The Shepherd Press Blog

Tis the Season 3

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Gratitude for Christ

In less than two weeks it will be Thanksgiving Day once again. That day begins four weeks stuffed full of events, culminating on Christmas Day.  Then, ironically, many will be thankful that the busy holiday season is over. The holiday season places a rather conditional spin on the theme of Thanksgiving. We hope that we will be thankful—assuming that everything works out the way we have anticipated. We will be thankful if the major meals and events of the season go off without a hitch. We will be thankful if that certain annoying relative is not quite so annoying this year. We will be thankful if the year-end bonus is what we hoped for. We will be thankful if we get most of the Christmas presents we would like. We will be thankful if everyone pitches in and helps with all the work that has to be done.

In contrast, God’s idea of thanksgiving is not dependent upon your events and circumstances. Paul tells the Thessalonians that thanksgiving is to be a  recognizable quality of their lives as Christians, regardless of conditions. It is God’s will that you, too, be thankful in all circumstances. If you are not, your life will be less than glorifying to God. Your life will center around yourself--and that is a recipe for holiday discouragement. Gratitude must to identify you as a person. For this to occur, at least three truths must frame your understanding of gratitude:

First truth:  gratitude is based upon unchanging facts, not changing circumstances.

God's goodness to you is never in doubt. Ephesians 1:7-8 says “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” This blessing is certain. Paul says it has already happened. Redemption belongs to you as God’s child and you will never lose it. No circumstance can change this certain reality--so no circumstance of this life should diminish your gratitude for God’s grace. The holidays are filled with circumstances that stand in contrast to the rest of the year. Do NOT let uncertain circumstances diminish the joy of God’s faithfulness to you.

Second  truth:  gratitude is based upon commitment, not performance.

The gospel is all about God’s commitment to you. God works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. The Holy Spirit “is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession” (Eph. 1:14). By implication, the gospel means that you don’t have to evaluate the performance of others to determine whether or not you can be thankful. Think about it. How often does discouragement come from what you view as the flawed performances of others?  ...If only my wife were not so demanding; if only my kids were not so selfish, if only…  If your gratitude could be measured on a graph over time, it might tend to be as up-and-down as  the stock market averages. This is not God’s will for you. His will is gratitude. The more you focus on the performance of others, the less you will be dominated by gratitude.

Third truth:  gratitude is based upon mercy, not expectations.

The story of the ungrateful servant in Matthew 18:23-35 demonstrates what happens when you lose sight of the mercy of God that has been given to you. When you lose sight of the mercy of God, you will be more critical when those around you do not meet your expectations. You will be dominated by discouragement and even bitterness, instead of mercy and compassion. God extends mercy and compassion to you even when you fall far short of his commands. Mercy is not something you extend because someone has pleased you. Mercy is unmerited favor. Yet, when your expectations are not met, isn't there a natural drive of the flesh to be hurt and to withdraw—or even to demand retribution? Where is gratitude? Gratitude should flow from the mercy extended to you. Then, gratitude becomes the source of mercy (rather than hurt feelings) when others struggle and fail. Times when your expectations are disappointed provide an opportunity for you to show kindness, compassion and mercy—actions that are perhaps unexpected, but holy.

Gratitude is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. You can be thankful for all that God has given you, including the struggles of those you love most. May we all show true gratitude this holiday season, gratitude that anticipates eternity.

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Mini Post: Angry Ike

For I am the LORD your God,
    Who churns up the sea so that its waves roar—
    the LORD Almighty is his name. Isaiah 51:15
   
The men were amazed and asked,
"What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:27

I heard a famous TV reporter this morning, standing by the sea wall in Galveston Bay, describe the scene of Hurricane Ike's approach. As he was pelted by the water crashing over the sea wall, he described the waters of the Gulf of Mexico as angry waters. He then said the waves were wicked waves.

It is telling that weather systems are described with language that indicates purpose and intent, as if these systems had minds of their own. Yet, as the Scriptures teach us, it is God who stirs up the waters and causes storms, even Ike, to roar. God is not ashamed to identify himself as the cause of these events; neither should we.

One purpose of this blog is to help parents identify the power of God in all of life. This provides you with powerful testimony to give to your children about the work of God on earth.

Ike is a large hurricane, impacting hundreds of miles of coastline. The human and economic devastation from Ike is likely to surpass the damage done by Katrina and Gustav. The TV network evening anchors have not rushed to Galveston and Houston to cover the approach of Ike the way they did for Gustav, demonstrating again, as we have noted in previous posts, that news reporting is selective by nature.

The power of God is on display as Ike approaches. This is important data for your children to grasp. How devastating this storm will become is up to God and God alone. People’s lives are at risk. Property damage could be catastrophic. Energy prices could skyrocket even beyond current levels—or the storm could weaken and not bring the devastation that is possible.

What is important is that this is God’s doing. He is once again reminding us of his great, awesome power. This storm is but a tiny fraction of the power that our God has at his command. Don’t make the mistake that the eager reporter made—attributing the acts of God to random chance and ascribing intentions to waves and wind rather than to God himself.

A prayer at night on going to sleep

I lie down and sleep;
       I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. Psalm 3:5

O Lord God, who has given man the night for rest, as you have created a day in which he may employ himself in labor, grant, I pray, that my body may so rest during this night that my mind cease not to be awake to you, nor my heart faint or be overcome with apathy, preventing it from adhering steadfastly to the love of you. While laying aside my cares to relax and relieve my mind, may I not, in the meanwhile, forget you, nor may the remembrance of your goodness and grace, which ought always to be deeply engraved on my mind, escape my memory. In like manner, also, as the body rests may my conscience enjoy rest. Grant, moreover, that in taking sleep I may not give indulgence to the flesh, but only allow  myself as much as the weakness of this natural state requires, to my being able thereafter to be more alert in your service. Be pleased to keep me so chaste and unpolluted, not less in mind that in body, and safe from all dangers, that my sleep itself may turn to the glory of your name. But since this day has not passed away without my having in many ways offended you through my proneness to evil, in like manner as all things are now covered by the darkness of the night, so let everything that is sinful in me lie buried in your mercy. Hear me, O God, Father and Preserver, through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.

This prayer is taken from a collection of prayers by John Calvin recorded in The Christian Life, edited by John H. Leith.  The short prayer can have a tremendous impact on families. In the next few posts we will examine this prayer as it applies to young children, teenagers and yes, even to parents. But for now, read it carefully and thoughtfully. Ask God to help this be your prayer as you prepare for a night’s sleep.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Fear of the Lord and Worldview

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
  but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

The cornerstone of a biblical worldview must be the fear of the Lord. Understanding how this world really works is impossible without the fear of the Lord. Recall the definition of worldview from the last post: the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. If your children interpret their world without the fear of the Lord they will never be wise. Practically speaking, this means that the observations and conclusions that they draw from their experiences will be flawed. If the fear of the Lord is absent, love of self will dominate a child’s life. His choices will be driven by what he thinks is best for him. The food he wants, the toys he desires, the friends he longs—all will be controlled by self-love if the fear of God is missing. Modern culture has relegated God to the role of an appetizer in the menu of life. He is optional, but certainly not required for enjoyment of life’s entrees. To extend the metaphor, the entrees our world craves are the ones that satisfy love of self. As Solomon says, fools despise wisdom and discipline.