1 Chronicles 16:8–Give Thanks to the Lord!

1 Chronicles 16:8–"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people! Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!"

One of my favorite hymns goes like this:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all peoples here below!
Praise Him above ye heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Today, this day, is a great day for praise!  Get at it!

Psalm 100:4-5–"Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving!"

Psalm 100:4-5–"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise!  Give thanks to Him; bless Him with Praise!  For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations!"

This is a command, request that we would come before God with a specific posture and attitude. Essentially, it is about thankfulness, as if thankfulness were the very definition of praise, the precise qualification of coming before God with reverence and humility.  The reason that thankfulness is of such vital importance for the action of entering the presence of God is that thankfulness, by its very nature, causes us not only to recognize the greatness of God by remembering all the awesome things that He has done, but it also forces us to be humble by that recognition.  In a way, this is the very essence of the Christian experience, we would do well to make it central in our lives.

Simple Thanks

Today's blog is quite simple and will be perhaps a bit different than my normal order.

This last week (maybe the past few) has been intense if not outright overwhelming.  But the last 24 hours has been one blessing after another.  And, to be honest, I am in many ways simply speechless.

So for today's blog all I have to say is:

Thank You, Lord.  Thank You.

Amen.

Thank You for 30th Birthdays

What to say?  Friday was my 30th birthday and unbeknownst to me my wife and my mother organized a surprise party.  I had no idea, I mean no idea.  My soon-to-be-brother-and-law was taking me frisbee golfing before going to my parents for dinner and–bam!–I am suddenly bombarded by about 40 people that I love and who mean the world to me all at one place singing "Happy Birthday."

Aside from the shock and speechlessness (yes, I was actually speechless), the one thing that struck me was just how absolutely blessed I am.  There is no other way to say it, so I will keep it simple: thank You.  Thank You, Lord, for blessing my life with such amazing family and friends.  Thank You, Lord, for giving me the breath to breathe and live in this amazing world that You have created.  Thank You, Lord, for my mother and my wife, not to mention my father or my sister or a whole list of others!

All I can say is:

Thank You.

Amen.

A Few Thanks

Not a whole lot to say today other than thank You, Lord.

Thank You for air to fill my lungs with breath.  Thank You for food to fill my belly and fuel my body.  Thank You for health to live and to serve You.  Thank You for my amazing and gorgeous wife whose beauty and countenance astounds me daily.  Thank You for my beloved family whom I am blessed to love as well as like.  Thank You for my friends, who love me in spite of my innumerable faults.  Thank You for resources like car, books, glasses, and the like, so that I may worship and serve You with mobility anywhere.  Thank You, Lord, for my education.  Thank You for my body and may it be used only to bring You glory.  Thank You for my mind and may it be renewed everyday so as to discern Your will and think Your thoughts after You.

And thank You, Lord, for Your Son, whose precious blood was spilt upon that wretched but glorious cross for my sin and the sin of the whole world that all mankind may enter into a restored  relationship with You through faith in Christ Jesus.

Thank You.

Thanksgiving Exhortations

This week is Thanksgiving, an American holiday meant to be a time of remembrance and thanks.  Normally, this boils down to a ten minute display around the dinner table in which every chair around the table gives a brief example of what he/she is thankful for, followed by gluttonous eating in preparation for an evening of relaxation, familial awkwardness.

However, perhaps this year, Thanksgiving could be something more, particularly for Christians.  This year, this Thanksgiving, let us take this set-aside opportunity with family and friends around the feasts of fine fare and conversation to be a perfect occasion for sharing the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the people we care about the most.

To be sure, often the most difficult people to be the most honest to in regards to matters of faith and God are our family members and friends.  Nevertheless, theses are the very people whom God has placed directly in our lives for a reason: for us to proclaim the Gospel to, that is not to detract from the distinct necessity of living the Gospel but, at some point, we have to back it up with our very lives.

Therefore, let us take this Thanksgiving as an opportunity for us to give thanks to the Lord and preach the Gospel to our closest friends and family.  And besides, not only is giving thanks to the Lord and worshiping the glory of His name the greatest, most fulfilling thing any human can do but it is also commanded by the Lord Himself.

Overcoming Seasonal Thankfulness

As fall comes and the colors of the world change from green and blue to browns and gray, summer warmth is covered with a blanket of cooler air, and the season turns from frolic and play to a time of weekly rhythms and winter preparations.  This time of year always stirs up memories and contemplations.  And on one single American day in November, people gather around the dinner table to offer prayers and thanksgiving for the past year.

However, as this year turns towards the next and we prepare a single day of thanksgiving I am reminded of what Paul says about thankfulness and prayer.  While reading Colossians today, I was struck by this verse: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Col 3:17).

I'd read this verse before.  Colossians 3 is probably my favorite chapter in all of Scripture.  But what struck me today was that this seemed like I had read it before in other Pauline writings.  Paul exhorts believers to give thanks at every circumstance and at all times.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Ephesians 5:20: "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Clearly, Paul, and the Holy Spirit who inspired his writings, care that we would give thanks unceasingly and without end.  Therefore, as we enter in on this colder season, may we take a posture of thankfulness in ourselves.  To do this we should make a habit of giving thanks to God in the morning and throughout the day.  Thankfulness does not come by happenstance but needs to be made a priority in our every day.  Let us then praise God by offering thankfulness to Him through His Son Christ Jesus all the moments of every day of our lives!

A Discourse on Thankfulness

Today I was struck with thankfulness.  In America, we have determined one day a year for thankfulness, but is the measure of what we should be thankful for so meager that we can fit it into a single dinner conversation?  Or, have we so lost our sensitivity to being thankful that we spend all our time focusing on that which we desire but do not have to the neglect of that which we should be thankful for.

To be sure, this discourse is not referring to a grandchild being thankful for their birthday present from Grandma, but we are attempting to get at the heart of thankfulness, which as is true in everything, the ultimate form is found in reference to the True and Living God.

Thankfulness, by definition, is a dense verb that is rich with meaning and significance.  Because of this, it can be surprisingly challenging to nail down a succinct and concise definition of what thankfulness is.  Nevertheless, defining thankfulness is a necessary endeavor in order to have a base for discussion, and so: thankfulness is an active perspective of appreciation and relief over the reception of something that one would, without an acting external agent, not have in our possession.

The "something" that is received can be physical resource, relationship, intellect, gift, or any thing else.  The essence of thankfulness, though, is not as concerned with the thing received as much as it is in the fact that it is received outside of our own ability to achieve, seize, or find it on our own.  Instead, thankfulness praises the One who gives, who is God.

In truth, thankfulness is to be an ever-present attitude or way of life that is to characterize every God-lover.  As Paul says directly, "Be thankful (Col. 3:15)."  So thankfulness, at its heart, is a recognition of God and all that He has done, is doing, and will do.  If we take this to be our understanding of thankfulness, then we should be thankful all the time.

Everything, every situation, every relationship, and every blessing in life, then, becomes an opportunity for us to lavish thankfulness upon our gracious Lord.  This has been a necessarily-brief discussion on thankfulness, but the point is that thankfulness is to be an ever-present attitude that permeates every aspect of our lives.  Praise God, therefore, in thankfulness for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and all that He will do!  Amen.

Faith like Hannah

The story of Samuel is one of the greatest stories in all of Scripture.  His role in shaping the nation of Israel is unmistakable and remarkable.  The two books that bear his name tell the story of Israel transitioning from the time of the judges to a kingdom with a king, and he plays a major role in the transition.  And though the stories of Saul and David often overshadow the story of Samuel, it is a fertile one worth mining.

Hannah, Samuel's mother, was barren.  She had been praying to God for several years to have Him bless her with child by her husband, Elkanah.  Every year, Elkanah took Hannah and his other wife, Peninnah, to Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifices to the Lord.  Hannah would weep bitterly because of her barrenness that was exacerbated by Peninnah's chiding.

One year, Hannah was in the street one night in Shiloh during her families yearly pilgrimage when the priest, Eli, noticed her.  Eli thought Hannah was drunk and told her to leave for her debauchery.  But Hannah cried out that she was not drunk but stricken by her barrenness, explaining that she was troubled in spirit from her condition.  Eli blesses the woman and tells her that God will grant her petition because of her faith.

In response, the Lord blesses Hannah and she becomes pregnant with Samuel.  Hannah is overjoyed by God's faithfulness.  She determines to devote her son to the Lord and gives him to the service of Eli and to the work of the Lord.  Though she visits him yearly, she gives up her son to the Lord.  In doing so, she offers one of the most beautiful songs in all of Scripture, echoed by Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Gospels.

The point of the story is submission in thankfulness.  Though Hannah had been struggling her whole life in barrenness, waiting for a child, when God finally blessed her with a child, she offered the child up to God as a sacrifice and offering.  Hannah is an example of what true devotion looks like.  She gave her everything to the Lord with utter joy.  We should strive to take the same mind among us in offering our best to God with all thankfulness and faith.

Treating the Gospel like the Good News it is

A 17-year-old opens the mailbox everyday in hopes of finding that letter, that one letter that could change his very life.  Everyday he opens the box with eagerness and closes it with sorrow at another depressing day without the letter and without relief from his anticipation.  Then, one day, like the hundreds before, there it is.  He pulls the envelope out of the box and breaths it in, opening it with deliberation and exhaling a scream of jubilant release.  From the mailbox, he sprints to his home, almost falling through the threshold as he leaps into the kitchen to yell at his mother across the kitchen: "They accepted me! I'm going to Harvard!"

Good news, like finding out that you're going to Harvard, or going to have a baby, or you've finally been offered the dream job, or the reports are in that the cancer is gone.  This sort of news will always demand to be expressed.  Undoubtedly, the joy of genuine good news will cause us to tell everyone we know because truly good news is nto something to remain hidden, but something to be shared.

The Gospel, the Good News about our Lord Christ Jesus saving all of humanity from sin and restoring a broken relationship with God Almighty, is something that should prompt us to share with everyone.  This Good News is the best news because it means that by faith we can spend eternity in the presence of the Lord.  Therefore, we should be ever-compelled to think of the Gospel at least as amazing as any other possible good news, and should be treated accordingly with the same joyous vigor.

In new believers, those who have recently made a confession of faith in Jesus, this kind of joyful sharing of the Gospel comes naturally and with ease.  Unfortunately, because of stagnant comfortability, the Gospel seems to loose some of its luster and awesomeness in their hearts and they don't share it with as much joy and gladness as news of its kind demands.  Pray that we never cease to think of the Gospel as any less than it is because it is the very power of God.  May we never think of the Gospel as common for it is supernatural and amazing.  In this way, let us seek to praise God for the Good News of His Son to be quick and excited to share it with everyone we can!

Recognizing Blessing

Life can be a drag.  We are constantly being pulled a hundred different directions to do a thousand different things for a million different responsibilities.  It can be overwhelming.  Far and wide our most valuable resource is time.  When this resource well is continually being emptied without recourse for refreshment, we will inevitably find ourselves burned-out and weary.  If this happens, a useful way to refill our emotional storehouse is to recognize and celebrate the blessings that we have.

God is good.  More than that, He is our constant provider, the giver of blessings.  Therefore, when we acknowledge our blessings, how He has blessed us, we are honoring and praising the Lord.  In this, the first step in assessing blessing is perhaps the most basic: what constitutes a blessing?  This, though seemingly rudimentary, is partly the point.

True blessings are those things, people, situations, and circumstances, both personal and communal, that are categorically good.  These are blessings.  Once this definition is asserted, the following step is to recognize that blessings, true blessings such as these, are gifts directly from the Lord.  Logically, this means that every reception and recognition of blessing will be naturally paired with thankfulness.

Paul writes in Ephesians, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3)."  If we were still not convinced in God's character, James writes, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17)."  The point is clear: the Lord is a Lord who blesses.

The ultimate blessing in all of creation is the gift of the Gospel, which is to be in relationship with the Holy Lord through Jesus.  Every blessing is filtered through this blessing.  Additionally, God's goodness is met with His infinitude, thus, His goodness is infinite.  This means that His blessings are boundless.  Therefore, we should fix our gaze so as to recognize the limitlessness of His good blessings for those who seek after Him.  In this, we will be in a state of constant praise and thanks to the Holy Lord for the blessings He has bestowed.  Thus the malaise of our life will be overcome by our praise for the Lord.

The Prospect of Pleasure

God is a God of enjoyment.  He created the world and took pleasure in it, defining it all as good (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).  The Lord delights and enjoys and, as we were created in His image, we do too.  The pertinent question is what does God then say about pleasure?  Surprisingly, the Bible has much to say about indulgence, both positive and negative.  The purpose of this discourse is to address the biblical understanding of pleasure.

Many Christians have a distorted understanding of pleasure that is neither scripturally founded nor healthy.  If we do not understand our pleasure and what constitutes as healthy pleasure, then we open ourselves to spiritual attack and the potential for sinfulness.  Instead, understanding pleasure is essential to living the full life that God has gifted us with and called us to.

There is such a variety of pleasures to choose from that one could be spend the whole of a lifetime simply studying pleasure.  Pleasure in and of itself is not fulfilling apart from the the Fulfiller, which is the Lord.  Unfortunately, the endless search to fill pleasures seems to be the modus operani for much of the world.  As a result, the world is inundated with hurt and unfulfilled people, longing for the pleasure that lasts.  Think of Solomon, the ultimate measure of wealth and worldly pleasure could not find contentment in the world (See Ecclesiastes 1-12--that's right, the whole book).

A modern concept that is biblically supported in this regard is the law of diminishing returns, or as Solomon writes: "If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it (Pro. 25:15)." The word that covers this is temperance, also referred to as self-restraint.  This is one of the keys to pleasure, that our pleasures refresh us but if not kept in check, they may become a burden or stumbling block for ourselves or anyone else.

Think of David, in the midst of a battle, calling out for the simple refreshment (pleasure) of a drink from his well at Bethlehem.  Three of his mighty men thus risk their lives to bring him such a pleasure only to see David to refuse the pleasure for its cost (2 Sam. 23:15-17).  We should take this mind among us, that pleasure should be weighed for its merits as much for its true cost.

Pleasure is a distinct gift from God.  We should enjoy this life.  However, enjoyment and pleasure should never come in the way of our ultimate mission, which is to love the Lord and to preach His gospel to the world.  If our pleasure(s) are hindering our effectiveness or pulls us from our primary mission, then we need to rethink our priorities and where we are placing our pleasure.

The Lord is the source of life and the giver of pleasure.  We should then seek our pleasure in Him.  He desires for us to delight in Him.  This is an amazing proposition.  Instead of looking to the fleeting whimsy of this world, let us look to the eternal Lord as the source of our enjoyment and pleasure.

Powerful Consistency

Chapter 15 of John's Gospel is focused on one motif: abiding.  Jesus declares that He is the true vine, and that only if a branch (person) abides in Him will it be able to bear fruit (John 15:1, 4).  Additionally, apart from abiding in Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).  But this abiding is defined in active terms.  In order to abide, not only must we abide in His love (v. 9), we must keep the Father's commandments, chiefly loving each other as He has loved us (vv. 10-11).

To "abide" is the key term throughout this chapter and is a theme throughout John's Gospel.  There is much theological weight and density in this concept.  Abiding should be understood in two simultaneous senses.  In the first sense, abiding means that we are aligned with the will of the Father.  By this, abiding is a matter of acting and living in accordance with the Father, transmitted through the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Abiding, in the second sense, deals with consistency in continuing to abide in the first sense.  In reality, the first, aligning with the will of God, is easier than the second because the achievement of the second sense only occurs over time.  A person who makes a sincere confession of belief but then does not continue aligning their life to the will of God over time is not abiding.  Thus they will not bear fruit and will be cut off and tossed into the eternal fire of hell.

When a believer abides, it is best defined as the continual act of consistent submission to the perfect will of the Lord.  This is what abiding is all about.  It is certainly not a one-time-only event, but to truly abide requires a lifelong commitment to aligning with the Lord and His Word.  This is no easy task, but the Holy Spirit helps us in this process, for apart from His indwelling prompting us to abide we would be wholly destitute and unable to abide.  Thanks be to God who desires and helps us to live in His love!

The Mercy of God

Mercy is a major part of God's character.  He is full of mercy (James 5:11).  Mercy, as a word, is charged with theological significance and spiritual ramifications.  To speak of the mercy of God is dense though because to single out God's mercy is to downplay the multi-faceted nature of God's mercy.  As God's mercy is not singular in its actualization, a more accurate understanding would be to think of God's mercy in terms of mercies plural.

First and foremost, salvation is God's supreme act of mercy.  This, the widest use of the mercy, refers to a  holy, righteous, and just God staying His hand of judgment by His own will.  Although God would be fully just and right to condemn the world for its sin, He, in His great mercy, chose to save the world through the work of His son, Jesus, and by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit (Tit. 3:5).  This is mercy at its finest.

However, the Lord's mercy is not a one time only event.  Rather, His mercy is continually renewed (Lam. 3:22-23).  God's mercy is renewed, not because His mercy storehouses are emptied in the slightest.  Instead, His mercies are renewed as His mercy is needed.  Because His mercy is not a static point but serves dynamic uses, His mercy is continually being transferred from divine to the physical for our great benefit.  Thus the renewal does not mean that God is making more mercy but that we are using more of it.

Moreover, His mercy is given to those who earnestly seek Him (Deut. 7:9; Isa. 55:6-7; Psa. 103:17; Luke 1:50).  This is remarkable and the defining feature of God's mercy: He bestows mercy on all who come to Him seeking it.  There would be no need to give mercy to those that don't think they need it, so the essential components of the reception of God's mercy are confession, repentance, and belief.

Also, God gives mercy generously, but He does so for the purpose of relationship, not religion.  If we are glib to God's mercy, we are entirely missing the pont.  When faced with God's mercy, we should strive to be penitent and sincere, understanding the utter gravity of His mercy in reference to the absolute weight of our sin.

Lastly, it is by God's great mercy that we may enter into a right and redeemed relationship with Him (Psa. 5:7).  Therefore, when we are in moments that we feel separated from His presence, we should prayer with fervor and in faith that God would stretch His mercy upon us as to return us to His right and perfect presence.  The beauty is that He extends His mercy on all who ask.  Additionally, He delights and desires to show His mercy to us (Mic. 7:1-8).  Ergo, we should make it a habit to praise Him for and ask Him for mercy.  Praise be to God for His great and perfect mercy!

Blasphemy

The Lord's name is sacred.  His name is not just a moniker but is an indication of His nature and character.  When we speak God's names we are in fact asserting its meaning.  God, Elohim, speaks to His role as creator and sustainer of the universe.  Lord, Yahweh, reveals His covenant keeping faithfulness.  Adonai pronounces His supreme and sovereign rank as the divine master.  The Holy Spirit defines His spiritual and holy nature.

The names of the Lord should not be taken or spoken lightly.  Flippant, glib, or obscene uses of the names of God are blasphemous.  Blasphemy is serious.  However, in our secular society where sin and the sacred have become diminished and personally assessed, blasphemy is not only glossed over, it is considered acceptable.  

When we speak the name of God without fear we are in fact asserting that He is not worthy of reverence.   Thus, blasphemy in every form is sin.  The Lord is to be exalted and praised with every breath and every thought.  Christians are to live lives that are examples of the Lord on the earth.  Therefore, when Christians blaspheme they are affirming what the world believes, that God is not worthy of the utmost reverence.

The name of Jesus means "God (Yahweh) saves."  There is meaning and theological import to the name of Christ.  Moreover, He is the Messiah, the holy and spotless lamb of God who, by His work, saves all of mankind.  Therefore, when we sing of Jesus' name(s), we are truly recognizing in reverence of who He is and what He has done.  This should be the only way that His named should be spoken or uttered.

God is God, the Lord of all creation.  He, and His name, should always and only be praised.  The challenge to this is the world, which stands in opposition to reverence of God.  When we blaspheme and speak the name of God in an unworthy manner, we are in fact acquiescing to the in-deference and irreverence of the world.  This should not be so.  Believers need to be disciplined and focused in their speech and thought as to always deal with the name of God in the manner that He deserves.  The Lord, Yahweh, God, Elohim, Jesus, we should speak these names as often as possible but always in reverent reference to the divine reality that the names refer to.

Holiness

God is holy.  More than any other trait, His holiness is espoused and confirmed in the Bible.  Jesus, as the second member of the trinity, is holy.  Man is, because of sin, not holy.  In truth, the flesh of man is opposed to holiness.  Jesus, in His perfectly sinless life and atoning death, makes the unholy holy.  Our holiness is found solely and only in Christ.  

Moreover, believers are called to holiness, commanded to be holy (2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 1:3-4; 5:27; 1 Thes. 4:7; 1 Pet 1:15-16).  Holiness is not to be taken lightly.  As God's people, He calls us, "be holy, for I am holy."  This immediately begs the questions: "what is holiness? and, what does it mean to be holy? and, how do we become holy like God"

In a very real sense, because He is holy and we are His, we are to be holy.  We are the representation of God's character on the earth, therefore, we are required to be holy.  This is daunting.  To simplify, we should remember that apart from Him we cannot be holy.  The awesomeness of this reality is that if we are in Him, we will be holy.  But what is holiness?

Holiness is a trait of God, a divine characteristic.  Only God is holy.  Above all other descriptions of God, none carries with it as much theological import as holiness.  God is wholly and outright different from us.  He is transcendant and sovereign.  To say that God is Holy is to speak of His supremacy, His sovereignty, and His righteousness.

When Christians strive for and pursue holiness, we are tapping into the character of the divine.  Because holiness is God's alone, any pursuit of holiness must first seek after Him.  Therefore, when God commands that we be holy as He is holy, He is asking us to draw close to Him as He is the sole source of any and all holiness.

Jesus is the source of our holiness.  Once we convert through confession and belief (Rom. 10:9), we are made holy due to the work of Christ.  The story of holiness doesn't end there, though.  Our holiness is a steady and constant process of (re)fixing our gaze on He that is holy and who is the origin of all holiness.  Only in and through Jesus are we able to be holy in any regard.  Ergo, we should live in a constant pursuit, not of holiness, but of the One who makes us holy: Jesus.

The Power of Quiet

We live in a world where quiet and stillness are a priceless commodity.  We are constantly bombarded by noise and dissonance, distraction and diversion.  Finding time to be quiet or to enjoy the quiet is all the more important today than it has ever been.  Quiet.  Stillness.  The sense of liberation from urgency and freedom from the rush of this life to a place of quiet is essential.

Psalm 37:7, 46:10, and 62:1 speak of the importance of silence, of the quiet.  Quiet is not so much an environment as it is a state of mind.  It is easy to turn off the television and the phone, it is much more difficult to turn off our minds.  Quieting our thoughts is more than challenging, for some, it is nearly an impossible endeavor.

The focus should not be on completely silencing our thoughts to nothingness.  Simplification is the focus of the quiet.  Instead of grabbing hold of every thought that enters our minds, we should reduce the thoughts to one, simple, irreducible thought: the Lord is God.

This seems simple enough but it is the irreducible, perfect assertion that is the key to achieving biblical quietness.  Thinking is like building.  One thought adds on to another and to another, until an idea is formed.  These ideas then build upon each other in interrelation and the richness of the mind.  This is the noise and dissonance that biblical quietness seeks to overcome.  The goal of quietness is to tear down the building of thought in order that it may be remade on the firmest of foundations: God.

Quiet then is not based on the cacophony that is the external world.  Instead, biblical quietness is the noise of thoughts and ideas that fill our minds and cloud our ability to sense that irreducible, irreplaceable, and self-evident truth: that God is God.  Apart from this assertion, all life is useless and worthless.  It is this basic building block idea that goes on to inform and guide every thought that makes up our lives and our world views.  

The cornerstone, laid as the surest of foundations, is Christ (Psa. 118:22; Isa. 28:16; Eph. 2:19-20).  When we seek out the quiet, we are intentionally seeking to (re)assert that Christ is the cornerstone, not just of the church but of our lives.  Quiet does not happen passively.  Our fleshly selves is unable to achieve the quiet.  In reality, our fleshly selves is wholly opposed to the quiet because it is spiritually attained.  Therefore, seeking quiet is invaluable in the life of the believer.  Because it is in the quiet that we are reminded of that which is most important, God.

Taming the Tongue

The tongue is a tool, a small one at that.  But, like any tool, it can be used for good or bad.  Taming our tongues is one of those distinct challenges to Christian growth and sanctification.  James, in his epistle, spends a good deal of time discussing the immense importance that taming the tongue has for believers, especially teachers (James 3).  James describes the tongue in three basic ways: a bridle, a rudder, and a fire.

The tongue as a bridle.  Horses are mighty creatures, capable of remarkable feats of strength and of great endurance.  However, horses, in all their majestic strength, are controlled quite simply by placing the horse's head into a bridle and a bit in its mouth.  Thus a horse can be reined by its master.  Interesting that James would use a bridle as an indication of taming the tongue because, if we are the horses that are bridled, logically, we cannot simultaneously be the rider of the horse.  The master is God, the bridle is His Word.  Bible study and the Holy Spirit are to be the bridle that guides our tongues, taming them to be godly and true.

The tongue as a rudder.  When James describes the tongue as the rudder of a ship, he is rightly giving the tongue its due importance.  Although a ship can be massive and its rudder relatively small, the rudder  guides the ship, turning it to and fro.  In this way, the tongue is not the entirety of the ship but it can serve immensely important purposes.

Think of a ship just off harbor whose rudder chain is detached.  It will not be able to complete its mission.  Moreover, the rudder mechanism must be repaired and, if not done with urgency, the ship raises the risk of running ashore or adrift because it is unable to steer itself.  Similarly, the tongue has usefulness but if not connected properly to the Word and the Holy Spirit, can more often lead to disaster.  In this is it is so important to keep watch over the tongue because it is the wheel that steers the ship of our lives.  God is the one to turns the wheel and steers the ship but if our rudder is damaged or faulty, He cannot very well guide us to our intended courses without serious rudder repair.

The tongue as a fire.  Fire has definite uses.  However, fire has a tendency towards consumption and destruction.  James is quite clear that fire lends itself more towards destruction than building, although this is not fire's intended purpose.  Fire is intended to bring warmth and light to places of cold and darkness.  Similarly, our tongues are meant to bring warmth, healing, and light to a cold and dark world.  We can use our tongues to illuminate and refresh those around us or we can use our tongues to burn and destroy people and relationships.  Our tongues were given to us by the Lord for the former though the latter is our fleshly bent.

Acknowledging the enormous responsibility and power that our tongues yield is overwhelming.  It is a significant challenge to tame the tongue but one commanded by the Scriptures.  The hope is to form good habits that avoid slander, flippancy, insincerity, and rudeness while striving for grace, kindness, and gentleness.  Jesus is our example.  He was kind and gentle even unto death.  Although He often called the unrepentant to the task, He maintained a sense of grace and gentleness throughout.  This should be our intention in taming our tongues: to be honest and honestly gracious.

Holy Humility

Humility is hard.  It goes against every natural impulse.  Putting away pride and selfish ambition is part of humility but true humility is so much more.  It is not just an attitude, it is a way of life.  In many ways, humility should be though of as a constant anti-self that rubs against the natural grain of who we are.  There is a discipline to humility but, at its core, true humility is about imitating Christ.

Jesus is the Son of God, the second member of the trinity, and the Word by which all of creation came into existence.  He is the radiance of God's glory (Heb. 1:3-4).  God, in His infinite sovereignty and plan, had Jesus condescend into human form.  Jesus eschewed His infinite and eternal divinity to become a man.  Born of a virgin out of wedlock, He became the illegitimate stepson of a carpenter.  He lived a low-income, rural existence.  In His adulthood, He spent His time with reprobates and societal dregs.  Ultimately, He was tried, convicted, beaten, and crucified fraudulently.  True humility.

When we think of humility, Jesus is to be our example.  This is a steep example to strive towards.  Even though Jesus is, in His very nature, God, He made Himself lower than all in order to save all (Phil. 2:5-7).  There is simply no place in Christianity for pride.  If Christ truly is our example, then we are to be conformed to His likeness in humility.

Jesus tells us that those who wish to be first will make themselves servants of all (Mark 9:35Luke 18:9-14; 22:24-27.  Moreover, Jesus tells us that we should not seek the praise that comes from man but should only earnestly seek affirmation from our Lord (John 5:44).  In this way, Jesus is telling us that humility is about serving God because it is right, not for accolades or self-exaltation.  Rather, everything we do is to be like a street sign that points to Him.  Exalting the Lord should be our goal.  

Needless to say, humility is difficult.  But we should not let the task daunt us from what is required.  Also, God lifts up those who put themselves low.  The old adage: "God helps those who help themselves" is not Scriptural in the least (it's Benjamin Franklin).  Instead, He helps those who seek after Him first.  Humility is about seeking after Him first.  It can be painful but it is right.  And, humility has a funny way of blessing us when we least suspect it.  Because we won't be looking for accolades, when we receive encouragement, it will be like a wind that refreshes the soul.  Praise God through whom all humility comes.

Thanks for Thankfulness

Thankfulness.  Being full of thanks.  It is foundational and lovely.  Thankfulness is not merely gratitude, in fact, it involves so much more.  True thankfulness is more a matter of praise and reverence than it is about appreciation.  Perhaps an all-too-brief synopsis of what we should be thankful for is in order.

The Lord God, Yahweh Elohim, created the heavens and the earth by the power of His Word.  He is perfect, just, and holy.  Therefore, He is unable to be in the presence of sin.  Mankind, on the other hand, is fallible, fickle, and sinful.  And so there was a sin-debt that separated man and God that needed to be paid to restore right relationship.  There was a grave and great chasm that separated man and God and disallowed any lasting relationship between humanity and God.  Yet God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the sin-debt for all mankind.  Therefore, man was able to enter into a right relationship with the Lord because of God's grace given through the work of Christ.

The heart of thankfulness.  Additionally, being full of thanks is not just an attitude or a divine character trait, rather, it is a command.  We are to be thankful (Col. 2:6-7).  We are to be overflowing with thankfulness (Eph. 5:20; 1 Thes. 5:18).  Also, thankfulness is to be the manner of conduct for our entering into the divine gates (Psa. 100:4).

Moreover, our thankfulness is in reaction to the goodness of God (Heb. 12:28).  The two, God's goodness and our thankfulness, are proportionally related.  As God, in His very essence is only good, then we should, in the very depths of our beings, be filled with thankfulness.  It is not a matter of working towards thankfulness.  Instead, when we are focused on the Lord, we will be thankful.

Lastly, thankfulness should never be the aim of Christian life.  God is our aim.  Thankfulness is our natural reaction to God.  We should strive to be focused on the Lord, who He is, what He has done, and what He continues to do then our thankfulness will be pure, holy, and natural.  Thankfulness is to be synonymous with praise.  It should not ever be severed from its source which is Christ.  So, when we are thankful, we should be thankful to Him.  Thanks be to God for He is great and worthy of all praise and thankfulness!