Year Round Gratitude

In A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul", Rev. John R. Ramsey tells how a certain person provided him with a rose boutonniere for his lapel every Sunday. At first he really appreciated it, but then it became sort of routine. The one Sunday it became very special.

As he was leaving the Sunday service a young boy walked up to the preacher and said, "Sir, what are going to do with your flower?" at first the preacher didn't know what the boy was talking about. When it sank in, he pointed to the rose on his lapel and asked the boy, "Do you mean this?"

The boy answered, "Yes sir. If you're just going to throw it away, I would like to have it."

The preacher smiled and told him he could have the flower then casually asked what he was going to do with it. The boy, who was about 10 years old, looked up at the preacher and said, "I'm going to give it to my granny. My mom and dad divorced last year. I was living with my mom, but she married again and wanted me to live with my dad. I lived with him for a while, but he said I couldn't stay so he sent me to live with my granny. She is so good to me. She cooks for me and takes care of me. I just wanted to give her that pretty flower for loving me."

When the little boy finished, the preacher could hardly speak. His eyes filled with tears and he knew he had been touched by God. He reached up and unpinned the rose. With the flower in his hand, he looked at the little boy and said, "Son, that is the nicest thing that I've ever heard but you can't have this flower because it's not enough. If you'll look in front of the pulpit you'll see a big bouquet of flowers. Different families buy them for the church every week. Take those flowers to your granny because she deserves the very best."

Then the boy made one last statement which Rev. Ramsey said he will always treasure. The boy said, "What a wonderful day! I asked for one flower but got a whole bouquet."

That's the thankful spirit. That's the gratitude attitude. And it's that attitude that should be guiding our giving AND our lives. Like that boy's granny, God has blessed us so much. God has been so good to us that giving shouldn't even be a question. It should just flow from us naturally - not just at Thanksgiving but all year round.

Nothingness

 Have you found yourself in a place of nothingness? There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He puts us in a place of isolation and waiting (my least favorite place to be). It is a place in which none of our past experiences are of any value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season (this, too shall pass). It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities - No new direction - No billboards - just inactivity - just nothing.

During these times, God is calling us aside to do something new in us. It is a place of nothingness designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It certainly is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You have to do something" while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this place when He removes seemingly everything, and you cannot seem to change anything. Maybe you are unemployed. Maybe you are down with an illness. Maybe you are lonely and waiting on a lifemate.

Many people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them to a place and time of quiet that seems almost eerie. They cannot see what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained - not to themselves - not to others.

Has God brought you to a place of nothingness? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, your nothingness will be turned into something you will value for the rest of your life.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."

Tolerable vs. Intolerable Imperfections

 Mark Twain once said that the difference between the right word and an almost-right w3ord is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Where the written word is concerned, I have an espresso-strong preference for lightening.

Even so, I can't exactly call myself a perfectionist--and neither would you if you followed me around for a day! I'm OCD about certain things but far from it about others.

You would notice the drawers on my dresser are never closed evenly, or the bag of bags in the corner of my bedroom. Or you might spy the parade of fingerprint smudges on the refrigerator door, or the smoke detector in the hallway begging for a new battery (or something) with an occasional random annoying beep. And that's just the surface stuff.

I like things just so, but I tolerate a considerable amount of imperfection around and in me every day. The trick is discerning which of these imperfections are rightly tolerable, and which are not. A spritz of dry shampoo on a day I should have washed my hair is tolerable. An unkind word spoken in haste when a gentler one was called for, is not. The bag of bags in the bedroom corner is tolerable--at least it is to me. A growing stack of unconfessed sin in my heart is not. Forgetting a friend's birthday is tolerable. A growing list of unconfessed sin in my heart is not. Ignoring a friend's pressing need is not.

Can I confess right here that I can be "Exhibit A" for Jesus's teaching on ignoring beams to pick at splinters? (Never mind, I just did.) That I can zero in on a distant flaw and entirely miss the one right under my nose? And that I'm even more of an expert at this if the small flaw is yours, and the big one is mine?

I am so thankful for the grace of Jesus that covers all my imperfections, and I pray daily that I would give that same grace to others.

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." (Matt 5:48 The Message)

Move the stones!

 Jesus finally arrived, but it was too late. Lazarus was dead! If only He had arrived earlier. Jesus made His way to the tomb with the grieving crowd following behind Him. He stood in front of Lazarus' tomb weeping, revealing His heart to the crowd. (John 1)

Then suddenly, (don't you love a suddenly!?) He instructed the people to move the stone away from the grave's entrance. They couldn't believe their ears! Martha blurted out in her surprise, "But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been dead four days." Let's face it - he was definitely stinking by now.

But the people obeyed. Jesus called to Lazarus, and behold the creator of life gave new life to Lazarus. Lazarus waddled out of the tomb, still wrapped in His grave clothes ... alive! Jesus then directed the people to remove the grave clothes.

This miracle catches us by surprise in several ways. We dare not miss the sign - the miracle of raising a person from the dead is primary. Yet we are surprised by other elements as well. Why did Jesus have the people remove the stone? Was He challenging their faith? Why did He have the people remove the grave clothes? This request seems a little more obvious.

Lazarus couldn't do it for himself. Whatever the reasons, one thing is abundantly clear - Jesus chose to involve the people in His work. Amazingly, astoundingly He involved His people in His work.

There are many obstacles that hinder people from coming out of their sin -- their "graves". There is the sin itself binding them. We cannot remove the sin. Only Jesus can do that. But we can work to remove stones. They cannot even hear the voice of God calling because these "stones" are so thick that they muffle His voice.

Although it is impossible for you and me to remove all these stones, Jesus is instructing us, His people, to "remove the stone." Stones of ignorance, stones of apathy, stones of physical need; stones of misunderstanding; these are just a few of the stones we can address and help move.

And the grave clothes; when people find new life in Christ Jesus the bring with them habits, experiences, hurts, etc. -- "grave clothes". They need to be discipled -- to have their grave-clothes removed. It is our responsibility in partnership with the Holy Spirit, to help them remove the excess baggage they brought with them from their life in sin. This takes time, effort, patience, persistence, diligence and an extra amount of God's love which He provides. But Jesus is looking at us and telling us -- "remove the grave clothes."

Let's not neglect our responsibilities. Let's draw from God's limitless resources and accept the glorious gracious privilege of being involved in His work. He calls us, and people's eternal lives depend on it!

"Remove the grave clothes...and let him go!!!" (John 11:44)

Are you my catfish?

I heard a story once about some fish suppliers who were having trouble shipping codfish from the East Coast. By the time the fish reached the West coast, they were spoiled. So they froze them, but by the time the fish arrived, they were mushy. They decided to try to send them alive, but the fish were dead when they arrived. So they tried sending the fish alive again, but with one big difference. They included a catfish in each tank. You see, the catfish is the natural enemy of the codfish. By the time the codfish arrived, there were alive and well, because they had spent their trip fleeing from the catfish.

This is my point. Maybe God has put a catfish in your tank to keep you alive and well spiritually. It's called persecution. Maybe there's a person at work who always has ten hard questions for you every Monday morning regarding spiritual things. Maybe it's that neighbor who is giving you a hard time for your faith in Jesus. Maybe it's the spouse or family member who doesn't believe. You are wondering why this is happening. It is like that catfish. That person is keeping you on your toes.

Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus told the disciples, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are  not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:19)

God will allow persecution in the life of the believer. If you're experiencing persecution, here are two things to consider:

1. Persecution confirms that you are a child of God.
2. Persecution causes you to cling closer to Jesus.

When you are suffering persecution for your faith, remember that this world is not your home.

"So don't be surprised, my brothers and sisters, when the world hates you." 1 John 3:13 NLT

Optimize Yourself!

My computer has a folder of Temporary Files. It's full of data that was once needed but isn't necessary any more. I don't intentionally create those files; they just seem to appear out of thin air, occupying space on my hard drive. When my computer drags through the tasks I assign it I know it's time to Optimize it. IT experts will tell you that these files need to be deleted every now and again in order for your computer to run at optimal performance. The files begin to slow down your computer's operating system, and you know how frustrating it is to have to wait on a slow computer! One rule of thumb says that if the date on those "temporary files" is not today's date, they can be safely erased.

I have a similar folder inside my head. Unfortunately, the contents of this folder are not as harmless as what's inside the Temporary Files in my computer. This folder contains a complete archive of bad things that have happened in the past, both things that I have done and things that have been done to me. I've got video, audio, text - a whole multimedia display of negativity. When I least want them to, these things worm their way out of my past into my present.

I remember all the times I embarrassed myself.

I remember the times that I hurt other people.

I remember my failures. I remember my sin.

I remember the times I was mistreated.

I remember the ways that people hurt me, the things they said, the things they did.

I remember those times that people let me down, didn't support me, wasn't there for me.

I know that none of that remembering does me any good. Those things from the past only serve to slow things down to spoil today with yesterday's hurts. Just like those Temporary Files on my computer, what I really need to do is delete them.

We have to put our past in the past and set our eyes on what lies ahead. We have a God who is willing to forgive any and everything that we've done, if only we will let Him... And He will teach us to do the same with other people!

"My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. I run toward the goal so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done." Phil 3:13-14 CEV

What are You Watching?

 "Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete." Hebrews 12:1-2a CEV

Sports has never been my strong suit, but we have some good athletes in our family. While watching our kids (and grandkids) over the years I did learn one thing - to "keep your eye on the ball". Whether you're playing ping pong, golf, soccer, football, basketball... whatever it is, it is imperative that you keep your eye on the ball. If you become distracted while playing (for example, by an airplane flying overhead, by someone coughing or heckling), you can lose your momentum and focus. You tend to go in the direction you are looking. If your focus is on your circumstances, that's not going to get you very far. 

I once heard my Dad (a pastor) say he asked a guy how he was doing, and the guy said, "Pretty good under the circumstances", to which my Dad replied, "Well, what are you doing under there?"

The Bible encourages us to keep our eyes on God - not on our circumstances. Circumstances change, but God does not. (Malachi 3:6)