What is Needed

Has someone ever done something for you which you appreciated but you failed to respond to them?  Maybe you just forgot to thank them.  Have you ever done something for someone who seemed to appreciate what you did, but did not respond to you?  Maybe they just forget to respond.   Obviously, there is something that is needed in these situations which is sorely absent.  That something is an expression of thanks from a grateful heart.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came upon 10 individuals who had a communicable disease.  They stood to the side (as they were required to do) but they called out to Jesus for help.  Jesus told them go show themselves to the priest.  When they did, each of them was completely healed.  Scripture goes on to say, “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice” (Luke 17:15).  What a gracious response this was.  Jesus asked him, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17).  Good question.  For the nine men, thankfulness from a grateful heart was missing.

When we have been helped or encouraged by someone, we need to be thankful, express our thanks to them, and give God the thanks that he deserves.  During this November and December let’s not get so busy that we forget to express our thanks when someone does something for us. The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This verse suggests several things:

1)    We need to be Thankful.  “Give thanks” implies that we should be active in our expression of thanks.  As soon as an act is completed, we need to say, “thank you”.

2)    We need to be Thankful in all Situations.  “In all circumstances” means that whether times are good or bad or even if thankfulness does not seem to be the right thing to do, we need to gratefully respond.

3)    We need to Remember that it is God’s Desire for us to be Thankful.  “God’s will for you” suggests that when we show appreciation, God is pleased and we are doing the right thing.

What about you?  Do you need to be more expressive in giving thanks to God and to others?  Let’s follow the example of the individual in the biblical story who came back to express his thanks.  Each day this month try to take time to express thanks to God for at least one thing he has done for you. Then, find one other person with whom you can share your gratefulness.

Protection and Restoration

In the book of Psalms in the Bible, David made some interesting comments about who God is and what God does for him.  He said, “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.  I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain” (Psalm 3:3-4).

Foes of David told him that God would abandon him.  That was devastating news.  However, in the face of the worst that could be thrown at him, David found comfort in the character of God.  In these verses David reminds himself, and us of several things:

1)    Protection. “You, Lord, are a shield around me.” God is in the business of providing security.  In spite of danger God is always present like a shield or a fort to make sure there is safety, security, and defense in all situations.

2)    Source.  “You, Lord, are … my glory.” This is a prompt to help remember that God is the source of any honor that may be given to people.  Any reputation that may have been personally attained is not the result of human effort. It is God who provides out of His storehouse of abundance.

3)    Restoration.  “The One who lifts my head high.”  This is an expression of God’s mighty power to show his strength, rebuild a broken life, and renew a sense of peace.  In a state of defeat, depression, and fear, God relieves stress and reinstates to former happy and honorable conditions.

4)    Response.  “I call out to the Lord, and he answers me.”  This is a notice that God is always available to listen to his children, reply to their requests, and provide help and encouragement.  One does not have to worry that God does not hear or respond.  He does - in abundant measure.

We may find ourselves down physically, mentally, socially, or emotionally.  However, God is the One to whom David and you and I need to direct our attention.  He is the divine source that protects us, restores us, and communicates with us.  I’m so glad that God is in the protection and restoration business. Have you taken time to draw upon God’s promises, as David did?  Maybe today is the time to begin or develop your relationship with God. Read again the verses noted in the first paragraph and remind yourself of God's protection and restoration.

Encouragement

There are many things that happen in our world which become a discouragement to us such as violence, fatigue, stress at work or at home, difficulties with finances, fighting, wars, health concerns and many other things.  When we experience problems, we are faced with pressure that drains us of our strength and energy. Being discouraged means that we have been deprived of our confidence and hope.  All of this is debilitating and saps the joy from our lives.  If that is the case for us, it is the same for other people.

When discouragement sets in, we desperately need something that lifts us up, encourages us, and lessens the negative or at least turns it into something positive.  In Scripture the Apostle Paul points to important instruction on this topic when he says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6).

Here are some implications for us from this verse:

1)    God is the source of spiritual encouragement – “God who gives endurance and encouragement.”   We will never find eternal encouragement in “things of the world” but only in that which God provides.

2)    Spiritual encouragement leads to unity – “Give you a spirit of unity…as you follow Christ Jesus.”  Once we have been encouraged by God, He also provides the ability to be unified with others of like precious faith.

3)    Spiritual encouragement primes us for giving glory to God – “With one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  As we are encouraged spiritually our desire will be to give God the glory that is due Him for all the wonderful things He does in this world and has done for us personally.

So, the next time you become discouraged, turn to God.  Let the spiritual encouragement you receive from Him prompt you to breathe a prayer of thanks to God for His incredible power.  Ask God to continue to work in and through you for His honor and glory.  Is there someone whom you need to encourage today with a telephone call, email or text?  Do it now.

What Happened to "March Madness"?

March is the month for the NCAA men’s basketball annual tournament called “March Madness” – an event in which 68 Division 1 college teams are invited to participate.  In 1939, Henry Porter, an official with the Illinois High School Association, wrote an article called “March Madness” for the organization’s in-house magazine.  Later this term was adopted by NCAA officials for the tournament.

However. this year there is no March Madness – at least as it relates to basketball.  The basketball tournament was cancelled due to concerns about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  Obviously, this pandemic has put America and the rest of the world in a panic causing many different emotions including fear, nervousness, worry. anxiety, and stress.  COVID-19 is a virus we don’t want to get exposed to or infected with.  Nor do we want our family or friends exposed or infected.

So how should we handle these emotions that confront us because of the pandemic?  Where should we go to get comfort, encouragement and help in time of need?  In the Bible, Hebrews 4:16 gives us an answer. It says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  In other words, we should turn to God.  The psalmist says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).  In John 14:11 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

There are several implications for us in these scripture verses.  (1) We need to pray.  (2) God is the one who will help us. (3) We can expect God’s help even when we are in trouble.  (4)  Peace is available to us.  The common theme is that we need to turn to God and put our fears, our nervousness, our worry, our anxiety, and our stress in His hands.

The Right Source

A short time ago I was having difficulty with a computer program which was installed on my netbook.  I found myself checking out each of the tabs I found on the main menu of the program seeking a solution to my problem.  I even went into the help menu searching for assistance.  However, everything I tried did not address the problem.  Nothing worked.   Then, I decided I needed to go to an expert on computers, which happened to be my son.  I told him exactly what I wanted the program to do.  The expert made a few clicks on the mouse and in a matter of ten seconds or less the problem was solved.

The real difficulty was that I was trying to solve the problem by myself.  That was my first course of action.  I should have known better because I am not an expert when it comes to computers.  I should have gone to the right source immediately which would have alleviated my frustration.  This whole episode reminded me that the action I took was exactly that we so often do in life.  Instead of going to the right source immediately, we try to work things out on our own.

Living as a Christian often has its difficulties.  When difficult times come, our first action should be to go to the right source – to God, Himself.   In the Bible the psalmist found God’s help when he needed it.  He said, “O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me” (Psalm 30:2).  When Daniel the prophet faced difficulty he began “praying and asking God for help.” (Daniel 6:11).  These men took the correct action.  Scripture further reminds us that God said, “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help  you”  (Isaiah 41:13).  God is always ready to help us whatever our difficulty.  When we experience setbacks in life, let’s commit ourselves to go to the right source first.  Let’s forget about trying to fix the problem ourselves.  Let’s seek God and His direction and be ready to experience the Biblical solutions He has for life’s difficult dilemmas.

The Touch of the Master

When we were younger and became sick or did not feel well we went to our mother and appreciated her tender touch.  That touch was all that was needed.  We knew her touch would help us through our difficulty.  As we grew into our adult years and became sick we longed for the touch of a doctor who could diagnosis the problem and give us an injection or a pill that would be a quick fix to make us better.  Chapter one of the Gospel of Mark tells the story of a man who had leprosy -- an infectious, communicable, debilitating disease -- which was incurable (in Biblical times) and resulted in death, usually within a decade.  The leper came to Jesus in faith acknowledging that healing rested in the hands of God and that Jesus had the power to heal him.  He said to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40).   What we see next is Jesus reaching out to this man with compassion, touching him, and healing him with a simple command.  Here’s how the Scripture puts it: “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured” (Mark 1:41-42).  

You and I need to experience the compassionate touch of Jesus, the Master – maybe not because of a medical condition, but because of a difficulty or a problem that we face.  We need to: (1) Acknowledge God’s power and sovereignty – “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” (2) We need to understand that Jesus feels a deep sympathy for us with a desire to help us – “Filled with compassion.”  (3) We need to know that Jesus is ready and willing to help us just as we are – “I am willing.”

Jesus is in the business of touching lives today.  It doesn’t matter who we are, what we have done, or the situation in which we find ourselves.  You and I can experience the wonderful touch of the Master – for cleansing, for healing, for restoration, for enrichment, for encouragement, for forgiveness of sins.  Are you willing to come to the Master for His tender touch to meet your need?

Handling Difficulties

A short time ago I was driving on the freeway in the darkness of the early morning when I heard a loud noise that made me blink and jump.  I thought something hit my windshield.  After slowing down, looking quickly across the entire windshield, I could see nothing and assumed something must have hit a different part of the car.  After arriving at my destination I examined the entire body of the vehicle, but found nothing unusual.  It wasn’t until later that day, while driving in bright light, that I discovered a small crack in the very lowest part of the windshield that begun to spider out.  For the sake of safety, the windshield had to be replaced.  I hadn’t planned for that difficulty.  It wasn’t something that was on my schedule.  But it happened.

The same can be said of life.  All of us begin the day assuming that everything will be just fine.  And then a difficulty occurs, be it large or small.  It may be sickness, the loss of a friend, an accident, a disappointment, the death of a loved one, the decline or loss of an investment, a cloudy day, a word of discouragement, a project that failed, an increase in the cost of goods or services, or a cracked windshield.  We don’t plan for difficulties or insert them into our schedule, but they will come.

When difficulties come, how do you handle them, especially if they are major?  One Biblical example comes from the life of Paul and Silas.  They were headed to a prayer meeting but ended up beaten and placed in jail by the city magistrates.  They didn’t sit and mope, lash out against those who mistreated them, or sit and worry about what had happened.  Instead, the Scripture tells us, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25).  The end result was that the men were released and able to minister to the jailor and his family.  Concerning difficulties:  (1) Realize that difficulties will come for everyone; (2) Understand that Satan will try to use the difficulty to get you to turn from God; (3) Recognize that difficulties will last for varying lengths of time; and (4) Know that God will sustain you through the difficulty.  It might be helpful to remember that God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9).  To that the Apostle Paul said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Corinthians 12:9-10).

What difficult situation are you facing today?  Is it small?  Is it big?  Whatever the size, turn it over to God.  Strength and hope for navigating your difficulty of life will come to you from God, if you turn to Him for help.

An Opportunity for Service

What comes to your mind when you drive by a nursing home or an assisted living facility in the community in which you live?  Maybe nothing comes to your mind.  Or maybe you think “Those poor people.  I sure hope my kids never put me in a place like that.”  I would suggest that these homes are filled with opportunities – opportunities for you and me to serve others.  You might argue, “But, I can’t do anything.  I wouldn’t know what to do.”  Think about this:

• Can you read?  That’s wonderful.  Come and read to me.  I can’t see well enough to read any more.
• Can you write?  That’s fantastic.  Come and write a note for me.  I can’t hold a pen in my hand and I would like to share my greetings with someone I love.
• Can you walk?  Beautiful.  Come and push my wheelchair to different rooms where I live or outside if it is warm.
• Can you hear?  Wow.  Come and listen to some stories I have to share.
• Can you sing?  Wonderful.  Come and sing to me and I’ll follow along as best I can.
• Can you play dominoes or checkers.  That is great.  Come and play with me because many do not take the time.
• Can you talk?  Good deal.  Come and tell me about your family and your work.

Remember, the senior adults who live in these communities are people.  They have contributed to society and have made a difference in this world.  Where they live is “home” and you are invited to come.  Come and do what you can.  Some day you may live in one of these communities and you will certainly want someone to come to spend some time with you.  As you come remember these words from the Bible, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10).