Being Thankful

What does it mean to be thankful? It’s a word that we throw around a lot, especially during this time of year. But what does it actually mean?

Is someone thankful simply because they have an abundance of things to enjoy and they are happy about it? Is someone thankful simply because they have great relationships with family and friends that enrich their lives? Are we thankful only because of these things?

Would we be thankful if they were all removed? What would it mean to be thankful if we lived in need all the time or if we lived in loneliness or fear? Would we, could we be thankful then?

Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not wishing to have everything good and valuable removed in my life to see if I would still be thankful and I don’t want that for anyone else. I am simply trying to figure out want thankfulness really is apart from everything I have been blessed with as a healthy, middle-class married with two kids in a reasonably healthy, loving and functional family, American. (That’s a lot of adjectives!)

What does God really want to teach me/us about being thankful?

I am firmly convinced that the good news of Psalm 34:8 to be true it must be equally true for me in Houston, TX USA as it is for someone in Nairobi, Kenya or San Salvador, El Salvador or Calcutta, India or Manila, Philippines, etc. If that verse is truly good news for me it must be good news for Christians there as well. So, somehow, being thankful as a Christian has to be much deeper than the temporal things we value. It must be much deeper and broader than that because I hear stories of Christians in those places and others who are truly thankful amidst desperate poverty or persecution or disease or all of the above.

Which brings me back to my original question: What does it mean to be thankful?

I don’t have complete answers. Unfortunately, I only have more thoughts and more questions. But I believe God is at work, teaching me what it really means to be thankful. I think things might be different in my life as a result.

As you reflect on what it means to be thankful, what has God taught you? What is He teaching you now? How are things different as a result?

Making it clear and simple!

Last week as I was preparing for my sermon I wanted to develop a short, pithy definition of the Gospel. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel so I went on line and searched for some definitions that others had put together. I thought surely there would be others who were in my position who had come up with something that just hit the mark.

I read and read and read. I read a lot of good stuff from a lot of people way smarter than I am. Unfortunately most of their definitions were a half a page or more. That is anything, but simple. On top of that, most of their definitions were filled with very technical language that was absolutely theologically precise, but hard for the average person to understand, especially if they are not familiar with the Bible.

I read and read and read. Finally, I gave up finding that perfect statement and came to terms with the fact that I would need to develop my own. No doubt with some of the inspiration of all the brilliant people I read I came up with the following simple definition of the Gospel. Here it is:

God’s Son Jesus died in our place to pay the price for our sin and those who trust Him and surrender to Him are forgiven, graciously offered new life and adopted into the loving fellowship of God’s eternal family.

My goal is for clarity and simplicity. I want it to be clear, with words and terms nearly everyone can understand, and I want it to be simple so that no one will get lost along the way.

It’s still a work in progress. I have already edited it briefly a number of times and am open to any suggestions you have.

Feel free to pick it apart and put it back together again with your input.

In the meantime, allow the power and wonder of the Gospel truth sink deep in your heart and mind and work its transforming work on you every day.

How are my words and thoughts?

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14

This is a powerful and challenging passage of scripture that hits us right where we live every day, everywhere.

If the words coming out of our mouths were pleasing to God, would they be different words from the ones we normally utter? The things that we say matter a great deal. We have the power with our words to build someone up or tear them down, to speak the truth or a lie, to point someone to Jesus or to lead them away from Him.

If the meditations of our heart, the things we think about and dwell on, were pleasing to God, would they be different? The things we think about may even matter more than our words sometimes. If we think about something long enough we are going to act on it. Nearly everything we do, whether good or evil, is a result of something we have thought about ahead of time. If our hearts are seeking after Godly things then Godly words and actions will likely follow.

If God is my Rock and Redeemer how does that change the equation of my life? A rock is something secure, immovable, something that can always be counted on. A redeemer is one who buys people out of slavery or bondage of some kind. They are hopelessly trapped, but the redeemer sets them free. If God is my Rock and my Redeemer then everything in my life is affected by that reality. There is not a single thing that is outside of God’s concern, not a single thing that He is unaware of. In fact, God is keenly aware of what is going on with us and, as a result, He has offered us redemption. At the same time His ways and His character never change. We can count on them no matter what.

I don’t completely understand how this all shakes out in my life, but I am thankful for it. I am also challenged as well. I want everything in my life to be pleasing to God. And when it isn’t, I want to repent and run to Him for forgiveness and another taste of the redemption He has granted me through Jesus.

How does this verse encourage, challenge or speak to you? How are your words and thoughts?