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)

God is Faithful!

Old Faithful is why most visitors go to Yellowstone National Park. It's an impressive geyser that fits into people's lives because it sticks to a schedule. People can count on Old Faithful.

Since its discovery in the late 1870s, Old Faithful has awed tens of millions with its impressive 100-180 ft. column of water and steam. It has become the most famous geyser in the world.

Hundreds of people line up to get a glimpse of Old Faithful every hour and a half. (varies from 30 mins to 1-1/2 hrs) They want to see Old Faithful show up for a one to five minute appearance.

For all these years, Old Faithful has gone off and has always shown up.

In Exodus, God's people were hungry, thirsty, lost and confused. They had been brought out of Egypt, a place of slavery, death and imprisonment, but now they worried whether the God who delivered them out of Egypt would be faithful in keeping them alive in the desert.

The people started crying out to their leader, Moses, "We wish the Lord had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve."  Exodus 16:3 CEV

With over a million mouths to feed, you probably get the idea of why this was such a big concern. Bringing home the bacon and faithfully providing for God's chosen people was a big job. The Israelites knew God could do amazing things, turning water into blood, parting the Red Sea, but unlike those miracles, feeding them wouldn't be a one-time miracle. It would have to be a consistent and faithful miracle.

Was their God not just powerful but also faithful? Would He choose to show up time and time again?

Well, the good news is God had an answer for the people.

"I will send bread down from heaven like rain. Each day the people can go out and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me." Exodus 16:4 CEV

The Israelites were happy enough with that at first, but only bread? Could God be counted on to bring home meat, not just bread? I mean, even prisoners get bread and water. Were the Israelites prisoners in the desert?

God answers their questions and doubts about His faithfulness and provision by telling Moses this,

"I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God." Exodus 16:12 CEV

That night literally tons of quail showed up for the Israelites to eat, and in the morning, the bread-like flakes called manna covered the ground.

The coolest part of this story to me isn't just the miracle that happened. It is the blessing of bread, water and meat happened every day for 40 years!

While the Israelites needed food in the desert, God provided them with this miracle over and over - faithfully - every day!

In spite of our lack of faith, God shows up in our lives ... because He is faithful even when we aren't!

He is Faithful!!

God Always Answers

 God always answers prayer, just not always the way we think He should or when...

When the idea is not right, God says, "No."

No - when the idea is not the best;

No - when the idea is absolutely wrong;

No - when though it may help you, it could create problems for someone else. 

When the time is not right, God says, "Slow."

What a catastrophe it would be if God answered prayer at the snap of your fingers;

Do you know what would happen? God would become your servant, not your master.

Suddenly God would be working for you instead of you working for God.

Remember, God's delays are not God's denials. God's timing is perfect.

Patience is what we need in prayer.

 When you are not right, God says, "Grow."

The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness

The cautious person must grow in courage

The timid person must grow in confidence

The dominating person must grow in sensitivity

The critical person must grow in tolerance

The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.

The pleasure-seeking person must grow in compassion for suffering people.

When everything is all right, God says, "Go." Then miracles happen!

...A hopeless alcoholic is set free!

...A drug addict finds release!

...A doubter becomes as a child in his belief.

...Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins.

...The door to your life suddenly swings open and there stands God saying, "Go!"

"I desire therefore that in every place men should pray, without anger or quarreling or resentment or doubt [in their minds], lifting up holy hands." (1 Timothy 2:8 AMP)  

God's Timing

"I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think." (Isaiah 55:8-9 The Message)

I heard a story which illustrates how we often confuse God's timing with ours. A country newspaper had been running a series of articles on the value of church attendance.

One day a letter to the editor was received in the newspaper office. It read, "Print this if you dare. I have been trying an experiment. I have a field of corn which I plowed on Sunday. I planted it on Sunday. I did all the cultivating on Sunday. I gathered the harvest on Sunday and hauled it to my barn on Sunday. I find that my harvest this October is just as great as any of my neighbors who went to church on Sunday. So where was God all this time?"

The editor printed the letter, but added his reply at the bottom. "Your mistake was in thinking that God always settles His accounts in October."

That's often our mistake as well - thinking God should act when and how we want Him to tact, according to our timeline instead of His. The fact that our vision is limited, finite, unable to see the end from the beginning, somehow escapes our mind. So we complain; we get frustrated and we accuse God of being indifferent to us - of not hearing us.

That's when God gently reminds us that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways.

God's timing is always perfect. He will do exactly what is best for us - in His own time - according to His wonderful plans for us, because He loves us so much. Wait! Be patient! His clock may show a different time than our clock, but His is the right time every time!

Annoint my head with oil.

 I have to admit, I always wondered what this part of Psalm 23 meant. I thought “He anoints my head with oil” was figurative language for God keeping the Psalmist healthy. I never knew this parallel.

Anoint my head with oil

“Sheep can get their head caught in briers and die trying to get untangled. There are horrid little flies that like to torment sheep by laying eggs in their nostrils which turn into worms and drive the sheep to beat their head against a rock, sometimes to death. Their ears and eyes are also susceptible to tormenting insects. So the shepherd anoints their whole head with oil. Then there is peace. That oil forms a barrier of protection against the evil that tries to destroy the sheep. Do you have times of mental torment? Do the worrisome thoughts invade your mind over and over? Do you beat your head against a wall trying to stop them? Have you ever asked God to anoint your head with oil? He has an endless supply! His oil protects and makes it possible for you to fix your heart, mind, and eyes on Him today and always! There is peace in the valley! May our good good Father anoint your head with oil today so that your cup overflows with blessings! God is good and He is faithful!!”

The Key to Victory

Philippians 3:13-14

The key to victory in 2021 is Philippians 3:13-14. Paul was using the illustration of a race to describe his life. He was in the home stretch, but he was still running the race; the race wasn’t over. He said, “I have not apprehended it yet.” – NOT YET!

Right behind this conjunction is one of Paul’s secrets to living. THIS ONE THING I DO! It’s the only time this particular phrase is used in the New Testament. Single-minded concentration on the things of God is essential to running the race of Christianity. You cannot be dwelling on other things as an athlete and give your best performance. Therefore, Paul says “this ONE thing I do.”

What is "This One Thing I do"?
"Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." That's the key to victory in the Christian life. That's the key to victory for this time, for this day.

What do we need to forget?
Paul had learned that we have to lock the door on yesterday and throw away the key. He discovered that looking back almost always ends up going back. Let me repeat that... Looking back almost always ends up going back. In the Old Testament, we find the wandering Israelites ready to return to their old ways rather than pressing on. In the New Testament Jesus clearly taught us in Luke 9:62 that "no man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for God's Kingdom."

4 THINGS WE NEED TO FORGET:

1. YESTERDAY'S MISTAKES
In his book "ENCOURAGE ME", Chuck Swindoll wrote a chapter titled, "The Fine Art of Blowing It". It begins like this, "It happens to every one of us. Teachers as well as students, cops as well as criminals. Bosses as well as employees. Parents as well as kids. The diligent as well as the lazy. Not even presidents are immune. Or corporation heads who earn six-figure salaries. The same is true of well-meaning architects and hard-working builders and clear-thinking engineers... not to mention pro ball players, politicians, and preachers. What? Making mistakes, that's what. Doing the wrong thing, usually with the best of motives. And it happens with remarkable regularity.

Everyone messes up. Everyone does stupid things. God says forget it! Leave them behind you. There are 3 things we are to do about yesterday's blunders:

1. Learn from them

2. Determine with God's help you aren't going to make the same mistake again

3. Forget them.

The enemy always wants to remind you and make you feel guilty for past mistakes - but God says: "Forget them. I have"! 

2. YESTERDAY'S HURTS
Life is a battlefield. On any battleground, injuries will occur and soldiers are going to get hurt. Sooner or later, someone is going to

...hurt you
...lie about you
...verbally or physically harm you
...misrepresent you

...chop you up in little pieces (not literally, of course)

...slander you

It's going to happen -- so what do you do?

You have two choices:

1. Allow the resentment and hate to build

2. Forgive and forget

    

You might say, but Lyne - 
... You don't understand

... You don't know how badly I've been hurt

... I was innocent. I didn't do anything wrong, but they hurt me. They lied about me.

... They hurt my feeling and didn't care. They criticized me even though I did nothing wrong.

... They talked about me behind my back.

... They cheated me, they rejected me, they hurt me really bad.

Believe me. God understands. Jesus was innocent, but they beat him, they tortured him, they mocked him, they crucified him. He didn't deserve it, but they did it anyway. On the cross He forgave them. On the cross, He provided salvation even for those who beat him, mocked him and crucified him. In order to press on in the Christian life, we, too, have to lock the door on yesterday's hurts.

3. YESTERDAY'S POSSIBILITIES

How often do we see people unable to operate in today because they are still living a "what if" life of yesterday? They keep talking about "what could have been" --"if I had only..." And very often they blame someone else

...if only my spouse hadn't...

...if only my parents (children) hadn't...

...if only my business partner had...

They even blame God - "if God would have... or if God wouldn't have..."

Build a bridge, and get over it!

We cannot live on yesterday's promises or yesterday's dreams. Too many people are dissatisfied with life because they've had an expectation of something that hasn't worked out. Paul is telling us - forget your past hurts, forget your past mistakes, and forget living with what might have been and finally...

4. YESTERDAY'S SINS

Billy Graham once said that 60% of all the patients in mental hospitals could go home if they would accept the fact that they are not guilty or that they have been forgiven.

So many people are carrying a burden of guilt of:

...A past mistake

...A moral failure

...A painful cut to a friend

...A physical hurt to someone

...A stupid, hateful remake

...A poor decision

...A sin so horrible they believe either God will not forgive them or they will not forgive themselves

***There is no sin, no matter how great or small, once it has been confessed and forgiven, the memory of it should torment us anymore.

See this ... Paul didn't say, "I've forgotten those things which are behind. Paul said, forgetting those things. He had learned the secret. There are some things in our memory that we will never fully forget. We have to keep practicing forgetting...

Guilt can eat us alive. Every time the memory comes back, every time a song or word or a smell or a picture or a person reminds us, we continue to practice forgetting. So how long do we have to practice forgetting?

...until the memory doesn't hurt anymore

...until we allow God to forgive us

...until we allow God to forgive through us

...until the pain is no longer there

...until we can use our past to help us grow in the present

...until we can use our past to help others in the present

God says in Jeremiah 31:34 "I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more."

Psalm 103:12 "I will remove their sin as far as the east is from the west."

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

It's time to:

    Lock the door on the past!

    Throw away the key!

    Forget where you threw it!