To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord. (Psalm 116:17)

Jesus says: “Bring Me the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Take nothing for granted, not even the rising of the sun. Before Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, thankfulness was as natural as breathing. Satan’s temptation involved pointing Eve to the one thing that was forbidden her. The garden was filled with luscious, desirable fruits, but Eve focused on the one fruit she couldn’t have rather than being thankful for the many good things freely available. This negative focus darkened her mind, and she succumbed to temptation. When you focus on what you don’t have or on situations that displease you, your mind also becomes darkened. You take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, flowers, and countless other gifts from Me. You look for what is wrong and refuse to enjoy life until that is ‘fixed’.

When you approach Me with thanksgiving, the Light of My Presence pours into you, transforming you through and through. Walk in the Light with Me by practicing the discipline of thanksgiving.”

In light of this teaching, I would challenge you to prayerfully consider how you would answer the following questions:

What of God’s glorious gifts am I guilty of taking for granted? When was the last time I thanked God for the rising of the sun? for the precious air that I breath? for the beauty of a flower? for a star-lit night? for the song of a bird?

In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Is there anything I want so bad but can’t have, or don’t have yet, that is keeping me from appreciating all that I DO have? If so, how has this colored my attitude, my thoughts, my ability to find contentment?

But godliness is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have bought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

How content am I with all that I already have? Do I make a habit of thanking God each day for the bounty He has provided?

A number of years ago I was reminded that even inside plumbing and running water, not to mention a multitude of other things we often consider necessities, are in fact luxuries in many parts of the world. But how often do we stop and thank God for these luxuries, or are we so spoiled we don’t think of them as blessings to be thankful for? Maybe it’s time we had a change of heart, and instead of spending so much time asking God for those things we don’t have, start thanking Him for all we do have.

(TERI METTS)

There was a time when I would have said that worship was something I did on Sunday mornings. To worship, I thought, meant to “go to church,” to sing hymns, participate in the liturgy, and listen to pastor’s sermon. It is most certainly true that this is worship. But, it is only one kind of worship

Romans 12: 1 describes a worship that takes place every minute of every day. God’s Word says to me: … In view of God’s mercy … offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

So, what does worship mean to me? It means living my life in such a way that brings glory to God. If I truly believe that God had great mercy on me – a poor, miserable sinner, and that Jesus Christ sacrificed His life because of my sins, then I have the opportunity to live like a new person! I have the opportunity to respond to God’s great love in a way that pleases Him. That should not only be on Sunday during congregational worship, it should be on every day of the week and in every situation. The choices I make, the work I do, the way I serve others, the attitude I have – all of these common, every day thoughts and actions are either worship of God … or worship of self.

It is far too easy to worship self. I do this every time I insist on my own way, or put my needs before others, or whine, or pout, or feel sorry for myself. But, to worship God, my Creator and Redeemer, means to let the Holy Spirit who lives in me alter my thinking, choices and behavior.

Because of God’s great mercy, I am a forgiven sinner. Because of what Jesus Christ did for me, each new day is an opportunity to start over again – to hear the whisper of the Spirit, and to live differently than the world around me. Because of Jesus, I have the ability to make choices that are holy and pleasing to God.

My prayer is that I will worship on Sunday with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. Then, during my Monday through Saturday worship, my prayer is that I will live in response to that great mercy!

(LINDA BARTLETT)

Most people believe they are not qualified to be a mentor!  Not true!  If you love Jesus and have set your life to live by the Bible, then you are qualified to mentor.  Think of it in  terms  of  being  a trusted counselor or guide, and in Christ, you are more than qualified to do just that!

Mentoring requires that we be willing to share our hearts with others.  This doesn’t mean we need to broadcast our sin and struggles and trials from a loudspeaker.   However, we can share the times we’ve seen the Lord bring us into healing, victory, peace, and hope.  Mentoring is simply about doing real life together with real people, which means we are transparent and humble, while deferring glory to God as we live rooted in the Word.

Mentoring is like a baton being passed in a relay race involving generation to generation. As one person receives from the Lord, he/she in turn refreshes another who refreshes another.  Mentoring is extending out our hand, to their hand, to put it in God’s hand, and that person will in turn put it into another’s hand.

Mentoring is simple, if you think of it this way…

Meeting…spending time together, as in “meet with one another” in whatever way the Lord leads.

Encouraging…lifting another person up with words and deeds that glorify God.

Noticing…paying attention to another person’s life and asking questions to learn what is happening in his/her heart.

Teaching…sharing the Word of God and lessons of life from your life for another person’s benefit.

Offering…finding practical ways to serve another person by offering your time, talents, and resources.

Responding…always speaking the truth (Jesus & Scripture) in love, while keeping healthy boundaries in place.

Inspiring…another person by demonstrating what it looks like to live out the Gospel, surrendered and redeemed.

Navigating…helping another person find the course, especially the narrow gate along wide paths.

Growing…together in this relationship with each other and with the Lord.                                                                                                               

(SOURCE UNKNOWN)

If we could, most of us would choose to avoid pain, never face disease, avert loss, crisis, difficulties or problems. We’re sure that would go a long way toward making our lives “perfect.” Even when we pray, for ourselves or others, our prayers generally include petitions to remove us from situations or circumstances involving pain, disease or discomfort. We wish we could just eliminate these things from our lives. We don’t like to suffer.

Truth is, though, we only learn certain lessons and develop certain character traits through the sufferings we experience. A butterfly, if helped from its cocoon by human hands in order to eliminate some of its terrible struggle, emerges stunted and unable to fly.

In heaven, God tells us there will be no more tears, no more pain and suffering. But, here, on earth, we grow, we learn, we become, through the things we suffer. Without suffering, there’s never a need to learn endurance, patience, longsuffering, forgiveness, selflessness, compassion, mercy, tenacity, diligence, the ability to overcome or any of the other character traits we so admire and which make our world a better place to live.

In all of nature, the things we most value, find most beautiful, treasure most, are the result of pressure, suffering, difficulty or trial – not the result of what’s perfect, easy, pressure or care free. Coal becomes diamonds through years of intense pressure. Sand becomes a pearl because of the irritation it causes the oyster. Strength, whether physical, mental or spiritual, comes from continually working the muscles, mind or spirit, denying them the comfort they seek and forcing them past the limits they think they can endure.

Without suffering and the things it produces in us, we stay shallow in our thinking and character, self-centered, one-dimensional, stunted, unable to think about anyone but ourselves, prickly and full of rough edges. Without suffering and pain, we never realize how fragile, needy and desperate we are or reach up to find God, whose grace is sufficient for all our needs.

So, be careful before you wish away what may produce the most beautiful, satisfying, deepest, most accomplished parts of you yet. Instead of praying for God to simply remove the pain and suffering from the life of someone you love, think about praying for Him to accomplish the most good possible for that person through the pain and suffering being experienced, so that he or she emerges from it better for having gone through it.

And be grateful … grateful that suffering isn’t for nothing, that it can have purpose and meaning and can produce something far beyond the pain you may be feeling at the moment.    (LYN THOMPSON)

The Lord is looking for servants like this centurion:

Who have an exalted view of Christ:
He is the sovereign Lord of authority, and thus they trust Him for the impossible. The Lord is looking for people like this centurion, “big godders,” who know that Jesus Christ is Lord and who know how to come to Him in simple faith and say, “You say the word, Lord, and this will be done.” An effective servant of Christ will thus have faith in His sovereign authority.

Who have a lowly view of themselves:
They are unworthy and insufficient, but they know Christ as gracious and all-sufficient. That’s what grace is all about. I do not deserve God’s blessing. I am not worthy for Him to use me or to answer my prayers. But I don’t come to Him based on my worthiness. I come asking for His undeserved favor. To be effective servants of Christ, we need a lowly view of ourselves: “I am an unworthy servant. But God uses unworthy servants who trust in His grace. And so God can use me to bring His salvation to others.”

Who have a caring view of others:
They are helpless, and thus need compassion. Christ’s authority and grace extend to those whom society may despise. God taught me that He chooses and uses people whom I would reject. God often saves the despised of the world and uses them as trophies of His grace.  Effective servants care about such people.

Hudson Taylor, the great pioneer missionary to China, used to say, “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.” May that same powerful God do great things through us as we trust Him in our weakness!           (STEVEN J.COLE)

We are commanded by God in the Scriptures that, when we hear His voice to not harden our hearts.

How do we harden our hearts? Simple…by KNOWING what God’s Word clearly says about something but refusing to obey because doing so might seriously interfere with the lifestyle that we are wanting to pursue.

It happens when people know they should respond to the Gospel but keep finding reasons to say no.

It happens when a person knows he/she is in an ungodly dating relationship but fears being alone more than he/she fears God.

It happens when a person knows his/her life is out of control…but fears if he/she confesses his/her sin and asks for help, it may   seriously damage his/her reputation.

It happens when someone knows he/she should stop spending money the way he/she does…but have become dependent upon numbing his/her pain with the temporary satisfaction that trinkets bring.

It happens when a church leader knows the direction God is wanting him/her to take the ministry…but he/she refuses to do so because he/she fears being unpopular with the people.

It happens when a person knows he/she should not continue to pursue the “innocent flirting” with someone at work…but…it feeds his/her ego or fulfills his/her emotions so he/she continues the practice.

It happens when a person knows he/she should stop the intimate connections he/she is making online…but refuses to stop because of the pleasure it brings.

It happens when we know we should invite someone to church and/or share Christ with them…but we convince ourselves that they would not be interested OR that we will simply do it later.

I could go on and on…but we all get the point. When people harden their hearts in Scripture it just doesn’t go well for them.

My question is this…is there anything in your life that God seems to be relentless in coming after?

If so…are you repenting or defending? Because, when you defend what you are doing in the face of a Holy and awesome God who wants nothing but the best for you…then you are actively hardening your heart. AND…one day…you might not even be able to hear His voice anymore if you don’t deal with what He’s dealing with!

It’s not that most of us don’t hear the voice of God…it’s that we don’t like what we hear, and so we either fight with Him or ask Him to tell us something else. BUT…until we deal with what He’s dealing with, we will NEVER get past where we are right now. (See Ezekiel 14:1-6)

Today…if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!        (PERRY NOBLE)