Category: Thoughts

Thanksgiving and the New You

I am a stickler for truth in advertising.  When the Bible talks about God’s commands as not burdensome or His yoke as light, I want to know how this happens.  Because, quite frankly, I have felt the weight and burden of Christ’s commands and it was not always pleasant.  And I do not think I am alone in that feeling.

What lifted the burden for me was an understanding of all that changed at my new birth.  And one of the changes was an infusion of a new nature – an infusion of the righteousness of Christ – such that obeying Christ’s commands is now my new normal.  I am not saying my new normal is always easy, but following Christ’s commands has become my second nature and yours too.

When we recognize that Christ is literally living His life through us, that He is in the yoke with us (after all Jesus calls it “His yoke” and I fully expect Him to be in there with me), it lifts the burden.  On the other hand, when we fail to embrace or believe or expect that Christ is living His life through us, we become worn down, oppressed, and yes, burdened by all that He requires.  Our Christian life turns sour and gratefulness is the furthest thing from our minds.

But when we recognize that the gospel message is not only about our initial salvation, but also informs our new power to live the life now, a thankful heart is our natural response.  We can not add anything to what Christ has done for us.  We cannot live the life He wants to live through us by will power and shutting Him out.  We cannot lift ourselves up to righteousness by our bootstraps and true grit.  No, we live the life by accepting all that Christ has accomplished on our behalf.

In the book of Colossians, Paul explains that legalism – working our way to righteousness – is not only foolish, but has no value in defeating the flesh.  He goes on to explain that we live the life, defeat the flesh, and experience victory over sin by living into our new nature; by putting on the new self.  And this new self is infused with thanksgiving.

Gratefulness is so much a part of our new life that Paul comes back to it for three verses in a row as He concludes his treatise on the new self.  “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Col 3:15-17).

In your unity and peace, give thanks.  In Christ’s word dwelling within you, give thanks.  In your singing, give thanks.  And then it is as if Paul looks up and says, “You know the more I think about it, just go ahead and give thanks in everything you do” (vs 17).  Thanksgiving and a grateful heart are that important.

May I encourage you this thanksgiving to thank the Lord for His goodness.  To thank the Lord for the friends and family in your life.  To thank the Lord for His material blessings.  But don’t forget to thank Him for making you a new creation; a new you with a soft and grateful heart.

A Tribute to My Friend

Last week our friend, Greg Miller, passed away due to cancer.  The rapid progression of the disease was a shock.  In five short months, Greg went from initial diagnosis of multiple myeloma to death’s door and through to the presence of the Lord.

Greg was a man of faith.  Greg believed and we believed and we all prayed for his instantaneous healing.  Last Wednesday, Greg was completely healed.  But to be honest, it was not in the fashion we had hoped and prayed.

Our friendship with Greg and Dee Dee started when our children shared some homeschooling classes together.  As we got to know them, their warmth and commitment to Christ drew us together.  Greg and I coached little league teams together.  We camped together as families (which always included a baseball game).  Our daughters recorded a beautiful Christmas CD together.  And don’t forget the carpooling.  In Houston, friends show their love by driving each other’s kids around.

Our youngest son, Joe, was a regular at the Miller’s dinner table as was Grant Miller at ours.  When Joe and Grant headed off to Texas A&M, we not only felt the emotional loss of the house turning quiet, but on a practical level, we lost our yard crew.  It was a big yard.

Our children were in each other’s weddings.  We truly have a family connection.  And we will miss Greg very much.

Our prayers now turn to Dee Dee and Kari and James and Xander and Eric and Grant and Scott and Rob.  We pray for God’s comfort, encouragement, and faith to face the future.  Greg is safely home.  But the pain and loss for us and more intensely for Greg’s family is great.  Dee Dee, we are praying for you.

Greg’s journey also brings into focus our own thoughts of someday being truly home; home in the place God has prepared for us to enjoy His presence forever.  But the path to find our way home is different for each of us.  Greg’s path touched many lives.  His influence in his family and friends and coworkers and missionaries will continue long after the journey’s end.  And it is a good and lasting influence.

“Enjoy the reward of heaven, my friend!”

The Giver of Good Gifts

As we continue exploring our New Covenant relationship with God our Father, we come to Matthew chapter 7.  “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.  Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?  Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Mt 7:7-11).

Over and over again, I am drawn to the word “Father” when I read these New Testament passages.  I think we often just gloss over this title for God, maybe because have heard or read it so often.  But stop and think about it for a minute.  If you have embraced the gospel message of Jesus Christ, God is your Father!  The Sovereign of the Universe; the Almighty; the Omniscient and Omnipotent; God Himself is your Father!  It truly is incredible.

And one of the hallmarks of this fatherly care is that God is the giver of good gifts.  My hope for you is that you had a father who gave you good gifts, though sadly, I recognize that we do not all share this experience.  The “how much more” in verse 11 teaches us that God’s gifts are far superior to even the good gifts of our earthly fathers.

To receive these gifts, our role is to ask, seek, and knock.  There is a role for us to play in this transaction.  God’s promise, God’s side of the equation is to give, to be found, and to open the door.  And the foundation on which that promise stands is His identity as our Father.  We can trust God to come through on our behalf based on one simple fact.  God is our Father and He is a good Father.

Do you need God’s intervention in your life?  Ask.  Do you desire a closer walk with Jesus?  Seek.  Do you need a door blown open?  Knock.  Do you lack resources of some kind?  Ask.  Do you need direction for a pending decision?  Seek.  Do you sense the next step God has for you and your family, but are unsure how to proceed?  Knock.

God is waiting.  This passage starts with ask, seek, and knock, and ends with the assurance that our good Father will bring it about.  The ask, seek, and knock and good things will happen is not just thrown out as a maybe or a wish for or a hope so.  The promise is based on the character of the heavenly Father who is behind the promise.  And the Father-child relationship you share is the guarantee that “in asking, you will receive; in seeking, you will find; and in knocking, the door will be opened.”

Taking the Wind Out of Our Worry

One of the beauties of the commandments of Christ is that they are never tossed out in a vacuum.  That is, Jesus never expresses Himself as “just go do this because.”  Jesus, in His graciousness toward us, always gives the underlying reason for His commands.

For example, when Jesus speaks against divorce in Matthew chapter 19, he doesn’t just prohibit it and say that’s it.  Rather, He explains that divorce violates the first principles of marriage.  God designed marriage as a lifelong partnership.  “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Mt 19:6).

Likewise, in our current topic of our Father’s care (Mt 6:25-33), Jesus instructs us not to worry; not to be anxious.  But Jesus doesn’t stop with just the instruction.  He tells us the why of “do not worry”.  Jesus demonstrates His compassion toward us by explaining the why.

Jesus says that you do not need to worry because your Father knows everything you need.  Your Father knows everything about you.  Your Father’s care for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field are just a small picture of His infinite and intimate care for you.  Jesus takes the wind out of our need to worry by not just prohibiting it, but by assuring us of our Father’s knowledge, care, and provision.

Following the example of Jesus in taking the wind out of our worry is something I needed to learn in leading our family.  Rhonda and I were married and started our family while still in college.  The combination of children (learning to parent when newly married) and college (having no money) led to plenty of anxiety.

My response to Rhonda’s anxiousness was a flippant, “Hey, don’t worry about it.”  It was a, “Stop worrying.  After all, the Bible says not to worry.”  This was my early approach to spiritual leadership in our marriage.  I did not recognize at the time that Rhonda’s gift for seeing the road ahead made her more aware of the dangers in front of us and the resulting worry that went along with that.  I was seeing life through my more naïve and phlegmatic nature which led to less worry on my part.  I needed to learn to ease her worries by my actions, not just words.  What did this look like in practice?

I discovered many areas of family life where I could ease Rhonda’s worries by taking action.  If Rhonda was worried about our finances and saw no clear path to pay for our next car need that was just around the corner, I learned to lead in planning together how we could save for that purchase instead of just saying, “Don’t worry about it.”  If Rhonda was worried that our homeschooling was going off the rails, I jumped into the planning with her rather than just telling her not to worry while I sat idly by.  If one of our children became disinterested in learning or their chores or connecting with our family goals, I stepped in with a plan to get us on the same page.  Do you see the pattern?

Jesus’ teaching assures us of the “why” to not worry.  In a similar way, those of us in a leadership position can often mitigate the worry around us by not only explaining and living into Jesus’ assurance, but by taking leadership action as well.  It is called leading by understanding and serving the needs of our family.

The Father Who Provides

As we examine our new relationship with God as our Father, we come to a passage in Matthew chapter 6 about the Father’s provision.  “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air.  They do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?” (Mt 6:25-26).

Whose “father” are we talking about here who provides for the birds and much more provides for us?  Jesus calls God “your heavenly Father”.

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?  And why are you anxious about clothing?  Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.  But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?” (Mt 6:27-30).

It is a good question.  We know the right answer – that God will do much more for us – because we have read the rest of the story.  But think for a minute about Christ’s new followers there in first century Palestine.  Jesus almost takes God’s provision for granted, acting like God’s care for the birds, the flowers, and ultimately for us is obvious.  But to His listeners, this is new information.  They may have been thinking, “I don’t know.  Can God be trusted to provide?”

We might be thinking the same thing, “Can God be trusted to provide?”  Let’s continue, “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’  For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; and your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be provided” (Mt 6:31-33).

Your heavenly Father “knows” what you need.  Our assurance in our Father’s provision is not just in His ability to provide, but in His knowledge of what we need as well.  Jesus refers to this caring knowledge again in Matthew chapter 10.  “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Mt 10:29-31).

The Father knows the very number of the hairs on your head.  For some of us the counting is getting much easier the older we get.  But you see the point.  God’s knowledge of even the most mundane pieces of who we are assures us that He knows exactly what we need.  And His message to you in these passages is, “Do not be anxious, do not worry; your heavenly Father knows and provides what you need.”  Let us practice the habit of laying our anxious thoughts before our fruitful Lord and walking in His provision.