Wednesday, November 27, 2013

What really is thankful…

Every year, we approach this season of “Thanksgiving”.  We meet together with family, watch football, and avoid that relative that always has to bring up the controversial debate topic (or maybe that’s us).  For some it’s a “family” time, for others it’s a time of remembrance for what God has done for us, for some it’s both.  The theme of the season though is thankfulness.


For most of us, thankfulness is something that we do, which really fits in with the taking a day each year, but for the Christ follower, it should be a way of life.  All over God’s Word, he speaks of thankfulness.  Psalm 69:30 says that I will “glorify Him with thanksgiving”.  In other words, the way I glorify God is to point out the work He’s doing (His glory) here and to thank Him for it.  We sing to thank Him when we gather together (Psalm 147:7; Psalm 69:30)  In 2 Corinthians 9, the writer tells us that God gives us everything we have so we can, out of thankfulness for what we do have (not bitterness for what we don’t) be generous with those things to others, and THAT very generosity will result in thankfulness to God.  In every request of God, we should ask with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).  If “in everything” missed anything, there’s one of my favorite verses in the Bible, 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.” (emphasis added).  The greatest thing to be thankful for is that Jesus who allows us to reconnect with God  and to know what life is meant to be.  The Bible, a collection of 66 books, written by 40 different writers over a period of 2000 years, without consultation between authors, simply inspired by God Himself, just drips with the message “Hey BE thankful.”


It’s amazing the pain that people can get used to, we adjust and adapt, as a God given ability to survive, but at the same time, we adjust the other way.  It’s amazing the blessings that we can get used to and overlook.  In fact, we don’t usually realize they are there until they are gone.

As you approach Thanksgiving, don’t just take a moment for thankfulness, but commit to live in thankfulness all throughout the next year.  Get a post it note and write something you can be thankful for each day and stick it on your desk.  I have a friend who starts each day posting on Facebook something he’s thankful for.  Get creative, but resign to live a life that is thankful...you will find that a thankful life is better than a demanding one, and everyone might enjoy you better this Thanksgiving as well.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

My Dad is Better Than Your Dad

When I was young, we boys would periodically have a bout of “My Dad is better than your Dad”.  We’d throw out some awesome feat...NEVER embellished or exaggerated.. that our Dads had done, that was obviously an achievement that clearly made him the “Dad over all”.  While that was fun (even if it was more than a little bit of perjury if we’d have done it in a court of law), what is cute as kids, often becomes ugly as adults...especially with Christians.

More and more on social media, I see other Christians rolling out some blog or scathing video about “nationally-know pastor” or “those type of churches”.  It always makes me cringe, because rarely is anyone ever pointing at themselves and their church in repentance.  Mostly, it’s a finger pointing exercise at the “really bad” Christians over there...that aren’t me.

A defining statement like John 13:35 gets thrown away.  Matthew 18, Galatians 6 and Proverbs 16:18 are ignored.  It’s like trying to find the next “sinner” to expose has become the national distraction for what Christians should be doing.  If that’s you, let me share something with you...you don’t have to search for sinners, because we all are and if someone says they aren’t, then they are lying...which is a sin.  

As a fellow believer in Boston told me recently, “no one ever says that the problem with the church is that we’ve got TOO many people telling others about Jesus.”  Like anything else, purpose gets lost in the wake of distraction.  What’s sad is this rash of stuff rarely produces solution, only division.  It is really just an indirect method of pointing to how YOU have it all together...leaving Jesus out of the equation.  That type of stuff between Christians really just ends up looking like two second graders, fighting about whose Dad is better. and then you come to find out that they are siblings and the “Dads” they are comparing is the same guy.

Don’t seek out the “angry ones” who live to create conflict as your influences.  If you see someone caught in a sin, resist the urge to run to Facebook, Twitter or Sunday School to nail them with your cool insult, no matter how famous or wrong they appear to be.  I want to do that too, sometimes, but even though it’s hard, try praying for them instead.  I really fail more than I’d like to admit, but it’s always better when I succeed.  Spend 1000 times as many words as you ever say about someone in criticism, either in loving restorative (sometimes difficult) words to them directly or in talking to the only One who can ever make a real difference (See Gal 6, Matthew 18, etc..).  You might find yourself more compassionate than contrary, or maybe even becoming more “Christlike”...and if that happens, maybe your Dad will, with lack of comparison, brag on you.