Give Thanks to God

Shall we accept good from God and not trouble? -Job 2:10

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. We always have reasons to give thanks to God.

Job was one of the richest men in his time, but he was suddenly stripped of his material wealth, his children, and his health. Job’s perspective is admirable. He chose to accept life’s blessings as well as its struggles, its highs and its lows. Do you ever thank God for a tough day because you know it could be enlightening to you in the future? My guess is that many of us thank God later on, when we have the whole story, but seldom do we thank him while the trouble is happening.

We can pray to Him about areas in our lives that we consider tough right now: our careers, our relationships with our family, or whatever. And we can genuinely thank Him for the opportunity to grow. That sounds hard to do, but as we cooperate with God, He will give us strength to give thanks in all circumstances.

God promises to be there for us in good times and bad. We don’t know why God sometimes delivers us from bad stuff and sometimes we have to endure bad stuff, but He is always there for us to lean on Him. He doesn’t promise us a life of ease, but He does promise us that if we are faithful to Him, we can have our salvation even in our lowest and darkest times in this life. Our reward for being faithful isn’t all in this life, but He will reward us in heaven. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Develop an attitude of gratitude for your life story.

God, help me to look to you in every circumstance in my life, and empower me to always give you thanks and to praise you. Amen.

The Wisdom of God is Love

What is wisdom?  The world says wisdom is “the appropriate application of knowledge”. But whose knowledge are we applying and where did we gain this knowledge? James 1:5 states,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” 

True wisdom is a gift that only God can give, and it comes from above not from anything earthly. First Corinthians 3:19 tells us that the wisdom of the world is foolishness before God. So how exactly do we know what wisdom looks like?  It cannot be just an application of knowledge. If it is a gift from God that only He can give it must be something more.

So, what does the wisdom of God sound like?  Like a still soft voice from within urging us on, guiding us forward, telling us we are not alone because He is with us.

What does the wisdom of God look like?  Signs and miracles that are big and small that point to the answers to our problems.  The problems we think others see and the ones we try to keep hidden.

What does the wisdom of God feel like?  Like the comforting arms of a parent, spouse, or friend when we are sad.  Like the feeling of peace and calm when the world is raging around us.

The wisdom of God sounds, looks, and feels like love.  The kind of love that is always present, the kind of love that will heal all our pain, and the kind of love that will guide us home. The world can never give us wisdom.  Wisdom is a gift from God, and it is there for the asking.  Wisdom is knowing that He is our greatest treasure, that He is our one true love, and that He has all the answers because He is the answer.

Trust the Master Chef

When I was in my foods and nutrition class in high school, we had the opportunity to bake and make a variety of things. One day in foods class we were making biscuits. As we got all the ingredients together, I followed the instructions, mixed, and plopped my doughy creation onto the pan. I had visions of grandeur. I could just picture my biscuits coming out of the oven light brown, warm, and flaky just like in a Pillsbury commercial.

When the biscuits finally were done and they came out, it wasn't just as I had dreamed, but they didn't look bad either. When they had cooled a bit, I took one of my creations in hand and brought it towards my mouth and bit into...what was worst biscuit of my life. Something was terribly off about this biscuit. It was on that day that I realized something very important. There's a big difference between baking powder and baking soda. I didn't get it right and I made a bad biscuit. If only I followed instructions as well as I dreamt about biscuits.

There are some things in life that we just need to get right. Details matter and if missed, they can have big consequences. Good intentions don’t always produce good results. Understanding is important too. Get it wrong in foods class and you’ll have a bad biscuit. In life the stakes are much higher and the consequences longer lasting. There are too many stories with bad endings that could have been avoided if people would have paid attention to God’s Word. God doesn’t want any of us to live a could’ve, would’ve, should’ve kind of life. He desires for us to have life and have to it to the full (John 10:10). However, that comes as a response to hearing and heeding His instruction.

If you have a Bible, make sure you pick it up regularly. Read it. Study it. Obey it. Don’t let it collect dust on a shelf. Let God’s Word seep into your heart and come to life. There is great blessing when you choose follow God’s recipe for life. Jesus reminds us in Luke 11:28 (ESV),

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

When God gives you instruction, shows you the details, or convicts your heart in which way to go, don’t ignore Him. Listen to Him and watch how He cooks up something wonderful in your life. We may make mistakes and bake some bad biscuits, but God never does. Trust the Master Chef and know that life will taste much better when you do.

The Flyswatter of the Spirit

My son was afraid of bugs when he was little. Flies, grasshoppers, and other sorts of bugs brought fear to his heart. One day I tried to show him that he didn't have to be afraid. I fetched the flyswatter from the house and showed it to him. I told him the flyswatter was for swatting bugs. I then proceeded to show him how he could smash bugs with the flyswatter. I told him when he had the flyswatter those bugs would be afraid of him. When I gave him the flyswatter he turned from a fearful little kid into a fearless bug-smashing vigilante. We went throughout the house together while as he shouted his battle cry, "Smash those buggies".

Something peculiar happened in my son's life that is a reminder to each of us about how faith and fear work. Everything changed when I, his dad, placed something in his hands. He now had something to hang onto that gave him the faith to overcome his fear. Our heavenly Father places something into our hands as well. He gives us the sword of the Spirit, which is the Bible (Ephesians 6:17). It is what we have been given to hang onto. It energizes our faith and lets us overcome our fears.

There are many things in life that may cause us to live in fear, but that isn't the way God wants us to live. He wants us to live by faith. He places His Word into our hands and gives us the ability to fight back. Take the Word of God in your hand and watch how it will transform you. Watch how fear gives way to faith. When you are submitting to God's Word and standing against your fears with boldness the devil goes running (James 4:7). When you hear His Word, your faith grows (Romans 10:17).

Has fear taken you captive? Has the enemy been creeping and crawling around your life trying to get you off track? Has Satan been buzzing in your ear, trying to fill your mind with lies? Take what your heavenly Father has for you. Hold the flyswatter of the Spirit, that is the Word of God, firmly in your hand. Then smash fear and the schemes of Satan like the pests that they are.