The Wrong Kind of Thankfulness

And so here I am after a long time of not posting anything, trying now to get someone, anyone to read what I’ve written. Maybe you’ve checked once or twice and just thought to yourself - “Ha, I knew he wouldn’t keep it up.” Well, I’m back… for now! I make no guarantees for the future.

These thoughts arose as I was preparing for a message entitled “Time to Fill Your Thank Tank” to be given November 20, 2011 at Praise Tabernacle. In the sermon, I make reference to a story Jesus told about a Pharisee and tax collector who went up to the temple to pray. Since the sermon is about thanksgiving and being thankful, the words of the Pharisee’s prayer jumped off the page at me. Here are his words so you can see for yourself:

        Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank         you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even         like this tax         collector.

        Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ (NIV1984)

I’m not sure if you saw it, but let me point out a couple of things he says in verse 11.

1. He addresses God as the object of his thankfulness - Good place to start. I’ve been saying for years that to be really thankful, it’s best when thanksgiving is directed in the appropriate direction - most appropriate is God. However, this is where the positives for this religious leader comes to an end.
2. He thanks God that he is not like other men - I’ve heard and said the expression before “there for the grace of God, go I.” There’s nothing wrong with that when there is a sense of humility and realization that God is the one who has delivered you and brought you out of your sin. But really? He thanks God that he’s not like these sinful people? This guy clearly thought he was better than everyone else around him, “even this tax collector,” he says.

Let me just go on record at this point and say, this is the wrong kind of thankfulness! The story Jesus told was to teach those in the crowd who trusted in their own righteousness that repentance and humility gets God’s attention, not being thankful at how good you think you are in your own eyes. What this man failed to see was that he was exactly like those “other men” because his heart wasn’t right with God and all the outward expressions of religion don’t change that.

His most egregious error was that of actually attaching thankfulness (a quality we are reminded at least once a year to possess) to his supposed position with God; and then to thank God, as if somehow God had something to do with him being so prideful, stuck-up and horribly deceived. He was thankful alright, but he was the wrong kind of thankful.

Let’s be thankful to God that He has delivered us from sin, but stay away from the comparisons to others because that’s the wrong kind of thankfulness.

To Infinity and Beyond... Through a Mac

I really was making better use of my time when the question came to me, what it would be like to screenshare from one Mac and then through that screeenshare, open up a screenshare on the other Mac back to the one I was on?

Here's the result. Cool, huh?

The Bible Software I Use and Recommend

As a 2nd generation pastor, I remember seeing all the books in my Dad's library and remember often seeing them spread out on his desk as he would study and labor over his messages (for many years preaching 3 times a week). I wonder how many hours Dad would have saved with Accordance. Of course, by the time computers became a must have for most pastors, Dad was in the later years of his ministry and I was in the early years of mine. A few years ago, I discovered Accordance and was pleasantly surprised at the time by how fast it was (that was Accordance 6). Now at version 9, Accordance is just as fast as ever, is native to the Mac and continues to provide excellent resources for in depth Bible study. I have only begun to scratch the surface of using Accordance, but there are excellent quality resources like a the Lighting the Lamp Podcast and a knowledgeable community of users in the Accordance User Forum to help get you started. You won't regret it.

I don't remember the last time I had books spread out all over my desk because they are now neatly organized in my Accordance Bible Software workspace.

The new Multimedia Preview gives you some quick insight into a few of the things Accordance has to offer.

Thirsty?

When Jesus was on the cross, He said, "I thirst." Viewed from the physical perspective, He no doubt needed something to quench His thirst. He was becoming severely dehydrated through all that He was suffering. But we also have to wonder if He wasn't sensing the great spiritual thirst of all of mankind as the sins of the whole world were placed on Him. It was the thirst felt by billions of people around the world.

The solution? Get a drink. John 7:37 (NIV) "... If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." The One who felt thirst on the cross, is the answer for quenching the spiritual thirsting of your soul. Nothing else will ever satisfy your thirst like He will.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Most of us think of any number of things when it comes to Christmas! Right now there is the smell of an apple pie baking in the oven (thank you to my dear wife for that)! Maybe for you it brings to mind your family, your loved ones and of course to most children it’s about what will be under the tree. But the account of the first Christmas according to the Scriptures shows multiple lessons of one of the most important of all Christian responses - obedience. Both Mary and Joseph in their own individual encounters with the Lord had to follow Him in obedience to His plan. The shepherds had to obey in order to experience the wonderful blessing of seeing the Savior of the world come to be one of us. The Magi, later on, obeyed the voice of the Lord and returned to the own country by another way.

In the end, without obedience to the plan of God, the real meaning of Christmas is lost! But as the main players show, obedience to His plan is nothing but the beginning of something revolutionary!

Merry Christmas!

Blame or Credit?

There are those who blame God at every turn. A bad day must certainly be God’s fault. A let-down in life leads many to one conclusion only - that God is nowhere to be found or that He alone is the cause of all the trouble. Besides, if He had been there all of this wouldn't happen. It sort of sounds like Martha when Jesus showed up just a little bit too late - after her brother Lazarus had died and already been placed in a tomb. Jesus didn’t even attend the funeral of His close friend. “Jesus” Martha said "if you have been here, Lazarus wouldn't have died." More than likely, she was right about that. But what Martha didn’t understand was that there was a greater purpose being worked out behind the scenes. An all-wise decision had been made; one that saw through all of the things that were going on in her mind and in Mary's mind and all the other minds present for the passing of Lazarus. (Read John 11 for the whole story)

God’s perspective of the situation is very different from yours. Martha was quick to blame Jesus. However, instead of blame what we really should be doing is giving Him credit (or praise) for the fact that in the midst of our trouble He is present. He told the people of Israel, and I’m paraphrasing, when you pass through the water I'll be there; when you go through the fire I'll be with you (Isaiah 43:2). You don't need to be afraid I'm not going to get you out of it I'm going to take you through it and as a result of that we become stronger.  Trust him, don't blame him.  Give him the credit for showing up when you need Him most, right in the middle of your pain.

Here is one final thing to consider about Martha’s accusation that Jesus had been too late in getting there and had He been there, their brother would still be alive. Even when Jesus delayed and allowed His friend Lazarus to die without so much as a healing touch or even a spoken word to heal, the end result for Martha and Mary was the same as if Jesus had been there before Lazarus died. Lazarus lived (which was what his sisters desired most). Jesus wanted this result too, but not until His power could be displayed over our last great enemy, death. The divine purpose of God was fulfilled and the human need was met by the hand of a loving and merciful Savior. In the end, if Lazarus hadn’t died, Jesus could not have shown to those who had gathered there in that moment to mourn that He was (and still is) the resurrection and the life. So rather than assuming that God is absent from your dreadful problem, begin to thank Him that He is walking with you through that difficult place.

Thanksgiving?

Ok, I enjoy a good football game like the rest of the male population raised in America. While I am more of a baseball guy, I do like football. Of course, being raised in New England, I’m supposed to be a Patriots fan, but it is the one New England sports team with which I severed ties when I was a kid in favor of “The Steel Curtain.” That’s right, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the late 70’s was a thing of beauty, but I digress. My question is, what will a lot of us be doing on Thanksgiving day? Well, we will be watching football! So will we really be giving thanks? I wonder if the Pilgrims had this in mind. I know what you are thinking... “Is this guy for real? They didn’t have football in the 1600’s! Duh!” Of course, if they had been able to peer into the future and see that the New England Patriots would be playing less than 50 miles from where they landed at Plymouth Rock, they might have let out a cheer or two. Who really knows? But have we turned the spirit of the day into... well, Thanks-watching?

Then, there’s the turkey! I’m salivating already at the thought of that perfectly cooked holiday bird along with all the traditional side dishes. I’ve been known to put away quite a lot of turkey and close to a half a pan of sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top. I can’t wait! But have we turned it into Thanks-eating?

And of course there’s the aftermath of the ginormous meal at which we have essentially exceeded our normal food intake for one sitting, but hey, after all, it’s thanksgiving. All that food leads only to one place...Thanks-napping! Our eyelids will get heavy and we will want nothing more than to lay down and sleep off some of that meal because we know that a little later, we’re going to want all the Thanks-leftovers!

What’s my point in all of this? Am I trying to get you to sit down and not enjoy some of the 21st century traditions. Not at all. Enjoy the game, but be thankful that you live in a country that has afforded you the freedom to be able to watch that game. And, be thankful that you can sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal when there are so many in the world going without. Just be thankful.

Maybe this Thanksgiving is a little difficult this year. It could be that the economy has handed you some hard times, or your Thanksgiving is clouded by grief. In spite of that, as a believer in Jesus Christ and in what He accomplished for me on the cross, I know that I have reason to be thankful though things are sometimes difficult.

Regardless of what we are going through, Paul reminded the Thessalonians believers to do this: 1Th. 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Yes, that’s right, he did say (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I might add) “in all circumstances.” You may not like what is happening to you, but it is in that circumstance that we are told to give thanks.

So in the time where some might be watching, eating, napping, struggling and even grieving, you can still give thanks in your circumstances when you turn your heart to Christ.