The Power of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

Wow, what a challenge dished out by Paul! I remember when I first read this verse I thought about how impossible it seemed to do this, but knew it was important because it says that this is His will for us in Christ Jesus. This means that God intends for us to live this out for our benefit and has given us all of the tools and gifting to do this, but we have to choose the things that will bring them into fruition in our lives. As I look at it in relation to other verses I began to see the ticket to having these in my life. We are going to look at this verse in three parts. Let’s address the “Give thanks in all circumstances,” first.

 Gratitude is a hefty weapon in our arsenal. Not letting the unfavorable or undesirable things in our life overshadow the blessings that we have, and being persistent in finding something to be thankful about in whatever circumstance you are in will bring life abundantly.

Gratitude is our shield against letting “stuff” become an idol. We learn to be grateful for what we have, and escape from being slaves to constant want.

Thanksgiving and prayer is how we fight anxiety (Phillipians 4:6-7) “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Praise is our ticket to being joyful always. 

 There are circumstances where it seems impossible to find anything good in the calamity that surrounds us, but when the things of this world are weighing in, we have the relentless, jealous, unending, persevering love of God that can never be taken away from us. Ever. (Ephesians 1:13-14). That is the hope and eternal joy that fills us up, and nothing can ever take that away. Yeah!

Living A Legacy  "A good means leaves a legacy for his children's children..." Proverbs 13:22

The Glory of It All...

Earlier this week I posted about our adopted inheritance in Christ. Today is a guest post from Ben Patterson from What Familes Do, sharing his personal story of adoption that makes God’s love for us even more clear. What a beautiful story.....

"I knew I loved my kids at the moment we first met.

 But I didn't know if it would happen that way.

 My wife and I adopted our four children from Poland three years ago. It was a journey that made us first time parents. I remember praying for our unknown children, preparing our home for them, and studying to be an effective first-time parent.

 Preparing a child's bedroom is easy. Preparing your heart to be a Dad and care for a child is a fuzzy process and you don't know if you're ever, "Ready." The question haunted me, "What if I don't love my children?" 

Sometimes people wish they knew the future so they could prepare for it. That's what I wanted as I made efforts to emotionally prepare for being a Dad. But God doesn't reveal the future all at once. God gives us the necessary information to follow Him, to trust, and obey.

 Nothing could have prepared me for the emotions I experienced as a first-time father. From the moment we met, the bond with our children was incredible. I'm thankful that the Lord made it this way.

 I cannot image my life without our four kids! We will do everything it takes to raise them in the way of the Lord, educate them for impact in the world, and support them in their unique passions.

 It seems silly to think that I was unsure if I could love our children. Still, uncertainty about the future is common for many of us. Many days go by where you worry about tomorrow or question what the future holds.

 For those who know and love the Lord, Jesus makes it clear what the future will be:

 John 14:19-20 (NIV) Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

 When we live by God's standards, he will not leave us. We are his children! Do you realize this? We have been adopted into His family.

 I am not a perfect father yet I still love my children like crazy. God is the perfect father. Think about how crazy he is for you, his son or daughter.

 We don't have to know the future to have faith in God, we have to have faith in God to be secure about the future. The Lord will provide."

An Adopted Inheritance

We are God’s adopted children who have been given full rights and inheritance to His Kingdom.

 Romans 8:15 says “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba Father’.”
    The Greek meaning of Abba Father is “adopted father.” Adoption was common with the Greeks and the Romans, and it was common practice to give the adopted child all of the privileges of the original children, including inheritance rights.
     Ephesians 2:8-9 describes how we come into this inheritance by God’s Grace only when we have faith in Him. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
     The exciting part about this is that just like the adopted Greek and the Roman children we are given all privileges and inheritances along with Jesus. Jesus is God’s natural son, and just like He inherited all of God’s power, blessing, and gifts of the Kingdom of God, so do we as his adopted children. That is why Jesus said in John 14:12-13 “I tell you the truth, whoever has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the son may bring glory to the Father.”

Those are powerful words that Jesus spoke about you and I and what God has in store for us the moment we put our faith in Him.

Proverbs 13:22 "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children..."

Jesus' Suggestion to Eliminate Bitterness

Jesus knew our natural tendency to harbor bitterness, and anger toward people that hurt us or could be considered our enemies. He offers the recipe for relief in Luke 6:27. “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” Challenging words to hear, and even tougher to apply, but these counterintuitive actions are the key to true joy and freedom.

 I know that when I have had bitterness take root in my heart toward someone it is an increasingly debilitating thing that steals my joy and inhibits me. I find freedom from the grasp of bitterness when I pray for that person, ask God to bless them, and try to think of a way that I could bless them, small or big. When I follow through with these things a transformation happens. As difficult as they are at times, these actions turn something dark into light, and free us from the chains of bitterness. Loving when it is not deserved is only a fraction of the kind of love that our Savior showed us.

 Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 Jesus laid his life down for those who hated him, cursed him, mistreated him, and persecuted him so that if they accepted His gift of forgiveness and salvation their sins would be forgiven and they would come to know the true blessings of abundant life. That is amazing love and the legacy of Jesus Christ that continues to resound through generations.

 Living A Legacy Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his childrens children...”

Wind, Fire, Earthquake, and a Whisper?

      I think we can all identify with times where we have wanted to hear the Lord or know His will and plans for us, but just felt a disconnect. God is consistent, always there, always speaking what we need to hear, but it is a matter of whether or not our hearts are in a place to hear it. 

      I love the account in 1 Kings 18 and 19 about Elijah standing up for God and refusing to bow to another idol, and as a result finds himself fleeing from Horeb for his life. God guided and provided for him every step of the way and brought Elijah to a place where a gentle whisper from God gave him the direction and provision he sought. 

      After reading this passage these are the questions that came to mind and how it challenged me: Am I making time each day to hear the gentle whisper, or is my life so noisy and distracted with things throughout the day that I miss the whisper that is saying everything I need to hear? How can I make sure that I start my day with time to connect and recalibrate before the chaos of the day begins? 

      Elijah came to the place God showed him that he knew he would be able to seek the Lord. And in that time came a violent wind, firestorm, and an earthquake, but God did not choose to reveal himself in any of those powerful things, He was in the quiet whisper that followed. And in that whisper God gave Elijah the direction he needed in his moment of despair, to escape those who were after his life and carry out the will of God. 

     Let’s make sure to check in, and start in the Word and prayer every morning so that our hearts are in the right place to hear the whisper through the earthquakes, wind, and fire so that we can Live a Legacy for Christ that blesses the generations.

 1 Kings 19:9-18 

 The Lord Appears to Elijah 

 And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”