Heidelberg 86 & 87- Gratitude

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Thoughts: We do good not to be saved, but out of gratitude and thanks to God.  Our good works praise God, assure us, and help our neighbors be won to Christ.  Those who refuse to do good- and live ungrateful lives out of a lack of faith, are not welcomed into the kingdom.  Gratitude is a key response to believing in God.  When you know God you appreciate what He has done, and who He is.  We show gratitude to God by listening to Him and doing His will.  

Prayer: Help me, O Lord, to have great gratitude in my heart to you.    

Q & A 86
Q. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works?   

A. Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits,1 so that he may be praised through us,2 so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits,3 and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ.4

1 Rom. 6:13; 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:5-10
2 Matt. 5:16; 1 Cor. 6:19-20
3 Matt. 7:17-18; Gal. 5:22-24; 2 Pet. 1:10-11
4 Matt. 5:14-16; Rom. 14:17-19; 1 Pet. 2:12; 3:1-2

Q & A 87

Q. Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and unrepentant ways?

A. By no means. Scripture tells us that no unchaste person, no idolater, adulterer, thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like will inherit the kingdom of God.1

1 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:1-20; 1 John 3:14

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.  

11/16/12- Philippians 4- Basis for Stewardship

² I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. ³ Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Thoughts: The church of Philippi was in a dangerous spot.  There were divisions in the church, the people were looked down on by their neighbors and anxious, and they were brought down by the burdens of life.  This is not too far from the church today in the West.
But Paul's solution is to focus on God.  The divided were urged to be "like-minded"- putting their minds on Christ, their mission/work, and that in heaven-their goal- they will be together (Names in the heaven-book).  

   The whole church was told again and again to "rejoice in the Lord."  Not that all was going well (Paul was writing this from prison).  But the joy of God does not depend on our circumstances. So celebrating Thanksgiving does not depend on how much we have.  We all can be grateful if we wish to  be. 

    They were urged to replace their anxiety with prayers and supplications with thanksgiving.  It is only when we are thankful that we can obtain the peace of Christ. 

    They were also called to focus their thoughts- not on the black dots on the white board- but on the white board.
    The rest of chapter 4 is about stewardship- God makes us content (4:10), gives us strength (4:13), and supplies our need (4:19).  But we cannot have stewardship without- 1) agreement in serving God together; 2) replacing anxiety with thanksgiving; 3) changing our thought life to focus on what God has done. 

Prayer: Today help me to agree, to be thankful to you- Lord, and to focus on the good you are doing.