Psalm 107:1 11/26/2019*

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

What percentage of your communication with God would you call gratitude?

When you talk to God do you mostly give thanks, or list your needs?
Do you stand amazed at His grace and mercy …or do you question what He allows and promote your own plans over His? 

The answer to those questions depends on how well you understand the end of this passage. The verse says “God is good” …that is a statement of fact.  Then the conclusion of the verse proves it with ….”His love endures forever”.

Stop and consider what it means.  His love – for you – NEVER ENDS…

That should astonish you.  You should be stunned by the fact that He is even aware of you…much less loves you eternally.

Just a cursory look at human history should make you wonder how God has tolerated mankind up to this point - and an honest look at ourselves should makes us wonder how He can possibly love us individually.

This verse encourages you to take a longer even more honest look in that mirror. Consider God’s stubborn love in your life. The times you have pushed Him away and He has refused to leave you. 

The result will be thankfulness - His goodness will overwhelm you and motivate you to “Give thanks to the LORD”. 

Try starting today by reflecting on his mercy and grace in your life. 

Consider what you have been forgiven of…exam the selfish heart that only you and He are aware of… and realize that nothing in the depths of that sinful heart has ever discouraged Him from loving you…that is mercy.

Then consider the blessing you have been given. Realize the protection He has provided throughout your life, calming some storms - and carrying you through others. And finally meditate on the dreadful Cross…and fall on your face and worship Him for His unmerited amazing grace.

His unending love for us proves He is good…it is not a product of anything we have done but of who He is…..and that should produce so much thankfulness in us that it defines who we are…if I take one breath today without thankfulness – it will be because I have forgotten that He is good, and  has promised to love me forever.  

“We are in a wrong state of mind if we are not in a thankful state of mind.”
- Charles Spurgeon

1 Thessalonians 5:16 11/19/2019*

^“Rejoice always”

This is a good memory verse for two reasons:
First – it’s short …Second - it will change your life.

This verse is not a suggestion ... God is not saying “hey, it might be good if you thought about incorporating joy into your day”.  He is commanding you to rejoice always… And the Greek translation means “rejoice always”.  So, the instruction is clear…

But how is it done?...  How do I rejoice in a broken world full of pain? How do I rejoice at a funeral…a divorce…a medical report with terrible news? 

Part of our problem is our confusion between the words “joy” and “happiness”. Happiness is a flimsy, circumstantial emotion- and suggesting that we should be happy at any of the above listed examples is misguided. 

The confusion exists because our culture has morphed the two words together. If you google “Joy” it is defined as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness” …which is not an accurate definition of biblical joy.

The most glaring difference is that biblical Joy is a condition not an emotion.
Joy is permanent. It is a gift from God. It is fruit of the Holy Spirit and it doesn’t change with circumstances.

Not only is it permanent but Nehemiah says, “the joy of the Lord is your strength”. So again…how do we do it? How do we obtain joy so we can have strength?

We do it by choice.  Instead of obsessing over the problem, we choose to anticipate God’s solution.  Joy is a biproduct of understanding that God is in control and choosing to trust Him. It is a life changing anchor in the storm.  Not only is joy appropriate at a funeral…a divorce…or a debilitating illness…it is the very thing that carries us through the suffering. 

Whatever you face today – you don’t face it alone.  Psalms says that God is “an ever-present help in trouble”. He is with you, lean on Him. 

Joy is the state of knowing that God loves you - and recognizing what He is capable of doing…nothing can separate you from the Love and security of Christ …and that is the amazing reason you have the ability to “rejoice always”.

“Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control, the quiet confidence that everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.” – Rick Warren

2 Peter 3:17-18 11/12/2019*

^“… you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…”

Are you growing? If you think about last year at this time, are you amazed at how young your faith was and how much you have learned?...Or have you become complacent and switched your faith to auto pilot? 

You can’t stand still in your faith. You either grow closer to God or you drift away.  Peter says that if we aren’t growing in Christ, our life becomes unstable and our wisdom and discernment fade as we become distracted by other things.

Centering on God develops laser focus on things that matter, and this produces righteousness and holiness.  People will say you can’t maintain that in the “real world” …but that is "the big lie". Our walk with God is “the real world” …. “the fake world” is what distracts us with temporary trinkets.

The enemy’s goal is to make you busy - so you will become preoccupied and begin the slow fade…But God not only says you don’t have to fade, but you should improve. This passage forcefully warns us that lack of growth is dangerous.

Think back to when God first opened your eyes….at a camp, a retreat, or alone in your room…wherever it was - the only thing that has changed since then is you.  God is the same…your ability to choose is the same… and God’s desire to provide grace and knowledge is the same.

The difference is that now you are distracted - and you have bought into the lie that you can’t sustain holiness in the “real world”.

Like the father of the prodigal son, God is waiting for you to turn around and “Repent and do the things you did at first” ( Rev 2:5) Get out of the fake world that has disoriented you and pursue the truth again.

Refocus on community… worship… and holiness…. Resist the slow fade and don’t be satisfied to maintain…If you are not closer to God today then you were yesterday…you wasted yesterday.

The question is not are you able to grow… It is, have you decided to? … The choice is yours - but each day you don’t decide – you are deciding.

“Spiritual growth depends on two things: first a willingness to live according to the Word of God; second, a willingness to take whatever consequences emerge as a result. “    

-Sinclair B. Ferguson

Philippians 3:8 11/5/2019*

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my LORD, …”

How much time do you invest in knowing Christ?

I’m not asking how often you go to church… I am asking how often you spend time personally getting to know Jesus?

If you were trying to get to know me …you could talk to my friends … look at my social media… examine how I influence others…But the best way to know me is to spend time with me.

So again, I will ask you…how much time do you spend getting to know Christ?

It matters…Paul says it holds surpassing value and everything else in your life pales in importance to your relationship with Jesus. 

Unfortunately, we sometimes focus more on knowing about Jesus, instead of actually getting to know Him.  It is a subtle difference, but important…God says it like this… “be still and know that I am God”. He invites us to enter into His presences and fellowship with Him.

Is that a habit you cultivate?

If not let me challenge you to start today…In Matthew 6 it says “…when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father…” That means set aside time to stop and be alone with God. Leave your computer and your phone somewhere else. No multi-tasking …simply focus on talking and listening to God.

Start with confession and repentance – move into praise and gratefulness - and then spend some time praying through scripture that you’re trying to apply in your life. Be still and allow your heart to speak to His - and His heart to speak to yours.

Scripture plus prayer equals a conversation with God.

This will be harder than you think…and I believe it is because the enemy desperately doesn’t want it to become a habit. The routine of being alone with God will change you and deepen your knowledge of Him.

How long you spend is up to you…but keep in mind that the only way to know someone is to spend time with them. And everything in your life is insignificant compared to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus”.

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” ― A.W. Tozer