gratitude. It sure doesn't come naturally--at least not to selfish yours truly!)
In place of the pilgrims and pumpkins, this afternoon Christmas nativities, stockings, angels, and Carolers began making their way downstairs. But with each Christmas decoration I brought down, my thankful attitude began deteriorating. Rapidly.
Before I knew it, I'd forgotten all about gratitude and had begun grumbling. Thinking junk like: why am I the only one working away here? As if this was some terrible burden to decorate a house for the coming of Christ! Am I in the ICU with my sick child? No. Visiting a loved one trapped in prison? No. Picking up the pieces after a devastating tornado? Nope. Worrying about how I'm going to feed my starving family? No again. Forgive me, Father!
Yes, we're being catapulted into Christmas with the first Sunday in Advent coming in two--count them, two--days. And yes, Black Friday always feels like "Behind-the-eight-ball Friday."
But, wait, wait, wait! I refuse to let go of a thankful mindset--because thanksgiving changes everything. And if ever there should be cause for unending, unassailable gratitude, it should be over the celebration of God's greatest of gifts--the Lord Jesus!
Here's how Noel Piper put it: "There is one thing on our gratitude list that we who are following Christ all have in common: 'Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift.' (2 Cor. 9:15) Of all people in the world, we have the greatest reason to give thanks to give thanks and an inexpressibly great God who receives our gratitude. What more could we desire than that hope and salvation? 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!' (I Pet.1:3)"
Sometimes we forget, don't we? In all the rush and hoopla and desire to create the "perfect" Christmas for our loved ones, we lose sight of the perfect Gift and the perfect response--gratitude.
So let's slow down. Somehow, someway what needs to be done will be done...but far more importantly than purchasing is preparing our hearts. More important that parties and planning is unhurried time for praise....peace...pursuing Christ in His Word...and purposefully loving the people Christ has graciously placed in our lives.
Father, don't let Thanksgiving disappear from our hearts and minds. Rather, magnify that gratitude and praise in these coming weeks. Might our Advent this year be a time of enhanced rejoicing in the greatest, inexpressible Gift, so that our thankful lists far outstrip our to-do lists.
In the words of George Herbert,
Thou that hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more--a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleases me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart, whose pulse may by They praise."
Lord, please give us thankful, rejoicing hearts this Christmas...and all year long.
To God be the glory.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
A Thanksgiving thank you!
A busy Thanksgiving day ahead of us--cakes to be baked, dog to be walked, breakfast to be prepared, a few more loads of laundry to be washed, house to be tidied, children's clothes to be readied, miles to be driven, food to be savored, family to be loved and enjoyed...Lord to be thanked and praised and glorified.
"When thou hast thanked they God
For every blessing sent,
What time will then remain
for murmurs or lament?" (R.C. Trench)
So thank You, Father, for this day to rejoice in Your goodness and greatness in our lives. Thank You for the priceless gifts of family and friends. Thank You for the joy, laughter, love, wisdom, richness, purpose, and even sometimes pain (that is also, ultimately, a gift from You) that those precious relationships bring to our lives.
Thank You for our nation, for our freedom--even as we know there is much hurt, anger, and confusion in our country today. But Lord, we place our trust in You for reconciliation, revival, renewal. You are the Greater Physician and Healer, not just of bodies but of hearts and spirits. So we ask for Your mighty healing...of our nation and of our friends struggling with diseases and addictions. You are able, Lord. You are infinitely able (Eph.3:20).
Thank You for home and the gift of "place" as Eudora Welty once put it. A place where we belong, a place where we can sink our roots down deep...maybe not a perfect place, but the place where You, in Your grace, have sovereignly positioned us to be a part of a community and family that we might nourish, love, and encourage one another. All by Your grace. All to Your glory.
Thank You for the daily graces in our lives--hot tea, warm fires, good books, hearty laughter, autumn leaves, long conversations, moments of peace in the midst of busy days, good medicine, kind words, big hugs, bouncing babies, bracing walks, and Your beautiful Word.
Thank You for pilgrims and patriots and soldiers and the priceless gift of freedom their sacrifices have given everyone of us. Thank You for all those men and women serving our nation right now in places far and near. Oh bless them this day, Lord. How we thank You for them.
And most of all, thank You for Your Son. Our Redeemer...Sustainer...Bread of Life...Living Water...Door...Good Shepherd...Hope...Emmanuel. "God with us"--everyday, every night, forever. And soon we begin the celebration of Your coming--Advent. Remind us afresh of the wonder and the awe of God's Son becoming a man so that men could become sons of God.
G.K. Chesterton wrote: "Thanks are the highest form of thought, and gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." So thank You, Father. Thank You, thank You, thank You!
To God be the glory.
"When thou hast thanked they God
For every blessing sent,
What time will then remain
for murmurs or lament?" (R.C. Trench)
So thank You, Father, for this day to rejoice in Your goodness and greatness in our lives. Thank You for the priceless gifts of family and friends. Thank You for the joy, laughter, love, wisdom, richness, purpose, and even sometimes pain (that is also, ultimately, a gift from You) that those precious relationships bring to our lives.
Thank You for our nation, for our freedom--even as we know there is much hurt, anger, and confusion in our country today. But Lord, we place our trust in You for reconciliation, revival, renewal. You are the Greater Physician and Healer, not just of bodies but of hearts and spirits. So we ask for Your mighty healing...of our nation and of our friends struggling with diseases and addictions. You are able, Lord. You are infinitely able (Eph.3:20).
Thank You for home and the gift of "place" as Eudora Welty once put it. A place where we belong, a place where we can sink our roots down deep...maybe not a perfect place, but the place where You, in Your grace, have sovereignly positioned us to be a part of a community and family that we might nourish, love, and encourage one another. All by Your grace. All to Your glory.
Thank You for the daily graces in our lives--hot tea, warm fires, good books, hearty laughter, autumn leaves, long conversations, moments of peace in the midst of busy days, good medicine, kind words, big hugs, bouncing babies, bracing walks, and Your beautiful Word.
Thank You for pilgrims and patriots and soldiers and the priceless gift of freedom their sacrifices have given everyone of us. Thank You for all those men and women serving our nation right now in places far and near. Oh bless them this day, Lord. How we thank You for them.
And most of all, thank You for Your Son. Our Redeemer...Sustainer...Bread of Life...Living Water...Door...Good Shepherd...Hope...Emmanuel. "God with us"--everyday, every night, forever. And soon we begin the celebration of Your coming--Advent. Remind us afresh of the wonder and the awe of God's Son becoming a man so that men could become sons of God.
G.K. Chesterton wrote: "Thanks are the highest form of thought, and gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." So thank You, Father. Thank You, thank You, thank You!
To God be the glory.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Thankful for food, glorious food!
Hot dog--it's the first day of one of the best weeks of the year--Thanksgiving. Oh how I love this joyful holiday! No freezing cold temperatures (well, usually--sorry Buffalo). No frenzied schedules. No frantic present-buying...not yet, anyway.
Instead, it's a joyful time of children returning home...of families reunited...of pilgrims and pumpkins...of relaxing and reminiscing by glowing fires...of hearts overflowing with thankfulness...and, of course, of food, or in the immortal words of Oliver, "food, glorious food!" Seriously, what's not to love about Thanksgiving?
(a tiny slice of heaven)
Jon Bloom apparently shares my love of all things Thanksgiving--and especially the food. He writes, "The traditional American Thanksgiving meal featuring turkey and all the fixings that go with it is my favorite meal. Period. [And all God's people shouted, AMEN!]...But eating something you love on Thanksgiving is exactly what you should do because Thanksgiving is not about the feast of food. Thanksgiving is about feasting on the manifold, abundant, overflowing, all-sufficient grace of God in all that He is for us and all that He has done, is doing, and promises to do for us. An abundant, delicious feast of food is intended to be a symbol, a small picture, a momentary experience of what God's grace is like. It is to help us 'taste and see that the Lord is good!'(Ps.34:8)"
"In other words," Bloom says, "the food is meant to fuel our thanksgiving, not be the focus of thanksgiving."
What a beautiful picture of God's abundant grace--that dining room table laden with sweet potato casserole, dressing, spinach casserole, rolls, turkey, pumpkin pie and, of course, chocolate cake. All lovingly prepared by the hands of those dearest to us. All savored and shared by the irreplaceable gift of family and friends so graciously given to us by God.
And what a Creator to make such a variety of food...and to make it taste so delicious! You know, the Lord could have just made a standard, one-size-fits-all kind of food...something to fill us up and fuel us for our activities. But He didn't. He made all kinds of foods--salty, sweet, savory, creamy, crunchy, and everything in between! It occurred to me I'd forgotten to thank Him for that glorious variety.
Has it occurred to you that our Father also didn't have to create us with taste buds? Oh aren't you so thankful that He did?! The delectable smell and taste of food and the delightful sharing of it with those we love are just more gifts from His relentlessly generous and good hands.
But it should all, all, all point us to the One who is the Source and Sustainer of every good thing in our lives...beginning, of course, with the gift of the Lord Jesus. He is our Bread of Life who always satisfies and never fails.
So this Thanksgiving, let's pause to be thankful for the food that should "fuel our thanksgiving" by pointing us to the glorious grace and infinite generosity of our Heavenly Father. Oh might we daily "taste and see" how good and great He is...in His Word, in His Son, in His salvation, in His sovereign and perfect plans.
To God be the glory.
Instead, it's a joyful time of children returning home...of families reunited...of pilgrims and pumpkins...of relaxing and reminiscing by glowing fires...of hearts overflowing with thankfulness...and, of course, of food, or in the immortal words of Oliver, "food, glorious food!" Seriously, what's not to love about Thanksgiving?
Jon Bloom apparently shares my love of all things Thanksgiving--and especially the food. He writes, "The traditional American Thanksgiving meal featuring turkey and all the fixings that go with it is my favorite meal. Period. [And all God's people shouted, AMEN!]...But eating something you love on Thanksgiving is exactly what you should do because Thanksgiving is not about the feast of food. Thanksgiving is about feasting on the manifold, abundant, overflowing, all-sufficient grace of God in all that He is for us and all that He has done, is doing, and promises to do for us. An abundant, delicious feast of food is intended to be a symbol, a small picture, a momentary experience of what God's grace is like. It is to help us 'taste and see that the Lord is good!'(Ps.34:8)"
"In other words," Bloom says, "the food is meant to fuel our thanksgiving, not be the focus of thanksgiving."
What a beautiful picture of God's abundant grace--that dining room table laden with sweet potato casserole, dressing, spinach casserole, rolls, turkey, pumpkin pie and, of course, chocolate cake. All lovingly prepared by the hands of those dearest to us. All savored and shared by the irreplaceable gift of family and friends so graciously given to us by God.
And what a Creator to make such a variety of food...and to make it taste so delicious! You know, the Lord could have just made a standard, one-size-fits-all kind of food...something to fill us up and fuel us for our activities. But He didn't. He made all kinds of foods--salty, sweet, savory, creamy, crunchy, and everything in between! It occurred to me I'd forgotten to thank Him for that glorious variety.
Has it occurred to you that our Father also didn't have to create us with taste buds? Oh aren't you so thankful that He did?! The delectable smell and taste of food and the delightful sharing of it with those we love are just more gifts from His relentlessly generous and good hands.
But it should all, all, all point us to the One who is the Source and Sustainer of every good thing in our lives...beginning, of course, with the gift of the Lord Jesus. He is our Bread of Life who always satisfies and never fails.
So this Thanksgiving, let's pause to be thankful for the food that should "fuel our thanksgiving" by pointing us to the glorious grace and infinite generosity of our Heavenly Father. Oh might we daily "taste and see" how good and great He is...in His Word, in His Son, in His salvation, in His sovereign and perfect plans.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Thankful for C.S. Lewis
A little food for weekend thought--
On this day, 51 years ago, one of the great heroes of the faith, C.S. Lewis, went home to be with the Lord. What an impact this man and his writings have made over the years!
So today, I'm thankful for C.S. Lewis as well as for all of those who have gone before us, teaching, encouraging, and pointing to us to Christ with their words and by their actions. And that's a mighty long list--we could spend all day thinking of folks for whom we need to thank the Lord! Thank You, Father, for my parents, brothers and sisters, husband (who has, as he once described it--"the gift of opinions"--who knew that was a spiritual gift?), children (how often mine have taught and blessed me), teachers, writers, pastors, friends...the list goes on and on. So thankful.
And in honor of C.S. Lewis, here's a little something from one of my very favorite of his writings, The Screwtape Letters. As we contemplate all the blessings this time of year for which we're thankful, it helps to recall that God is the Creator and Giver of every one of those gifts, or as Lewis puts it, "pleasures." Sometimes we tend to think of pleasures as a waste of time or even as sin. But the mind of God conceived those pleasures, and He gave them to us as a means for deep contentment and true joy. Our problem is the way we twist or misuse or subvert those pleasures. Okay, enough of my drivel!
Here's how the senior devil, Screwtape, explains to Wormwood, a junior tempter, the dangers of true pleasures.
"Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy's [remember--Enemy to the devil Screwtape means God!] ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways or in degrees, which He has forbidden. Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable. An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula...
The deepest likings and impulses of any man are the raw material, the starting-point, with which the Enemy [remember--God!] has furnished him. To get him away from those is always a point gained; even in things indifferent it is always desirable to substitute the standards of the World, or convention, or fashion, for a human's own real likings and dislikings...I would make it a rule to eradicate from my patient any strong personal taste which is not actually a sin, even it if is a fondness for country cricket or collecting stamps or drinking cocoa. Such things, I grant you, have nothing of virtue in them; but there is a sort of innocence and humility and self-forgetfulness about them which I distrust. The man who truly and disinterestedly enjoys any one thing in the world, for its own sake, and without caring two-pence what other people say about it, is by that very fact forearmed against some of our subtlest modes of attack."
Thank You, Lord, for C.S. Lewis! And thank You for the gift of pleasures...for You are the Creator and Giver of all good gifts. Thank You for a good book in front of a warm fire, for a big piece of chocolate cake, for a steaming mug of hot tea, for a bracing walk with a beloved dog, for a gasp of delight in the fall colors, for the scent of pine and cinnamon, and for the unfathomably wondrous love of family and friends. So many pleasures and people--oh thank You, Abba.
To God be the glory.
On this day, 51 years ago, one of the great heroes of the faith, C.S. Lewis, went home to be with the Lord. What an impact this man and his writings have made over the years!
So today, I'm thankful for C.S. Lewis as well as for all of those who have gone before us, teaching, encouraging, and pointing to us to Christ with their words and by their actions. And that's a mighty long list--we could spend all day thinking of folks for whom we need to thank the Lord! Thank You, Father, for my parents, brothers and sisters, husband (who has, as he once described it--"the gift of opinions"--who knew that was a spiritual gift?), children (how often mine have taught and blessed me), teachers, writers, pastors, friends...the list goes on and on. So thankful.
And in honor of C.S. Lewis, here's a little something from one of my very favorite of his writings, The Screwtape Letters. As we contemplate all the blessings this time of year for which we're thankful, it helps to recall that God is the Creator and Giver of every one of those gifts, or as Lewis puts it, "pleasures." Sometimes we tend to think of pleasures as a waste of time or even as sin. But the mind of God conceived those pleasures, and He gave them to us as a means for deep contentment and true joy. Our problem is the way we twist or misuse or subvert those pleasures. Okay, enough of my drivel!
Here's how the senior devil, Screwtape, explains to Wormwood, a junior tempter, the dangers of true pleasures.
"Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy's [remember--Enemy to the devil Screwtape means God!] ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways or in degrees, which He has forbidden. Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable. An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula...
The deepest likings and impulses of any man are the raw material, the starting-point, with which the Enemy [remember--God!] has furnished him. To get him away from those is always a point gained; even in things indifferent it is always desirable to substitute the standards of the World, or convention, or fashion, for a human's own real likings and dislikings...I would make it a rule to eradicate from my patient any strong personal taste which is not actually a sin, even it if is a fondness for country cricket or collecting stamps or drinking cocoa. Such things, I grant you, have nothing of virtue in them; but there is a sort of innocence and humility and self-forgetfulness about them which I distrust. The man who truly and disinterestedly enjoys any one thing in the world, for its own sake, and without caring two-pence what other people say about it, is by that very fact forearmed against some of our subtlest modes of attack."
Thank You, Lord, for C.S. Lewis! And thank You for the gift of pleasures...for You are the Creator and Giver of all good gifts. Thank You for a good book in front of a warm fire, for a big piece of chocolate cake, for a steaming mug of hot tea, for a bracing walk with a beloved dog, for a gasp of delight in the fall colors, for the scent of pine and cinnamon, and for the unfathomably wondrous love of family and friends. So many pleasures and people--oh thank You, Abba.
To God be the glory.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Thankful for the Burden-Bearer
Can I add one more thing about burdens?
Burdens are meant to be laid down. Not carried, but laid down.
Does that sound counter-intuitive? Probably...but still, isn't the Kingdom of God "a topsy-turvy kingdom," as Josh McDowell, once put it? The last shall be first. To gain your life, you need to lose it. Forgive your enemies. Be slow to speak and quick to listen (what a challenge to us talkers!). Seek first God's Kingdom and all the other things will be added to you. Not to mention the ultimate shocker--Almighty God...born as a helpless infant. Or the glorious Creator and Sustainer of the universe taking on the role of the most menial of servants and washing dirty feet.
Yes, God's Kingdom is, indeed, topsy-turvy. And now, how about adding one more to that list: burdens are not for carrying...but for laying down. Let me explain.
Burdens--we ALL have them. But we also have a Burden-Bearer who is ready, willing, and infinitely able to carry the weight of that oppressive load for us. That doesn't mean those burdens go away. It simply means on a moment-by-moment basis, we stop, and like little children cry out, "Abba, this is too much for me. Will You carry it for me?"
And He will. He always always always will.
The enemy shouts at us to shoulder that load all by ourselves. Or blame someone else and try to force it's bulk upon others. But Jesus says, "Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Mt.11:29-30 The Message).
Lay that burden down and hand it to the Burden-Bearer.
And you know, we may do that for a time. We might relinquish that burden to our Savior for a while...
Until that burden of grief or shame or fear or inadequacy or sorrow seems to shout at us. Demanding that we stumble back over and heft it's weight back upon our already sagging shoulders...dragging it along again. And so we stagger along, desperately hauling what we were never meant to bear.
All the while, the Burden-Bearer says, "Come to Me. Let me carry it. I've stretched out My arms wide as the world so that I can fully bear the weight of your every burden. Give it to Me that I might give you My full forgiveness, My perfect peace, My consoling grace even in the midst of whatever valleys you are walking through. I'm walking with you...but I'll carry the burden."
Oh Father, teach us how to lay our burdens down that You might bear their heaviness for us.
Every time I think of hefting the weight of burdens, I picture Bingley...and his sticks.
Sometimes when no one is around on the greenway, I'll let him off his leash (please don't report me). And he takes off...literally. Like he's been shot out of a canon. Bingley loves, loves, loves to rip and run. Chase after squirrels (heaven help us if he ever catches one). Tear about in huge, happy circles, racing with joyful abandon. If dogs could smile, well, that's exactly what Mr. B would be doing--a giant, slobbery, open-mouthed smile on his face. It's such a picture of joyful, flat-out freedom and happiness.
That is, until Bingley sees a stick. Let me correct that--a log. He'll be running and racing, pausing every now and then for a good sniff, when he spots that log. And he can't help himself, he has to pick it up. Here are a few just from the last couple of days.
As soon as he picks up those burdens, no more happy running. No more sniffing. No more chasing squirrels. Bingley just doggedly (excuse the pun) hauls that load down the greenway. Laboring along at a slow, steady trot. Every now and then he'll drop it, look at me as if to say, "How much further do I need to bear this load?" and then, with determination, or maybe even resignation, grab it again to bear it's weight.
I often find myself shouting at him, "Bingley, that's too much! Too big. Drop it! Drop it!" But he rarely does. He simply keeps drudging down the greenway, bearing a burden he never ever had to carry in the first place. And missing out on those few moments of joyful, full-out freedom he could be enjoying. Missing out of that gift of chasing and racing that God created him to savor...all so Mr. B can carry some ridiculously humongous stick down the path.
Sure, it's a silly example. And Mr. Bingley, well, truth be told, I think he loves those sticks...or logs.
But how about us? What burdens do we insist on bearing and wearing like those ponderous chains that wrapped about the legs of Jacob Marley?
Stop bearing those burdens that Jesus died to carry for you. He is your Burden-Bearer. He's ready and waiting...come to Jesus and lay those burdens down. Then go out and live as one who is restored, redeemed and revived by the Burden-Bearer. And be thankful.
Thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord Jesus, for being our Burden-Bearer. To God be the glory.
Burdens are meant to be laid down. Not carried, but laid down.
Does that sound counter-intuitive? Probably...but still, isn't the Kingdom of God "a topsy-turvy kingdom," as Josh McDowell, once put it? The last shall be first. To gain your life, you need to lose it. Forgive your enemies. Be slow to speak and quick to listen (what a challenge to us talkers!). Seek first God's Kingdom and all the other things will be added to you. Not to mention the ultimate shocker--Almighty God...born as a helpless infant. Or the glorious Creator and Sustainer of the universe taking on the role of the most menial of servants and washing dirty feet.
Yes, God's Kingdom is, indeed, topsy-turvy. And now, how about adding one more to that list: burdens are not for carrying...but for laying down. Let me explain.
Burdens--we ALL have them. But we also have a Burden-Bearer who is ready, willing, and infinitely able to carry the weight of that oppressive load for us. That doesn't mean those burdens go away. It simply means on a moment-by-moment basis, we stop, and like little children cry out, "Abba, this is too much for me. Will You carry it for me?"
And He will. He always always always will.
The enemy shouts at us to shoulder that load all by ourselves. Or blame someone else and try to force it's bulk upon others. But Jesus says, "Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Mt.11:29-30 The Message).
Lay that burden down and hand it to the Burden-Bearer.
And you know, we may do that for a time. We might relinquish that burden to our Savior for a while...
Until that burden of grief or shame or fear or inadequacy or sorrow seems to shout at us. Demanding that we stumble back over and heft it's weight back upon our already sagging shoulders...dragging it along again. And so we stagger along, desperately hauling what we were never meant to bear.
All the while, the Burden-Bearer says, "Come to Me. Let me carry it. I've stretched out My arms wide as the world so that I can fully bear the weight of your every burden. Give it to Me that I might give you My full forgiveness, My perfect peace, My consoling grace even in the midst of whatever valleys you are walking through. I'm walking with you...but I'll carry the burden."
Oh Father, teach us how to lay our burdens down that You might bear their heaviness for us.
Every time I think of hefting the weight of burdens, I picture Bingley...and his sticks.
Sometimes when no one is around on the greenway, I'll let him off his leash (please don't report me). And he takes off...literally. Like he's been shot out of a canon. Bingley loves, loves, loves to rip and run. Chase after squirrels (heaven help us if he ever catches one). Tear about in huge, happy circles, racing with joyful abandon. If dogs could smile, well, that's exactly what Mr. B would be doing--a giant, slobbery, open-mouthed smile on his face. It's such a picture of joyful, flat-out freedom and happiness.
That is, until Bingley sees a stick. Let me correct that--a log. He'll be running and racing, pausing every now and then for a good sniff, when he spots that log. And he can't help himself, he has to pick it up. Here are a few just from the last couple of days.
I often find myself shouting at him, "Bingley, that's too much! Too big. Drop it! Drop it!" But he rarely does. He simply keeps drudging down the greenway, bearing a burden he never ever had to carry in the first place. And missing out on those few moments of joyful, full-out freedom he could be enjoying. Missing out of that gift of chasing and racing that God created him to savor...all so Mr. B can carry some ridiculously humongous stick down the path.
Sure, it's a silly example. And Mr. Bingley, well, truth be told, I think he loves those sticks...or logs.
But how about us? What burdens do we insist on bearing and wearing like those ponderous chains that wrapped about the legs of Jacob Marley?
Stop bearing those burdens that Jesus died to carry for you. He is your Burden-Bearer. He's ready and waiting...come to Jesus and lay those burdens down. Then go out and live as one who is restored, redeemed and revived by the Burden-Bearer. And be thankful.
Thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord Jesus, for being our Burden-Bearer. To God be the glory.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Thankful for burdens
I can't remember who said it, but it's so true: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle." Here's how I might translate that--"Extend grace, for everyone you meet is carrying a burden." And you know what? It's high time we remember a few things about burdens. First, that we all, all, all carry them. Sure, some burdens are open and obvious for all the world to see...but others are dark and hidden--and those are surely the heaviest.
But no matter what kind of burden--whether shame, sickness, guilt, grief, fear, failure, longing, loneliness--all can be so painful and so isolating. Yet what a difference when we remember we're not in this battle alone--everyone on this planet is dealing with something--whether we can see it or not--so let's lock arms and fight together!
Knowing we're not alone is so wonderfully liberating! Liberating both from our isolation but also from our tendency to get self-preoccupied with our own burdens. It's a big world out there, people, with folks enduring all kinds of difficulties and heartbreaks we often have no idea about it, so let's be quick to extend the grace, love, and forgiveness of Christ.
Today, I'm thankful that none of us are in this alone--we all are bearing burdens, so we can and must break out of the prison of our self-absorption to extend grace to our fellow burden-bearers. And that's a gift!
Secondly, burdens need to be shared. "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal.6:2) I've said it so many times before, but sorrows shared are divided, just as joys shared are multiplied. That's what the Body of Christ is all about--encouraging one another, helping each other, spurring each other on to keep running our race by faith (Hebrews 12!) even when the going gets tough, and picking each other up when we fall down. And we need to remind each other, when we're struggling in the midst of a hard race, that our Savior will enable us to run all the way to the finish line. He is running with us, beside us, behind us, before us, and within us. "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil.1:6)
Oh thank You Father for the gift of the Body of Christ that shares our burdens and spurs us on to finish the race! Another gift that burdens give for which we need to be thankful!
But finally, and most importantly, our burdens remind us of our great and glorious Burden-Bearer, the Lord Jesus. On that beautiful, terrible cross, He bore the burden of our sin and shame, our guilt and grief--all of it. Every stinking bit of it...for all time...for all who would come to Him by faith. He carried every one of our burdens, covered them with His blood, and cast them away forever.
I've always loved how Corrie ten Boom put it, "When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever...Then God places a sign out there that says 'No Fishing Allowed!'" When the Burden-Bearer has borne your sins and cast them away, they are gone, done, finished, forever. Alleluia!
So today, thank You Father for burdens--those seen and unseen. Thank You for the Body of Christ, and thank You that You allow us to comfort and carry one another's burdens. And thank You for our glorious and great Burden-Bearer. Thank You that Jesus fully understands our every burden--for He has borne them all--and that He has commanded us to come to Him with those burdens, and He will give us rest for our souls (Mt.11:28-29), sustaining strength, and enabling grace.
Thank You, Abba, for burdens, for the Body, and for our Burden-Bearer. To God be the glory.
But no matter what kind of burden--whether shame, sickness, guilt, grief, fear, failure, longing, loneliness--all can be so painful and so isolating. Yet what a difference when we remember we're not in this battle alone--everyone on this planet is dealing with something--whether we can see it or not--so let's lock arms and fight together!
Knowing we're not alone is so wonderfully liberating! Liberating both from our isolation but also from our tendency to get self-preoccupied with our own burdens. It's a big world out there, people, with folks enduring all kinds of difficulties and heartbreaks we often have no idea about it, so let's be quick to extend the grace, love, and forgiveness of Christ.
Today, I'm thankful that none of us are in this alone--we all are bearing burdens, so we can and must break out of the prison of our self-absorption to extend grace to our fellow burden-bearers. And that's a gift!
Secondly, burdens need to be shared. "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal.6:2) I've said it so many times before, but sorrows shared are divided, just as joys shared are multiplied. That's what the Body of Christ is all about--encouraging one another, helping each other, spurring each other on to keep running our race by faith (Hebrews 12!) even when the going gets tough, and picking each other up when we fall down. And we need to remind each other, when we're struggling in the midst of a hard race, that our Savior will enable us to run all the way to the finish line. He is running with us, beside us, behind us, before us, and within us. "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil.1:6)
Oh thank You Father for the gift of the Body of Christ that shares our burdens and spurs us on to finish the race! Another gift that burdens give for which we need to be thankful!
But finally, and most importantly, our burdens remind us of our great and glorious Burden-Bearer, the Lord Jesus. On that beautiful, terrible cross, He bore the burden of our sin and shame, our guilt and grief--all of it. Every stinking bit of it...for all time...for all who would come to Him by faith. He carried every one of our burdens, covered them with His blood, and cast them away forever.
I've always loved how Corrie ten Boom put it, "When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever...Then God places a sign out there that says 'No Fishing Allowed!'" When the Burden-Bearer has borne your sins and cast them away, they are gone, done, finished, forever. Alleluia!
So today, thank You Father for burdens--those seen and unseen. Thank You for the Body of Christ, and thank You that You allow us to comfort and carry one another's burdens. And thank You for our glorious and great Burden-Bearer. Thank You that Jesus fully understands our every burden--for He has borne them all--and that He has commanded us to come to Him with those burdens, and He will give us rest for our souls (Mt.11:28-29), sustaining strength, and enabling grace.
Thank You, Abba, for burdens, for the Body, and for our Burden-Bearer. To God be the glory.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Thank You for interruptions!
Thank You, Father, for interruptions.
...and forgive me for my impatience that so often causes me to forfeit the joy of seeing Your sovereign hand behind every one of those interruptions. Your thumbprints are all over every one of our interruptions, and I want to be carried along by the sovereign tide of Your plans and ways, rather than fighting and striving against the flow of Your grace. Help me to say "Yes, Lord!" to every interruption and to see in each an opportunity, rather than an obstacle. A surprising divine opportunity to spread about Your relentless love and hope in ways I hadn't anticipated.
How about it? Will you join me this weekend in choosing to be thankful for interruptions? Think about it: God is sovereign over all things, all people, all plans, all places. As Abraham Kuyper once declared, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!" If the Lord is completely, totally, ultimately Sovereign over all, then every single "interruption"that comes our way must indeed, be redefined as "God's appointments." As God's opportunities, rather than man's obstacles.
I started to write about this three days ago...and then interruption after interruption...no, correction: appointment after appointment came my way. Three broken down cars in one day. Several items that I needed to get to our daughter in Chapel Hill asap. Lots of sudden new responsibilities on a school committee--things that I had to get done now, not later. Not to mention a birthday for one of our children; another child coming into town with errands I needed to run...and the list goes on and on. Nothing earth-shattering, mind you, but just lots and lots of things that had to be done that necessitated pushing aside my busy agenda and to-do list in favor of other priorities.
But God has so imprinted on my heart that these are HIS appointments, HIS priorities, and HIS people that I'm to be busy serving and loving. Here's how C.S. Lewis puts it: "The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own,' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life--the life God is sending one day by day."
More another day on the catalyst for this correction and realignment of my perspective, but for now, it's simply thank You, Father, for reminding me to be thankful for interruptions--Your sovereign appointments--in my life.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand." (Ps.37:23-24) Thank You, Abba, that You order our every step, You delight in our way, and You will use even our missteps and falls for our ultimate good and Your greater glory.
Thank You for every opportunity You give us to teach us, to grow us, to conform us into Your image, and to use us as dispensers of Your glorious grace. Whatever interruptions come our way this day, we ask that You would immediately realign our thinking to see each and every one as Your divine intervention in our lives. Might we be overflowing with gratitude for the privilege of being used by You in unexpected or unusual ways this day and every day. Thank You for the gift of helping us to die to ourselves and our selfishness, and thank You for the joy of serving and loving others.
To God be the glory.
...and forgive me for my impatience that so often causes me to forfeit the joy of seeing Your sovereign hand behind every one of those interruptions. Your thumbprints are all over every one of our interruptions, and I want to be carried along by the sovereign tide of Your plans and ways, rather than fighting and striving against the flow of Your grace. Help me to say "Yes, Lord!" to every interruption and to see in each an opportunity, rather than an obstacle. A surprising divine opportunity to spread about Your relentless love and hope in ways I hadn't anticipated.
How about it? Will you join me this weekend in choosing to be thankful for interruptions? Think about it: God is sovereign over all things, all people, all plans, all places. As Abraham Kuyper once declared, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!" If the Lord is completely, totally, ultimately Sovereign over all, then every single "interruption"that comes our way must indeed, be redefined as "God's appointments." As God's opportunities, rather than man's obstacles.
I started to write about this three days ago...and then interruption after interruption...no, correction: appointment after appointment came my way. Three broken down cars in one day. Several items that I needed to get to our daughter in Chapel Hill asap. Lots of sudden new responsibilities on a school committee--things that I had to get done now, not later. Not to mention a birthday for one of our children; another child coming into town with errands I needed to run...and the list goes on and on. Nothing earth-shattering, mind you, but just lots and lots of things that had to be done that necessitated pushing aside my busy agenda and to-do list in favor of other priorities.
But God has so imprinted on my heart that these are HIS appointments, HIS priorities, and HIS people that I'm to be busy serving and loving. Here's how C.S. Lewis puts it: "The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own,' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life--the life God is sending one day by day."
More another day on the catalyst for this correction and realignment of my perspective, but for now, it's simply thank You, Father, for reminding me to be thankful for interruptions--Your sovereign appointments--in my life.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand." (Ps.37:23-24) Thank You, Abba, that You order our every step, You delight in our way, and You will use even our missteps and falls for our ultimate good and Your greater glory.
Thank You for every opportunity You give us to teach us, to grow us, to conform us into Your image, and to use us as dispensers of Your glorious grace. Whatever interruptions come our way this day, we ask that You would immediately realign our thinking to see each and every one as Your divine intervention in our lives. Might we be overflowing with gratitude for the privilege of being used by You in unexpected or unusual ways this day and every day. Thank You for the gift of helping us to die to ourselves and our selfishness, and thank You for the joy of serving and loving others.
To God be the glory.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Joining the trees' chorus
Today, two simple reasons for thankfulness--
Thank You, Father, for our veterans. I don't really even have the words to express my profound gratitude for all they have sacrificed, all they have given, and all they have accomplished. What can we say but thank you, thank you, thank you. Might we be worthy of their sacrifice and eternally grateful for their service.
And second, thank You, Lord, for the beauty of Your world. In particular, the gift of fall trees.
The brilliant colors of the trees and the carpet of leaves crunching under my feet never cease to amaze and delight me. The glory of autumn never gets old...and reflects a magnificent, creative, gift-giving God.
A.W. Tozer writes: "We make a mistake if we do not learn to admire God in all things, great and small; for a new rich mine would be opened in our consciousness if we could learn to recognize God in nature as well as in grace! We do acknowledge that the God of nature is also the God of grace; and it is true that we glorify God's redeeming grace no less when we glorify His creating and sustaining power...
At one time, an English merchant and the renowned poet William Blake stood watching the sun come up out of the sea. The bright yellow disk of the sun emerged, gilding the water and painting the sky with a thousand colors. 'Ah! I see gold!' the merchant said.
Blake answered, 'I see the glory of God! And I hear a multitude of the heavenly host crying, 'The whole earth is full of His glory!'"
Amen! Every autumn tree trumpets the glory of God. Might we join in the chorus of thanksgiving. Think of how many trees we pass everyday. Just this morning, I was rushing down the escalator, scurrying to pick up lunch for one of my children, and suddenly, there, all over the Target parking lot, was God's glory on full display! Multiple crimson trees dotted the parking lot, and I gasped with surprise at their beauty--in the middle of concrete shopping center parking lot! God's goodness and glory is evidenced all around us, isn't it? The problem is, we're often too busy or preoccupied to notice, pause and give thanks.
So today, might every autumn tree you pass be a reminder to cease your rushing for just a moment and thank the Crafter and Creator of such astounding beauty. Whether in your yard, in the parking lot at work, or along the road and highway, every tree sings of the glory of God. And those trees are everywhere--so we have ample opportunity for praise! Let's join in their chorus. He is infinitely worthy.
To God be the glory.
Thank You, Father, for our veterans. I don't really even have the words to express my profound gratitude for all they have sacrificed, all they have given, and all they have accomplished. What can we say but thank you, thank you, thank you. Might we be worthy of their sacrifice and eternally grateful for their service.
And second, thank You, Lord, for the beauty of Your world. In particular, the gift of fall trees.
A.W. Tozer writes: "We make a mistake if we do not learn to admire God in all things, great and small; for a new rich mine would be opened in our consciousness if we could learn to recognize God in nature as well as in grace! We do acknowledge that the God of nature is also the God of grace; and it is true that we glorify God's redeeming grace no less when we glorify His creating and sustaining power...
At one time, an English merchant and the renowned poet William Blake stood watching the sun come up out of the sea. The bright yellow disk of the sun emerged, gilding the water and painting the sky with a thousand colors. 'Ah! I see gold!' the merchant said.
Blake answered, 'I see the glory of God! And I hear a multitude of the heavenly host crying, 'The whole earth is full of His glory!'"
Amen! Every autumn tree trumpets the glory of God. Might we join in the chorus of thanksgiving. Think of how many trees we pass everyday. Just this morning, I was rushing down the escalator, scurrying to pick up lunch for one of my children, and suddenly, there, all over the Target parking lot, was God's glory on full display! Multiple crimson trees dotted the parking lot, and I gasped with surprise at their beauty--in the middle of concrete shopping center parking lot! God's goodness and glory is evidenced all around us, isn't it? The problem is, we're often too busy or preoccupied to notice, pause and give thanks.
So today, might every autumn tree you pass be a reminder to cease your rushing for just a moment and thank the Crafter and Creator of such astounding beauty. Whether in your yard, in the parking lot at work, or along the road and highway, every tree sings of the glory of God. And those trees are everywhere--so we have ample opportunity for praise! Let's join in their chorus. He is infinitely worthy.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Thank You for Young Life and Windy Gap!
This is what beautiful insanity looks like--
Windy Gap, NC. You have to look closely, but two young women are screaming in on the zip line on the right side of the picture (in front of the majestic Weeping Willow tree). The zip line, in addition to flying down a mountain at dizzying speeds, ends in the LAKE. The totally unheated I-can't-even-begin-to-think-about-how-cold-it-is lake. Good night.
On the left side of the picture is a giant slide, which countless crazy high schoolers (including my son) have flown down...into the same lovely but freezing lake. Us stodgy old adults have been debating how much money someone would have to pay us to do either of these. All I know is it would require Donald Trump and Bill Gates--like big, big bucks to get me to don a bathing suit and go hurtling down a mountain and into a lake in November.
But as I sit here writing, I hear the beautiful sounds from outside of deliriously happy kids--screaming, laughing, talking, playing. And all I can think is, thank You, Father. For this place. For the vision of Young Life to introduce kids to the Source of real, true, abundant, eternal life--the Lord Jesus. For the joy of being here with so many amazing friends. For the glory of God's mountains. For the wonder of sharing this with my husband and three of my children. For these truly heroic Young Life leaders and staff who give their lives away daily in loving and sacrificing for these kids.
So today, thank You, Abba, for Young Life, for these high schoolers, and for changed lives.
Thank You for the astounding beauty of Your mountains
Thank You for all Your creatures, great and small--
Thank You for the joy of sharing all this with friends and family-
(Janie, her precious roommate, May, and Peter) And the other wonderful friends here with us enjoying this little taste of heaven--
(By the way, this picture is lacking several VIP's...like Gray Creech. Clearly, we've got to have more pictures tomorrow. This simply will not do!)
I have laughed hard and cried repeatedly--all out of gratitude and love. And let me tell you something--if you ever feel discouraged about the state of our nation's youth, pay a visit to a Young Life camp. Boy, God's got His hand upon some remarkable young folks, and He's working and moving in so many places and in so many ways.
So today, another simple thank You to our extravagantly generous and gracious Father. What a reminder that life's greatest blessings and treasures come not from an abundance of possessions...nor from exotic, world-wide travel...nor from perfect, fancy homes...nor from any thing this world can offer us. No, true contentment, true joy comes from the One who gave up everything in order to come to this earth and give His life for us.
He is the Gift. He is the Giver. And all His gifts are so, so good.
Today, what gift has He given you? The treasure of friendship. Of laughter. Of fall's beauty. Of friends or family (like Young Life leaders) who've loved and cared for your children. Of a bracing walk on a cool day. Of salvation. Would you thank Him?
"The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him." (Ex.15:2)
Thank You, Father. Thank You. To God be the glory.
On the left side of the picture is a giant slide, which countless crazy high schoolers (including my son) have flown down...into the same lovely but freezing lake. Us stodgy old adults have been debating how much money someone would have to pay us to do either of these. All I know is it would require Donald Trump and Bill Gates--like big, big bucks to get me to don a bathing suit and go hurtling down a mountain and into a lake in November.
But as I sit here writing, I hear the beautiful sounds from outside of deliriously happy kids--screaming, laughing, talking, playing. And all I can think is, thank You, Father. For this place. For the vision of Young Life to introduce kids to the Source of real, true, abundant, eternal life--the Lord Jesus. For the joy of being here with so many amazing friends. For the glory of God's mountains. For the wonder of sharing this with my husband and three of my children. For these truly heroic Young Life leaders and staff who give their lives away daily in loving and sacrificing for these kids.
So today, thank You, Abba, for Young Life, for these high schoolers, and for changed lives.
I have laughed hard and cried repeatedly--all out of gratitude and love. And let me tell you something--if you ever feel discouraged about the state of our nation's youth, pay a visit to a Young Life camp. Boy, God's got His hand upon some remarkable young folks, and He's working and moving in so many places and in so many ways.
So today, another simple thank You to our extravagantly generous and gracious Father. What a reminder that life's greatest blessings and treasures come not from an abundance of possessions...nor from exotic, world-wide travel...nor from perfect, fancy homes...nor from any thing this world can offer us. No, true contentment, true joy comes from the One who gave up everything in order to come to this earth and give His life for us.
He is the Gift. He is the Giver. And all His gifts are so, so good.
Today, what gift has He given you? The treasure of friendship. Of laughter. Of fall's beauty. Of friends or family (like Young Life leaders) who've loved and cared for your children. Of a bracing walk on a cool day. Of salvation. Would you thank Him?
"The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him." (Ex.15:2)
Thank You, Father. Thank You. To God be the glory.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Mr. Bingley and our pilgrims
Her paint has started to chip, and now her skirt is looking a little worse for wear. Yes, she's old--she's lived with us many, many years. Yes, she's been packed and unpacked, packed and unpacked...hauled down a storage tub in the attic to come downstairs and join us for the fall and thanksgiving holidays. And yes, truth be told, her counterpart, father pilgrim, is looking a bit rough around the edges as well. Getting older sure isn't for sissies, is it?
But this pilgrim's decimated skirt, well, that's another matter.
Maybe we need to ask Mr. Bingley about that one.
For you see, yours truly foolishly placed Mr. and Mrs. Pilgrim beside our fireplace (not in the fireplace, mind you. I'm not a total idiot) where they've stood guard for multiple years of thanksgiving. I know I'm a broken record when it comes to the pilgrims, but oh my how they encourage and inspire me. They stand as silent sentinels reminding us of what it means to sacrifice, to encounter staggering difficulty, to suffer terrible losses...and yet to persevere in faith and choose gratitude. To choose thankfulness to God even in the face of oftentimes hard and bleak circumstances. Oh my, if they could choose praise and thanksgiving in the midst of all they endured and suffered, how can we possibly do any less?
Sorry, I digress. Sigh...back to Mr. Bingley.
When I placed our pilgrims in their usual spot, I'd forgotten that Bingley has never been around for Thanksgiving. And while Bingley has not been a voracious chewer of objects, furniture, or shoes, he does love his toys. He really loves his toys.
So when a new object suddenly appeared in his neck of the woods--meaning in the den and near the ground--he happily assumed his family had gotten him a new toy to chew, toss around, and enjoy carrying from room to room. Now while this might be great for the squeaky fish toy, the rubber ball, and the supposedly indestructible squeaky ring, it's not so great for a 15 year old pilgrim lady made of wood, paper, and straw.
When Bingley proudly trotted into the room holding her in his mouth, our reaction was less than welcoming. After rescuing Mrs. Pilgrim, I glared down at him and in my meanest voice demanded, "Bingley, what have you done?" He pretty much knew--
That is one guilty dog.
And those are the shoes of one irritated mom.
Don't worry. We made up...pretty much immediately. When it comes to dogs, it's pretty much impossible to stay mad for more than a minute or two....especially when they gaze up at you with those soulful, sorrowful eyes. Oh my, what a gift our dogs are--always loving your company (even when you're in a crummy mood), always seeking to please you, always overjoyed to see you when you've been gone for more than two and half minutes, and always happy just to sit and your feet (or in Bingley's case, to jump in your lap) in contented silence.
So today, a simple thank You to the Giver of all good gifts--thank You for Bingley, thank You for the gift of our pets, thank You for those "little," seemingly ordinary gifts in our lives that bring us so much joy. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17)
Thank You for every one of those gifts, Abba. Might we this day be quick to notice those gifts You so extravagantly shower upon us. Free us from the indifference, busyness, and preoccupation that so often blinds us to Your wonderful grace and generosity in our lives.
Open our eyes to Your treasures, fill our hearts with gratitude, and cause our lips to overflow with Your praise so that You might be glorified and others might be encouraged and strengthened as well. The pilgrims did it so faithfully...help us to do the same. They might be looking a little worse for wear, but they still remind us--Keep persevering. Keep praising.
To God be the glory.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Grateful for the Word
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (I Pet.1:6-7)
You know, this life can be wonderful...but it can also be mighty hard. I have dear friends whose children are struggling with illness. Other dear friends who are sad and disappointed that their beloved child has to move to a distant country for her husband's work. Other friends and family dealing with different, but equally difficult, challenges and losses.
Oh my, haven't we all been there? In fact, aren't we all there now in some shape or fashion? Yep, the disappointments, the hurts, the losses, the failures vary...but the pain is just as real, just as sharp, and just as universal.
But for this we have Jesus.
I love these verses in Peter, for they remind us that our trials are temporary--as my Daddy used to say, "We're going through a rough patch." Love that--patches don't last...but persistent people do. We all eventually come out on the other side of a rough patch, praise God. And we find ourselves a little wiser, a bit stronger, and a lot more thankful. Nothing like a rough patch to remind you of what's really important and to exponentially increase your gratitude for life's simplest but most profound gifts.
Yes, trials are temporary, but our faith lasts forever and is revealed, refined, and strengthened by those struggles. And the ultimate result? Glory and praise to God. That sure helps me when it feels like I'm stuck in a deep ditch with no way out in sight. To know, know, know that somehow, someway, God will use my struggles and persevering faith to bring glory to His name.
Bu the key is, right in those hard moments, to counsel our hearts not to think or act based upon our feelings but based upon our faith. Feelings come and go based upon anything and everything from changing circumstances, to the weather, to what we ate for lunch, to how others treated us that day, to how much sleep we got. Totally unreliable! But not our faith. No, our faith is grounded securely upon rock solid Truth. Feelings vascillate. God's Truth is eternal, unchanging, supernaturally powerful, and supremely reliable.
Here's what A.W. Tozer says:
"I think all of us meet Christian men and women who always seem to look on the gloomy side and are never able to do anything with life's problems but grumble about them! I meet them often and when I do, I wonder: 'Can these people be reading and trusting the same Bible I have been reading?' The Apostle Peter wrote to the tempted, suffering, and persecuted believers in his day and noted with thanksgiving that they could rejoice because they counted God's promises and provisions greater than their trials! We do live in a sinful and imperfect world, and as believers in Christ we acknowledge that perfection is a relative thing now--and God has not really completed a thing with us, as yet! Peter testified that the persecuted and suffering Christians of his day were looking, in faith, to a future state of things immeasurably better than that which they knew, and that state of things would be perfect and complete!"
So today, I'm thankful for the solid ground of God's Word--both His written Word and His living Word, the Lord Jesus. God's Word will never fail us nor those that we love. No matter our circumstances, let's choose gratitude over grumbling today...we've got God's never-failing Word.
To God be the glory.
You know, this life can be wonderful...but it can also be mighty hard. I have dear friends whose children are struggling with illness. Other dear friends who are sad and disappointed that their beloved child has to move to a distant country for her husband's work. Other friends and family dealing with different, but equally difficult, challenges and losses.
Oh my, haven't we all been there? In fact, aren't we all there now in some shape or fashion? Yep, the disappointments, the hurts, the losses, the failures vary...but the pain is just as real, just as sharp, and just as universal.
But for this we have Jesus.
I love these verses in Peter, for they remind us that our trials are temporary--as my Daddy used to say, "We're going through a rough patch." Love that--patches don't last...but persistent people do. We all eventually come out on the other side of a rough patch, praise God. And we find ourselves a little wiser, a bit stronger, and a lot more thankful. Nothing like a rough patch to remind you of what's really important and to exponentially increase your gratitude for life's simplest but most profound gifts.
Yes, trials are temporary, but our faith lasts forever and is revealed, refined, and strengthened by those struggles. And the ultimate result? Glory and praise to God. That sure helps me when it feels like I'm stuck in a deep ditch with no way out in sight. To know, know, know that somehow, someway, God will use my struggles and persevering faith to bring glory to His name.
Bu the key is, right in those hard moments, to counsel our hearts not to think or act based upon our feelings but based upon our faith. Feelings come and go based upon anything and everything from changing circumstances, to the weather, to what we ate for lunch, to how others treated us that day, to how much sleep we got. Totally unreliable! But not our faith. No, our faith is grounded securely upon rock solid Truth. Feelings vascillate. God's Truth is eternal, unchanging, supernaturally powerful, and supremely reliable.
Here's what A.W. Tozer says:
"I think all of us meet Christian men and women who always seem to look on the gloomy side and are never able to do anything with life's problems but grumble about them! I meet them often and when I do, I wonder: 'Can these people be reading and trusting the same Bible I have been reading?' The Apostle Peter wrote to the tempted, suffering, and persecuted believers in his day and noted with thanksgiving that they could rejoice because they counted God's promises and provisions greater than their trials! We do live in a sinful and imperfect world, and as believers in Christ we acknowledge that perfection is a relative thing now--and God has not really completed a thing with us, as yet! Peter testified that the persecuted and suffering Christians of his day were looking, in faith, to a future state of things immeasurably better than that which they knew, and that state of things would be perfect and complete!"
So today, I'm thankful for the solid ground of God's Word--both His written Word and His living Word, the Lord Jesus. God's Word will never fail us nor those that we love. No matter our circumstances, let's choose gratitude over grumbling today...we've got God's never-failing Word.
To God be the glory.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Thankful for grace...and friendship!
A little food for (thankful) weekend thought--
Do you ever wonder why God puts up with you and your foolishness? Or even more remarkably, that your friends and family do as well?
Grace. All grace--start to finish, up and down, front to back. Grace for foolishness. Grace for failure. Grace for falling down.
And grace for forgiveness. Grace for forever loving. Grace for finding a way to pick us up, dust us off, and set us back on course again.
Oh thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord Jesus for the priceless gift of Your grace...and for the treasure of friendship grace as well. Oh how I need them both, every day and every hour.
Just yesterday, yours truly (once again) lost her perspective. How on earth can it take so little to cause me to veer off the safe path of trust and hope and into the dangerous oncoming traffic of doubt, frustration, disappointment? One minute I'm happily walking along beside Your "still waters" and in Your "paths of righteousness." Content. Satisfied in You. Grateful. Trusting like a little child.
And then the next moment, something as trivial as a poor tournament golf round for our oldest son can momentarily throw me off kilter and cause me to forget You are in control and all Your ways are ultimately best. Yes, I can say that I believe it (through clenched teeth), but my heart and attitude betray my doubt and disappointment. Actually, let me call it what it really is--sin.
It took God's Word and the words of a dear friend to bring me back into line with the Truth.
So thank You for Father for the gift of Your Word that returns and restores our wayward hearts and emotions back into Truth...the true Truth. Not the truth of our vacillating feelings but the true Truth of Your Word, Your promises, and Your never-failing faithfulness. Your sovereign goodness and grace...even when we least deserve it.
And thank You also, Father, for the treasure of our friends and family who provide the "skin face" of Jesus in our lives by modeling Your grace when we fall down...and who lift us up by reminding us of Your true Truth. Who remind us of the true Source of our Hope.
Hope not born of success...but of the Savior. Hope born not of perfect circumstances...but of our perfect Redeemer. Hope born not of possessions or power or popularity...but of the Person of the Lord Jesus who is "our sure and steadfast Anchor of the soul." (Heb.6:19)
Sometimes we forget, Abba. Thank You for refusing to give up on us, but instead for reminding us of the Truth and for bestowing upon the gift of friends and family who do the same. We are not worthy--I am not worthy--of You or them. But that's grace, isn't it? "God's riches at Christ's expense." And that grace is beautiful beyond measure.
"Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Heb.13:15-16)
So again, I offer up my simple sacrifice of praise to my God. Today, it's for His gifts of grace--both in Himself and in our family and friends. And what an appropriate day to do this--November 1st--the day we haul out our "Family Thanksgiving book." It's simply a little notebook we bring out every November and record things for which we're thankful on most days. (Notice that word "most"--we've missed plenty of days over the years...but grace, people, grace!)
Here's an example from one of the days and years past--
The children's thanksgivings have ranged from "birthdays" to "clowns" to "cotton candy" to "a new brother" to "grandmama is in heaven with Jesus now."
Thankful for everything. From the lips of babes. How often I need the reminder that we are "to give thanks in ALL circumstances." (I Thess.5:18) Not necessarily give thanks for all things, but in all things.
You know what? I can do that. Thankful even in adversity or struggle or whatever, because it's all filtered through the loving, gracious hand of my Heavenly Daddy...and He makes no mistakes. Will you join me in choosing at least one thing each day in the month of November for which to be thankful...truly thankful? And then, don't just tell God thank You (though, of course, do thank Him first!), but also share your gratitude with someone else as well. Joys shared are multiplied...just as sorrows shared are divided. Let's do some multiplying this November! God, after all, is the Creator and Giver of it all.
Today, thank You, Father, for grace...and thank You for friendship.
To God be the glory.
Do you ever wonder why God puts up with you and your foolishness? Or even more remarkably, that your friends and family do as well?
Grace. All grace--start to finish, up and down, front to back. Grace for foolishness. Grace for failure. Grace for falling down.
And grace for forgiveness. Grace for forever loving. Grace for finding a way to pick us up, dust us off, and set us back on course again.
Oh thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord Jesus for the priceless gift of Your grace...and for the treasure of friendship grace as well. Oh how I need them both, every day and every hour.
Just yesterday, yours truly (once again) lost her perspective. How on earth can it take so little to cause me to veer off the safe path of trust and hope and into the dangerous oncoming traffic of doubt, frustration, disappointment? One minute I'm happily walking along beside Your "still waters" and in Your "paths of righteousness." Content. Satisfied in You. Grateful. Trusting like a little child.
And then the next moment, something as trivial as a poor tournament golf round for our oldest son can momentarily throw me off kilter and cause me to forget You are in control and all Your ways are ultimately best. Yes, I can say that I believe it (through clenched teeth), but my heart and attitude betray my doubt and disappointment. Actually, let me call it what it really is--sin.
It took God's Word and the words of a dear friend to bring me back into line with the Truth.
So thank You for Father for the gift of Your Word that returns and restores our wayward hearts and emotions back into Truth...the true Truth. Not the truth of our vacillating feelings but the true Truth of Your Word, Your promises, and Your never-failing faithfulness. Your sovereign goodness and grace...even when we least deserve it.
And thank You also, Father, for the treasure of our friends and family who provide the "skin face" of Jesus in our lives by modeling Your grace when we fall down...and who lift us up by reminding us of Your true Truth. Who remind us of the true Source of our Hope.
Hope not born of success...but of the Savior. Hope born not of perfect circumstances...but of our perfect Redeemer. Hope born not of possessions or power or popularity...but of the Person of the Lord Jesus who is "our sure and steadfast Anchor of the soul." (Heb.6:19)
Sometimes we forget, Abba. Thank You for refusing to give up on us, but instead for reminding us of the Truth and for bestowing upon the gift of friends and family who do the same. We are not worthy--I am not worthy--of You or them. But that's grace, isn't it? "God's riches at Christ's expense." And that grace is beautiful beyond measure.
"Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Heb.13:15-16)
So again, I offer up my simple sacrifice of praise to my God. Today, it's for His gifts of grace--both in Himself and in our family and friends. And what an appropriate day to do this--November 1st--the day we haul out our "Family Thanksgiving book." It's simply a little notebook we bring out every November and record things for which we're thankful on most days. (Notice that word "most"--we've missed plenty of days over the years...but grace, people, grace!)
Thankful for everything. From the lips of babes. How often I need the reminder that we are "to give thanks in ALL circumstances." (I Thess.5:18) Not necessarily give thanks for all things, but in all things.
You know what? I can do that. Thankful even in adversity or struggle or whatever, because it's all filtered through the loving, gracious hand of my Heavenly Daddy...and He makes no mistakes. Will you join me in choosing at least one thing each day in the month of November for which to be thankful...truly thankful? And then, don't just tell God thank You (though, of course, do thank Him first!), but also share your gratitude with someone else as well. Joys shared are multiplied...just as sorrows shared are divided. Let's do some multiplying this November! God, after all, is the Creator and Giver of it all.
Today, thank You, Father, for grace...and thank You for friendship.
To God be the glory.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)