“Give us grateful hearts, our Father, for Your many blessings. Make us mindful of the needs of others. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This Thanksgiving, take stock. Are you a grateful person? What are you grateful for? The Lord has given you and me many blessings–spiritual and earthly, eternal and temporal.
I once heard someone ask: “If the Lord removed everything for which you had not given thanks, what would you miss?”
This Thanksgiving, let’s take steps to become more grateful.
#1: Decide to become characterized by gratitude. Make up your mind.
#2: Ask the Giftgiver to give you a grateful heart.
#3: Spend time, at least 30 minutes, listing every spiritual and temporal blessing you can in that period of time. Thanksgiving Day is a great time for this, but pick additional days throughout the year as well. Your birthday. Christmas. New Year’s. Easter.
#4. Develop daily routines to reduce grumbling and increase gratitude:
– When you catch yourself grumbling, deliberately give thanks for something instead. (See Who are you grumbling at?)
– At the end of the day, every day, identify three things for which you are grateful. Think about what happened to cause those good things, and see God’s hand behind them. If you journal, write them down.
– Routinely share with others things for which you’re grateful. Sharing helps cement your thankfulness.
God commands us to give Him thanks (for example, Ephesians 5:20, ). We are told not to grumble (for example, Philippians 2:14).
(See Give thanks. Always. In everything.)
“Give us grateful hearts, our Father, for Your many blessings. Make us mindful of the needs of others. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
Employees are bombarded with distractions: email, messages, unscheduled visitors, phone calls. It is a huge productivity problem, with well-paid consultants and programs attempting to improve focus on the tasks at hand. Researchers have found that it takes some time, perhaps 25 minutes, to reengage after an interruption.
Distractions can be a spiritual problem as well.
Martha was distracted by her preparations and missed an opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet.
“But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”” (Luke 10:40)
Solomon was distracted by his many foreign wives, and bad things happened.
“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women…and his wives turned his heart…away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God…Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully…Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded. (1 Kings 11:1–13)
Interruptions and distractions must be managed if they cannot be eliminated.
Solomon could have obeyed the Lord and not taken many foreign wives.
Martha could have made more simple preparations and focused on the Lord.
We all are susceptible. A friend who has a child with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) talks about ADOS: Attention Deficit…Ooooh….Shiny.
But we can learn to recognize distractions, and keep our focus where the Lord wants it…But not without prayer and His help. And not without practice.
I think this is a tough problem in busy lives. Do you have suggestions for me?
I love to give and receive encouragement. And encouragement is—can be—a spiritual gift. (See A Little Help FOR Our Friends.)
But it is possible to encourage evil, and that is not good.
“Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and preserve his life…” (Ezekiel 13:22)
And the end of the chain of depravity in Romans 1 is:
“Although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32)
We must be discerning to know when encouragement is good, or not.
We must prayerfully consider:
How and when to encourage
AND how not to encourage evil in others.
Let’s consider “how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,” (Hebrews 10:24)
“These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.” (Titus 2:15)
Let’s consider how to encourage God’s children.
And let’s pray how to respond to the evil in our midst.
“You’re in the Army now. You’re in the Army now.
You’re not behind a plow. You’re in the Army now.”
I sang that ditty as a kid, never expecting I’d be in the Army. Ever.
We’re in the Army Now
But I am in the army now.
And you, as a fellow Christian, are also in Christ’s army. We are to be good soldiers of God.
“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3)
Fight the Good Fight
We are to fight the good fight of faith.
“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, … that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience…” (1 Timothy 1:18-19)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
Use God’s Armor
We are to put on the whole armor of God.
“The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)
“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:13)
We’re on Duty
As soldiers in Christ’s army, we are always on duty. We never get a furlough.
“No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4)
Follow our Lord and Commander
We need to stay alert for attacks, and fall in line behind our Lord and Commander.
“And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.” (Revelation 19:14)
“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.” (Revelation 19:19)
While the battle may rage, and while we know more difficult battles are coming, we also know the outcome of the war. God wins. And we, as His soldiers, are on the winning side.
“These [the beast and his followers] will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14)
Hallelujah!
“The Lord has put me on the shelf.”
That is “Christian-ese” for “I am not in service”; “I’ve been set aside.”
Be careful. You may be in the Lord’s place of service, even though it isn’t how you want to be used.
Watch how you interpret “on the shelf.”
How about: “He is preparing me for something.” “He is giving me an opportunity to rest.” “I need to watch for opportunities in the place He put me.” “My time hasn’t come.” “Wait.”
Think about two people who might have felt they were on the shelf and forgotten:
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was about six months older than Jesus (Luke 1).
Eight days after he was born, his father prophesied: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the LORD to prepare His ways…” (Luke 1:76)
Then there was a loooonnnnggg delay:
“And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” (Luke 1:80)
His public appearance didn’t come until he was about 30.
Moses
Moses fled Egypt when he was 40 and settled in Midian where he pastured the sheep of his father-in-law for 40 years. Forty years!
During those 40 years, he married, had children, and tended the sheep.
And then, one day, out of the blue, the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush. (Exodus 3:2)
The time had come for the LORD to send Moses back to Egypt in order to deliver His people.
Our Shelf Time
John the Baptist, no doubt, knew about the prophecy and was waiting for the Lord to tell him, “Go!”
There is no indication Moses thought he would have anything to do for the Lord. He probably thought he would continue to tend sheep, year after year.
What about you? Me?
We do not know the future. We do not know the Lord’s specific plans.
But we do have the present, and need to use our time wisely.
Continue to grow in knowledge of God.
Study the Bible
Worship
Pray
Be obedient to Him.
Watch for His orders
Trust
When will it happen? When will it be over? How long, Lord?
Even Jesus asked this question: ““And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”” (Matthew 17:17)
Your reality may be tough. You may be agonizing about the fix you are in.
Switch your view from your situation to the Timekeeper.
God, all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, has control of the clock. He will be right on time.
“And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:41)
““On that day I will…” (For example, Ezekiel 29:21, Hosea 1:5)
He knows what is happening to and around you. He promises to bring good out of whatever it is (Romans 8:28-29).
He controls the depth of the trial, and the length of the trial.
Fix your eyes on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
Trust your almighty, loving Lord.
I shouldn’t bother God with that little thing… I’ll just pray about the big stuff.
Huh?!
“For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.”
Benjamin Franklin
What, exactly, is “big stuff” to God?
Nothing is too difficult for Him. Jeremiah 32:17
With God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26
God is almighty over all…including the “big stuff” and the “little stuff.”
Everything is easy for God, so even the “big stuff” is “little stuff.”
If it’s important to you, it’s important to your Father.
Pray about the “little stuff.”
So… Lord, should I upgrade my operating system?
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
“Phil 4:13” is often written on athletes’ eye blacks, bodies, and uniforms. They claim the verse guarantees they can win.
But the verse, in context, is about being content, with the Lord’s help, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are hungry or filled.
God never guarantees we will win in the arena, or in the ring, or in the marketplace.
But God guarantees we will be made into the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29)
Remember Philippians 4:13 when you are challenged to exercise the fruit of the Spirit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22)
Remember Philippians 4:13 when you want to curse your enemy.
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27–28)
Remember Philippians 4:13 when you don’t want to forgive.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)
God guarantees He will work on us until the day of Christ Jesus both to want to do His will and to actually do His will.
So, the next time you want to explode rather than being patient or loving, remind yourself that, through your Lord who strengthens you, you can do it.
Let’s write Philippians 4:13 on our heart and minds.
Who’s the star?
I just read an interesting article about pitchmen that has obvious implications for Christians giving their testimonies.
When a celebrity pitches a product, the celebrity is the star. However, a successful pitchman makes the product the star.
Some Christian testimonies seem to focus on their experiences, especially how lost they were, rather than the Lord who saved them.
I’m challenged to make sure in my life I’m making my Lord the star.
* “The Pitchman,” in What the Dog Saw, Malcolm Gladwell.
“God never gives us more than we can handle.”
HA!
The point of trials is exactly to give us more than we can handle. By facing more than we can handle, we are forced to lean on His strength. We are forced to learn we are not sufficient in ourselves.
We learn to “not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9).
From trials, our faith, endurance, and fruits of the Spirit grow so we are able to take on more the next time. (James 1:3)
In strength-training, you deliberately exceed the accustomed load on your muscles. By pressing (safely) beyond your physical limit, you increase your muscle’s strength.
And it is hard. I sometimes tell my trainer that I hope Christ comes again before we get to the next machine.
Spiritually, all—ALL–Christians are in a God-designed spiritual strength-training program.
We are promised trouble.
We are also promised benefits from that trouble. (See What’s so Good about Bad?)
The choice is ours: we can recognize that God, our strength-trainer, has allowed the trial for our benefit, lean on Him, honor Him throughout, and keep going. Or we can whine, and complain, and crumble.
Let’s consider it all joy. (James 1:2)
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When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready?
When Storms Come: Will You Be Ready? helps Christians not fear bad news, shows them how to handle current trouble, and helps them emerge stronger on the other side.
About me
I'm a Christian, wife, retiree, and author.
I love studying and putting knowledge into action. I'll share what I'm learning, encourage you, and urge all of us to press on to become more like Christ.
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