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In Everything . . . Give Thanks

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by Brian Waple

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

Driving home from a meeting this morning, I passed a church with this message on their sign: “In Everything Give Thanks.” After reading that, it made me think about what it meant. I mean, during this time of Thanksgiving, I know we all get caught up in the trappings of Thanksgiving dinners and football games and visiting relatives, and we often need to be reminded to actually be thankful. And certainly in the good times, I am very thankful—thankful for my family, thankful for a job, thankful for good health, thankful for a community in which to worship God. I thank God always for these things.

But I think Paul means more than that in this first letter to the Thessalonians. He had taught them that in spite of any persecution they may be suffering, or worldly temptations they might be facing, they should be thankful God loves them so much that He is constantly working among them to accomplish His will. Throughout much of what is now Turkey, Paul had been preaching the Good News. And what was that Good News? That God Himself had come to Earth in the form of a Jewish baby named Jesus; that He had lived a sinless life; that He had preached the true God and ministered to the masses; that because of Pharisaical prejudice and fear, He was taken captive, tried, convicted, and put to death on a cross; and that He was buried and three days later rose from the dead to mediate on our behalf. Thankful for the crucifixion? Absolutely, especially when you consider that through that heinous act, the free gift of salvation and eternal life was made available to those who believe.

So does that mean I should be thankful for the bad things that happen, as well as the good? Bad things happen. But one thing I’m continuing to learn about God is that regardless of what’s happening to me or those around me, God is present. And God is good. Even when I sense that prayers are not being answered or I don’t understand what’s happening, I believe that God knows and God acts. And in that, I can truly be thankful.

So, as we celebrate the season, may we be reminded of everything we have to be thankful for—the good and the not so good. Because God is in all of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Surrender Never Gives Up

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By Jeff Foerster

The commands of God can seem daunting—there are over 600 listed throughout Scripture. That may conjure an image of a multipage checklist that might best be used to overwhelm rather than instruct. Add to this what James says: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” Now that’s a downer if I’ve ever heard one. Breaking even one command, even once, bears the guilt of breaking it all. Now before you throw caution, and good theology, to the wind and say, What’s the use? it’s important to understand the purpose of the law—the commands of God.

The law has become our instructor, our “tutor,” to give us a clear picture of our dire situation before God. All religions build a stairway to heaven, one step after another—works or actions, things to do or things to deny oneself. Not so with Jesus. He, and He alone, has completed the law, living a perfect life on Earth, in the presence of man and God. Our pathway IS Jesus, not mimicking His behaviors or tailor selecting some commands of God to emphasize and proudly display to others. You bring nothing to salvation. God’s work in you produces a humble spirit, one willing to say as Jesus did, “Not as I will, but as You will.”

And there it is. A right understanding and heart acceptance of the commands of God produces obedience, not hopelessness. It brings life and not burden. It brings contentment and joy, not anxiety and despair. This idea strikes a chord in me, personally. I recall a few years back when I was frequenting the King County jail system, visiting inmates. We would organize an informal service with singing, a message, and prayer. It was in this regular time that I heard my fellow worker (we went in as pairs) as he spoke of “peace.” He did so frequently and, quite frankly, I wasn’t feeling it. I felt exhausted, tired from work, tired from service—just plain exhausted.

I remember hearing about the fruit of the Christian life being joy and contentment. And I thought, “Great, something else on my plate.” I felt I had yet another task: to produce a smile and a positive attitude to attract nonbelieving folks to Christ. That, as I saw it, was my duty as a follower of Jesus. Exhausted. The commands of God can look the same—more work to do. What was the problem? My way of living was heavy on “doing.” Living in Christ is like being saved in Christ: works follow, they don’t construct, they don’t create a relationship with Jesus. Works don’t maintain or replace a relationship with God—time spent is what nourishes.

More and more, my enthusiasm for life and service comes from my time of quiet, my time with the Lord and His instruction, His commands. Instruction comes from Scripture and from prompting of the Holy Spirit applying God’s word. “Your word I have treasured in my heart.” If you desire detail and precision on working this out, I understand. Many questions I myself have asked. Yet the answers don’t come from me. We must go directly to God.

Don’t have time to spend with God? Allow me to stab at the heart of American consumerism: we all need downtime. We don’t need entertainment. If your pace is frantic, entertainment, often found in screen time, will not bring you the peace that your soul needs. Only time with Jesus can do that. Know anyone who says they spend too much time with God? That their life could benefit from more entertainment? There is fulfillment in no other thing and no other person. We were made for relationship with the Almighty, for communion with our true soul mate.

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Identity

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By Brian Sharpe

Fear can be debilitating. I hate failing. Sometimes I would rather not try than fail. This fear of failure is ultimately rooted in a proper placement of identity. As believers, we are given a new identity. We learn in 1 Peter 2:10 that we went from people with no identity to a people who have an identity in Christ. Our identity as believers is different from other people’s identity. For those who do not follow God, their identity has been placed in what they do. As believer, our identity must be in what God says about us.

As a kid, I just wanted to be liked. In junior high, I was the class clown, because it was a way my peers would respond to me. I remember one time I received a box of hand-me-downs from someone in our church. I wore them to school the next day, and people commented on how good I looked. I remember feeling accepted by my peers. From that point forward, I always wanted to dress nice. In fact, when I went into high school and got a job, I spent a lot of money on clothes that I thought would make me look and feel good about myself. My identity was wrapped up in what others thought of me.

As humans, our identity can be wrapped up in many things. It could be how much money we make or the job title we have in front of our name. It could be the friends we have or our family. Our identity could be wrapped in how good of a musician we are or how great a fan we are of our favorite team (Go Bills!). Our identity could be wrapped in so many things that when things aren’t going the way they should, we are led to debilitating fear.

Instead of having our identity wrapped in what other people think of us, our identity needs to be wrapped up in what God says about us. What does God say about us?

Who I Am in Christ

(originally compiled by Neil Anderson)

I Am Accepted

John 1:12 – I am God’s child.

John 15:15 – As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 – I have been justified (declared righteous).

1 Corinthians 6:17 – I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 – I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27 – I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:3–8 – I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13–14 – I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9–10 – I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14–16 – I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I Am Secure

Romans 8:1–2 – I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28 – I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31–39 – I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be

separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 – I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God.

Colossians 3:1–4 – I am hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 1:6 – I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.

Philippians 3:20 – I am a citizen of heaven.

2 Timothy 1:7 – I have been given a spirit not of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.

1 John 5:18 – I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I Am Significant

John 15:5 – I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.

John 15:16 – I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 – I am God’s temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 – I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

Ephesians 2:6 – I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10 – I am God’s workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12 – I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

As believers, we need to focus on what we know to be true about ourselves based on what God says. We do not need to be bound by our past sins and failures. Our family-of-origin issues can be overcome because of who Christ is and what He has done for us. We need to trust God with our identity and our life and surrender our life to Him. We do not have to live in fear, because perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18)!

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Jesus and the Idiot Optimist

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By Jason Comerford

                Y’know what most of my life experience has led me to believe?

                Things work out for Jason Comerford.

 I have this weird, ill-defined feeling about how things tend to generally go well for me. This is, I suspect, thanks to growing up in a middle-class household with good parents, being an only child who never had to share, and generally reaping the benefits that come from being born white and male in America. A lifetime filled with financial security and parental affection has built into me this very undeserved sense that the world bends itself toward taking care of me.

Idiot optimism, I’m calling it.

Aside from being obviously wrong, there’s a lot of ways this sentiment can go dangerously sideways. I can become arrogant, imagining that my hard work or my intelligence caused this. Or maybe I’m just inherently so special, so important, that the world around me DOES bend to my will to keep me safe. Delusion at its finest.

But the most dangerous aspect of it, I’ve discovered, is that idiot optimism doesn’t require any faith. Optimism looks like faith, but it lacks any kind of reason for assurance or hope. And it’s hard to tell the difference. It’s an insidious counterfeit, mimicking the peace and decision-making of ACTUAL hope in Jesus Christ.

Faith, on the other hand, is an entirely different animal. Faith is, very specifically, trust in a person.

Don’t skim over that. This is no vague, unproven sense that things will be okay. Faith has a reason for thinking things will turn out okay and be made right one day. That reason is Jesus.

Jesus, who gives His own kingdom to the poor. (Matthew 5:3)

Jesus, who promises to comfort the mourning. (Matthew 5:4)

Jesus, who heals sick people. (John 5:1–9)

Jesus, who forgives all of our sins. (Mark 2:1–12)

Jesus, who grieves over the lost. (Luke 13:34–35)

Jesus, who casts out demons. (Mark 5:1–20)

Jesus, who conquered death. (Revelation 1:18)

Faith hears and believes that everything really will be made right one day, that a happy future really does await all those who trust Jesus. That no matter the heartache, no matter the darkness, no matter the injustice, no matter the danger that faces us, Jesus will restore all things and wipe every tear from our eyes. He will make things right. It may not be in this lifetime, but it will happen.

 And not because of any silly notion that the world bends to my will.

But because it bends to His.

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