Thanksgiving…
Thanksgiving is here! It’s the time of year that is set aside to do what we’re called by God to do continually – be thankful for all he’s done in our lives. And it’s not so much that he’s called us to walk around saying – thank you for this and thank you for that. No, what he’s called us to -- is to have a thankful heart. Don’t get me wrong, if we have a thankful heart we will express appreciation to him – but the words can be said and have no meaning. So God has called us to have a thankful heart.
With that being said I just want to say that I’m so thankful to God for counting me worthy to be his son. There’s nothing I’ve done to deserve this great honor – it’s simply because of his great love for me. I’m also very thankful for my wife and daughter, and for family and friends who love me. The list goes on and on – job, health, and that he is developing in me a heart that is growing in it’s thankfulness to him.
Psalm 95:1-5
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD? let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
1 Chronicles 16:8-10
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name;
2 Chronicles 20:21
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.”
Psalm 35:18
I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.
1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Thessalonians 6:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
So – what are you thankful for?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Value…
Value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for something. If I own something such as an antique -- or a great baseball card collection that has been appraised and found to be worth a large amount of money, but no one will pay me for it, it is really not worth all that much after all.
The same seems to be true when it comes to how people are viewed in the world today. If you have a little you’re only worth a little. But if you have a lot – nice home, great financial portfolio, live in the right part of town, run in the right circles – then you’re worth a lot. According to the world’s terms I would have to say that I clearly fit in the – I have a little – therefore I’m only worth a little category… according to the world’s terms that is…
Fortunately for me that’s not the last word when it comes to how valuable I am. You see the Bible says…
Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16-17
“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.
If value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for something – and it is! Then there is amazing news – not just for me but for all of us. The best of heaven was given on our behalf to buy us back for God. When we were lost and the price of sin was on our head – Jesus found us so valuable that he bought us back with his very life.
You are truly valuable to God – and Jesus paid the price to prove it!
Value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for something. If I own something such as an antique -- or a great baseball card collection that has been appraised and found to be worth a large amount of money, but no one will pay me for it, it is really not worth all that much after all.
The same seems to be true when it comes to how people are viewed in the world today. If you have a little you’re only worth a little. But if you have a lot – nice home, great financial portfolio, live in the right part of town, run in the right circles – then you’re worth a lot. According to the world’s terms I would have to say that I clearly fit in the – I have a little – therefore I’m only worth a little category… according to the world’s terms that is…
Fortunately for me that’s not the last word when it comes to how valuable I am. You see the Bible says…
Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16-17
“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.
If value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for something – and it is! Then there is amazing news – not just for me but for all of us. The best of heaven was given on our behalf to buy us back for God. When we were lost and the price of sin was on our head – Jesus found us so valuable that he bought us back with his very life.
You are truly valuable to God – and Jesus paid the price to prove it!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Our Trip to Cumberland Falls...
I want to thank everyone for remembering the prayer requests I mentioned on Thursday. This post is intended as an update to those requests.
The students are getting through finals very well - and that as you know is a really good thing - and I believe a result of prayer.
Dave's surgery went very well -- he still has to go through a recovery time, so please continue to remember him in prayer.
Our trip to Cumberland Falls in Corbin, Ky. was great! As you know I was blessed with the opportunity to teach at a retreat called "Spirit - Fest." The retreat was very spiritual - all those who participated were great to be with - and God blessed my family for being part of it -- thanks for lifting us up to the Lord.
I met some wonderful people - teen and adult - who left their imprint on my heart simply by the way they showed the love of God to my family and me. To be honest I was treated far better than I deserve. I think they thought I was royalty or something.
Now, don't get me wrong, I think my wife and daughter deserve the best - and they are royalty! But everyone at the retreat were better to me than I deserve, and that's a great way to live because that's how God in his son Jesus has treated - and treats - all of us.
So, between God, Sunshine and all the folks at Spirit-Fest, I've found myself the recipient of wonderful kindness -- thanks to God and all!
Now, I'm going to end this post with a few pics of the weekend. The first is from inside Fort Boonesborough -- the rest are of Cumberland Falls... I hope you enjoy them -- God is the Great Creator!
I want to thank everyone for remembering the prayer requests I mentioned on Thursday. This post is intended as an update to those requests.
The students are getting through finals very well - and that as you know is a really good thing - and I believe a result of prayer.
Dave's surgery went very well -- he still has to go through a recovery time, so please continue to remember him in prayer.
Our trip to Cumberland Falls in Corbin, Ky. was great! As you know I was blessed with the opportunity to teach at a retreat called "Spirit - Fest." The retreat was very spiritual - all those who participated were great to be with - and God blessed my family for being part of it -- thanks for lifting us up to the Lord.
I met some wonderful people - teen and adult - who left their imprint on my heart simply by the way they showed the love of God to my family and me. To be honest I was treated far better than I deserve. I think they thought I was royalty or something.
Now, don't get me wrong, I think my wife and daughter deserve the best - and they are royalty! But everyone at the retreat were better to me than I deserve, and that's a great way to live because that's how God in his son Jesus has treated - and treats - all of us.
So, between God, Sunshine and all the folks at Spirit-Fest, I've found myself the recipient of wonderful kindness -- thanks to God and all!
Now, I'm going to end this post with a few pics of the weekend. The first is from inside Fort Boonesborough -- the rest are of Cumberland Falls... I hope you enjoy them -- God is the Great Creator!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Blessed are Those Who Mourn…
Last Friday I said I would be doing a series of posts on the beatitudes. My goal is to take one beatitude per Friday -- and in eight weeks this worthwhile task should be complete. But, as you may have noticed -- I just missed the Friday mid-night deadline, sorry about that! I'm sure there are folks all over blog-world not sleeping tonight over this. (I'm joking of course)
Last week we looked at the first beatitude… "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."(Matthew 5:3)
The first beatitude is the foundation on which the rest of the beatitudes are built. So, if you're interested in brushing up a bit on what it means to be "poor in spirit" – please click the link on the right side column that says blessed are the poor in spirit…
Otherwise we'll press on with the next beatitude.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
This is a very convicting passage. As we established last week – the first part of each beatitude would capture the intended meaning better if they were stated more in this way… Oh the bliss of those who…
Now for the second part… Oh the Bliss, of those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
When Jesus spoke of mourning here, he was not actually speaking of the type of mourning that leaves us broken over someone else’s loss. To be broken over such a loss is right and good – it’s just not what Jesus was really getting at here.
When Jesus spoke this beatitude, he was building on the first one (“blessed are the poor in spirit.") He was making the point that – when we finally realize just how destitute we are before God, it should break our hearts and drive us to our knees in mourning – Or another way to say it is… when I realize just how bankrupt I am before God – it should crush me, and cause me great agony in my spirit to realize how great a distance there is from his pure heart, to my distracted heart.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Oh the bliss of those whose hearts are broken over their sin and distance from God. For they shall find themselves being comforted by him.
Last Friday I said I would be doing a series of posts on the beatitudes. My goal is to take one beatitude per Friday -- and in eight weeks this worthwhile task should be complete. But, as you may have noticed -- I just missed the Friday mid-night deadline, sorry about that! I'm sure there are folks all over blog-world not sleeping tonight over this. (I'm joking of course)
Last week we looked at the first beatitude… "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."(Matthew 5:3)
The first beatitude is the foundation on which the rest of the beatitudes are built. So, if you're interested in brushing up a bit on what it means to be "poor in spirit" – please click the link on the right side column that says blessed are the poor in spirit…
Otherwise we'll press on with the next beatitude.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
This is a very convicting passage. As we established last week – the first part of each beatitude would capture the intended meaning better if they were stated more in this way… Oh the bliss of those who…
Now for the second part… Oh the Bliss, of those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
When Jesus spoke of mourning here, he was not actually speaking of the type of mourning that leaves us broken over someone else’s loss. To be broken over such a loss is right and good – it’s just not what Jesus was really getting at here.
When Jesus spoke this beatitude, he was building on the first one (“blessed are the poor in spirit.") He was making the point that – when we finally realize just how destitute we are before God, it should break our hearts and drive us to our knees in mourning – Or another way to say it is… when I realize just how bankrupt I am before God – it should crush me, and cause me great agony in my spirit to realize how great a distance there is from his pure heart, to my distracted heart.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Oh the bliss of those whose hearts are broken over their sin and distance from God. For they shall find themselves being comforted by him.
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