It happens in 3 weeks! Start now!

 

I have a challenge for you!  It’s November and in three weeks we will celebrate … yes, that’s it  … THANKSGIVING!  For some the day will be a slight pause from routine to eat turkey, watch some football, and gear up to start shopping for Christmas. I want to propose that we take this opportunity to change our hearts.  How about making the next 21 days a time of real, deep gratitude?  Put a reminder in your phone, post a big note on your fridge – however you can help yourself to remember – and look for ways to express your thankfulness.  Start with the Lord!  When  you open your eyes, offer a specific prayer of thanks; for someone, something, your salvation, the Cross, your hope in Him. Just make it more than ‘thank you, God.’   Then, at least once during the day, tell someone ‘thank you,’ and make it more than a polite response.  Make it personal!

If there is one ugly part of being American, it is that sense of entitlement that makes us think that everyone owes us something.  When I let it control me, I turn into a miserable, critical man.  I do not want to be ‘that guy’ and so my prayer this November is to learn ‘thanks-living’ - for God’s sake, really.  Gratitude is a spiritual issue. When the Holy Spirit is given access to our heart and we begin to practice genuine gratitude, we open up great possibilities for God to do amazing things in us and with us.

Luke tells a story about 10 men who approached Jesus  because they were in a desperate situation. They were ‘lepers.’  They had a skin disease and because of it, they had to live isolated from friend and family, begging and generally despised because most people thought they had leprosy because ‘they deserved it.’  To be a leper at that time was a kind of living death!  These men heard about Jesus’ healing work and when they saw him, they yelled “Have mercy on us!”  He directed them to an act of faith. “Go show yourself to the priest.”  If a person’s skin issue cleared up, the priest could certify that and allow them to return to society.

"And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" (Luke 17:14-17, NIV)  God met their faith with restoration!  The tragic truth is that just one even thought to go back to Jesus and express his gratitude. Luke includes the detail that the grateful one was another kind of social outcast, a Samaritan; not a ‘true child of God’ in the opinion of the majority. The Bible obscures his true reaction with a rather dry phrase ‘praising God in a loud voice.’  Today we might say he was freaking out. He was yelling, pointing at his new skin, jumping up and down, and crying. He didn’t kneel reverently when he found Jesus. He threw himself at His feet in an expression of complete humility, realizing he deserved nothing and received everything.

Does the Lord Who gives life and grace to you, Who has made you part of His eternal family, Who has fully paid for your deliverance from death, find Himself looking at a person who, like the nine of Luke’s story, has forgotten the Source of those blessings? Do you remember to give thanks?

Real gratitude that flows out of a life where Self is surrendered fully to the Spirit will be rich and enriching to others. There are days when I devote most of my prayer time to simply giving thanks. Out loud and one by one I start to thank the Lord for people, situations, and past mercies. In those times, frequently I am deeply moved emotionally as I realize the depth of His amazing grace. Is life all that I would like it to be?  Not always, but He is!  

Gratitude also grows faith in my heart that helps me to offer up my prayers with true expectation. Sadly, there are days when I am wrapped up in a little bundle of ME, when I complain and criticize too much. The misery only increases as I fail to appropriate – with thankfulness – the provisions that my Father has made available to me because I want to live life on my own terms.

Ready to take the GRATITUDE challenge? Make those reminders and start to give thanks. Take a cue from Paul about how to become grateful. It is not by handcuffing your negativity! It is by becoming totally Jesus focused. He says, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12-13, NIV)

Here’s a word from the Word, an ancient song sung by those who recalled the Lord’s mercies in restoring His people to their land and faith after a long time in captivity. Make it your song today.

"When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,
it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
“What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!

Restore our fortunes, Lord,
as streams renew the desert.

Those who plant in tears

will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest."

(Psalm 126, NLT)

Don’t be one of the 9 who forgot their Source! Be the 1 who worshipped!

___________

10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning.

It's time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,

Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You're rich in love and You're slow to anger,

Your name is great and Your heart is kind.

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing.

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come,

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,

Ten thousand years and then forevermore.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

O my soul;

Worship His holy name!

Sing like never before,

O my soul,

I'll worship Your holy name!

Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman

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Help your pastor to serve well

Serving a local church in the office of pastor is not a ‘job,’ it is a calling, a way of life. Those who are Pastors live their vocation, who they are is inseparable from what they do. The spans a huge range of demands – privileged to teach the Word and shape lives all the way down to locking the doors and balancing the church budget. He moves  from emotional highs to lows as he shares life – birth and death, grief and celebration - with his flock. He is often the first person called at a time of death, is asked to help when there are crises:  marriage difficulty, tragedy, serious illness. He must prepare his heart and mind so that when he speaks he is not only ‘interesting,’ but able to nourish souls. And, he must deliver this  message every Sunday -regardless of his personal circumstances.

This Pastor can honestly say that there is no better life than the one to which God has called me!

Yes, there is heartbreak. People angry at God sometimes aim their frustration at the person who represents Him before them. Others ‘use’ their pastor in their time of need and discard him when things are blessed. If his sinful humanity is too visible he may be criticized, and not kindly, at the very moment that he's struggling to cope with some need in his own life. Pastors whose hearts are true feel the most joy when those they serve are growing in Christ, when they the ‘fruit’ of their work in a life that is pointed in the right direction.

Pastoral ministry is not best modeled after the modern CEO or the Lone Ranger of American lore. His title is the best clue to how he serves – Pastor means ‘shepherd.’ He serves to protect, feed, and grow the flock of God!

You can maximize your Pastor's effectiveness with some gifts you can offer.

1. Pray for him, every day.
Ask the Lord to keep and protect him, to help him to be disciplined and courageous, and to be loving in times of trial, and to stay renewed and alive in the Spirit.  Remember, spiritual leaders are front-line targets. When a pastor fails, there is hurt and disappointment. Even where there is no moral compromise, like all people, pastors become discouraged or disillusioned. So, pray for your Pastor.

2. Accept him and the spiritual gifts God has given to him.
Appreciate the unique strengths of your Pastor and encourage him in those areas where he is not as proficient. He probably knows the gaps in his skills and gifts better than you do. Remember, too, that he does not possess every gift of the Spirit. He, like you, has been created by the Lord to serve in a unique way.

3. If you must criticize him, (and no pastor is above correction or criticism) do it honestly and directly.
If you have an issue with your pastor, make a time to sit with him and tell him about it. The church looks very different from his side of the pulpit and he may not share your perception. Give him the opportunity to explain that decision with which you disagree.  Take time to understand yourself before you criticize your pastor. If you are angry with God, do not take it out on the one in the pulpit.

4. Don't idolize or idealize him.
He must live what he teaches, but he cannot do it not perfectly. He, like you, is working out his salvation each day, a recipient of God’s grace. If you turn him into idol, you sin because only God is worthy of your worship and devotion. If you idealize him, pushing him onto a pedestal, you will be disappointed. From that place, his ability to serve you is nearly impossible. He teaches you best, not from some lofty place far removed, but as leads you with an authentic, observable, living faith in a loving Lord. Jesus cautioned his disciples about seeking titles, about hiding behind robes. (see Matthew 23) We are all brothers in Christ. Don’t try to make your pastor more than he is – a Christian walking with Jesus – just like you.

I hope it does not sound self-serving, but remember that the Word teaches that pastors are a gift from God to His church. The Lord "gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13, NLT)  What a ministry position description!

Here is a word from the Word. "Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all.... Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?" (Hebrews 13:7, 17 The Message) "Elders who do their work well should be paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” Do not listen to complaints against an elder unless there are two or three witnesses to accuse him." (1 Timothy 5:17-19, NLT)

Thanks for letting me serve you!
__________

A note – I use the male pronoun in this blog, not exclusively. God’s gifts and callings are given without regard to gender.

Are you just patched up?

For years, because of budget limits, we just kept patching up the old heating and cooling systems at our Christian school property.  “Bubble gum and Band-Aids” was my name for our ‘maintenance plan.’  We fixed a motor here, a burner there, a relay switch again – and for a decade we made it work. The nearly $100, 000 required for new equipment was out of reach. There were failures of equipment when the load was greatest. We knew the old units were inefficient. The biggest concern for the 30 year old equipment was that one day there would be a breakdown beyond repair.  I was a joyful Pastor on that day when the resources for replacements finally became available.  In one week all the old units were torn out and replaced with new ones. No more worries, at least for now!  

Are you trying to live your Christian life with incremental adjustments to your life, a kind of  “Bubble gum and Band-Aids” approach to discipleship? Are you patching up your prayer life, only to sense a lack of worship? Then, you make a valiant effort to get to church, only to find that you are unable to focus?  So you work on fixing that, only to become more aware of temptation… and so it goes.  Jesus gave us words that some find hard to understand that address this very issue. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:20-22, NIV)

What does the Master mean?  We cannot experience the fullness of God’s salvation by patching ourselves up here and there, by trying to squeeze a little “Jesus” into our lives that are still lived around the values and loves of the old Self. We must be made new, transformed by the power of God, so that we are fit to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The old religion of sin and guilt is replaced with a whole new experience of love and devotion. A lot of “Christian” teaching is just self-help psychology repackaged. What it comes down to is try harder, think positively, and work on strategies to restrain harmful habits.   There is nothing wrong with working at being a ‘better’ person.  But, that is not to confused with the Life of Christ.

The Gospel is the message of the Kingdom come, of a whole new way to know God – one that does not rely on doing good things, but rather receives the grace of the One, Jesus Christ, who IS Good. It’s not an earned accomplishment, it is a gift of faith. It is not about patching ourselves us but about the work of the Spirit transforming us from the inside out. "What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others." (2 Corinthians 5:16-19, NLT)

The Christian life is about glory not guilt.  We are people fully assured, because of Christ’s work on our behalf, of God’s love and acceptance.  From that Truth we grow into beautiful people, whole and holy!

Are you new in Christ or just patched up?  On this Monday morning,  let the Spirit make you new.  You need not settle for religion when God holds out the offer of a relationship!

Here is a word from the Word. "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:16-17, NIV) “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (Colossians 2:21-23, NIV)
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2, NIV)

____________

This Is Amazing Grace

Who breaks the power of sin and darkness?

Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?

The King of Glory, the King above all kings!

Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder?

Who leaves us breathless in awe and wonder?

The King of Glory, the King above all kings!

Who brings our chaos back into order?

Who makes the orphan a son and daughter?

The King of Glory, the King of Glory!

Who rules the nations with truth and justice,

Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance?

The King of Glory, the King above all kings!

This is amazing grace,

This is unfailing love,

That You would take my place,

That You would bear my cross.

You laid down Your life

That I would be set free,

Oh Jesus, I sing for all that You've done for me.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

Worthy is the King who conquered the grave.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

Worthy is the King who conquered the grave.

Worthy, worthy, worthy!

Jeremy Riddle | Josh Farro | Phil Wickham

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