Tag Archives: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

What does it mean to say, “I’m blessed?”

 

 

There’s a tendency for us to say, “I’m blessed” when things go our way. Indeed, God is the bestower of many blessings for which we ought to be daily and eternally grateful. But have you noticed how often this little phrase is used to refer primarily to our material blessings?

This new car is such a blessing.

My business was so blessed last year.

We are blessed our house sold quickly.

How blessed we are compared to the poor in the world.

 

It sounds right to respond to good things by saying, “I’m blessed.” Isn’t it the right thing to say?

 

Well, yes and no. It is always good to give thanks for our blessings, to acknowledge God’s goodness to us. But let’s be cautioned. The giving of material gifts is not the exclusive measure of God’s favor. Faithfulness is not defined by the extent we are physically blessed. Now, many faithful do indeed enjoy material blessings and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, most everyone in the USA is blessed if we to use a comparative measure of wealth.

 

If wealth and health were indicative of God’s blessings, we might ask why so many truly faithful servants suffer with cancer, lose jobs, suffer financially, and lose loved ones too early. And why do those who ignore or raise their fists at God do so well?

 

Scripture does not promise a life of comfort as a payment on our faith. In fact, if we were to read the whole record, we’d find that most of the faithful entered eternity without attaining earthly fortune and usually by means of a tortuous death.

 

So how does Jesus define “blessed”?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Blessed are those who mourn
Blessed are the meek
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Blessed are the merciful
Blessed are the pure in heart
Blessed are the peacemakers
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12)

 

Let’s understand that we really ARE blessed and rejoice in that truth! But also let’s understand the nature of those blessings aren’t essentially found in our financial prosperity.
I like the way Scott Dannemiller puts it:

“My blessing is this. I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. I know a God who loves the unlovable. I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. And I know a God who has planted this same power within me. Within all of us.

And for this blessing, may our response always be,

“I am grateful…Use me.”

 

 

Evidence of thanksgiving

 

 

It’s Thanksgiving Day, a day first set aside by President Lincoln in 1863, as a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

 

 

Of course, you know it is Thanksgiving! The car is packed and ready to travel over the river and through the woods to visit family and friends if we haven’t already made the journey. Turkeys and hams are in the oven and all the rest of your favorite fixings are warming on the stove. The table is set, ready for the feast. Perhaps the TV is set up for the afternoon sports, or puzzles and games have been brought out of the closet for some fun times. There will be a boisterous time for sharing and laughing at worn out family stories and jokes. And perhaps a time of sadness. No matter how old are or what you’ve accomplished, you’ll likely take your birth order place once again at the table and be remembered fondly as you were years ago.

 

All this is evidence of the day we set aside to be thankful for family, friends, food, laughter, home, and health. Hopefully we remember to give thanks for such a great and compassionate God. But after the day has passed, even after the leftovers are gone, will the evidence of thanksgiving remain in our hearts?

 

It doesn’t happen automatically of course. Just as we are so intentional about organizing the special day’s festivities, we need to be intentional each day to keep the scales of our lives tipped to thanksgiving. We need to be intentional in remembering who God is, all he’s done, and all he still promises on our behalf. It is the intentional humbling of our hearts and appreciating and valuing others that gives real evidence to a thankful life. It is evidenced in our intentional choosing generosity over greed, sensitivity over callousness, and others over self. When we are so thankful for our forgiveness we find it easy to forgive others. When we realize the grace that has so freely been bestowed on us, we are compelled to give grace to others.

 

Is there evidence of thanksgiving in your Facebook posts, your emails, your checkbook register? Is a heart of thanksgiving evident to the waitress at the restaurant, the clerk at the store, and those you meet on the street? is there someone across the world who knows your name and gives thanks for you? let’s let our thankfulness be evident each day!

 

Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

 

Oh Give thanks!

 

 

Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. Psalm 118:1

 

What causes you to give thanks? When is it easy to give thanks and when is it hard?

 

Multiple times throughout the bible, the faithful are found giving thanks to the Lord, for WHO He is and WHAT He’s done. “Give thanks, for:

  • He is good
  • His love endures forever
  • His wonderful deeds
  • His unfailing love
  • Granted favor
  • Answered prayers
  • The reigning power of Jesus”

 

It’s fun to give thanks when things go well, when prayers are answered and blessings are overflowing. The truth is, those in Christ always have cause to be thankful for His undeserved mercy, His overwhelming compassion and forgiveness, and the hope of His eternal promises.

 

But we aren’t always thankful, are we? We grumble and mutter. We grimace in disdain disappointment when things don’t go our way. We suffer under great oppression. And our ungrateful attitude only serves to make us feel even worse. It separates us from God’s grace. Sometimes I wonder if God might be more offended by our ingratitude than our disobedience.

 

Giving thanks doesn’t always make sense. Job’s so-called ‘friends’ who saw him lose wealth and property, family, and then his health, told him to ‘curse God’ and die. Instead, Job blessed God.  I remember my friend, who before he died of cancer, told us that he had fallen asleep spiritually. He had become apathetic toward God. He said that the cancer woke him up, and that if getting healed from cancer meant that he would return to his ungrateful ways, he would rather have cancer and stay spiritually awake. I grasped his strong message then, but it became real when I was diagnosed with cancer years later.

 

 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

IN everything, give thanks. We aren’t called to give thanks for evil or a fallen world. But we are called to give thanks in all circumstances, for it is God’s will to draw us closer to Him. Giving thanks changes things. It takes us from despair to hope.  It is the sigh that breaks the tension in our bodies.  Giving thanks doesn’t always allow us the grace to escape the pain and sorrow but it gives us the grace and strength to endure it while we must. It acknowledges that God is true to His Word – He never abandons us. A thankful heart brings peace to the soul even when the body is tormented. Giving thanks is one of the keys to our healing.

 

Let your heart become a garden of thanks. Even when you don’t feel thankful, you can choose to plant the seeds of thankfulness and then watch them grow into mature thanksgiving. For those in Christ, sorrows will not last forever. The goodness of the Lord is sure to be revealed.

 

“Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” 1 Peter 4:16

 

 

I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made

 

 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

 

 

If you’ve been trying to ‘walk the talk’ you know how easy it is to become discouraged. We quickly beat ourselves up over the little progress we make toward our goals, and the mistakes we make along the way. We might be tempted to give up and say, “It’s no use. I’ll never become better.” Like Paul, we keep doing the things we shouldn’t and don’t do the things we should. Welcome to living in your own power.

 

But behind this pessimistic view of ourselves is a backdrop of how we are actually wonderfully made. Our bodies are marvels of creation. I mean, which of you tell your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe, or your kidneys to clean your blood? Even though you may think you cannot learn, your brain is constantly absorbing and processing new information, teaching you how to adapt to your environment. (Have you ever lived next to a railway or fire station and soon discover that you have tuned out the loud sounds?) Who taught you to handle both heavy and delicate objects with the same hand? Who taught your digestive track to handle all the junk food you put into it and keep your body functioning? Despite what YOU see in the mirror, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

 

Beyond a wonderfully created body, you’ve been given a spirit that knows what it wants and yearns to achieve it. Even though our will chooses sometimes to believe lies, we have inside of us this still small voice that speaks truth. We have a natural yearning to be close to God, even though we try to feed that need with oh so many other things.  You have the ability to learn from mistakes, to choose goodness, to forgive, to perceive and enjoy true beauty. There is no law or military force that can take away from you your decision to be at peace, to pray, to be content, to trust in God, or to praise Him. You are fearfully and wonderfully made!

 

Psalm 100:3 reminds us that it is God who made us so wonderful. No matter what the self-books say, we are not self-made. So it naturally follows that we should:

 

In all your ways acknowledge the Lord and the Lord will direct your path. Proverbs 3-6

 

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

Look in a different mirror today and see the person made by the Creator of the Universe who knows the stars by name and holds the oceans in His hand. It is this same awesome God who wonderfully made you and chooses to love you, even when you mess up. You’re not perfect. But you are wonderfully made by a loving God. Tell Him “I will praise you.”

 

 

Daily Treasure Hunt – of Thanks

Here is a pretty easy exercise to discover new blessings every single day, even on those “crummy” days: Go on a treasure hunt:

Simply carry a notepad and when you come to a transition point between tasks, meetings, appointments, chores etc jot down as many things as you can think of for which you are thankful. For example, I am thankful:

  • For my loving wife who cares so tenderly for me when I have no strength.
  • For a day of sun after so much rain.
  • That just when I think, “This is enough. I can bear no more,” God shows me that His strength is indeed made known in my weakness and His grace is sufficient for me to bear another day.
  • That the reality of how well I am doing is stronger than the reality of how I feel.
  • For the smile of a child.
  • For the prayers of hundreds.
  • For the courage of those willing to live life quite beyond themselves.

Your list will likely be different, but nonetheless the key to experiencing a certain peace in the middle of a challenging day. Be thankful.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will… 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Who IS that (un)Masked Man?

image Notice anything different?

For the first time in three months my doctor says I can go without a mask. Which means that healthy visitors don’t have to wear a mask either. AND I can go out in public again as long as I’m careful about shaking hands, touching things, being around sick people, etc.

While not a huge deal unto itself, it is what we say at work, “Take what you can get closest to what you want.” Complete change seldom happens overnight. You often have to go through a very long process to get what you are working toward. In the meantime, you celebrate smaller successive approximations of what you want.

While my blood counts are still all below normal, we are celebrating and enjoying this small step…for another week or two when they will give me more chemo to knock the counts down again.

What “little” things in life are YOU thankful for today?
I hope your list is long!

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18