Reminding myself...again!

        More than a century ago, John Broadus said, "We are so taken up with the affairs of the present that we don't have time to give thanks for the blessings of the past."
        Oh my, in our fast-paced technology-crazy, sound-bite driven culture, how much more is the that the sad state of affairs?  So preoccupied with our to-do lists that we're too busy to look back.  Too busy to pause and reflect.  Too busy to be thankful.  Too busy to express our gratitude to the Lord, to our loved ones, to the people in our paths.
       I've said it a million times....but I love, love, love Thanksgiving.  A purposeful setting aside of time to enjoy being with your loved ones (praise God--children returning home!), to savor feasting on the most delectable of foods, and to reflect on God's extravagant goodness in your life--how could you ever go wrong with all that?  And, joyfully, no giant expectations of gift buying and home decorating--thank You, Lord!  Add to that the wondrous story of Thanksgiving with pilgrims and indians and God's faithfulness, and well, there's no doubt about it: you simply cannot beat Thanksgiving.
       But sadly, to my shame, I'm already beginning to feel the edges of anxiety gnawing at my heart...how many days till Christmas?  Oh mercy, not going there.
       Seriously,  just now--after writing these words on thankfulness--I ran to pick up our youngest son, and I found myself fussing about the traffic, fretting about all the things I've got to do, grumpy and irritable for no particular reason.  Oh my stars!!  Lord I believe...help my faithless, fretting, fussing unbelief!
       So here's the thing--there's only one way to defeat all that: purposeful daily pausing to spend time with the Lord in His Word, in prayer, in praise and thanksgiving.  Thankfulness, peacefulness, faithfulness is not our default mode, is it?  Nope, it'll never just happen. We have to daily choose to make it happen.
       We have to daily be reminded of God's presence, His goodness, His love, His grace, His faithfulness in our lives and in our world.  We have to daily remember to look to Him and worship the sovereign Creator rather than all the stuff He's created.  We have to daily reflect on all our reasons for gratitude rather than grumble.  We have to daily choose to humble ourselves, seek His forgiveness, ask for His grace.  We have to daily choose to worship Him rather than indulge in self-focused worry.   
       I loved these words by Matt Boswell: "Thankfulness is the fuel for living worship. While our gatherings are a theater for our thankfulness, our entire lives should be marked by gratitude.  As we allow the truths of the gospel to enlarge our hearts, we find ever-increasing room for thankfulness to God...We are a tired and forgetful people, who need to be once again gripped by the glory of God.  And we all of us have much to be thankful for."  And all God's people said: AMEN!
     It's a daily need, this need for fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), for thankfulness, for worship.  And yes, we can become mighty tired and forgetful this time of year, can we not?  So today, this moment, pause.  Reflect and give thanks.  Open the Word and worship.  Take a deep breath...look around and savor a glimpse of the glory of God...stand in awe and wonder at the greatness of Your God.  And give Him glory.  Today.
       To God be the glory.
     

Choose gratitude!

                                A little food for (thankful) weekend thought--
        "All your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless You!  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.  The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.  The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.  The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season.  You open your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.  The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.  The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." (Ps.145:10-18)
        The Psalms provide an abundant wealth of praise material.  And it's interesting how often a number of the Psalms begin with discouragement. frustration, or fear.  Yet by the end of those Psalms, the writer--who has fixed his gaze upon the Lord--finds renewed strength, courage, and hope.  They might start with worry but they finish with worship.
       Why is that?  Well, because we cannot worry and worship at the same time--one will always displace the other.  We either choose to look to ourselves, wringing our hands in worry or we choose to look to the Lord, praising Him for His greatness and faithfulness.
       Nor can we experience fear and faith in the same moment.  We might feel fear, but when we choose by faith to look to Jesus and kept our gaze locked upon Him, that faith will dispel our fear.
       Same thing for thankfulness--in any given circumstance, we have the choice of grumbling or gratitude.  Will we choose to be grateful for that which God has chosen to give...or withhold?  Or will grumble about what we're stuck with...or lack?
       Because here's the thing: it's always a choice.  Oh might we choose wisely.
       I loved these words on gratitude: "A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer.  It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry.  And it helps fortify the believer's trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times.  No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer's heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord."  (John McArthur)
        "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."  (G.K. Chesterton)
       One more: "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."  (John Wooden)
        We may not have a choice over our circumstances, but we always have the choice as to how we'll respond.  No matter what's going on in our lives today, let's choose wisely and well--choose to give thanks to God.
        To God be the glory.

Give glory to fall's Creator!

        Alrighty.  It's been a busy week, so time to get back on the thankfulness bandwagon.  And oh my, fall just pleads with us to open our eyes and savor the quickly passing beauty, to indulge our senses in the wonderful aromas and tastes, and then to give voice to what should be our constant response of gratitude.
        I loved these words by Shauna Niequist: "Our kitchens are filled with the smells of apples bubbling into sauce, roasting squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, cider, warmth itself. [Amen!  Just throw some pumpkin and chocolate in there and you're pretty much at the gates of heaven...but I digress.  Sorry, back to Shauna.]  The leaves as they spark into wild color just before they die are the world's oldest performance art, celebrating one last violently hued hurrah before the black and white and silence of winter.  Fall is begging for us to dance and sing and write with just the same drama and blaze."
        Amen!  Who crafted every leaf, created every pumpkin, and caused every summer to shed her stifling temperatures for fall's brisk, pure air?  Why don't we let Nehemiah answer that--
        "You are the Lord, You alone.  You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You." (Neh.9:6)
        Or as John put it in Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created."
         Our great and awesome God stained the cardinal a bright crimson (still my favorite bird--a love letter from God, if you ask me--so whenever I glimpse one, I always respond--"I love You, too, Lord!")--

         And our Creator and Redeemer just as surely painted yesterday evening's sunset--

       Not to mention the mighty and awesome One who even gave us the gift of dogs.  Mr. B relaxing after a bracing walk in autumn's wonderful air--

        A.W. Tozer says that "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!"
        So thank You, Lord, for Your magnificent creation--all a pale but lovely reflection of Your perfection, beauty, and glory.  Thank You for autumn's countless treasures from sights to smells, every single one a gift from our great and good Giver.  Oh might we notice each one of Your gifts and then immediately turn to You in thanksgiving and praise.
        And by the way, can I just add--if fall can be this wondrous, can you even begin to imagine heaven?  Wow.  Yet another reason for hope and rejoicing!
       Give Him the glory today!
       To God--our extravagantly creative and generous Painter, Sculptor, Chef, Author, Architect, Designer and on and on--be all the glory.
         
     

Praising the Lord, Part II

        Okay, part II the joy of praising the Lord…because I think we all need reminding!  

We worship Almighty God, because He is infinitely worthy of all our praise (see yesterday).  But here’s the amazing part—the Lord also uses our worship to bless and encourage us!  Yet another example of His amazing grace!  

        Listen to these ten benefits to our worship as shared by Louie Giglio: First, our worship changes the soundtrack of our circumstances.  When we’re struggling mightily with some sort of problem or pain, that can become our soundtrack—the thing we’re always thinking about and talking about. But when we choose to praise God in the midst of the trouble, the soundtrack changes!  We begin to recognize that God is right there with us.  We change that soundtrack running in our brains to one of praise rather than panic or worry.  

        I can share a literal example of this in our family when our daughter, Janie, lay unconscious in a coma.  The moment the doctors gave us permission, we started softly playing praise music.  We kept that music on pretty much 24-7, and I can tell you, it radically transformed the atmosphere in Janie’s ICU room.  Right in the midst of the fear and pain, we were continually reminded of our Great God’s presence, power, and faithfulness.  It changed the soundtrack…and changed and strengthened us.

Secondly, worship allows us to reframe our circumstances.  Sure, our circumstances may not change, but we put a new frame around them—the Lord’s in control here.  His goodness, grace, and power frame our circumstances.  

        Third, worship puts God in view.  Darkness conceals but praise reveals.  Oh my, how thankful I am for His illuminating presence…and praise allows us to see Him when darkness has hidden His face.  

        Fourth, I love this one: worship displaces worry.  Because you absolutely cannot worry and worship at the same time. It’s impossible!  One always displaces the other—so let’s choose worship!         Fifth, worship dispels the darkness. God’s first words as Creator in Genesis 1 were “Let there be Light.”  John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Light that “shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”  When the Lord enters the picture, darkness always flees.  

        Sixth, worship breeds hope.  When we worship we’re reminded that our Father is forever faithful, and He will always come through.  

        Seventh, worship repels the enemy.  Satan, our enemy despises worship and cannot remain wherever and whenever the Lord’s name and greatness is lifted high.  

        Eighth, worship welcomes Jesus.   Ps.22:3 declares that “God inhabits the praises” of His people.  It’s as if we build the Lord a throne in our hearts with our worship and welcome Him into our lives.  

        Ninth, worship preaches the truth to us.  Oh my, this is so important, because nobody preaches to you more than you!  And the most powerful preaching you can ever do is to praise Almighty God by rehearsing and reminding yourself of His faithfulness, power, love, grace, goodness. 

You know, it’s funny.  If we have a friend who’s really struggling, think how quick we are to encourage them by sharing truths from God’s Word.  We exhort them by telling them things like: “God’s faithful!  Don’t give up.  He’s got all the power, and He has great plans for you and your loved one.  He’ll pull you through this.”  

        Yes sir, we’re johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to encouraging others with God’s faithfulness, but then what about ourselves?  We can all too easily fall into that woe-is-me, what-on-earth-are-we-going-to-do mode when what we really need to be doing is stop worrying and start worshipping.  We’ve got to preach the truth about God to ourselves!  

        Finally, tenth, worship restores our soul.  We find healing and rest for our troubled souls in when we worship the One who is our Peace.              

        Oh my, worship changes everything!  Tim Keller says, “Who cares about the acclaim of the serfs, if you have the love of the King?”  Seriously, think about that!  If the King of the Universe loves and adores you, then what does it matter if you don’t enjoy the applause and approval of the world around you?  

        There is one glorious King; everybody else on this planet—including every single one of us?  Serfs!  So let’s get busy adoring and praising the only One worthy of all our worship! 

        To God be the glory.

Praising the Lord!

        Hope you’ll forgive me sharing some thoughts from our Bible study on Nehemiah 9 since it’s all about the focus of this wonderful month of November—gratitude and praise to the Lord, who is the Giver of all good gifts!  

        In this prayer, the Levites begin by praising and worshipping God: “Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.’ (Neh.9:5-6)  The starting place for prayer, and indeed for all of life if we want to be filled with joy—is praise of Almighty God.  Everything begins by looking up.  When we look up in praise and worship to our Lord and Maker, all the other things swirling around us take on their proper perspective.  

        What is disease compared to Jehovah-rophe, our Great Physician who is our Hope and Healing?  What are our financial challenges compared to the One who made everything, owns everything, and sustains everything and is our Jehovah-Jirah—our Great Provider?  What are our relationship difficulties compared to Jesus who is our Peace and Jehovah-Shalom, our Lord who sends peace?  No problem, no person, no pain, no perplexity can ever begin to compare to the power and glory of our Lord.  

        So what does it mean to praise?  Well, it means taking yourself out of the way and instead being fully occupied with adoration of the Lord.  For instance, we praise and meditate upon His glorious names found throughout Scripture.  I just mentioned a few, but He has so many because He’s infinite!  Here’s a couple more: Jehovah-Nissi, meaning “God is our Banner,” for He’s our Source of victory.  Adonai—meaning “Master” or “Lord.”  Elohim—meaning “Strength” or “Power.”  “El-Shaddai” meaning “God Almighty, the God who is all sufficient and the Source of all blessings.”  Father—He’s our Abba, our Daddy, who knows and loves each of us individually.  Emmanuel—God with us.  Lamb of God.  Savior.  The wonderful list goes on and on, so that we’ll never lack for praise-ammunition!  

        Moreover, we praise God by recounting His beautiful, perfect character.  His attributes such as His holiness, faithfulness, mercy, love, grace, sovereignty, omnipotence, omniscience and on and on. In the Levites prayer in Nehemiah, they praise Him in v.6  as the Exalted One and the Creator, Sustainer, and Preserver of the universe.  “You are the Lord, You alone. [Amen!]  You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is in it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You.”  

        If you need some inspiration for adoration of God, just open your eyes and look around you!  He crafted every beautiful tree arrayed in fall’s finest, every bird soaring overhead, every tiny baby in all his or her astounding intricacy, every peaceful, glowing sunset, and every microscopic cell of your body that allows you to see, think, hear, and feel.  AMAZING!!  Such is our God and there is NONE other!  

       We adore and praise God because He is infinitely worthy of all our praise, but remarkably, our Great God also uses our praise to bless and encourage usI  What a Lord we serve!  More on that tomorrow since I’ve already gone on and on.  

        But here’s the point—give God praise!  Spend time daily--beginning today--praising Him for who He is and what He has done.  He is worthy, worthy, worthy (and you will be encouraged and strengthened in the process--only our God!)

       To God be the glory.

What's your source?

        "Then he [Nehemiah] said to them, 'Go your way.  Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord.  And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'" (Neh.8:10)

        Just a wee bit of background:  The people of Jerusalem were exiles who had returned to rebuild their beloved but shattered capital city that had been decimated decades earlier by the conquering Babylonians.  Remarkably, now Jerusalem's people had not only rebuilt the temple, but they had finished rebuilding the city's ruined walls which were essential for protection from their enemies.

       As they celebrated the completion of the walls' reconstruction, the people listened to a reading of God's Word...which led to great conviction and mourning over their sins, for the people recognized how terribly far they had strayed from God and disobeyed His life-giving Word.  

      But in this verse, Nehemiah encourages them that God's Word brings both conviction and yet also offers forgiveness, grace, life.  The Word reminds us where our forgiveness can be found as well as the Source of our joy and hope.   

         I love that phrase--"the joy of the Lord is your strength."  For those exiles, the Lord was their joy and strength.  He was the One who brought them back to Jerusalem.  He was the One who enabled them to rebuild the city's walls.  And He was the One who would be their hope and stay in all the years ahead.  

       I had to ask myself, what's my strength?  What's your strength?  Seriously, what's the source of your inner strength, your peace, your hope?   Because this is a reminder that only in Christ is there a spring of endless power, peace, love, and joy.  He is our strength for He is our joy...and in Him our heart's hunger finds complete satisfaction.   As Augustine said, "You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You." 

       This month of November when we consciously remember and choose gratitude, let's begin with the greatest of all gifts--the Lord Jesus.  No matter what might be going on in your life right now, if Jesus is your Savior, then you have an infinite fountain of forgiveness, grace, joy and Life in Him.  

       The joy of the Lord is your strength this day and everyday.  Not your bank account.  Not your successes.  Not your home.  Not your appearance.  Not your relationships.  Not your health.  Jesus is your indomitable joy and your indefatigable strength.  And no disease, no defeat, no disappointment, no nothing can ever separate you from His love nor overcome His supernatural joy, strength, and grace.  

       So today, choose joy...because the joy of the Lord is your strength.  He's your never, never, never, never failing Source!  Hallelujah!   

       To God be the glory.  

It's November--start today!

        I love the months of October and November for so many reasons.  First, because, well look around you.  God puts on a serious show of beauty during these wondrous weeks of fall.  Explosions of orange, red, and yellow at every turn.  Pumpkins, squash, and bales of hay.  Carpets of leaves, crunching acorns, and cool refreshing air.  The fair, football, and feasts of pumpkin cake, pumpkin lattes, and pumpkin chocolate chip bread (oh yeah).
        But secondly, in a word: Thanksgiving!   What a gift to have these months to be reminded afresh to be thankful.  Not just in some general, namby pamby way, but with conscious intention to recall specific things, people, places, whatever, for which we're grateful.
        Oh my, how desperately we need that gratitude.  You know why?  Because we forget.  And when we forget, we grow resentful or irritable or bitter. Never fails.
       For instance, it starts right when we first awake in the morning.  People who remember God's relentless goodness to them and who choose gratitude, tend to have the joyful attitude of saying "Good morning, Lord!" upon waking up to a brand new day, a brand new opportunity to love their Lord and love the people He's so graciously put in their lives.  Those who forget, those who have the attitude of resentful discontentment, tend to groan, "Good lord, it's morning."  Discouraged before the feet even hit the floor thinking and complaining: not already...not again.
        Sure, thankfulness isn't the answer to the world's problems, but it's a start.  God commands it over and over again in His Word.  For instance, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess.5:16-18)  Or "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!  Give thanks to Him; bless His name." (Ps.100:4)  Or "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!" (Phil.4:4)  Or "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph.5:20)
        I didn't see many qualifiers in there, did you?  Giving thanks always.  In everything.  In all circumstances.
        And I'm telling you, thanksgiving and praise changes everything.  Yeah, yeah, it sounds simplistic, but it's true.  I've seen it borne out in my own life time and again.  Whenever the focus is upon me, myself, and I and my problems, well, it's not only boring, ugly, self-centered, and prideful, but it always leads to misery.  Always.
       But on the other hand, whenever we choose--by an act of the will--to move from what we lack to all that we've been blessed with, or we shift our gaze from life's obstacles to our Lord's omnipotence, well then, our focus completely changes...our hearts lift...and our spirits rise from resentment to rejoicing.   From worrying to worshipping.  Before we know it, our hearts that had been filled with fretting and selfishness are now overflowing with joyful faith and a renewed vision of the Savior.
         As Paul David Tripp says, "Peace in times of trouble is not found in figuring out your life, but in worship of the One who has everything figured out already."  
        Maybe that's November's greatest gift of all--the reminder that we don't need to figure it all out...we simply need to worship.  We simply need to choose praising God for who He is and thanking Him for all He has done.  Even the small things...maybe even especially the small things, since often that's where we'll uncover hidden pockets of unexpected joy.  Joy!
        So, it's the beginning of November.  Just in case you've forgotten, or perhaps, like me, need a little reminding since bad habits of busy ingratitude can creep in, it's time to start remembering to be thankful. Time to start choosing to be thankful.  Time to start specifically writing down or saying out loud how we're thankful.
         Start your list.  Today.  To God be the glory.