What use is a coat when ripped to shreds?

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." -I Peter 1:22-23

You know what really disappoints me and places a burden on my heart?  It's seeing a family torn to pieces by the human nature of its own members.  We all have weaknesses.  Some of us struggle with a lack of self-worth while others must tame their pride; some are held back by fear and timidity while others are a tad too bold and stiff-necked.  These differences in character often cause us to clash, or to take differing opinions on certain issues.  Over time,  small differences can become huge rifts in relationships.  A marriage that seemed completely secure can be ripped apart seam by seam, one small disagreement at a time.  In a similar manner, entire families can be split up, friends can be pitted against each other, and entire social circles can be dissolved or divided.  What is it in human nature that makes us so incredibly vulnerable to this problem?
This isn't just happening in secular society.  The Christian church is constantly struggling to get the upper hand in the battle against splits, factions, and denominational enmity.  Churches are torn apart by people with their own agendas, or people who are simply too proud to let others take the reins or have a say in church business.  Perhaps there is a desire to maintain a certain set of doctrines.  This attitude in itself is not intrinsically wrong.  In fact, it is critical that we not be willing to let our morals slide for the sake of those around us who do not share our desire to be a holy people, set apart unto God.  But is this really the only reason for division in the church?  Is it sometimes, perhaps, merely a smokescreen for a deeper, more personal, less honourable set of goals?  That, I believe, is a truly dangerous scenario.  Are we start picking apart people's doctrine because we are worried that they will usurp our dearly beloved positions of respect?  I pray to God that such is not the case.
Rifts among groups of people- families, friends, or congregations- are a terrible thing.  Most of us know how heart-rending it is to see a husband and wife split up after years of marriage, leaving their children disoriented and often bitter.  I am equally dismayed to see a church body come apart at the stitches because of the pride and selfish ambition of the men and women who make up that body.  Don't let your morals crumble in the name of tolerance, but don't let doctrinal squabbles be a cover-up for personal disagreements!  Surely there we can come to a place as individuals where we can learn to work alongside one another, bearing each other's weaknesses, and growing as children of the Lord.
Perhaps I'm a young, naive, imprudent idealist.  Perhaps time and experience will show me that my assessment of this crisis is wrong.  Perhaps this is something I should just let be, and ignore the problem entirely.  As it is right now, I truly believe that we the church, as the bride of Christ, desperately need to put more energy into operating together in love and unity, putting aside our differences and pulling as one the yoke of the Savior.  We are answerable to a higher Judge than any church committee.

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. -Proverbs 10:12

The Culmination of Thanksgiving

In this final post, we will sum up our study of Thanksgiving by looking at its culmination. We have seen what it means to be thankful, reasons to be thankful, when we should be thankful, and now we need to identify why it is so important to have a thankful heart. Are we obliged to be thankful, or is something we should merely do when we are “in the mood”?

Look for a moment at Psalm 118, verses 15 and 19:

The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. (...)

Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord.

An attitude of praise and thankfulness is inextricably linked with the righteous man. You cannot truly appreciate God's character and not develop a thankful heart which seeks to praise the Lord. The more we get to know our Saviour and Father, the less we will focus on the problems and the greater our sense of security and peace will become. After all, if you truly believe that God is your Savior and Provider, will you not have a desire to praise Him regardless of the circumstances? I am well aware of how difficult this can be, but I do truly believe that peace and gratitude will result from our efforts to deepen our relationship with the Father.

In contrast with Psalm 118's linking of rejoicing with the righteous, Romans 1:20-21 paints the picture from the opposite side.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Let's take this passage apart a bit and look at it as a cause and effect statement. Paul is discussing the unsaved Gentile people in general here, and inserts this explanation about their fallen nature. None of them could deny God's power, because it is so clearly shown in creation. As it says, “they are without excuse.” They refused to glorify the Lord, and they refused to give Him thanks for all His mighty works. What is the result? It is twofold: first, they “became futile in their thoughts,” meaning all their philosophy and reasoning ended in emptiness; second, “their foolish hearts were darkened.” Once they willingly blinded themselves to God's prominence in creation, they were unable to see Him in any aspect of life. Obviously, this passage refers to the unsaved, but it does bring out the fact that a failure to be thankful is indicative of a weak, struggling, or non-existent relationship with God. Do we really want to run the risk of neglecting to give God the praise due to His name?

Looking again at Psalm 118, this time at verses 21-24, we can see that the ascribing of praise to God is a direct result of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

When we display an attitude of gratitude to our Savior regardless of whatever life throws at us, it is an incredible testimony to the unbelieving around us! When people see that something inside you enables you to be thankful in the midst of darkness and trials, and that there is a peace about you even in troubling circumstances, that speaks volumes more than simply knocking on a neighbour's door and inviting them to church. Inversely, what kind of a witness do you present if you tell people about the wonderful gift of salvation through Christ and then fail to show yourself grateful for that gift? It is vital that your attitude reflects your words; people are watching. When life gets you down, remember that you have so much to be thankful for in Jesus, and that your choice to be thankful or not very likely will influence the view of Christianity taken by at least a few people you interact with. As Christians, we have not only the opportunity, but also the responsibility to be faithful, thankful stewards of the unspeakable gift provided to us.

Over the course of the last week, we have looked at a few key points of Thanksgiving. We now have an overall understanding of what it is, why we should make a point of observing it, when it is relevant, and how incredibly vital to the Christian walk it is. The challenge today is this: after the Thanksgiving festivities have settled down and our family gatherings have dispersed, when things have gone back to normal- or perhaps worse than normal- will we still be thankful to our Redeemer? Even if you live in a part of the world where the Thanksgiving holiday is not observed, the concept of giving thanks to God is still crucial to your relationship with our Lord. Remember His gift of salvation and the peace we have through that gift. That is cause to be eternally thankful.

In closing, think for a moment on Psalm 95:1-2.

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

May we be ever thankful for God's eternal, undeserved blessing on our lives. Until next time,

Your brother in the faith,

-Jeremy

The Continuity of Thanksgiving

Having seen the clarification and the cause of Thanksgiving, I would like now to address the continuity of Thanksgiving. We know what it is and why we do it- but when are we supposed to be thankful? When everything's going our way? When we're financially secure? When good things happen? Surely these are the kinds of situations that make it easy to be thankful, but I would argue from Biblical examples that we are also to show gratitude to God when we're struggling to accept our circumstances. Whether we are facing persecution, the loss of a loved one, a separation from friends, depression, or a host of other situations that tend to make us frustrated rather than thankful, we are encouraged to remain strong and give God the glory through our hardships.

It's important to keep up the thankful attitude when times are good; at first, this may seem like it goes without saying, but the fact of the matter is that we quite easily forget about the Provider while we are enjoying His blessings. Always remember that every gift has a giver- and as is stated in James 1:17, “Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Everything blessing we have can be traced back to our heavenly Father, from the food on our table to the friends and family sitting around it.

It's easy enough to say grace before eating Thanksgiving dinner or to praise God in a church service, but are we able to maintain that grateful outlook when circumstances start to deteriorate? When times are tough, enemies encircle us, and perhaps even friends desert us, can we still praise the Lord? Absolutely. However, if our relationship with Him has deteriorated while we were enjoying the clear sailing, we may have a hard time letting go of what we valued.

In the way of an example, let's suppose that I bought a car at a very good price; hopefully, at least to start out, I would express my gratitude to God for giving me the capability to earn sufficient funds, and for providing such a good deal. Over time, however, it would be all too easy to forget that the car is a privilege and to slip into the mindset of “I earned this car, and I deserve it.” What happens if I swerve off the road and total the car? Well, now I've lost that which was so important to me- what could I possibly thank God for? After all, didn't He allow this crash to happen? A better attitude would be to realize that my Father allowed me to keep my life in that crash, and to remember the words of Job 1:21^b, in which Job declares, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

A car is a relatively insignificant example, especially if your car is as cheap as mine. Perhaps your attitude is positive enough that you would remain grateful to the Lord if your vehicle was wrecked. What about if your brother or sister was killed in a traffic accident? What if your parents got a divorce? What if you were slowly dying of cancer? How would your attitude be then? Looking through the Psalms, we can find many examples of men of God showing their thankfulness for His providence even in the midst of trials, persecution, and death. Look at Psalm 31, verse 7 and 8:

“I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy,

For You have considered my trouble;

You have known my soul in adversities,

And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;

You have set my feet in a wide place.”

No human is infallible; even men with great faith such as David and Job had times in their lives where they seem to have lost their sense of gratitude in the face of their struggles. We have the greatest example of thankfulness in the life of Jesus Christ. He never missed an opportunity to give praise to the Father! He showed thankfulness in John 11:41; the verse reads, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard me.'” He went on to speak of His faith that God always hears Him, and how He pointed it out for the sake of those around Him. This speaks of how our thanksgiving is a testament to those around us, which we will look at in the next post.

Even in the hours preceding His death, we see that Jesus gave thanks before breaking the bread and drinking the wine with His disciples one last time (Matthew 26:27). How many of us, when faced with stressful situations and intense persecution, are able to thank the Lord for His blessings and for His work in our lives?

In Luke 10:21, Jesus spoke these words: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” Jesus knew that the Father has an overriding plan for humanity that sometimes goes against what we see as logical. Instead of getting frustrated that the Jewish leaders rejected His teaching, Christ praised His Father for working as He saw fit. What a hard outlook for us to maintain when things are not happening the way we prefer! Each of us must ask ourselves, “Am I thankful to God because He's working in ways that I like, or am I thankful because He's working according to His omniscient master plan?”

An attitude of thankfulness that survives the attacks of the devil is not something that comes easily. The more you are attached to the things of the world, the less likely you are to survive the tough times with a positive, God-centred outlook. The only sure way to have a faith like this is to gain an awareness of this earth and the things in it are temporary, but your soul is eternal.  With this in mind, take to heart God's promise in Romans 8:28!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

If you truly love God and have found salvation through faith in His Son, then rest assured: He will work all things out for good to your benefit! The verse doesn't say that all things are good; it says that all things will work out for good in the long run. Have faith, and have patience. God has it under control. For this, we can be constantly thankful.
To wrap up, we will look tomorrow at the culmination of Thanksgiving.  Until then,
Your brother in the faith,
-Jeremy

The Cause of Thanksgiving

Now that we have looked at the clarification of Thanksgiving, we can begin to delve into the cause of Thanksgiving. We know that an attitude of thankfulness stems from a gift received and that it must be directed at a particular person or entity. What, then, do we have to be thankful for, and to whom do we owe our thanks?

Throughout our lives, we encounter many individuals who treat us in such a way that earns them our respect and gratitude. Unavoidably, there are also a few who act quite the opposite. Even those who excel in their treatment of others will stumble now and then, earning themselves reproof and hurting their reputation rather than building it up. It is important to give thanks to whom it is due, as well as to let people know when their actions are hurtful. Esteeming any one person to the point where you neglect to see their shortcomings is dangerous both to you and to him.

There is, however, One who never fails us and is always worthy of our praise and thankfulness.

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. -Psalm 95:1-2 (NKJV)

Reading through the Bible, there are countless stories and lessons in which God proves Himself to be altogther faithful, trustworthy, sovreign, just, and powerful. The attributes of the Lord are too numerous to list here, let alone to study, but I would like to make some observations about four aspects of His character.

1. He is the Creator. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:5) God did not merely create the human race; He lovingly designed each one of us to be unique, and desires that each of us have a personal relationship with Him. Think of the loving care that goes into creating so many individuals! “For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.” (Psalm 139:13, NIV) God also formed the beautiful universe we see around us, from the rolling plains to the snowy mountains to the endless seashore to the dazzling nighttime sky. He constructed everything to work together in ways that have His signature on them, instructing us to ascribe the glory and honour due unto Him. Praise the Lord for being such a detailed Creator!
2. He is the Provider. God meets all our physical needs- not just food and shelter, but also protection, health, and endurance. In Western culture, we tend to take our daily bread for granted; it is important to remember that even this is a result of God's grace and provision to us. The author of Psalm 136 began, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever.” God is good; it pleases Him to see His children well-cared for. In His mercy and compassion, He gives us that which we do not deserve. In 1 Peter 5:6-7 we are instructed, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you.” Isn't that marvelous? He cares for us! Let us never forget His provision.
3. He is the Sustainer. In addition to providing for our physical needs, God is the one who gives us the capability to meet the emotional and spiritual struggles we face. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” When we come before God in prayer with a thankful attitude, He provides us with a heavenly peace that allows us to face whatever circumstances may be thrown at us. What an awesome privilege to come before Him on a personal level and experience His power in our lives!
4. He is the Redeemer. Through Christ's work on the cross and through His triumph over death, we are saved from our sinful state. God could rightly have chosen to let us fight our own nature, but in His love, He sent Jesus to earth to pay the penalty for us. Part of Thanksgiving- and part of the Christian walk as a whole- should be thinking back to Christ's sacrifice for us and seeking to become increasingly thankful as time goes on, rather than slowly forgetting how much He gave up for our sakes. “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Never be deceived into thinking that you owe yourself a pat on the back for being such a good Christian. We are saved by grace, through faith, and it is not our own doing. Thank God with all your being for the gift of His Son!

There are many more reasons to give thanks to the Lord, but these four main points should get us thinking about His incredible character and the fact that He deserves so much more praise than we can ever give. Our God is truly an awesome God- let's remember that this Thanksgiving, and throughout the course of our lives as He continues to show us His mercy.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Next time, we will look at the Continuity of Thanksgiving. Until then,

Your brother in the faith,

-Jeremy

The Clarification of Thanksgiving

One week until Thanksgiving! The holiday means different things to each of us, but a few themes ring true for the majority: gatherings with friends and extended family, gourmet feasts featuring turkey and potatoes, and a time to reflect on years gone by. Some appreciate Thanksgiving for its spiritual significance; others may simply take advantage of the long weekend. Whatever angle you come from, it is valuable to understand the relevance of the holiday, as well as realizing the importance of thankfulness itself. My goal, over the next week, is to explain my thoughts on the subject, and perhaps clear a few things up in my own head in the process of searching the Bible for answers.

Today, we are thinking about the clarification of Thanksgiving. I refer here not so much to the occasion, but to the concept; what does it mean to give thanks? In my quest to answer that question, I consulted the Canadian Oxford Dictionary of 2005. This turned out to be less than a resolution, seeing how all they could do was redirect me from "thankfulness" to "gratitude" to "appreciation" and back again. In other words: "answer hazy, please try again later." However, in linking those words together, I believe we can form an operation definition. Here is what I came up with:

thankfulness (n): an attitude of feeling indebted to somebody for a service rendered or a gift received

In the Bible- especially in the book of Psalms- the idea of being thankful is closely associated with the giving of praise. They are not synonymous, but an attitude of thankfulness should lead to an offering of praise, so we can learn a bit by paying attention to passages dealing with praise.

What are the critical aspects of thanksgiving? I would point out three of them. First, there must be a giver of thanks; this is the person who has received a gift and is obliged to show appreciation. There must be a recipient of thanks; this party has provided the gift and is owed recognition. Finally, of course, there must be an identifiable gift. It may tangible, it may be financial, it may be emotional, and it may be hard to define. Whatever the scenario, something has been received and appreciated.

Most of us have received gifts at some point in our lives- large or small, obvious or subtle, formal or friendly. It may have been a desperately needed donation or a simple act of kindness. Nearly everyone has benefited from the goodwill of another at one time or another. Even in today's decrepit society, there are generally standards of some sort for how to respond when given a gift. If your parents gave you a car for your sixteenth birthday, would you grab the keys and take it for a spin without saying a word of thanks? I would certainly hope not! That would show an incredible attitude of ingratitude. It is more likely that you would take a few minutes to tell your parents how much you've been thinking about a car, express how much you appreciate the gift, and (if you're ambitious) promise to use it responsibly. If you didn't, it might give the impression that you felt you deserved the car, you cared more about the car than about them, or a host of other attitudes that would negatively affect your relationship with them. Undeniably, a thankful heart- or the lack thereof- is an important part of our character and will not fail to make its mark on how we are perceived by those around us.

Have you ever written a thank-you note? In certain scenarios, it is generally expected that gratitude should be expressed in writing; by taking the time to write a short letter, you show that you care about the one who gave the gift, rather than just spouting off a generic “thanks for that” in passing or right when the gift is received. A good thank-you note covers the following bases:

1. 
   
   It shows recognition that a gift was received. If you feel something was owed to you rather than being given out of somebody's goodwill, you're not going to be thankful for it.
2. 
   
   It speaks of ways in which the gift or service was enjoyed. A generic “I loved it!” does not portray an attitude of true thankfulness; mention exactly why the generosity was appreciated, what needs it met, and how it has touched your life in some way, big or small.
3. 
   
   It seeks to bestow respect on the giver. It is important to indicate that you care more about the one who gave the gift than you do about the gift itself. The art of conveying gratitude without being flattering or flowery is one that comes with an attitude of humility and respect. Always place people before possessions.

Giving thanks can become something that is done out of habit or professional necessity. The habit itself is a good thing, but we must take care that our gratitude is not expressed in a dull, formal, staged manner. People can sense an empty “thank you” better than you might think. When you've reached this point, saying “thanks” isn't much better than saying nothing at all, because the benefactor knows you're just being polite, rather than showing true gratitude. Watch your heart! The better you maintain your humility, the more genuinely thankful you will be, and the more people will feel like their gifts are truly appreciated.

In addition, we must be careful that not to recite “thank you” speeches simply from a desire to be seen as righteous by those around us. Jesus warned against this practise in Luke 18:9-14. The passage reads:

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Would you rather be humble or be humbled? The choice is reasonably clear, I would say. Don't be thankful for the sake of being seen- but always be seen to be thankful! As a Christian, it is vital that I show myself to appreciate that which is given to me. Regardless of the circumstances of life, my prayer is that I never lose my attitude of gratefulness to God for what He has given me through Christ.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

My next post will ponder the Cause of Thanksgiving.  Until then,
Your brother in the faith,
-Jeremy