Express It!

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It was hidden way up in the cupboard. I only ran across it as I was looking for something else, but there it was…a simple gift from our oldest son, Joshua. I received it at Christmas because he knew it would be so very precious to me. I had read it, but had forgotten just how precious it was. I read it again and tears started to fill my eyes. I shared it with David, my husband, and he read it, too. He, likewise, was touched by its contents.

So what was it???

It was a handwritten note on two sheets of plain paper expressing our son’s thanks to me for influence in his life. Powerful.

“It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Put It Up On The Wall!

“I need help from you all to remember to be thankful,” she said. “So I want you to write out something you are thankful for and post it on the wall.”

Grace had an ingenious way of promoting thinking thanks for her family.

She created a place on her wall where the family could stick post-it notes with things that they were thankful for. As you passed by that wall throughout the day your mind was prompted to think on things that you were thankful for.

Later they would take down the papers and read them at supper time. What a great way to forge a brain neural pathway of thinking thanks! They have graduated to writing them down in a journal now so that they will not loose all the little slips of paper. They want to remember the things for which they were thankful.

This was like writing a long thank you letter to the Lord for who He is and things He had done.

Biblical Example

When Paul wrote 13 letters, preserved as “books” in the New Testament, he often began by rehearsing his thanks to God for the recipients of that letter. Actually, Paul mentions the topic of thankfulness at least 46 times in his 13 letters, sometimes exhorting others to give thanks (as in Colossians 3:15-17), and other times expressing his own thankfulness.

Interestingly, the phrase “thank you,” occurring nine times in the ESV Bible, is never directed to another person or group. “Thank you” is always directed to God in the Scripture. But Paul began almost every letter with some version of, “I thank God for you.”

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” Colossians 1:3

See also Romans 1:8, 1 Corinthians 1:4, Ephesians 1:16, Philippians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Timothy 1:3, Philemon 1:4)

The Apostle Paul

Paul voiced his thankfulness for people. He encouraged them with his words. He thoughtfully included his gratitude under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He was going to be conveying great truths in his epistles that would mold the Church for centuries to come, and in some cases rebuking them for their sinfulness and blindness, BUT right there at the beginning of his letters, there is a verse expressing th(i)nkfulness.

I wonder how often you do that? Do you take the time to thank your God for the people He has placed in your life, and then express your thankfulness to those people, highlighting the reasons you are thankful?

A Challenge

I wonder if we fully realize how powerful it is to express our thanks not only to God, but also to others?

So I present you, my reader, with a challenge! To whom could you express thanks today?

Maybe you would write out a thoughtful note like Josh did for me. Maybe you could stick post-it notes on a wall like Grace did. Maybe send a text, or email, or an old-fashioned letter with stamps and everything, stating to someone the reasons you are thankful to God for them. You might even get up the courage to speak, to tell someone the reasons you thank God for them.

Just make sure you do SOMETHING today to express thanks to someone. You will encourage someone else and you yourself will receive a blessing for having done it.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”

Proverbs 3:27

Pockets of Thankfulness

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“Pockets of Thankfulness”

Where do little boys put their treasures?

A seven year boy went on a walk with his family recently. Rounding a corner he suddenly called out, “Pockets of thankfulness.“

Such an artistic statement grabbed the attention of one family member. “Pockets of thankfulness?” they asked. “Yeah,” he replied, “we have breastplates of righteousness, helmets of salvation … why not pockets of thankfulness?” He was just continuing what he considered to be the logical progression of the armor of God.

Love it!!

Although the writer of Ephesians 6 did not included pockets of thankfulness, the picture seems to fit so perfectly as both a defensive and offensive piece of a Christian’s armor. Thankfulness shields us from temptation, and strikes back at the tempter.

In Isaiah 11:5 the author uses two descriptions of putting on a belt. “Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.”

In Isaiah 59:17 the Lord God puts on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He puts on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wraps Himself in zeal as a cloak.

In I Thessalonians 5:8 we are exhorted to be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation.

The visual image of a piece of clothing to illustrate a spiritual truth is powerful. Having the direct command of Ephesians 5:20 to give thanks always perhaps gives us grounds to include pockets of thankfulness?

Fill those pockets with things, thoughts, and Scripture that will motivate gratitude!

Pocket Contents

“I’ll just put it in my pocket so I can get it easily.”

Does that sound familiar? A pocket keeps things handy. It is designed to hide things in a place where they can be brought out quickly. I know I often put things quickly in my pocket to have it readily available. Maybe I will need a tissue, or my phone, or some cash?? I will just put it here in my pocket.

Pockets first began appearing on waistcoats and trousers about 500 years ago. As you may remember, about half the population wasn’t wearing trousers back then. In Medieval times, both men and women wore bags that tied around their waists and filled them with whatever bits and bobs they needed.

Embry Roberts

Unfortunately, many Christians keep thankfulness locked up in a trunk to be opened once a year at Thanksgiving, or on the odd occasion where they are almost killed in an automobile accident or are experiencing cancer in remission. But thankfulness is NOT meant for your locked trunk. It should be in your pockets. Handy. A part of your routine even more than checking social media. Something you can quickly share with a friend. Oh, to have some really big pockets, heh?

What Would Be In Your Pockets?

Maybe the first thing you would put in that pocket would be cash. Seems like you would be so thankful to find some money when reaching into your pocket (even after it’s been through the laundry).

What would you make sure was in your pocket of thankfulness?

If you are a teacher or mother, could I suggest getting a visual of a pocket that you could use in teaching gratitude? Get a big square of blue jean material and sew a pocket on it, then pin it to a bulletin board.

IDEA 1: At the beginning or end of the day, write something you’re thankful for on a piece of paper. Put it in the pocket … for later times when the ingratitude seems to be winning in your life … or maybe for the end of the week when it’s time to count our blessings.

IDEA 2: Ask your children to put in a small object that represents something that they are thankful for and letting them share why that is special to them? The next day you could have a quiz holding up an object from the pocket of thankfulness and ask who remembers what it represented.

IDEA 3: See the inside flyleaf of your Bible as your “pocket.” I have a slip of paper readily available with at least five things that I can think thanks for. I want my eyes to often peruse that paper. We need reminders. We need them often.

Just as a side note ~ that seven year old boy who imagineered “pockets of thankfulness” just happens to be my precious grandson. #thinkful

“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.”

Henry Ward Beecher

Navigating Anxious Thoughts

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Whoa!! Didn’t Expect That One

She put the phone down, shock slowly creeping through her.

“Did not have a clue that this challenge was on its way,” she mused to herself.

“So how does God want me to to navigate this situation? How can I process these uncomfortable moments in a way that would be pleasing to Him?”

As the temptation to worry seeps in, we can have an emergency plan in place. We can practice for the upcoming “bend in the road” just like someone practices for an upcoming game.

1. The Replacement Principle – Matthew 6:25

Jesus gives some guidance when it comes to anxiety.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about the body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:25

Interesting to note that He says don’t be anxious about your life. In the verses to follow He reminds us that we cannot add one hour to our lifespan. God cares for us as He does for the birds of the air and the beautiful grass of the field. He states that the Gentiles (unbelievers) are seeking after, and continually anxious about, those things.

In contrast He says to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness! That’s the cure for anxious thoughts that Jesus gives us!! Outward and upward focus! “What can I do for His Kingdom today? Who can I serve? Who can I encourage? Who can I share the gospel with? Who can I pray for other than myself and my problems?”

As believers, we are different in that we have a Heavenly Father that is looking out for us. He knows our needs and lacks no power to supply them … in His time … and in His way. He can also clearly distinguish our needs from our wants – often our fretting is about our wants. As a friend mentioned, “Most of the time, we have rich people problems. If we lived in the 3rd world with next to nothing, we would have none of these problems. We have problems because we have too much … and expect to keep it all.”

The anxiety battle is won firstly through the “replacement principle.” We can’t resist anxious thoughts by simply trying to not think anything. There are some men who claim they are thinking about “nothing,” but the mind is always processing or mulling over something. So, I must replace my anxious thoughts with some kind of active planning or pursuing whatever is good for the Kingdom.

2. The Stoking Principle – Philippians 4:8

“But I feel like I can’t help it,” you may say. “Anxiety is so powerful and takes over my thinking, my existence, and affects my sleep, my heart rate, my blood pressure, my digestion, my relationships, and my thoughts.”

What we allow our minds to feed on affects us. What we meditate on throughout the day and in our waking hours of the night slowly changes us.

“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is there a grid of what materials are cleared to cross the threshold into the furnace of our thoughts? Wood is good. Materials with petrol or gunpowder are not. Have my thoughts cleared the Philippians 4:8 test?

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

Are my thoughts true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy?? Or are they dark, pessimistic, desperate, slandering of God’s character, denying His nearness, or embracing some “bad karma” idea that you are getting what you deserve from years ago?

You are stoking materials into the fire of your mind that will eventually affect you. Paul gave us a list of good slow-burn thoughts that help us regain clarity. The very first on his list is “whatever is true.” “True” is whatever agrees with reality as known in the mind of God.

Thinking on what is really true cools the fire of most anxieties, which are mostly speculations about what will happen in the future without God in the picture – “I’ll get in so much trouble,” “I’m gonna die and leave my family in heartbreak,” “I could have been shot in the crossfire!” It is not true. None of it. Most anxiety magnifies the worse-case scenario and makes God disappear. It is the worst kind of speculation, imagining yourself alone in your trouble without God, His grace, His promises, or His people.

3. The Th(i)nkful Principle

Something bad happens and the fires of anxiety flare. Firstly, we’ve already seen that we can fight anxiety by getting busy with kingdom business at home, at school, at work, or in our community. Secondly, we have to watch our meditations and keep the combustible, harmful speculations out of the furnace. Thirdly, we need to think of what we can be thankful for in the situation and elsewhere in our life. This is the discipline of being th(i)nkful.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Philippians 4:6

“In everything give thanks” is the Lord’s command because His meticulous Providence governs each detail of our lives, they are working for my good and His glory in His time, He is with me, He has measured what I can handle with His grace, I can cry out to Him at any time, and I have His Word, His Spirit, His promises, and His people around me. How will I respond? He is watching me. The angels in both kingdoms are watching. How will I respond?

Productive & Unproductive Anxiety

“anxious: (adj) uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter: worried.

(from Latin anxius, from angere, to torment)

thefreedictionary.com

Giving proper prudence to a matter or having proper fear for a dangerous situation is NOT what I am referring to here. You can address a dangerous situation with caution and not be overrun and controlled by anxious thoughts.

In this picture our youngest daughter is looking at a young lion cub in South Africa. That little lion is strong. Not respecting the danger associated with this animal would be foolish.

BUT there is another fear that is not good. It is a faithless fear. It is a fear that God is not really in control. God doesn’t care about me and my little life. Those lies can feed a sinful anxiousness.

Navigation Plan

Do you have a plan to handle anxiety when a Sovereign God ordains life to throw you a curveball? You could formulate your own, but here’s an example of what to write out in the back of your Bible:

  • First run to the Lord in prayer and acknowledge that God is God and I am not
  • God is with me right at this moment and knows more about this than I do
  • God wants me to run TO Him with my cares not AWAY from Him and stew
  • Begin searching for things that I can think thanks about even right in the storm
  • Romans 8:18 tells me that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
  • Matthew 11:30 describes the Lord’s yoke as easy and His burden as light
  • Even if everything else goes wrong, I can give thanks for Jesus saving my soul
  • This life is a vapor and will soon be over; I will be made perfect and my troubles will be over!

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7

Remember

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Thinking Back

“Remember when we did that right before Christmas?” she said, as her mind drifted back to relive the moment. She paused to savor the memory one more time.

Do you remember things that you are thankful for? Do you pause for a moment to savor the joy of that memory?

Recently, we earnestly prayed with a family in our church-body here in South Africa for their urgent need. This precious family had not been all together as a family for many years. Their oldest sons had moved to the States to go to college and one got married. Waiting for important government papers prevented their travel with their newly adopted children.

Many of us came before the Throne on their behalf and asked for God to be merciful to them if it be His will. We prayed for a long time. God did not act until it got very close to the wire. We knew that we could trust the LORD even if His answer was ‘no.’

But in the fullness of His plan, He gave them their request right when He chose to do so, at virtually the last minute. Oh, the rejoicing in our church. We wanted to sing and dance to celebrate with them. We were SO thankful. Full of thanksgiving. Overflowing with thanks!!🙌🏼

They were ALL together for Thanksgiving. As I rehearse that happening, I want to smile and thank God anew.

It is a good thing to REMEMBER. It is important for us to tell others, too, especially our children and people in our sphere around us. “Let me tell you of this awesome thing God did in the life of one of our friends!”

“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12

Remembering Builds Faith

In Joshua 4 the people of Israel were asked by the Lord to do a curious thing. One man from every one of the twelve tribes was to pick up a stone from the Jordan river as they passed through and carry it on their shoulder to the other side.

The children of Israel had weathered many hardships, and multiple challenges lay ahead. As they came upon the mighty Jordan river, the LORD did a miracle and dried up the river for all of them to cross over.

On the other side of the Jordan river at Gilgal, Joshua set up the twelve stones as a memorial to remember.

The Lord wanted them to have a physical reminder of God’s mighty power on their behalf.

“When your children ask their father in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground,’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

Joshua 4:21-24

As the generations would tell and retell what had happened, the remembrance of what took place would build faith for the next generation to also trust that God would direct and provide for them.

Th(i)nkful Remembrance

We are nearing the end of 2022. What are things for which you can remember to think thanks for this year?

But…what if this year has been full of raw, difficult pain? What then?

We run to the character of God. We chose to rest in His sovereignty of working ALL things in a divine plan to conform me to be like Jesus. We remember that this life is just a vapor, we are headed for a celestial home. The incredible treasure in hard things is that the Lord is with us right in those awful times. He holds us, He whispers that we need to wait on Him and take courage. We remember the myriad of other people who are going through similar struggles.

He is coming back for us. He promised. We wait with anticipation and with thankful remembrance of all that He has done for us. The main thing being that if we have trusted in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, He has forgiven all our sin, from the cradle to the grave.

What about making a time alone or with others, for which you express things you thank God for doing this year?

Thankfulness is a joy doubled.

David Brown

Quick To Thank

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I Thank God For Joan

I have someone to thank. My friend Joan has been amazing! I asked her to come up with a project that my 7 Rivers Knitters could do while she visited here, and look what she did. She designed these awesome Zulu Decorative Pillow Covers that people can buy to make their home beautiful. We went shopping and cut out fabric together. We planned out and assembled these kits … and what a blessing they have been to the ladies. Yes, it has been challenging for them, but not impossible. We are learning and growing to make new beautiful things.

Joan has been a blessing in my life for many years. This last opportunity to think thanks was just so over-the-top. I was grateful for her thoughtful kindness and for the sustained effort she put into developing this project.

I thank the Lord for Joan. I am thankful to Joan. I am thankful for Joan.

https://www.7riversoutreach.org/7-rivers-knitters

Expansive Credit

The opportunity to thank someone is seldom out of reach. When we thank someone, we give credit to them. As I thank God for my friend Joan, I give Him credit for creating Joan and for sanctifying her and for equipping her as He has.

When I thank Joan, I give her credit as well. I say that I notice how creative she is, how much effort she put into designing the pillows, knitting and sewing a prototype, raising funds for the project, helping me shop for fabric and yarn, compiling kits, mentioning to her that I couldn’t and wouldn’t have done this project without her. There is so much credit I can give for so many things, rather than just saying “thanks for all your help on this.” It is a lovely thing to give someone “expansive credit.”

Am I looking for opportunities to express thanks? To give expansive credit to someone? Or do I maybe just sum up a massive amount of thanks for a sustained and multifaceted effort someone has made with a curt, “Hey, thanks”? Or worse yet, do I just think thanks and then say nothing? Don’t let your introverted personality or stoic culture stand in the way of practicing this godly discipline in your life.

It is interesting to note that when I go without something for a while, I become much more thankful to receive it back. The absence of something we have taken for granted – like electricity or water or a job or a friend – makes us aware of how nice it was to have those things or people. Only then, we realize that we need to be careful not to take that thing for granted. Must I lose something or someone to be truly thankful for them? Too many people give expansive credit to others only at their funeral. Give them a eulogy (eu=good; logos=message) before they die.

Reverse Entitlement

“We’re living in an age of entitlement. People believe that they are deserving of privileges or special treatment. “I have this coming to me.” As a Jesus-follower, let’s build our lives on what HE looks like, and overflow with thankfulness. Let’s not overflow with negativity or insensitivity, seldom praising the people we live with and work with. The Bible says bluntly, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21) We’ve all felt the pain of name-calling, put-downs, anger — things that killed our joy, confidence, or sense of worth. But there are some unforgotten comments that are like wind beneath our wings; among them is the powerful uplift of a “thank you.” An acknowledgment, a “thank you” to a son or daughter for their strength of character, generosity, sensitivity to people who are hurting, for their passion, sense of humor, discipline, insight, or honesty. This will cause them to flourish.”

Dick Hester

Entitlement is a preoccupation about what has not come to me but should have. The energy is on pulling in the focus, on self-promotion, on gaining attention, on demanding privilege. The worst is when lethargy and mediocrity demand such things. Thankfulness is reverse entitlement. It is outward focus, others-promotion, attention deflection, and advocating privilege for someone who deserves credit.

Who Will You Thank Today?

So how about it. Who will you thank today? Be quick to do it. It might not be that hard. 🙂 And as we come up on the Thanksgiving season, perhaps this is something you could do as a family.

I want to have as a goal for every day that I have left to live that I would daily find someone to encourage. Maybe it would be a simple “thank you” for doing that. Maybe a text. Maybe a big smile. Maybe a written note. Maybe something I bake or buy.

It is important to remember that I thank God for that person and then express my thanks to the person. God is sovereignly behind every good and perfect gift.

“Every good and 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

The beautiful repercussion of being quick to thank, is that you start being more th(i)nkful. It just happens automatically. You think thanks!

LET’S BE QUICK TO THANK!

Choosing Companions

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To Timothy, My Son

Most of us have concluded that the years 2020-2022 have been pretty world-changing. There was another set of three years long ago that brought a lot of change in the Middle East – the years 68-70AD. In that space, Peter was crucified upside down, Paul was beheaded, and Jerusalem and the second Jewish Temple were destroyed. Other apostles had already been martyred for the faith in Syria, Egypt, Greece, Armenia, Persia, and India.

Paul knew that this letter to Timothy (2 Timothy) was his last. His time to depart this earth was at hand (see 4:6). God had given Paul revelation about pieces and parts of end times prophecy, but as was typical of the Lord, He gave Paul no timelines. Paul thought it must be soon, maybe in the next 10-20 years. Paul knew other apostles were being killed, false teachers were building wealth and reputation in the church, and young men of the second generation, like Demas, were falling away.

How about Tim? Timothy was godly but the youngest of the Ephesian elders. He was timid. He had stomach issues. Paul chose his words carefully under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and encouraged Timothy to avoid the spirit of fear which is not from God. God through His Spirit gives power, love, and self control. He exhorted him to stay faithful and to entrust the gospel to faithful men.

The 19 Horribles

In the third chapter Paul gave Timothy a heads-up about how people would change in the last days before Jesus’ return. In only five verses, Paul listed the 19 Horribles. These characteristics have been around since Genesis, but toward the end, society will come under a dominant spirit of the age (zeitgeist) and be defined by it. You might feel these Horribles are strangely familiar.

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Do you notice #7? Right there in the list of horribles … “ungrateful.” Just like “the hinge” in Romans 1:21 that started the long slide downward for society, unthankfulness and ungratefulness are no small sins. The Greek word means “without grace.” Ungratefulness emphasizes personal hurts, disadvantages, and inequalities, finds flaws and faults, embraces victimization, and rejects authority and society at large for messing everything up. The sister of ungratefulness, three words further on, is “unappeasable.”

“The wicked are always ungrateful.”

Miguel de Cervantes

Companions of Ungratefulness

It is a well-settled proverb that we imitate our companions (Proverbs 22:24-25). It is through others that we often invent, or reinvent, ourselves. We may dress alike, laugh the same, use the same phrases, and repeat their views about things. The companions of an ungrateful person will often become ungodly. You may say that is a harsh statement. I ask you to consider if it is true. The incessant highlighting of wrongs, faults, short-comings, and injustices will strongly impress the mind to also begin seeing the cup way below half-empty.

A person that is thankful and expresses that gratitude attracts different people. She knows there are big problems that require great thought, humility, and serious discussion, but she will highlight things in or around the situation that are cause for joy and cause to give credit to God or other people. This is not a matter of spinning the truth or “redefining reality,” but it is recognizing every reality as a mix of light and darkness, of beauty and brokenness, of merit and mess. It is a characteristic of greatness and great leaders.

It is possible that a believer well grounded in the faith and convinced of the Sovereign One’s control will be able to maintain heaven’s perspective in the midst of ungrateful company. But they will be thought of as alien. Ungrateful people think a chronically grateful person is “just unreal” or is “living in a make-believe reality.”

“Ingratitude is always a kind of weakness. I have never known men of ability to be ungrateful.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Steer Clear

At the end of the Horrible 19, Paul says, “Avoid such people.” Steer clear of them. Don’t seek their company. Paul used the word “avoid” in his letters to Timothy and Titus, saying to avoid quarrels, avoid irreverent babble, and avoid controversies. Similar idea. Ungrateful people are known for the skills of irreverently quarreling about controversies – fault-finding, knit-picking, and mocking.

Instead, Timothy was to surround himself with people who wanted to seek after God, to give credit to Him for what He had done, and to thank those used by God for making life and service a better experience.

So what about you?

First question: Are you described as a person who is ungrateful?

Second question: Do you hang out with ungrateful people?

Do some introspection and evaluate if you are th(i)nkful. Are you on a regular basis looking for things for which to think thanks? Do you express that thanks to God verbally or write it down?

Release Yourself Through Forgiveness

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Opportunity for Wisdom

She lied! There was actually no doubt about the action. It was a blatant, outright falsehood. How could Sam forgive her? The damage to his trust, to their relationship, had been done. Why did he need to tell her the truth anymore? Why not betray her trust as she had done his? That seemed fair.

As Sam met with his friend and shared about his pain and anger, the friend pointed him to Ephesians 4:32. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” The contrast was glaring. Sam’s friend suggested that the response to the hurt be kindness in return. What??

In Scripture, we often see the irony of opposites. Tozer once wrote about these opposites. “[A Christian] empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible and knows that which passeth knowledge.”

Now, when we have been mistreated, abused, and sinned against, it is correct to confront in love and to speak truth to the offender. But you also need to forgive, not because they deserve to be forgiven, but because God through Christ, has forgiven you. We don’t forgive because we don’t really appreciate the depths to which we ourselves have been forgiven.

Forgiveness Linked to Being Th(i)nkful

When a person is working through what it means to forgive and not harbor bitterness, there’s a battle within. It feels wrong that the offender doesn’t get what they deserve. And then there is an ‘aha’ moment when we realize that we don’t forgive an offender because they deserve to be forgiven. We forgive because we are so enormously thankful for how God forgave us through Jesus. Forgiveness begins with thankfulness. How thankful we are that we didn’t get what we deserved!!

Think about this admonition.

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:14-21

As we think thanks about God’s forgiving us for the millions of evil thoughts, motives, actions and words we have had through our lifetime, and continue pondering the new foundation of the Word, the Spirit and a clean conscience He has given us to stand on, we can release the stone of unforgiveness towards the one who has maltreated us. It may take time. It may need to be worked through with a counselor. But as we think thanks on how God has forgiven us, it gives us a motive to forgive, too.

Releasing Them Releases Us

We don’t forgive others just because we have been forgiven. We also forgive because harboring bitterness and waiting to take revenge is a toxin that poisons us, not them; a cage that imprisons us, not them. Harboring unforgiveness and bitterness has mental, emotional, and biological consequences for us.

There is a release and renewed vigor when we choose to forgive. There is a wonderful freedom that comes from forgiving a person that has hurt us, even if that person has since died. God has created us and He knows that forgiving is what will eventually bring deep healing. The irony is that people often hug their prison cage and sip at their poison. God forgives us so that we can release others and thereby release ourselves. The Lord will deal with the wicked and the unrepentant.

Sure, the optimal scenario is when the offender comes and seeks forgiveness. Until then, we give “accorded forgiveness” based on our own resources as those who are thankful that we have been forgiven much. But when an offender seeks forgiveness, then we enthusiastically give our “completed forgiveness.” Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting, but it is one big decision followed by a thousand small decisions not to bring the matter up again by way of revenge. Forgetting is weakness. Forgiving is strength.

To forgive is to imitate the God who forgave us and continues to forgive us even when we fail to ask. We are so very thankful for His steadfast love and faithfulness, and our forgiving others begins with that thankfulness.

“We don’t forgive because we don’t really appreciate the depths to which we ourselves have been forgiven.”

David Brown

Who Is Your God?

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Do You Know Who Is Your God?

A thinker recently told me, “Every mature man needs to figure out who is his god.” I liked that. Do you know who is your god and how you worship that god? You do worship, you know. Whether you are aware of it or not. Every human being worships something or someone.

Do you realize that with any other god beside the One True God, you can never be fully thankful.

A god, or idol, is anything that wins over the true God when two ways diverge. When you come to a fork in the road that requires a choice, you pick what you worship.

Counselors have identified three main gods or idols: the god of comfort, the god of control, and the god of people-pleasing, but they take on varied mantels to attract us and pull us in.

Tim Keller identified several similar Idols: power, work, achievement, image, dependence, independence, religion, irreligion, inner ring, racial/cultural, ideology, materialism, family, relationship…..

Most of us feel a pang of guilt when these idols are mentioned. Most of us could raise our hands that we battle with more than one. There is one sure thing: these gods always disappoint and fall short. These gods will leave you unthankful because they cannot be relied upon.

If you have formed a relationship with the One True God, Yahweh, His character and promises are unchanging, and though His ways lead into deep darkness at times, we know that He is micromanaging every detail for His plan and glory and for our good.

You want to worship such a God the way that He desires you to worship. He desires to cleanse you from your sin and to make you new. His new life and indwelling Spirit changes you from the inside out. He begins to renew your mind as you put off the shackles that belong to another god, and put on the things that please the true and righteous God.

As we conform to the image of the Lord Jesus, we become less us and more Him. We live life with a different perspective than someone who lives for the deceptive and disappointing gods of this world. One of the elements of Christlikeness is to live life thinking thanks to the Father (Matthew 11:25, Luke 10:21, John 11:41, Colossians 1:3).

As we think thanks, we learn to see His fingerprints in our every day lives. Our minds look for things to give thanks for on a continual basis.

The beautiful thing that happens to us when we worship the One True God is that He satisfies us. In His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

Deep Darkness

One of the true tests of what your worship happens when you are going through difficulties. It is easy to be thankful and trust God when things are going smoothly.

What about in ‘deep darkness?’

Psalm 23:4 says that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

The “shadow of death” can be literally translated as “deep darkness.” Even in the times of deep darkness I do not need to fear evil. The reason the psalmist gives is because the Shepherd is with me, His rod and staff comfort me. If you have the god of comfort, you will be very uncomfortable. If you have the god of control, you will be outraged. If you have the god of people-pleasing, you will struggle to keep your friends and family happy in the deep darkness.

Thinking thanks even in the deep darkness seems almost impossible even with the One True God. It feels like it is hard just to breathe. Yes, it is very hard. And it may take a long time before we are able to get to the point where we can even contemplate thinking on something that we can be thankful for.

But when we finally look up, we will see that we did not wander off on our own; the Shepherd has been there. Then we can begin to see things that are gifts from the Shepherd, and then follows a slow release of a deep joy that builds as we gain perspective from a distance.

He has not left me to wither up by myself. He is with me!

Just that thought is enough to give you cause for thinking thanks. He has not forsaken me. He cares about me intensely. He has even counted all the hairs on my head. He loves me with an everlasting love that will not end (Jeremiah 31:3).

God’s Trusted Character

So who is your god? Do you know? Have you identified who it is?

The gods of this world that I am tempted to worship are temporal. They do not satisfy. Yes, maybe there is quick, temporary satisfaction, but they will never follow you into the deep darkness. Only One Shepherd will.

If you worship the God of the Bible, you have the confidence that He is the Blessed Controller of all things. He will work all the difficult things together for my good, conforming me into Jesus’ likeness.

Actively pursue thinking thanks. Figure out a way that works for you. Whether you say it orally to someone daily or write it down or make a voice message to someone. Weave it in to the fiber of your life. Obey the Shepherd who walks with us and guides us.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I Thessalonians 5:18

Every Monday

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It’s Deliberate

Every Monday we send each other a thinkful list. Our brains search through our immediate situation and we deliberately find things that we can think thanks about. We have done this now for over two years. It is amazing to me that when I read my friend’s thinkful list, I always feel edified. I know that she has hard things in her life, but she chooses to focus and draw out things for which to give thanks to the Lord.

Being th(i)nkful is choosing to deliberately focus on the good in our good times and the good in our bad times.

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

Psalm 77:12

Why?

So why do I need to go through the discomfort of forging new brain neural pathways of finding things to think thanks about?

That is a good question. First of all we need to do this because our Shepherd has asked this of us.

He has given a direct command to give thanks in all circumstances that I find myself in (I Thessalonians 5:18). He wants me to ponder His works, His ways, His solutions. It is a good thing for me to trust my Shepherd. It is a good thing to take time out. My Shepherd makes me lie down in green pastures and He leads me beside still waters. Taking 20 minutes out of a hectic schedule to gather my thoughts about what I am thankful for is lying down in a green pasture for a bit. He is pleased. And He restores my soul.

Secondly, this practice will become easier when I have carved that neural pathway deeply. I enjoy thinking about how you can do something more wisely and with less challenge. I can trust my Shepherd’s way because:

“All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.”

Psalm 25:10

Wonder in Reine

My husband and I just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. David whisked me away to Norway and we had the best getaway ever!! We had been dreaming of going to Reine, Norway and climbing Reinebringen. It is a demanding steep hike to the top of a mountain. On the summit you can see for miles. We got to actually do it!

You can get disoriented driving around all the little roads and alleys in these fishing villages. But up top, you get an incredible overview of where everything is, and how it fits together. God has this kind of view all the time. He sees the beginning from the end. He is the Sovereign One over every nook and cranny and is therefore worthy of our trust.

So if He says, “Karin, give thanks in everything,” I need to heed that. His Spirit is within me and living with me through all of my troubling circumstances. He loves me as He loves His Son who went through troubling circumstances. He knows that thinking and thanking Him will be for my good, so I need to obey. I desire to discern, delight, and do His will in my life, and He wants me to express thankfulness as a core life-skill.

One last thing! We discovered such wonder at the fjord by Olstinden, Reine. The water was clear and turquoise. Looked quite magical, and we stood in awe at the perfect weather and pristine beauty.

Whenever we see such beauty – whether God-made, or manmade, or just created by computer-generated imaging – eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the imagination, the wonders God has prepared for those who love Him! So we can always be thankful that the future for God’s true children is far better than anything we can see or experience now, as amazing as that might be.

Keep thinking thanks and keep your gaze on Him and His view of your life. Do it every Monday with a friend.

I Do Not Take It For Granted

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Removed

In April of 2022 the area around Durban, South Africa, received torrential rains.

Highways were flooded and homes were destroyed from landslides and water. At least 430 were reported to have passed away, with many more still missing. Such devastation and ruin. Food parcels were assembled and distributed. Collections for help to rebuild homes were taken up.

In our little complex of flats, we only lost water and power for several days. Otherwise, were just fine. It was interesting to see how frail we are in our great and powerful Western civilization; just take away our water and electricity, and we are in an absolute crisis. We had to carry water to flush the toilets and boil for drinking. It gave us a clearer picture of what it is like in our nearby rural communities to carry water for your daily needs.

Day after day we got the opportunity to learn that having access to water and power is something to be very thankful for indeed. We took it for granted, and when it wasn’t granted, we learned to value it.

The rural African lives far more like Jesus than we do. When Jesus walked on earth, He did not have running water, electricity, air conditioning, automobiles, or wifi. What was normal for him would now be a crisis for us.

All Of A Sudden

Then one morning I awoke to David saying that the power was back on. Hallelujah!! Later, water trickled from the faucet for several hours, but eventually came back in full.

I was so hit with the fact that I must NEVER take these things for granted. I am now so thankful for the absolute magic of looking intently, turning a faucet handle slowly … and there comes clean water!!

I am more thankful after going through the removal of the object. Like the old adage, “love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”

I know that my fleshly tendency will be to gravitate towards taking it for granted after a while, but I am fighting that with my whole being. I want to etch deeply in my mind that I must continue to be thankful for the conveniences technology has brought us, while being reminded not to let them make me too soft.

Thank You, Lord, for Reminders

Physical reminders can be quite effective. Going without water and electricity for many days sharply embedded in me a reminder to be thankful for those daily gifts. But I was meditating on a spiritual analogy to this loss of water as well.

Water in the Scripture is a picture of spiritual life itself. The nonbeliever goes about searching for meaning in the myriad dry wells of our cultures. The mirage of the new draws them foolishly to yet another dry well. They are like a desert shrub, like the chaff that the wind drives away (Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17:6).

But when God opens a lost person’s heart to the gospel and he or she receives the Word, they experience the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 5:26). Their reborn spirit, indwelled by the Holy Spirit and fed by the Word of God, is referred to as “living water” which will never run dry and will bubble over for the benefit of others (John 4:14, 7:38).

Despite these lovely truths, there are times when I realize that I am spiritually thirsty and dried up. Sometimes it is because I have given out emotionally and spiritually for days without much of a rest. Sometimes it is because I have poured months of counsel into a soul only to experience their betrayal or to see them make woefully bad decisions. Sometimes it is because I have an idol or sin that I am not parting with (Psalm 32:4). Most often it is because I am not washing my mind with the Word to regain God’s perspective. I turn on the faucet and nothing comes out.

But I go down on my knees with tears, and I go to the Word, and I go to the Throne and pour out my heart … and that brokenness dislodges whatever stone was covering the well. The water begins to flow again. “It’s going to be ok. Self, speak truth! Self, give me God-soaked counsel!”

“Well,” I whisper to myself, “through Jesus’ sacrifice in my place, I was forgiven of all my sins (from the cradle to the grave) all at once, I was reconciled with the Creator God and was placed in right standing in His family and Kingdom. I am set to inherit from Him one day. One day soon, Jesus will return for me and my brothers and sisters. This earth is my only hell, and I will live out His mission for my life …” and I end up shouting out with my finger in the air, “because I want to make Him happy, and that’s all that matters!” Guess what? The water is on. He has washed me with His word.

Meditating and saturating my thoughts on all that I have in Christ is fodder for thinking thanks. Recently my husband handed out a paper during a message with the title “Who I Am In Christ.” I have it tucked in my Bible to remind me daily. He has given me so very much in Jesus.

Changed

This temporal removal of having something I needed every day, changed me. It prompted thinking thanks. I want to remain changed. May I not take gifts from the Father for granted.

Water and power are wonderful commodities, but even more importantly, spiritual cleansing and power are essential. I must have that living water and not let the well get blocked. Worse yet, I must never go after the empty wells of my culture.

God offers water full and free flowing to me and to you. It will always be there for us. Torrential rains and flooding will not obstruct it. Receive it with gratitude and cherish it.

I do not take it for granted!