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.

What in the World are You Doing?

As a child I occasionally got into trouble (well, that did happen more than I want to admit), but one time I remember my father saying to me, “What in the world are you doing?”  Of course, I had to fess up to the predicament in which I found myself and receive the consequences of my action.  As I think back to that question, I believe it is a good question for all of us to think about – not because we have been in trouble, but because we need to think about our existence.  What in the world am I doing?  Why has God allowed me to live in this Century?  What does God want to accomplish through me?  When the Apostle Paul made a defense before King Agrippa, he rehearsed his experience of getting to know God personally.  Here is what the Lord said to him, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:17-18).

 Notice several specifics about these verses:

 1)      Sending Agent.  “I am sending you.”  God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, has a task to accomplish and He works through people to get His work done.

2)      Specific Mission.  “To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light.”  God’s purpose is that people will turn from the darkness of sin to the brightness of eternal life in Christ.

3)      Sustaining Power. “From the power of Satan to God.” It is God’s divine power (not Satan’s power) that is at work through individuals so His purpose can be fulfilled.

4)      Systematic Cleansing.   “They may receive forgiveness of sins.” God wants people to be spiritually clean by having their sins forgiven and that comes only because of Christ’s death on the cross.

5)      Sacred Confidence.  “A place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Through faith in God, a person has confident assurance that God has done a new work in his or her life.

If you read the rest of the book of Acts and the Epistles that the Apostle Paul wrote you will find him doing the things that this verse suggests.  It seems to me that this is the same activity that all people who call themselves Christians should be doing.  We should share the Gospel with people so their eyes can be opened to the Savior, so they can turn from the darkness of sin to God’s wonderful light, so they can receive forgiveness of sin, and so they can be sanctified through faith in Christ.

So, the question remains for all of us: “What in the world am I doing?”  What are you doing personally?  What are you doing familywise?  What are you doing in your community?  I trust that your answer and action to these questions are the same as that of the Apostle Paul.

Thanks be to God

It is almost impossible to come to the month of November without thinking about Thanksgiving.  Of course, Thanksgiving is a national holiday and it is used for everything from food to sports events to family get-togethers.  All these things are fun, but the real reason for Thanksgiving is to set aside a special time to give thanks to God for His bountiful provisions for us.

When the Apostle Paul’s heart was full of thanksgiving he expressed his thanks to God.  He thanked God for Jesus, who was God’s love gift to mankind.  “Thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57).  Paul also gave thanks to God for the privilege of spreading the Good News of the Gospel.  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in the triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him” (II Corinthians 2:14).

What about your response during this Thanksgiving season?  Is your heart full of thanksgiving to God?  Are you ready and open to give thanks to your Heavenly Father?  I encourage you to personally thank God, but I also encourage you to share your thanks to God with someone else.  Let them know of your gratefulness to God for Christ, for the victory that you have in Him, and for the opportunity to let the light of God’s love be spread from you to other people.