Giving Thanks

I remember when I was a kid sitting around the Thanksgiving table and being forced to give thanks for something. We went around the table and everyone had to say something they were thankful for. It was a perfectly good exercise, but I hated it. I hated having to come up with something to say. Forced thankfulness didn't work for me.

Now I am older and hopefully a bit wiser and God is teaching me how to be thankful, really thankful. This is a spiritual quality that all who claim Christ have by gift. It is natural because of the Holy Spirit's work in us and it isn't forced.

I wonder - and since we are not sitting around a table I can get away with this - if we could also spend a moment really thanking God for His salvation, His presence and His blessing in our lives.

Then, if you want to, why don't you share one thing you are thankful for

I will start: I am genuinely thankful that God has given me friends who really look out for me, who really "get me" and who I can count on no matter what.

More on Getting What We Deserve

Since I sparked some interest with a quote from a book I was reading last week I thought I would add to the discussion with a quote from a different book I just began reading - Foundations of Spiritual Formation by Paul Pettit. Don't let the extremely boring title fool you. The book has so far been interesting. Anyway, here is the quote:

As Christians, we live in the now and not yet. “Christians are positionally holy by virtue of being in Christ (1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 10:10) although experientially they remain tainted by sin.” We are simultaneously “sinning saints” or ”saintly sinners.” While it is true that we possess everything for life and godliness (2Peter 1:3), it is also true that we still await our final state of righteousness in glorified bodies. This occurs at glorification when the presence of sin is finally done away with. We see in part now (1 Cor. 13:12), but one day all the blinders of sin will be removed. Sin has initially been dealt with at the cross, but its final (historical) demise is yet future. One day our character will finally be conformed to Christ- positional will become actual. This process is what spiritual formation is all about (pg. 44).

This brings up an important question for me: How do we live a holy life and still struggle with temptation and sin? Or is that the wrong question to ask altogether? Maybe living a holy life, what all Christians should be about, has more to do with who we are and who we are becoming in Christ by His power at work in us and less to do with our personal achievement on a moral do's and don'ts list.

How do you make sense of Pettit's idea?

Getting What We Deserve

I have been reading a very interesting book lately called 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee by John Fischer. Today in a chapter about how a recovering Pharisee learns that they DON'T want to get what they deserve and they DON'T want anyone else to either, he makes this observation about heaven and hell:

If we are uncomfortable associating with sinners, then we might want to think twice about spending eternity in heaven. Heaven is for sinners who face their sin; hell is for those who refuse to see. One of the ironic similarities between heave and hell is that no one in either place thinks they got what they deserve. (pg. 58)

So, people in heaven realize they received God's mercy and grace - not what they deserved - and were awarded heaven, while people in hell did not receive God's mercy and grace because they didn't think they needed it or refused to accept it. Either way, they didn't think they deserved hell, but that is exactly what they got.

What do you think about his thought? Do you believe it is accurate? How would you respond further?