Songs of Thanksgiving

“The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” (Psalm 28:7 NLT)

This past Thanksgiving morning, I woke up early. I made up my schedule for all the cooking I had to do--when to prep each dish, when each dish would go in the oven, when to shower, when to set the table, when to clean, etc. Then suddenly we had a rainstorm and the electricity went off. All my appliances are electric--thus, all my plans came to a standstill. Well, there wasn’t much else I could do but pray--so that is just what I did. I prayed and thanked God for everything. Since I didn’t have my usual sources of music, I sang songs that I knew in my heart--songs of thanksgiving and praise. After about an hour, the electricity came back on. I was relieved and overjoyed. I was so much more conscious of all I had to be thankful for throughout that day.

Life rarely goes according to plan. Serious illness, death of a loved one, unemployment, divorce, and natural disasters can bring us to an impasse. What is the best thing to do when we are at our wits’ end? Rely on God. The Lord is our strength and our shield. So trust him with all your heart. He helps us and fills our heart with joy. Express your gratitude with songs of thanksgiving and praise.

Shades of Anger

“If you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!” (Matthew 5:22 MSG)

I’ve never thought of myself as an angry person. I rarely fight with my family or friends. We don’t scream, hit, or throw things in our home. We don’t call each other names or yell obscenities. My anger issues are camouflaged. I have learned to dress them up in presentable clothes, in muted shades that are less obvious. Instead of getting angry, I tend to get disappointed, annoyed, irritated, and frustrated at people. I have been known to use words that maim others in order to get my point across. I can hold a grudge like nobody’s business. Unforgiveness festers in the deep recesses of my mind.

Anger corrupts our heart, blocking the ability to perceive God in this world. Bitterness overpowers His flavors, while muddy attitudes mask His colors.

Anger doesn’t improve anything. People and circumstances will continue to disappoint us. We cannot even change our own frustrating habits, so why do we think we can influence others to change? The only real solution is to release every  person and circumstance to God. Relinquish expectations. Let God take care of everything, as only He can.

Private Faith

"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it.” (Matthew 6:1 MSG)

When my husband is fixing things around the house, I usually help out by pointing a flashlight on the spot where he is working. For quick jobs, we often use the flashlight app on our cell phones. When the job is done, I’m tempted to switch the phone to camera mode and take a picture of us in front of ‘our’ project. Even though I really had very little to do with fixing the problem, I’m happy to be included in the credits.

We can shine a light on whatever God is doing. We can be open about our vulnerability. We can share our brokenness and how God is working in our lives. We just have to remember to keep the spotlight on God’s work and not on ourselves.

Lord, help me to be sincere and authentic in my worship, while remaining open about Your love and care.

Open Up

“By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God.” (Matthew 5:16 MSG)

Many of us like to hold our cards close to our chest. We are guarded and careful when sharing personal information with others. Here are some reasons why we are reluctant to open up to others:

--We don’t want to feel vulnerable.

--We don’t want our weaknesses to be used against us.

--We don’t want to be misunderstood.

--We don’t want to reveal our imperfections.

--We prefer admiration over condescension.

--We are afraid that our openness might bring shame and rejection.

Keeping our imperfections private might make us feel better about ourselves, but it also makes us less relatable. Vulnerability allows us to connect with each other, while an air of superiority merely creates distance. Once we accept our flaws, we are less reluctant to share them with others. Opening up allows us to show others how God has worked in our lives. As we expose our wounded self, the scars reveal where the Lord has stitched us up--healing our iniquities and restoring us to wholeness. As long as Christ dwells within us, self-disclosure ultimately results in bringing glory to God.

Lord, help us to open ourselves up to others, so that they can see how You are working in our lives.

True Humility

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5 KJV)

Most Bible translations use the word meek/humble/gentle in this verse. According to Strong’s Concordance: “Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God's strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness.”

My personal favorite version of this verse is found in the Message:

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.” (Matthew 5:5 MSG)

Humility is not insecurity.  It isn’t trying to be like someone else or hiding behind false modesty.

In Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, a little boy brings up a few loaves of bread and some fish to Jesus. Jesus uses this offering to feed five thousand. This child brought forward whatever he had--no more, no less. Most people would have thought to themselves: I can’t take this up, it is nothing. Everyone will think I’m trying to appear as if I have something substantial to offer when I don’t. It might seem prideful if I call attention to myself. I better just keep my fishes and loaves to myself.”

True humility realizes that everything you have is from God. It would be silly to take credit for something that was given to you. It would be wasteful to hide your gifts or use them only for your own pleasure. When we exercise our God-given strengths under His influence, when we are content with who we are--then we shall have possession of all that has been promised.

Lord, thank you for all thy gifts. Instead of hiding them, may we use them according to Your purposes.

Cycles of Grace

“Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!” (2 Corinthians 4:15 MSG)

Think about the last time you lost something  or someone who was dear to you. How did you feel?

Every time I’m faced with deep loss, I feel vulnerable, stripped down, exposed, and powerless. Because of my neediness, I turn to God. Because of my nakedness, I can feel His embrace. Because of my frailty, I surrender to His will. Awareness of my vulnerability leads me to Grace. God takes His time. He restores me lovingly. He revives me patiently. I am thankful. Unfortunately, once I feel strong, it doesn’t take long for me to regress back to my old self-reliant ways. Then the next trial comes along, and the cycle of grace repeats.

Trials expose our limitations. Our vulnerability propels us to seek God. The experience of Grace leads us to thanksgiving. Even though we will continue to fall, God is there to pick us back up. Every relapse merely highlights God’s grace. This becomes an opportunity for praise. Gratitude begets even more grace. This cycle continually multiplies and spreads to more and more people until everything comes together for the glory of God.

Living in the Light

"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:3 NLT)

Imagine that you have always lived underground with a whole community of people. Everything is dark except for some artificial lights installed by those who lived before you. You have gotten accustomed to the stale air, the cold, and the dampness. Yet, you sense there is something better. You seek a way out. Finally one day, you break through the ground and encounter sunlight for the first time. Everything feels different.

Many of us live underground--under the power of human influence. Our beliefs and actions are dominated by worldly circumstances and attitudes. We get accustomed to this oppressive environment filled with each other’s noxious excretions. Then one day, we realize that we can’t accomplish anything good on our own. We need a higher power. We break out of our limited underground kingdom, built on human wisdom, and into God’s sphere of influence. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get sucked back down into the familiar, subterranean life. The muck feels comfortable, while the bright light is a bit unnerving.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1  John 1:7 MSG)

Lord, we can’t accomplish anything good on our own. We need You. Please draw us up to Your light and keep us from getting pulled back down into the darkness.