Brighten Your Day

Abraham Lincoln supposedly said that “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” Whether he actually said it I do not know, but there is truth in the words. Observe 2 persons in the same set of circumstances and you will find both misery and happiness - in large part because of the attitude that each brings to her situation.

We are just a couple of weeks from Thanksgiving. Will it be a time of gratitude in your home or will you be mired in anger, fear, resentment, or regret?  Would you prefer joy? There is a singular choice that you alone can make that will have a major impact, shaping your environment.  We can be thankful, perhaps not for what is happening to us, but certainly for God’s grace and goodness. I do not live in an untroubled world. I realize that people will will be rude, some thoughtless, that your spouse meet you with weariness and crankiness.  I hear the same news that you do and know just how uncertain the future is at this moment.   However, I am determined - to find a reason to offer thanks. G.K. Chesterton urged people to work on the habit of “taking things with gratitude and not taking things for granted.” 

A Christian who wants to reflect the heart of Jesus to the world will learn to be grateful – to God, to others – consistently. It takes practice.  Self has a voracious appetite and will devour as much attention as we give to it. Many of us mistakenly believe that gratitude is something we ‘feel’ rather than a choice we make.  On those days when the kids are mysteriously wonderful and kind, when our spouse is especially attentive to our needs, when our coffee is served ‘just right,’ and everyone on the road is courteous, we feel thankful. (Does that ever really happen?)  If we wait to feel thankful, we will not be thankful often, if ever. Here is what the inspired Word tells us:  "No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

 

Living with an attitude of gratitude can be a difficult choice. Honestly, sometimes we just enjoy griping and wallowing in our misery! I confess that I have I wasted too many days wishing that life were different, allowing myself to get lost in the fog of ‘if only’ and ‘could be.’     

The truth is that each second spent wishing is a one in which I am not present to what God is accomplishing in me and through me.  That does not mean that I cannot work to change things, or that I cannot acknowledge pain or disappointment.  Gratitude is not escapism, nor is it denial. Gratitude finds God in the now and accepts His grace.

Begin the day with thanks to God. Do not let it be a perfunctory, “Thank you, Lord, for all You have done.”  Make it personal, from the heart, authentic. Speak it. That first person you encounter in the morning – let your first words be thankful and again, make it real!  When irritation stirs in you, meet it with your will and replace it with a positive thought.  Take some time this week and write your own “Psalm.” (a model might be Psalm 103) “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—” (Psalm 103:1-2, NIV)

This principle is absolutely true – the more thankful I am, the better I become at it. Gratitude grows with practice.  Thankful people attract others who are grateful.  They dethrone Self, focus outward and upward, learning to accept life, not as they wish it were, but as it is.

Here is the word from the Word. Live it!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.” (Psalm 107:1-2, NLT) 

“Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation.” (Psalm 107:31-32, NLT)

Oh, and by the way, if you hear me complaining, I give you permission to remind me of this CoffeeBreak thought but please - be gentle.  (smile)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Great Is Thy Faithfulness

(take 4 minutes and listen to Veritas worship our faithful God)

Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow
Of turning with Thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been
Thou forever wilt be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning
New mercies I see
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

Pardon for sin
And a peace that endureth
Thy own dear presence
To cheer and to guide
Strength for today
And bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine
With ten thousand beside

Words: Public Domain

He’s my “Yes and Amen”

The only constant, it has been said, is change. In my lifetime I observed political changes, wide swings in public mood and policy over the years. The economy shifts - interests rates rise and fall, employment rates increase and decrease with the cycles of growth. 

Technology has produced stunning changes in our lives. Who can imagine life without a smartphone in hand, a device that did not even exist just a couple of decades ago?  Steve Jobs, of Apple Tech, introduced the device that we all carry today in 2007. Our whole social structure has shifted as we interact constantly with others in real time.

The Church has radically changed as well. The Gospel remains the same but how we worship, who actually attends our churches, and the way that we integrate our faith (or lack thereof) into everyday life has made Christianity of today almost unrecognizable to those of us who came to Christ a half-century ago!

Change is not an awful thing when it brings progress, improving our quality of life. However, change can be confusing. Human beings generally resist change, at first, often condemning the ‘new.’ Forced out of comfort and into new paradigms, it can feel like we are living on a stormy ocean in a small boat, threatened by oblivion. Much of the anger in America in 2023 is the result of a clash of ideas rooted in deep social changes, in cultural ideals that are in direct opposition to each other.  God, as Creator, Source, and the One to whom we accountable is part of one worldview.  Those who reject a personal God regard themselves as self-directed persons without accountability to a deity. Their highest ideal is personal happiness and satisfaction. The latter view is now the majority in our nation, changing us radically from inside out.

So Christian where can we go for an anchor?
How can we live in the promised peace of God in our time?

We look to Christ Jesus and His gospel. Simply stated this is the Gospel - Christ Has Died, Christ Is Risen, Christ Will Come Again! Jesus brought us the good news that God loves us, that life is available to us through faith. For millenia humans sought to appease their gods, offering sacrifices to try to find favor with remote and unfathomable gods. But, when Jesus came, He offered something radical - a God who offered Himself as a sacrifice, who holds out acceptance to us, and gives us eternal life as a gift of His mercy and grace, not as a reward for our offerings or performance.

The ways we worship our Savior will change. The institutional Church will sometimes get things right and often get them very wrong! Christian leaders will be good and bad. Congregations will grow and falter. Such is the nature of our ever-changing world. But the Gospel remains and  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8, NLT)

Today, put your hope in His love! Pray for renewed faith in the fundamental fact of our Christian faith, the salvation of the Lord.  "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:18-19, NIV)

Here is a word from the Word. Spend a few moments prayerfully owning the declaration and give thanks that in this age of rapid change, there is an anchor to be found in Jesus.  “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,  set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:20-22 NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation

Christ is made the sure foundation

Christ the head and cornerstone

Chosen of the Lord and precious

Binding all the Church in one

Holy Zion's help forever

And her confidence alone

 

To this temple where we call Thee

Come O Lord of Hosts today

With Thy wonted lovingkindness

Hear Thy people as they pray

And Thy fullest benediction

Shed within its walls alway

 

Here vouchsafe to all Thy servants

What they ask of Thee to gain

What they gain from Thee forever

With the blessed to retain

And hereafter in Thy glory

Evermore with Thee to reign

Laud and honour to the Father

Laud and honour to the Son

Laud and honour to the Spirit

Ever Three and ever One

One in might and one in glory

While unending ages run

 

Joseph M. Martin

Words: Public Domain

 

“Two can stand back-to-back and conquer.”

“Count your blessings.”  These were the parting words of a friend to me last night, encouraging me to look up. As I lay down to sleep, I did just that. I focused on friends. Out of the dusty corners of my mind a memory surfaced of a man who I knew for just 4 years. 

It was 1988, and I was just starting ministry in my first solo pastorate of a small church in Western Massachusetts. The previous year had been bruising in my life, some dreams dying, much disappointment coming my way. I struggled with anxiety, wondering if I was fit for ministry. Then I met Dean, just a year younger, but as different from me as could be. He was a huge man both in height and girth and I think that his heart matched his size!  His smile and charisma was irresistable. He had grown up in Harlem, knew the streets, and was a recovering addict who had found Christ through the persistent prayers of his mother. At the time I met him, he was a respected and beloved leader in the church to which I was called.

Dean gave me his support and his love, encouraging me and sharing his great heart with me and my family. Every Sunday before I went to lead our worship service, Dean would meet me for prayer. He would put his hand on my back. It was a BIG hand that reached nearly shoulder to shoulder. He spoke to our Father about ‘my pastor,’ words that he said in his own unique way that bespoke love, respect, and genuine care. I looked forward to those prayers in those days, knowing that he was my advocate, hoping for only the best in ministry together.  

Those first years at that church brought numerical growth, healing in my life, and the discovery of a renewed joy in the work of pastoral ministry. On November 15, 1992, a Sunday afternoon, word came that Dean had died suddenly while hunting with a friend. He was just 36 years old. I felt the loss sharply and grieved deeply.

Who’s your friend?
Who loves you, prays for you, stands by you, lends you their influence in shared work?
To whom are you LOYAL beyond the convenience of the moment, becoming persons of one heart and mind?

These days there is a lot of talk in church about the importance of relationships, but in spite of the lip service to community, there is often isolation and loneliness both in the pulpit and the pew. One does not need to be scholar to see the importance of friends in the work of God.

The book of the Acts of the Apostles records the history of the first generation of Christianss. We tend to romanticize their experiences but the truth is that they faced thorny issues, wrestled through conflict, and struggled to exist in a hostile world. Through it all, they stayed connected, gathering regularly on the Lord’s Day when they prayed, talked, fought, and discovered God’s wisdom for their lives.

Peter and Paul were decisive and bold leaders, who had ministry partners - Peter and Mark; Paul and Barnabas. Those two leaders occasionally came into conflict debating the nature of grace and the place of the Law in sometimes sharp, pointed disagreements. Feelings got hurt. Occasionally friendships failed. But, with the help of the Spirit, those early church leaders kept their eyes on the goal and built Christ's Kingdom, together, because they knew the work they did was a shared effort. And, both they and the ministry of Christ was better for their friendship!

The practical wisdom of God reminds us that "Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success." (Proverbs 15:22-23,NLT) Are there those who love you so much that they will stand with you when you fall down, lending hope when you have lost yours? Or, are you attempting life as a "Lone Ranger" trying to live self-sufficiently?

Being Christ’s Body TOGETHER requires the surrender of our ego, a willingness to die to ‘Self,' and a choice to find joy in serving one another. There is so much to gain IF we will build a team and stick with it. Our American ideal is to laud the individual, to tend to admire the ‘super-hero.’  Christians must be different valuing their relationships and making time to strengthening them. Do not discard that person who offers counsel that challenges. Value that person who urges a better choice, another way. 

I pray that in each season of your God will send you a “Dean” a person who will love you and whom you will grow to love. In counting my blessings I remember dozens of people from years ago to the present with whom I have shared the joy of life in Christ. I pray you will choose to do that with others, now and always.

Here is a practical word from the Word. Ask God, the Spirit, to teach you how to build the best relationships.

"Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one;
they get a better return for their labor.
If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.
But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.
And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone?

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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We Will Stand
(This is an older song that Russ Taff does so beautifully.
I hope it encourages you to stand together with other Christians.)

 

 Sometimes it's hard for me to understand
Why we pull away from each other so easily
Even though we're all walking the same road?
Yet we build dividing walls
Between our brothers and ourselves.

 

But, I don't care what label you may wear,
If you believe in Jesus you belong with me!
The bond we share is all I care to see,
And we'll change the world forever,
If you will join with me,
Join and sing, sing.

 

You're my brother, you're my sister,
So take me by the hand.
Together we will work until He comes.
There's no foe that can defeat us,
When we're walking side by side,
As long as there is love,
We will stand!

 

The day will come when we will be as one
And with a mighty voice
Together we will proclaim that
Jesus, Jesus is King.
It will echo through the earth.
It will shake the nations.
And the world will see, see that;

 

You're my brother, you're my sister,
So take me by the hand.
Together we will work until He comes.
There's no foe that can defeat us,
When we're walking side by side,
As long as there is love,
We will stand!

 

James Hollihan | Russ Taff | Tori Taff © 1983 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

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