Thanksgiving Thoughts

Can you believe that Thanksgiving Day is upon us? You know for me Thanksgiving has become a time for reflection about the year; about the ups and downs of life; about all I really do have to be thankful for, but this year there is something more...

Have you ever stopped to think about what taking things for granted really means?  This has been on my mind and heart for a while and has caused me pause.  I searched for a definition of the phrase; taking things for granted and guess what?  There are many, but none seem to satisfy.  I was able to combine two or three definitions to come up with something meaningful to me; taking things for granted means to value something too lightly because it has come to be expected.  It means we are failing to appreciate things we consider ordinary and routine.

Thanksgiving for my family is a time to gather, enjoy food, watch sports and just be together.  This year I think there will be more.  I am going to stop and take stock of just how fortunate I am.  I am going to try my very best to recognize all the things I have to be thankful for; even simple things like clean water to drink, plentiful food, electricity, family, a job, health, safety and freedom.  I am going to try my very best to recognize the extraordinary things I have to be thankful like salvation, grace, mercy and the love of our Great God through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit; the One who provides all the blessings; simple and extraordinary.

Psalm 100 reminds us...

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;  his faithfulness continues through all generations.

This day may we all shout for joy to the Lord, may we enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise knowing, resting, trusting that He is good and His love endures forever - AMEN!

Friends, what are you thankful for? 

Grace and Peace!

A Study on Repentance

You know we are clearly told to repent and believe. As I have recently been dwelling on this I began digging a little deeper on this thing called repentance. The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines repentance as “the act of expressing contrition and penitence for sin. Its linguistic roots point to its theological meaning of a change of mind and life direction as a beginning step of expressing Christian faith.” 

Sounds pretty important if you ask me; but I continued. The word repent in Hebrew is Shuwb and means to return; to turn back with this overarching result of restoring. In Greek, the word is metanoia and means literally to change your mind. I think F. F. Bruce captured all this when he wrote “Repentance (metanoia, 'change of mind') involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness.” 

I love that! I think we can clearly see the importance and result of repentance in Luke 15. Christ tells us that as we (sinners) repent there is a rejoicing in heaven. He tells us this twice: 

Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-­nine righteous persons who did not need to repent. 

Luke 15:10 – In the same way, I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. 

So repenting seems to be pretty key and then in the parable of the lost son we see a picture that just for me brings all this together. Luke 15:18-­‐24:

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son;  make me like one of your hired servants.’  So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 

Can you see it? Can you see the turning from sin to God? Can you see the father heart of God running to us? Can you see the contrition and penitence? Can you see the divine forgiveness? Can you see the restoration? Can you see the celebration? Amen!

Friends, let us all repent and believe!  

Grace and Peace!

Election Season

No matter the outcome, I bet we can all agree that we are glad the election is over (well maybe not yet in Florida)! I recently read that for some winning can not only be your goal, but winning can be your everything. 

However, for believers our goal should be trusting God no matter what.  Sometimes that is tough to do. 

I take comfort in Romans 13:1: 

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.

As the election moved past us I was thinking about Job.  Job went through tremendous trials and spent a good part of the book wondering why?  Eventually God responds and they have this brief exchange in Job 40:1-­4: 

The LORD said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”  Then Job answered the LORD: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 

Job continues in chapter 42:1-­3: 

Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.  You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’  Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 

Father, even though we may not understand all your ways; I know we can trust you in all things. I know your purposes and plans can not be thwarted and that these things may be too wonderful for me to know.  Father, we are so happy your are the ultimate authority in whom we can trust!  Amen 

Grace and Peace!