Missing the laundry basket may bring the wrath of Mom.

Missing God’s commandment brings the eternal wrath of God.

Don’t be deceived. God is our Creator and has every right to tell us how we are to live. (Genesis 1:27)

God has made His standard very clear. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:36-40)

Don’t deceive yourself. We ALL have sinned. We ALL fall short. We ALL deserve death. (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23)

We ALL are sinners and we cannot save ourselves.

God provided a solution through Jesus Christ for His just, eternal wrath for our sin .

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

In order to be included in God’s salvation, we must repent of our sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Please!

Usually implied in this statement is that something bad happened.

If something good happened, we’re apt to think: “What a good girl I am.” “What  a good boy I am.”

But if something bad happens …

Christian Fundamentals When You Don’t Understand

God is good and does good. (Psalm 119:68)

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

We must rest on the facts that God is good, God does good, and that His ways and His thoughts are much higher than our own.

We Must Trust

We cannot fully understand why God does something. But we can and must trust Him.

As Christians, we are His children and He loves us, protects us, trains us, and grows us into Christ’s likeness. Everything that He allows into our lives is for a loving purpose, to bring us to glory.

Trust Almighty God and Press On

We are inundated with words and opinions, which have accelerated with social media. So… whose opinion matters? Who and what do we believe? What do we act on?

There are four categories of the sources of opinions.

God

For Christians, it is clear, God’s opinion matters! And not only that, He is truth and all He says is true.

If you don’t believe, God still is Truth! Watch out.

O Lord, God of truth. (Psalm 31:5)

The World/Satan

Everything Satan says is a lie. He wants to damage us, destroy us.

He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

Ourselves

We talk to ourselves all the time. ALL the time. We must be careful what we say to ourselves. I remember a comic where the grandfather asked his granddaughter why she was upset. She said: “I was talking to myself. And, well, things were said.” Isn’t that true?!

I’ve been asked if I believe everything a certain person says. Well, no, but I don’t always agree with myself either. We have to evaluate what we say to ourselves according to the Bible.

Others

With others, we have to exercise discernment. Other people vary in their importance to us; a spouse’s opinion has different weight than a stranger in the store. And other people are more or less operating according to the Spirit or the flesh.

You shouldn’t even always listen, but you should always evaluate according to God’s truth. And to do that you have to know God’s truth.

How to get it right

Since God is Truth, and God’s “opinion” is the total truth, He is where we need to start. His truth is contained in His Word, the Bible, so the better we know the Bible, the better we know the truth.

The better we know the Bible, God’s truth, the better we can detect lies and misinformation.

What to do

STUDY God’s Word! Memorize! Meditate! Make God’s Word a integral part of your being.

Press on!

We are born with a God-given purpose, with a length of life God ordained for us, and with responsibility how we use the time God gave us.

Make the most of your time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:16)

There are books and sermons on this topic, many of which focus on productivity. Those messages are about wisely using the hours in our days, being productive.

Accomplishing what the Lord wants us to do in any given time period is important. Many of us carefully plan our days (after prayer, of course!).

Opportunities versus Hours

But! We also need to be alert to unexpected opportunities arising in our planned-out day!

In Ephesians 5:16, “time” is a translation of “Kairos,” which means season or opportunity rather than “Chronos,” clock hours.

Make the most of your opportunities, make the most of your seasons, witnessing and serving in Christ’s name. We must be open to how we can fulfill His purpose for us in advancing His kingdom, even if it isn’t what we’d planned (!).

Conflicts

A conflict may arise between using every hour productively and responding to opportunities.

Picture yourself with a day planned with what you KNOW is God’s direction. It’s going fine, but then you receive an urgent call from someone needing help, and you believe God wants you to assist. Your prayerfully planned day is out the window. What you planned is no longer possible.

How do you feel?

I have a godly Christian friend who focuses on staying connected to Jesus Christ and then lives spontaneously. (I admire her, but don’t always understand.) My spontaneous friend is apt to say: “Great! I have an unexpected opportunity to witness about my Lord and serve this person in Christ’s name.” No problem.

Me? I am likely to be stressed, even though I dive into helping the person with the issue. (And stress, of course, can bring out not-so-desirable behaviors.)

Resolutions

Making the most of my hours is important, but I need to stay open to His surprises during the day. My plans, even after prayer, are my plans. They are not sacrosanct. I am the bond-servant of my Lord Jesus Christ and I must, I must, stay ready to follow Him That means my plans must be continually surrendered to my Lord’s direction throughout the day. And that I must rejoice in it.

I will continue to pray about what the Lord would have me do with my day, but I resolve to be open to changing events and needs and not be fixed on what I planned in advance.

Lord, HELP!

We can bring joy and delight to Almighty God! I find it amazing that we, His created humans, can delight God. But we (Christians) can and have.

Bring Joy to God by Repentance

Christians have already brought joy to God by repenting and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

Delight God Here and Now

Believers can also delight God here and now by we live.

God delights in lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth. If we live that way, we delight God. (Jeremiah 9:24)

We please God through faith, by believing that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

We please God as we walk in a manner worthy of Him. The blameless in their walk are His delight. (Proverbs 11:20)

God delights in the upright, and delights in the prayer of the upright. (1 Chronicles 29:17; Proverbs 15:8)

If we are faithful with the few things He gives us to do, we enter into His joy.

Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25:23)

Being able to delight God—Holy, Eternal, Unchanging, Almighty—is unfathomable to me. But it is both true and a motivator to live to please Him.

~~~

Thank You, Father, that we matter to You and that we can delight You, bringing You joy. Help us live more and more in a way that pleases You.

“Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1)

Practice when it is easy so you do well when it is hard

Pilots, sailors, and many other professions routinely practice emergency procedures, so if they face an emergency they know what to do and have done it successfully in the past.

Pilots practice flying on instruments (needed for bad weather) when the weather is good, using a hood to restrict their vision, and with a qualified pilot in the right seat.

Christians need to practice also

God tells us to keep His statues and practice them. And He sanctifies us.

You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you. (Leviticus 20:8)

Skills don’t start full-blown. When children start walking, they fall, get up, and walk again. Similarly, we don’t live perfect Christian lives as soon as we are saved. (Don’t you wish?!)

Spiritually, we need to practice as well. Work at thanking and trusting God, for example, when faced with “small” issues so trusting Him in a tragedy comes readily.

For example

It is a beautiful day for your picnic. Thanking and trusting God comes easy.

You’ve planned a special celebration at a park … but it is sleeting. Thanking and trusting God is harder, but we must thank and trust.

A hurricane or tornado damages your community, and/or your home. He is the same good God, with the same holy, loving purposes for you, His child. Thank and trust Him that He will use that difficult event to make you into the image of His Son.

Set your heart

We must determine to thank and trust Him when it is a beautiful day, developing the habit to thank and trust Him when it is hard and we don’t understand.

Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10)

He is worthy.

Giving thanks to God is a command. Being grateful to Him shows we love Him. Gratitude serves Him, praises Him, and worships Him. (See Gratitude)

But how can we do this better? How can we give Him thanks with all our hearts? (Psalm 138:1) How can we overflow with gratitude? (Colossians 2:7)

Fundamentals of Gratitude

The better we know God, the more grateful we are.

The better we know how much God loves us, the more grateful we are.

The better we know God’s loving control over what He brings or allows into our lives, the more peaceful we are, and the more grateful we are.

The better we know God’s plan for the world, His forthcoming victory over evil, His rewards for His children, and His judgment on sinners, the more peaceful we are in any situation, and the more grateful we are.

The key to each of those is to know the word of God, the Bible, and pray. If you don’t have a daily Bible study routine, start! Memorization (which I’m terrible at, but know I need) stores the Word of God in your heart, helping you remember His word.

No one is satisfied with their “prayer life,” but keep working on it.

Tips during the day

Remember. Remember. Remember.

Remembering who God is and who we are to Him, trumps any difficulty. It shifts our focus from problems to eternal reality.

Remember God’s answers to prayer in your own life, and in others. God is at work.

Recite Bible verses about His love for you. Remind yourself that you are His creation, His child. He has a reason for the situation. You can trust Him.

Remember His promises. You are headed to glory!

Stay alert.

As you see nice, funny, wholesome things during the day, thank Him. Deliberately look for the good things, and thank Him. [It can be a habit to see the good … or to see the bad. I’m not advocating for Pollyanna, and we do need to be aware of issues around us. But we need to put things in eternal context.]

As you see things that concern you, thank Him that He is God, and working His holy plan to a righteous victory over evil. Thank Him that, for you, He is working all things for good, making you more and more like Jesus Christ.

Ask yourself: in this situation, what am I grateful for?

Notice when you grumble, and deliberately turn that to thanksgiving.

Regularly enumerate things you are grateful for.

Gratitude is a discipline rooted in faith.

Press on!

In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Giving thanks in everything is God’s will for YOU! For YOU. (And me.)

Reread that verse inserting your name!

Kristin is to give thanks in everything. [Your name] is to give thanks in everything.

“Everything” means all the time and everywhere. In good times and bad. In sickness and in health.

We need an “attitude of gratitude.” “A worldview of gratitude.” “A disposition of our hearts.” “A habit of life.”

Gratitude is a command; Obeying is love

We are commanded to give thanks in everything, and all God’s commands are meant for our good. Obedience always brings blessing.

Obeying God’s commands shows we love Him.

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15)

Gratitude requires trust in God.

It’s easy to be thankful when we receive what we see as good things. Being thankful when bad times come requires that we trust our almighty, loving God.

Something may not look good, but through God’s incredible, holy providence, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Even though we may not be able to imagine how something could be good, God is good. And He is God (and we are not).

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9)

We have every reason to be grateful for whatever He brings or allows into our lives.

Gratitude is service to God

By gratitude … we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe. (Hebrews 12:28)

Gratitude to God is praise and worship.

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me. (Psalm 50:23)

I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:30)

Intentionally decide to be grateful, out of obedience and love.

Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. (Hebrews 13:15)

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:4–5)

Praise God!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Hallelujah!

Through His resurrection, we are born again to a living hope

Christians are born again to a living hope!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

Living hope rests on Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Our living hope is hope in our eternal life, in our forthcoming glorification. Our living hope rests on Christ Jesus, who is our hope, on the God of hope, and on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Christ Jesus, who is our hope. (1 Timothy 1:1)

Living Hope is eternal

Just as God — Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit — is living and eternal, so our living hope is eternal. It never dies. Our living hope is secured through Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

It means we have (for sure) a future, eternal life with God.

Abound in living hope NOW

As we abound in our living hope, we are filled with joy and peace.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Our living hope looks forward to glory, knowing that we will be resurrected just as our Lord and Savior was.

He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus. (2 Corinthians 4:14)

This gives us faith and strength to persevere through hard times now. We know, we KNOW, that God is bringing us Home, and whatever we are going through is “momentary.”

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Look ahead in our living hope

Look ahead to our promised, secured, eternal life. As we look ahead, we abound in hope, in joy and peace.

Praise Almighty God.