Give Thanks

It's not always easy to be thankful.  In fact there are times that we just don't want to give thanks for what we are going through.  Please click the link below and listen to some practical tips for being thankful no matter what you experience.

Give Thanks

Too Busy!

“I’m just so busy”

It’s a common complaint of so many people.  We are running harder and faster than we need to.  Everyone seems to complain about it, but no one seems to really do anything about it because we are too busy to realize that there is another way.  After all there is always another tweet that needs posting, meeting to attend, person to talk to, movie or TV show to watch, phone call to make, or blog to write.  We go in to the office early and then stay late so that we can afford the gym membership or electronic toys that we don’t have time to use.  We are so busy, but are we really accomplishing more or just doing more?

Out of control

That’s the way we feel, out of control.  We keep ourselves so busy that we can’t mentally process everything that’s going on in our lives and as a result it feels like life is spinning out of control.  We do more, but sometimes accomplish less which makes us feel like we need to do more.  And the cycle continues.  Along with that the very things that were meant to make our lives easier like cell phones and the internet have made us so accessible that we can’t find a place to hide, rest, or think.  So, we fight through another call, meeting, or errand with increasingly less productivity and joy.  Something has got to change.

Abide in Me

Believe it or not, thousands of years before this problem engulfed our lives Jesus gave us the answer.  He simply said, “Abide in me (John 15:4 KJV).”  You see, the first thing we tend to neglect when we are busy is time with Him.  Like a branch that has been trimmed from the vine, when we cut ourselves off from Him we begin to die from the inside out (verse 6). We need Him and the power that comes from staying close to Him.  That is what abiding is all about, unplugging from the world and plugging into Him.  When we do we have the unlimited power of the God of the universe at work in every aspect of our lives.  As a result we are able to bear fruit, or accomplish more (verse 5). 

Simply put we will accomplish more if we will do something that on the surface sounds a little crazy.  Take some time out of your already busy day and spend it with God.  Put work, school, and everything else away for a few minutes and commune with your Creator.  It sounds unproductive, but the promise from His own lips is that if we will stay close to Him He will fill us and give us what we need to be more productive with the rest of our day.  It will also bring control back to a life that was spinning out of control. 

How?

The Sunday School answer to “how is this done” is prayer and Bible study.  That’s what we always say and, as it turns out that is what He wants.  Jesus said if we will obey His commands we’ll remain in His love (verse 10 NIV).  The only way to obey His commands is to learn what they are through His Word and prayer.  Taking time out of our busy day to read and pray is what abiding is all about; talking and listening to the One who created us and knows how best to navigate through the craziness that we have created in our lives.  So, take a few minutes each day to Abide in the His love.  Pour your heart out and listen to His comfort.  Communicate with the one who can bring order into the chaos of your world, and has the power to sustain you through the twists and turns that you encounter every day.  He promised that if we will spend some time with Him, He’ll help us accomplish more with the time that is left in our day.

God With Us

God created mankind for a relationship with Him.  In the beginning God literally walked with Adam and Eve in the garden and talked with them face to face, but their sin broke that relationship and separated us from our creator.  As time passed God continued to speak to His people, but no longer face to face.  Instead He spoke through his people and His written Word.  He used prophets, priests, and kings, along with other faithful men and women, to rescue His people in their time of need and to communicate His will.  

God was silent 

At some point something changed.  There was no prophecy, no new writtings, God was no longer speaking.  The people waited and prayed for help, but God said nothing.  For over 200 years the world waited, but God was still silent. When He did finally speak it wasn’t through a man.  Instead God robed Himself in flesh, stepped out of eternity, and again walked among us and spoke to us face to face.  Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Which means God with us. 

God Came

God's presence has always filled the earth, but now He came to us in a new and more personal way.  For the first time Light came into the world.  It was the Light of Life and the darkness could not overpower it.  The King of all creation was born in a humble manger.  His first hours were spent in a stable, and His first visitors were rough, smelly shepherds, but God had come and the world would never be the same.  In spite of the significance of this event there were many who missed His coming.  For various reasons their hearts were not ready for Him, and so His birth, life, and sacrificial death escaped their notice. 

No Room in the Inn

The City of Bethlehem was filled beyond it's capacity because of the census and so when Mary an Joseph tried to find a place to stay all that was left for them was a stable.  The town just didn't have room for them.  That is also true today.  There are those who do not have room in their hearts for God, not even for a God who gave himself for them.  Like the people of Bethlehem many in our generation are in danger of missing out on the life changing event that took place so many years ago.   The are two primary consequences of this.  First, is that when we miss out on Jesus entirely we miss out on the offer of salvation that comes with Him.  Faith in Him and what He has done for us is the only way to restore a relationship with the Father and gain eternal life with Him.  Second, when we who believe miss out on the presence of Jesus in our everyday lives we miss out on the power, freedom, and peace that He offers us right now where we are.  

God has come.  Don’t miss Him!   

95 Years of Wisdom

We just celebrated a pretty significant milestone in my family, my grandmother’s 95^th birthday.  There are not a lot of people who are able to do that.  It’s really quite an accomplishment.  To me, though, there is something more impressive here than the number of years she has lived.  More significant than her accomplishment is her perspective on life after living it for 95 years.  Much more important than the guests, food, gifts, or cakes was what she had to say about the event.  When someone of her longevity speaks its worth taking note of what they want to communicate.  And here is what she had to say.

“This is the best day of my life.”

That was her expression of gratitude as she said goodbye and thanked everyone for coming.  We say that kind of thing often, but she really meant it.  And when you think about it this is a pretty big deal because she has lived a lot of days; 34,675 of them to be exact.   Why would she pick this day above all the rest she has lived?  Priorities.  She said this was such an awesome day because her family was with her, and that is her priority.  She isn’t interested in gifts, though she appreciated them.  The food wasn’t her emphasis, though she enjoyed it.  She wanted to be surrounded by the people she loves, and the fact that she got that wish made not only her day, but her life.  I think we can learn something from that.

“Serve the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul.”

This was her answer when asked what wisdom she had to share.  For her, 95 years worth of wisdom pointed toward there being no greater thing in life than living for and serving the God who created us, and gave Himself for us.  Her heart’s cry has always been that her family would honor and love their God.  You can bet that someone who has been around that long has tried other things.  Its human nature to run after our own desires, try to handle things on our own, and to do what feels good at the moment.  My grandmother would tell you, though, that those things will not give you real and lasting joy in the long run.  It’s much better to just serve God.  That is what she has done, she’s done it for a long time, and she can testify that there is no better way to live.

Her wisdom has challenged my thinking and my priorities and I pray that it has yours as well.  Most of us won’t make it to 95, but we can learn from her wisdom.  Love those who are close to you and make them a priority.  Love and serve God above all else.  These two things will guide us in being the people that God made us to be, and by the way they are also priorities for God.  His own Son said that the most important things that we can do are: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Sounds like my grandmother has it right to me.