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Being Thankful on Thanksgiving

November 24, 2010 By 2 Comments

ThankfulWeb (1) Being Thankful on ThanksgivingWe praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 75:1 (NIV)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. The holiday where families and friends get together, share a meal, and remember the blessings God has provided them over the year.

Well, that was the original idea behind the celebration.

I'm sure you know the story. The Pilgrims traveled to North America from England to escape religious oppression but were ill prepared for the disease, harsh Winter, and other challenges which would face them in an unfamiliar land. However, God provided for their needs through Native Americans who befriended, traded, and taught the erstwhile Pilgrims how to grow food and survive in their new home. When the time for harvest finally (successfully) arrived, the Pilgrims invited their Native American neighbors to celebrate with them, giving thanks to God for His provision and protection.

Over the years, after the United States was officially formed, there would be similar individual state observances but it wasn't until the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation  that the idea of the annual feast truly became recognized as a national observance.

Today, rather than focus on giving thanks to God, your more likely to hear references to "Turkey Day" (because let's face it, most people only eat turkey one time a year and the last Thursday in November is the "big day") with an obligatory nod to the origins which created the feast. Which is why my family and I while enjoying delicious foods, spending time as a family, watching parades or football, we will also give thanks to God for His love and grace. I'm so thankful for my husband and children, my mother and family, friends. It's these relationships which matter because the rest is just "stuff"

Relationships are what make Thanksgiving Day important.

It's also important to think of all the people who are having a difficult time: no job, no home, no feast, no family. As we thank God for His provision, let's also pray God will comfort and provide for the needy in our communities through important ministries such as World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, Salvation Army, as well as the many other charitable organizations , and individual churches who are providing meals for the poor or those without a home this Thanksgiving.

I like Thanksgiving as a holiday. While we certainly should be giving God thanks and honor every day of the year, it's nice to have a special day when we can celebrate and reflect on His merciful provision and protection. So have fun tomorrow my friends. Enjoy good food, play with your kids, watch a little football, go to a family friendly movie, but most of all remember in all the hustle and bustle of the day to count your blessings.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1 (NV)

Have a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving!

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The Couple That Prays Together…

November 3, 2010 By 4 Comments

couple praying The Couple That Prays Together..."Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4: 6-7 (NIV)

One of the decisions my husband and I made early on in our marriage was that we would pray together every day. Sometimes it's been sitting together on the couch when a specific prayer request has been brought to our attention, or we read a short devotional which includes a prayer at the end.

Occasionally we will be in the car on a long trip and we pray. Most of the time, however, when my husband and I pray together it's after we have gotten into bed, turned off the light, and have spent some time chatting about the day, expectations for the next, concerns about the kids, etc. We take turns…one night my husband will pray, the next time it will be me.  We pray for our children, friends, family, seeking God's will, and for each other.

It is so important for husbands and wives to find a few minutes a day to pray as a couple…united in Christ as one. When we take the time to go before the Lord each day with our spouse we are asking God to be the foundation of our relationship. As we share our prayer concerns with our spouse, agreeing together in prayer, we are also standing together as disciples of Christ.

 " For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. 

This is a truth which stands for a husband and wife as well!

In fact, during the years when my husband and I began experiencing difficulties in our marriage (leading up to what would become a series of separations totaling five years) the first thing to suffer in our relationship was prayer. As we stopped communicating with each other, we stopped going together before the Lord as one.

"That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

Prayer promotes intimate communication not only with God but with each other, as husband and wife, as Christians.

What if you have a spouse who is uncomfortable praying (as well as reading scripture together, doing a devotion) as a couple? Try to find a compromise you both can agree upon. Discover a time, place, or method which works best for you. Is one person in the couple more comfortable in leading prayer? Allow that person to take the lead while the other agrees. Do you both find it difficult to pray out loud? Pray together in silence after discussing needs, concerns, or requests. Prayer doesn't have to be long or eloquent, simply honest communication with the Lord. 

The point of prayer is not in the method but in the doing. Through prayer, we surrender ourselves to God, acknowledging His Lordship not only in our individual lives but as a couple united in covenant marriage in His name.

Wifey Wednesday The Couple That Prays Together...

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There Is Only One Hope

October 30, 2010 By 8 Comments

Cross There Is Only One HopeThere is nothing more tragic than a person who knows nothing about hope. In particular, the hope of salvation available to every person who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

I was going through the cable channels this evening looking for something to watch, when I ran across the Biography Channel. Like so many networks these days, Biography has created a sizeable amount of paranormal related programming.

One of those shows is called Celebrity Ghost Stories. Fair warning. What I'm about to relate on this post is pretty spooky.

I stopped briefly as I came across the program, intrigued immediately by the story being recounted by actor Mykelti Willamson (most famous for his role as "Bubba" in Forest Gump). What he was describing in the segment was an experience from ten years ago, when he received a frightening phone call from a childhood friend (one often involved in crime with a rough life) who had died a few days prior.

What's truly chilling about the story is he describes his friend crying out to him during this bizarre phone call, begging Mykelti for help, saying over and over "I don't want to go there!" and "you know how to help me!"  Mykelti Williamson recounted that as he listened, stunned, to the desperate pleas of a friend he knew to be dead, he could also hear angry, screaming voices and what reminded him of the crackling sound of a particularly hot fire pit or barbecue. Mykelti Williamson stated in the interview that he was raised to believe there is an actual place called hell, but he also said he believed "bad karma" had caught up to his troubled friend. Earlier in the interview he also mentioned that his grandmother and mother could "see the spirit of death" on a person, and whenever they did, they left that person to their fate. 

It's obvious when watching the interview, Mykelti Williamson believes he received a "phone call from beyond".  He said he had no idea why his friend thought he could help him, and the only hope any person has to avoid a similar fate is to "live in the light." 

How sad that Mykelti Williamson doesn't seem to understand none of us must be slaves to "karma", or merely hope the good or "light" in our lives will ultimately outweigh the bad. Such a view is incredibly precarious leaving no real assurance that on the day we die we will find ourselves in a "better place".

As Christians, we know there is in fact a greater hope for all people which goes beyond simply "living in the light" or trusting in our own merits.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17 (NIV)

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved". Romans 10: 9-10 (NIV)

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6(NIV)

This is the reason we must never tire of telling people the good news of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. When I hear stories, such as the one told by Mykelti Willamson, I am saddened because they are being deceived and drawn into wrong beliefs about God and the afterlife. Many people simply don't seem to understand the incredible grace and hope available to us all, especially those who have lived or are living a troubled (even criminal) life.

Salvation available as a free gift to all who will accept it.

As Christians, we must always be willing to reach out and share the truth of the gospel with everyone, praying that through our witness the Holy Spirit will move people to receive His amazing love and forgiveness. So when the day of our inevitable death comes, we will experience the realization of the hope by which we currently live.

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Encouragement

October 25, 2010 By 3 Comments

god Encouragement

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:5-6 (NLT)

 

Last week I wrote about the discouragement my husband and I have both been experiencing and so many of you responded with prayer, reminders of God's goodness, and encouragement. 

Thank you!

Some times we do need those reminders and admonitions to stand firm. I spent a lot of time in prayer and reading about faith. What really popped out at me as I was praying, reading blog posts, and listening to Christian teaching on the internet and television is this very important truth.

Discouragement is a lack of faith or dissatisfaction with God.

Ouch!

When you think about it honestly, this makes sense. When experiencing discouragement I find it's often because circumstances or plans don't seem to be moving along as quickly as I believe they should, the answer I desire isn't apparently forthcoming, or life gets difficult…even painful. Let's be honest…nobody likes going through that kind of stuff. We want everything to fit together in a nice package exactly when and where we deem best and according to our internal schedule. This is where the enemy can begin to whittle away, playing on fears, casting doubt in our mind that God really cares.

These are the seeds of dissatisfaction and can grow into discouragement.

Discouragement trains the focus away from God and onto ourselves. Isn't that just what the enemy wants? How better to stall our lives, weaken our faith, or derail our growth into mature Christians? By focusing on our weaknesses, struggles, or personal agendas we are taking our eyes off the one we are meant to rely on for all of our needs. Discouragement essentially sets us up on our own minds to be the one in charge and this leads to double-mindedness….trusting two very different masters. 

God forgive me for being double minded.

Encouragement reminds us who God is.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. - Deuteronomy 31:6 

    

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. – Psalm 42:5-6a

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

    

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9

Whatever our situation…however difficult or tiresome, no matter how long it takes to see forward movement or completion…God will respond when the proper time comes for His will to be revealed in our lives, if we don't give up.

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 
2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

These verses from 2 Peter are addressing the return of the Lord Jesus, however, I believe we can apply the principle (understanding God's timing is different from our reality) in regard to waiting on God to move in our lives or answer prayer. God's view is significantly larger than our own and recognizing that God sees the bigger picture in our lives can help us remember He's not ignoring our pleas or rejecting our plans but waiting for optimum execution of His perfect will.

One of my favorite parables taught by Jesus is the widow and the judge. Talk about tenacity! The woman in this story needed to see justice but rather than taking the situation into her own hands, she continually sought the judges authority and final verdict on the matter. In the same way, we are to pray persistently, knowing that God will act on our behalf and in our best interest because He is good and He loves us. As mentioned above in James 1:5-6, God does not rebuke us when asking Him for wisdom (as we know, a mustard seed of faith is plenty big enough for God) but He does require we believe He will answer, no matter how long it may take to actually see the fruit of His response in our lives. 

In the meantime, we focus on God's mercy and grace. We encourage and lift up one another's faith and we stand firm in the knowledge of God's goodness and promise to provide all we need from His unrivaled provision.

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