11/15/13- Hope in Heartache

I have been deprived of peace;
    I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My splendor is gone
    and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:17-24)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Th. 5)

Thoughts: Where does the non-believer get their hope?  Where does the person find hope when things go wrong?  It is way too easy to criticize people of faith by wondering how a good God could allow evil.  But the other side is asking how people who do not have faith find any meaning- or even define what is evil.  

    I have been the chaplain in a medium city public hospital.  My job was to be there in the real crises with the families and help them with their grief.  In my small observances I have seen a huge difference between those who have faith and those who do not in how they handle disappointment, sickness and grief.
    Both Old Testament and New Testament speak of being able to find hope in God- even rejoicing in Him and giving thanks in the tough times.  It is not just that there is a silver lining behind every cloud.  It is that there is a good God who loves us even in the midst of the trials and sicknesses of life.   Jeremiah saw his city destroyed, his Temple burned, his friends and relatives killed.  Yet Jeremiah and all people of faith are given amazing hope when it makes no sense to have hope. 

     I have sat with many grieving families over 26 years of ministry.  I can tell you the love of God (often shown by the love of church friends praying and hugging and showing concern) makes a huge difference in mitigating the pain of heartache.  

Prayer: God your compassions never cease.  Your love doesn't fade in and out with my circumstances.  Let me walk by faith in thanksgiving rather than by sight with despair.  

Thanks in Heaven 11-13-13

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:" Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:11,12)

Thoughts: Even the powerful angels say thanks to God in worship.  Thanks is due God (along with praise, glory, wisdom, honor, power, and strength) forever and ever.  Paul said to give thanks to God always (continually).  There is no time where we should stop giving thanks- in the hard and the easy circumstances; in the good and the bad.  God is on the throne- to Him is always due thanks.  He never gets off of the throne. Our perception is that God is off the throne when things go poorly for us.  But God is on the throne.  

Prayer: You are worthy, O Lord,  of our praise and thanks.  Thank you that you are on the throne all the time.  

1/13/13- The Blessing of Giving with Gratitude

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine.He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram,saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14:17-20)

Thoughts: Abram was delivered in battle.  Lot was delivered from captivity. There was much gratitude to God, and Abram wanted to show it concretely.  Abram had gone out to fight against many kings but he only had a few hundred men.  But the Lord helped him, and he won and got great plunder.  He tithed it (gave a tenth of it) to Melchizedek.  Melchizedek (literally "King of righteousness"- Heb. 7:2) was the king of Salem (Peace) and the priest of the Most High God.  Hebrews 5,6,7 point out that Melchizedek was a forerunner or "type" of Christ.  This is the first evidence of someone tithing in the Bible.  It was done in thanksgiving for deliverance.  When God blesses us- rescues us- and pours more blessing on us than we could have imagined- let us give to Him.  

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your deliverance and your great love.  

    

11-12-13 Thanksfulness in action

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

Thoughts: Zacchaeus was a sinner who was thankful for a second chance.  Jesus appreciated his thankfulness shown in concrete repentance and generosity.  Salvation is something for which we should be thankful.  We should all show our gratitude for our salvation by the way we live- with a change.  Greed can be changed into generosity.  Apathy toward others can be changed to charity.  When God comes to us and we see Him not at a distance but face to face, then everything changes including us.  

Prayer:  May my gratitude to you show itself in the way I live, O Lord.  

11/11/13- Returning the Blessing

3 The king contributed from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals as written in the Law of the Lord. 4 He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. 5 As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. 6 The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps. 7 They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month.8 When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed his people Israel.

9 Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps;10 and Azariah the chief priest, from the family of Zadok,answered, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over.” (2 Chronicles 31:3-10; cf. Exodus 34:1-7)

Thoughts: If you have been blessed, you do well to bless others- passing that blessing on.  When we do not keep the blessing for ourselves we are returning the blessing to God.  Hezekiah purified the Temple from its abuse under his father Mannasseh.  He then assigned Levites and priests to do certain duties and asked that the people tithe of their gifts so that the holy men could concentrate on the Lord's work.  So much was brought that they just heaped it up.  It was a sign of God's blessing.  (vs.10).  When people give in trust in God, the world sees, the church sees, we all see that God has blessed us.  The more He blesses us, the more we are called to be a blessing.
   We bless the Lord, not just with our words but primarily by living for Him and not going our own way.  The best blessing we give is when we bless God with our words as well as the way we give of ourselves.  The doxology says, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow."  All blessings come from Him.  When we pass God's blessing on to another being He loves we are returning the blessing to Him.  When we bless others we are returning the blessing to God- blessing Him as well.  

Prayer: Lord, make me a blessing to you and others.  On this Veteran's day we pray for those who are hurting, and wounded.  May they find your grace and hope.  

11/10/13- Thanking God

5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

...18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree,Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. (2 Samuel 7:18-21)

Thoughts: This second paragraph is one of the great prayers of thanksgiving in the Bible. God told David because David wanted to build a house (Temple) for him, God would give him a house (lineage).  God reminds David that He took David when he was nothing and made him something. He made David's name and reputation great- giving him a capital city and peace.  So David gave this great example of thanks.  He recognized God's grace and choosing to bless David and his descendants.  It also was a blessing to know that this blessing was coming- making the blessing last longer and more enjoyable.  David gives thanks to God- and sets the example for us..  He was a man after God's own heart perhaps because he had a thankful heart.

Prayer: Who am I, O Lord to receive your great blessings?

11/9/13- Fixing Our Eyes on His Joy

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Thoughts: I am sitting here on the eve of the Savannah Rock n Roll run.  There will be about 18,000 runners here running a half marathon or a marathon.  I will be watching the fun.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society raised over a half million here this year and $1.4 billion around the country in similar fundraisers.
    Let us remember in any race and in life- the example of Jesus.  He had an example of perseverance and also a great sense of the joy that is set before Him.  If we can remember the joy that is set before us, then the trials of this life seem more like blips on the radar screen.  Jesus fixed His eyes on the joy of heaven, and we should fix our eyes on Him.  There are thousands even hundreds of thousands in heaven rooting for us to have the same attitude as Jesus- laying aside sin, scorning the shame of the cross and the drag of persecution of those who do not believe.  Thanksgiving comes from this kind of attitude. 

Prayer: Help me to fix my eyes where they should be, Lord.