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A Prayer about Being a Peace-Publisher

by | Dec 20, 2020 | Daily Prayer

A Prayer about Being a Peace-Publisher

Lord God,

What a happy calling you have given us as your church:

To bring good news, to publish peace,

to bring good news of happiness, to publish salvation,

to share the peace that comes when “God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7).

Whether we gather together or apart today,

empower and embolden us,

through the peace-producing work of your Spirit,

to be people who bring peace far and wide,

people who make peace known in our lips and in our lives.

In Jesus’ peace-bringing name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 52:1-10.

How Grace Grows Gratitude

by | Nov 10, 2020 | Bible study, Thanksgiving

How Grace Grows Gratitude

Grace and Gratitude

“It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people, it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” 2 Cor. 4:15.

According to retailers, if you don’t already have most of your Christmas shopping done (I don’t), you are running behind! But according to the calendar, it’s only the second Tuesday in November, and that seems like a good time to think about thanksgiving. Not the American holiday necessarily, which my younger daughter once jokingly summarized as a day for “Eating and thanking, thanking and eating.” Far more, it’s a good time to consider the category of thanksgiving, or gratitude. What is it, in fact, and how and why does the Bible insist that Christians make it a regular practice?

What Gratitude Is Not

Sometimes the best way to understand something is by looking at what it’s not.

We’ve already said that the Christian practice of gratitude is not merely cultural, that is, something we celebrate once a year by dining on a sumptuous feast. In addition, the Christian practice of gratitude is also not merely dutiful.

Consider this story. Grandma Charlene buys eight-year-old Emma an expensive gold cross necklace for her birthday. The thing is, Emma wanted the Lego super hero’s school set, so she’s very disappointed when she opens her grandmother’s gift. What does Emma’s mother tell her? We know the answer, because we’ve probably all said it or had it said to us at some point: “Tell your grandmother thank-you, Emma.” Emma dutifully speaks the two words. But is she really thankful? No. She is dutiful, and she is polite. Please don’t hear what I’m not saying—it is good for Emma to thank her grandmother. It’s just that her thank you misses the main point of Christian gratitude.

Where Christian Gratitude Comes From

To better understand Christian gratitude, let’s revisit 2 Corinthians 4:15, substituting two Greek words from the original for our English words:

“It is all for your sake, so that as charis extends to more and more people, it may increase eucharisteo, to the glory of God.”

Charis increases eucharisteo. The Greek root charis means grace. The Greek prefix eu means good, happy. So God’s grace leads to a happy state of grace in the Christian.

What is God’s grace like, this grace which increases our gratitude? It is not a gold cross necklace that we didn’t want in the first place. It is God’s free gift of exactly what we needed, and exactly what we wanted (whether we knew it or not)—a life of freedom from sin (Galatians 5:1), a life of being and becoming new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), a life of worshipping God and serving others (Gal. 5:13).

God’s Grace for Sinners Grows Gratitude

To catch a glimpse of God’s grace, consider an alternate story about Emma and her grandmother. Emma thinks her grandmother is too stern; she has been known to stick out her tongue at her grandmother and yell, “I hate you!” Despite Emma’s malicious treatment, her grandmother comes to her, takes her by the hand, and says, “I’m giving everything I own to you so that you may have financial freedom and vast opportunity.” Emma gets it all, any day, every day.

Now, that is a far-fetched story. In real life, a grandmother probably wouldn’t give all her money to a rude granddaughter. And yet, this fantastical story is analogous to our rebellious treatment of God and his gracious response to us. We have rebelled against God, telling him to leave us alone and let us run our own lives. He has responded by sending his one and only Son, Jesus, to die so that we might be free of our sin, so that we might live with faith, hope, and love. The only sensible response to the undeserved grace God has shown us is gratitude—overflowing, irrepressible, joyful gratitude. As God’s grace increases gratitude in us, we respond with hands lifted to give God glory and hands extended to share his glory throughout the world.

A Prayer about Grace and Gratitude

Our Gracious God,

Please forgive us. By our sometimes rotten thoughts, words, and deeds, we have stuck out our tongues at you and told you we hate you. We do not deserve your love, nor your free gift of forgiveness through your Son, Jesus Christ. And yet Jesus died for our sins and made us brand new, whole and holy. Our hearts overflow with your happy grace! Help us to extend this grace and glory to others! Amen.

Good Reading on Grace and Gratitude

2 Corinthians 4:15; 2 Corinthians 9:11-12

Want to spend more time cultivating gratitude?

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What to Do When the News Is Overwhelming

by | Oct 6, 2020 | Devotional, Gospel living, Suffering

What to Do When the News Is Overwhelming

Dear Friends, 

I don’t know about you, but I can be sucked into the media scrolls and screens. In this season, perhaps more than ever, we need to remember where to set our minds. Enjoy this excerpt from From Recovery to Restoration: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in Crisis today. 

Set Your Minds on Things Above

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Colossians 3:1, ESV

We scroll through our social media feeds, searching Twitter, Facebook, Instagram—for what?  We glue our eyes to the news at any and every hour of the day, filling our minds with words and words and words from people we don’t know and barely trust. Pandemic panic has set in, and our world is seeking hope and help, but the apostle Paul suggests we may be looking in the wrong places. 

Paul reminds us that we have been raised with Christ; that reality changes everything about where we should look for hope and help. He tells us to “seek the things above, where Christ is…” (Colossians 3:1). To seek the things above is to seek the one who first sought us—Jesus. To seek the things above is to look first for the things that Jesus cares most about, his kingdom and his righteousness. As we seek the things above, we find provision for all of our needs, and our anxiety subsides (Matthew 6:25-34).

Not only must we seek the things above, we must “set [our] minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). We must “set our minds,” or “fix our minds.” To fix our minds is to have the intense concentration of a world-champion chess player, to have the laser focus of a brain surgeon. For Christians, it means that instead of fixating on non-stop news, we instead fill our minds with the things of Christ, his rule and his reign, his glory and his grace.

Setting our minds on things above does not mean that we ignore the things of this earth. It simply means that we begin by seeking Christ in Scripture, in prayer, and in fellowship with other believers. As we set our compass on Christ, we remain on course to live as he has called us to live on this earth. During crisis, moms and medical people, delivery workers and truck drivers will focus their minds and energy on the earthly tasks that need to be accomplished to care for those they serve. But they will do so while praying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Finally, setting our minds on the things above will help us remember that the day of restoration is coming. When our lives are centered on Christ, we are always scanning the horizon, watching for his return, waiting for the day when we will live with him in the new heavens and the new earth. In that day, in that place, we will “appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4), living and loving forever in his perfect peace.

Prayer

Lord Christ,

Draw our eyes away from our screens and toward your glorious presence on the throne next to our heavenly Father. Help us to set our minds on you and seek to live out your love on this earth. In your glorious name. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read Colossians 3:1-3; Matthew 6:25-34.

Listen to “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” by Lauren Daigle.

For Reflection

Do you find yourself filling your mind with things of this earth during crisis? Make a list of three ways you could set your mind on things above and schedule times on your calendar to do them.

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Advance Review for From Recovery to Restoration

"Whether it be in the midst of physical pain, addiction, abandonment, abuse, or habitual sin, Elizabeth will redirect your gaze over and over through scripture to meditate not on the gaping hole of your loss, but on the relentless pursuit of Jesus's love."

Hope Blanton and Christine Gordon, Authors, At His Feet Studies

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5 Verses about Whole-Hearted Living

by | Feb 11, 2020 | Bible study, Valentine's Day

5 Verses on Whole-Hearted Living

 

It’s Valentine’s Week, and that always makes me think about hearts and what they have to do with Valentine’s Day, and where did Valentine’s Day really come from anyway?

(If you really want to know the answer, Wikipedia of course has a great article explaining that Valentine was a religious Saint, most likely martyred for his Christian beliefs by the emperor Claudius, and that hearts probably entered the picture with good old Geoffrey Chaucer).

Mostly though, in the spirit of focusing on true love during February, I was interested in what the Bible says about the word “heart.” It is primarily attributed to humankind, and usually refers to mind, emotions, or will.

Though “whole-hearted” living is kind of in fashion right now, it actually originates with the story of shalom God wrote into our very beings. With the Fall, hearts have been broken, but God’s restoring work through Christ transforms our hearts and frees us to live our stories for his glory.

With love and gratitude to my Living Story readers, I offer you…

Ezekiel 36:26

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

John 14:1

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Romans 10:10

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

2 Corinthians 3:2

You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.

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A Good Read for Hard Times: The Waiting Room Devotional

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Live by Every Word: A Meditation

by | Oct 22, 2019 | Bible study, Devotional

Live by Every Word: A Meditation

Dear Friends, I am privileged to be leading two workshops at the PCA Women’s Leadership Training February 20-22 in Atlanta. The overall topic of the training is Refreshed: Help and Hope for the Suffering. I’ll be teaching one on how God’s Word is so very near in suffering and another on grieving with hope as we wait. This training is open to everyone. Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from The Waiting Room: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in a Health Crisis which reminds us of how God works through his Word in our suffering. I hope you enjoy it.

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3, NLT

Anyone who has spent much time in the waiting room knows the humbling that comes during a health crisis. Stripped of the familiarities on which we often depend for comfort, we learn that we do not, in fact, live by bread alone.

The profound hope of Deuteronomy 8:3 is that God did not merely humble his people, but he also fed them. He fed them physically with something called manna, a word that in the original Hebrew literally means, “What’s this?” It was a food unlike anything the Israelites had ever heard of, seen, or tasted. It fell from the sky, and it looked something like Frosted Flakes but was a lot more nutritious!

God fed his people physically with this strange food, and he fed them spiritually with his Word. As we do our time in the wilderness of waiting, we are humbled, and our hunger and thirst for good news intensifies. More precisely, more powerfully than any IV fluid, God’s Word drips into our hearts and minds to slake our thirst, to energize us with the faith, hope, and love we desperately need.

Our faith grows strong muscles as we drink in the stories of miraculous deeds God has already done, such as…

  • plastering the land of unbelieving Egypt with frogs (Exodus 8:2).
  • knocking down a city wall with trumpet blasts (Joshua 6:1-6, 20).

Our hope is fattened up as we eagerly digest words like, “This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner” (1 Peter 4:13, MSG).

Our love is energized to flow outward as we taste the goodness of the Lord’s delight over us and the comfort of his nearness to us:

“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, ESV).

Throughout our journey in the waiting room, I was often asked about my apparent calm. I could only explain it by pointing to three essentials: prayer, The Word, and community.

Dear friends, take up and read this marvelous Word; you will find there the sustenance you intensely crave.

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for feeding us what we most desperately need – your Word. Not only did you provide the Scriptures, but you made the Word flesh, and you sent Jesus to dwell among us. Help us by your Spirit to meet Jesus in your Living Word day by day, moment by moment. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read Deuteronomy 30:11-14; Romans 10:8-10.

Listen to “The Word Is So Near” by Michael Card, https://youtu.be/biXrKOaIJq4.

For Reflection

What verses have encouraged your faith, hope, and love during this season? Write them out in a journal, on a card, or on a note app on your phone.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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