Give WHAT?

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5.18

“In every thing give thanks … ” Is giving thanks an important part of your make up? Most parents teach their children at an early age to say “thank you” when they are given something. So, when Paul tells the Thessalonian believers, and us as well, to give thanks in every thing, how difficult is that? We need to make a distinction here between two words. Paull’s instruction is “In everything …”, not “for everything …” there are many things that occur in our lives for which we would be reluctant to give thanks. We don’t give thanks for sickness, for the death of a loved one, for the loss of a job, for a tragedy of any kind. But when we are in the midst of those experiences, we are to give thanks to God. Why? Because we know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We know that His love for us in not affected in any way by the circumstances around us. Many times, just to acknowledge that God KNOWS what we are going through is an important piece of the puzzle. We don’t have to wonder where God is. He is THERE with us. We don’t have to wonder if God cares. He is THERE with us.

Why is this element of giving thanks so important? “ … this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” If it is God’s will for us to give thanks, why is that so important? When you and I are able to give thanks in the midst of life’s darkest storm or deepest sorrow, that example speaks volumes to the lost world around us, because they are watching. My acknowledgement of God’s presence and His care for me in my time of heartache and sorrow says to the lost world, “His God is real.” Just my thoughts …

He WILL Flee!

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4.7

We are asked to do two things to insure a fruitful walk with God each day. If you have never appropriated the truths of this verse, you are depriving yourself of the great freedom God wants you to have.

Here is the first thing: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. ” What does that look like to you? How MUCH of your life are you willing to submit to God? Are you willing to ask Him to control your thought life? Do you want Him to be in charge of your attitude? Do you want Him to guide the actions you take during the day? Do you want Him to oversee your reactions to whatever situation you face? If the answer is YES to all of these, then I think you are willing to submit yourself to God. I believe anything short of this total commitment is not submission to God at all.

The next step is to “Resist the devil … ” I believe this is more than a casual “go away. Leave me alone” conversation. I believe this is actively resisting Satan’s attacks on our mind and our will. Resisting is not a passive activity. It is something that we do actively. Let there be no mistake in Satan’s mind that you are resisting him. In order to resist him, we must be aware of his devices and his methods. We discover those in the Word of God.

The result of these two actions is this: “he will flee from you.” What a relief it is to know that you can have some time when Satan is NOT camping on your door step, trying to seduce you to sin. Let me encourage you to take advantage of what God is offering in this verse today. Just my thoughts …

FAITHFUL? Yes!

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16.10

There is no such thing as “almost faithful.” Either one is faithful or one is not faithful. It may seem tempting at times to think that if it is a small matter, it doesn’t require as much faithfulness as if it were something that everyone can see. But Jesus doesn’t see it that way: “He that is faithful in that which is least … ” He expects us to be faithful even in the things which seem small to us. I think there is nothing small to God. You and I may see things only as they affect us at the moment. God sees things as they impact both time and eternity. So, it is not up to us to decide WHEN to be faithful. It is simply us to us to BE faithful all the time.

“ … he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Once again, it is not up to us to decide what is a small matter and what is a matter of great significance. Doing right, being just, is ALWAYS the right thing to do. When I am unwilling to be unjust in a very small matter, it is certainly much easier to not be unjust in a large matter. I think the thing for us to remember in both of these issues is the importance of consistency in our walk with God. That is what the world wants to know. Are we the same all the time, no matter how large or small the project or item under consideration? The answer must be YES. Just my thoughts …

Let’s Be Prudent!

“Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.” Proverbs 13.16

There are two key phrases here. One deals with a “prudent” man and the other deals with a “fool.” I think most of us have been around people who are enamored with the sound of their own voice. They may not have anything significant to say, but they are going to say “something.” I can’t tell you how many times I have listened to a conversation in which the person talking had absolutely NOTHING of value to say, but when they were finished, I knew everything they had been thinking: “a fool layeth open his folly.”

I believe each one of us would rather be in the category of the “prudent man.” The idea behind the word prudent is that we show concern for how our words will affect elements in the future, as well as how they affect right now. This is why the words of Psalm 19.14, that we looked at yesterday, are so important: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” My concern must not be for how OTHERS view my words as I am with how the Lord views my words. My purpose is never to speak offensive words, but at the same time I must speak that which is a reflection of what I know: “Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge … ” May the Lord guide us today and every day in WHAT we say and HOW we say it. Just my thoughts …

He Knows!

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19.14

Do we really grasp what the psalmist is saying to God here? He is talking about the words he says, but more deeply, he is talking about the things that he meditates on in his heart that no one else hears or knows about but God. People know what we say because our words tell them, but they don’t know what we are meditating on in our hearts. We probably wouldn’t want everyone knowing what we are meditating about. But the truth of the matter is that God knows about all of it.

So what is David telling God here? He is acknowledging who God is to him, his strength and his redeemer. Then he goes further by saying, “I want my words and my deepest thought to be acceptable to you.” How can you and I guard our hearts so that this would always be true for us? My heart things about what I allow to occupy it. If I fill it with trash, it is going to think about trash. If I fill it with the Word of God, it is going to meditate on the Word of God. It is a sobering thought to realize that God will know everything we are meditating about in our hearts. That alone should be sufficient motivation for us to spend time DAILY in His Word so that we at least make an honest effort to hide His Word in our hearts. These thoughts are enough for us to meditate on today. Just my thoughts …

HIS Counsel!

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” Proverbs 19.21

On any given day, how many different things go through your heart? You are confronted with many ideas, suggestions, situations, and problems and you want to make the best possible decision based on what you know at the time. I believe it was President Harry Truman who said, “I never made a bad decision. I always made the best decision I could with the information that I had at the time.” I believe that is the way most of us operate.

In the verse above, Solomon presents two very distinctly different thoughts. The first thought is that of what is in our hearts. The second thought is “the counsel of the Lord.” At times, those are two very different things. We look at a situation before us and think, “What is best for me in this situation?” However, what seems best for me may not be something that will glorify God in the long view of things. When you and I decide that our sole purpose in life once we are saved is to glorify God, then everything about our lives changes. I need – I must seek – the Lord’s counsel in order to know what He wants for me. Solomon reminds us: “the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” His counsel isn’t going to change just because my feelings change. His counsel isn’t going to change just because I see the issue through fleshly eyes rather than with a spiritual perspective. So, when I come to the Lord and seek His counsel, I need to be prepared to accept His guidance, whether I understand it or not. When we understand what Solomon is telling us, it ought to be an encouragement for us to seek the Lord’s counsel in every situation, not just when we can’t figure it out on our own. Just my thoughts …

Wear It All the Time!

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6.11

There are a number of things that we need to remember in our daily walk with the Lord. But I believe one of the most important things is to KNOW who our enemy is. It is not our spouse. It is not our parents. It is not the next door neighbor. It is not that church member who gets under our skin every time we see them. So, who is our enemy? I’m sure you know. But Paul emphasizes it for us in the verse above: “the devil.” In military planning, the more you know about the habits of your enemy, the better you know how to combat your enemy. In your daily walk with the Lord, the more you know about YOUR enemy, the better you are able to withstand him. So, how do we learn the things we need to know? The first thing to know is that he IS going to attack us so we need to “Put on the whole armour of God … ” You may KNOW what the armor is, but if you never put it on and use it in your defense, it does you no good.

I don’t believe any believer gets up on any given day and says, “I think I’ll just let the devil have his way with me today.” But I DO think there are times when we don’t protect ourselves with the armor of God and he DOES have his way with us. Paul makes seven statements about the armor that are important to us: (1) having your loins girt about with truth, (2) having on the breastplate of righteousness, (3) and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, (4) above all, taking the shield of faith (5) take the helmet of salvation, (6) and the sword of the Spirit, (7) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Remember, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Just my thoughts …

Go Ahead – Knock!

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” Matthew 7.7

Prayer should be such an important part of our daily walk with God. Here in this verse Jesus gives us some insight into some of the elements of prayer. He gives us three specific elements that you and I need to incorporate into our prayer lives.

The first element is to ask. most of us don’t have any problem asking God for the things we think we need. The next phrase tells us “ ,,, and it shall be given you … ” I’m sure the next question is this: “Does that mean that God will give me anything/everything I ask for?” I think you know the answer to that question. God will give us that which is consistent with His will for us. That means that we need to spend enough time with God to know what the boundaries of His will are for us.

The second element of prayer is to seek. What is it that we are to be seeking? We often need direction in making wise decisions. We may need specific help in knowing what God’s will is for us in a given situation. There may be several options open before us and we are struggling with which one is the right one for us. I believe that it is at this point that we must “seek, and ye shall find … ”

Finally, Jesus tells us to “knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” I had great respect for the pastor under whose ministry I grew up. He told me a great bit of wisdom once when he and I were talking about where God was taking him in his life. He was preaching at a church in a different state and that church was searching for a pastor. I asked him how he determined what God wanted him to do. He said, “I try every door that is before me. If God opens the door, I go through it. If God closes the door, I stay where I am.” Go through every open door God places before you. Just my thoughts …

Delight & Desires Go Together!

“Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37.4

There are two very important concepts here. They are not meant to be separated, but rather linked together. It doesn’t sound too difficult for us to delight ourselves in the Lord. This word delight means to take pleasure in being with someone. When that someone is the Lord, it SHOULD be the natural longing of our hearts. Let’s examine that thought for a moment. When we take pleasure in being with ANYONE, we accept them for who they are. We also like the way we feel when we are with them. What does DELIGHTING yourself in the Lord mean to you? Is it a daily experience you long for? Is it simply something you do once a week when you attend church? For me personally, I look forward each morning to a time when I am alone with God and can delight being in His presence. Whether or not that experience means anything special is up to me. God is the same every day.

This last phrase is vitally important. So many people have expressed over the years that they never get from God what they pray for. So, this phrase seems to them to be untrue. So, let’s examine it. In order for God to give me the desires of my heart, my desires need to match up with His desires for me. After all, isn’t His way for me better than my way for me? If you stumble in answering that question in a positive manner. Then your understanding of who God is in your life is faulty, because He ALWAYS wants what is best for you. Remember that when you delight yourself in the Lord, the natural result of being in His presence is going to be that you want to embrace His will for you and you want to agree with Him that His way is best. Just my thoughts …

Go Ahead – Ask!

Go Ahead – Ask!

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1.5

WISDOM – what is wisdom? I think the simplest definition is that wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. We can’t expect someone to act or speak wisely about something of which they know nothing. When my son bought his first car, it was what we call today a “beater.” But it met his needs and that was good enough. One day he came to me and said, “Dad, I need to put a transmission in my car. Can you help me?” Now, for those who know me, I am ANYTHING but a mechanic. I think I said, “Son, I can help you get it out. But that’s about it.” You see, I didn’t have any KNOWLEDGE about changing transmissions so I couldn’t address the issue wisely.

James gives us solid counsel here: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God … ” What is the context here? James is talking to the Jews who were scattered in many places. He is telling them and us that we are going to have trials (v. 3) and that we should remain steadfast (v. 4) in our walk with the Lord. And his next phrase is: “If any of you lack wisdom … ” When was the last time you needed help from the Holy Spirit to apply something you had learned from the Scriptures? It is one thing to know the WHAT of Scripture. It is something else to understand the HOW of what God says. So, James tells us, “ … let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally … ” God is not going to be upset when we ask for help. Quite the opposite. He WANTS us to ask for help and He will GLADLY grant our request. Don’t try to “go it alone.” Ask God for His help “and it shall be given (you).” Just my thoughts …