Perspective: The Grateful Heart

Perspective: The Grateful Heart

“Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

Material things—perhaps one of the most distracting elements of this world. The decisions we make, the places we work, the time we spend... so much is centered around material gain. Our present day and age constantly feeds the idea that success equals the accumulation of things. It’s sad to think how much our focus has wandered from what’s important to what is superficial.

It’s not often that we really think about what we have, and rarely do we appreciate it. In fact, I think we get so used to all the blessings we have that we expect them—maybe even consider them a necessity.

I speak from experience. I can’t count on all my fingers how many times I’ve laid in bed at night with one nostril plugged—reminiscing on all the times I took untroubled breathing for granted—thinking, “If only this one nostril wasn’t plugged I would be thankful.” LOL. And then I wake up with my sinus troubles gone, and I don’t even think twice about it. Little do I know, as I lie awake quietly complaining about my annoying plugged nostril, someone else lay awake in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube flowing air into both nostrils to keep them alive. These things are all about perspective.

There’s a frequently quoted question (I believe by Max Lucado) that always causes me to assess my attitude of thankfulness: “What if you woke up this morning and had only the things you thanked God for yesterday?” More often than not, I’d be left with little to nothing.

In life, we go through loss. But from the limited years of life I’ve experienced so far, I’ve learned that in order to lose something, you had to have it in the first place. For instance, this year will be my family’s first Thanksgiving without my grandpa. It will be hard, and it will never be quite the same again. However, I know my family wants to spend this holiday remembering all the funny things he would say, the strong—yet soft—embrace he always gave so generously, and the way he loved us through to his last days. I was inexpressibly blessed to have such an amazing man as my grandfather, and that’s what I actively choose to thank God for.

Not only does loss indicate the fact that we had something, but there are more blessings surrounding us every day which go unnoticed. If we have food to eat, water to drink, the very breath in our lungs, we have something to be thankful for.

Most of us also have an abundance of unnecessary things that keep us entertained, educated, safe, and much more. In addition, many of our daily experiences are blessings that go unnoticed.

One of my favorite characteristics of God is that He is so personal. He knows exactly how to bless us, and—he wants to. I remember specifically one day last year when I was in Ireland. I was sitting on a stone wall with someone who is now like a sister to me. We were looking over a beautiful green hill that led down to a sparkling lake. I was admiring the beauty of it when all of a sudden a group of horses—my absolute favorite animal—came running over. All this was happening just as the sun was beginning to set, casting vivid colors over the clouds (sunsets are another one of my absolute favorite things).

I found myself getting teary-eyed thinking about how well my Lord knows me. He knew exactly what would be perfect to bless me in that moment. I don’t think I will ever forget that day, because I felt such a sweet and special connection with Abba.

He is personal, and so many of the little, insignificant things you encounter throughout your day—things that make you happy—are gifts from Him. Try to spot them when they come! It makes life so much more colorful and beautiful.

So this Thanksgiving, I challenge myself, and I challenge you, to think about what you may take for granted—the everyday things. Or the big things! Anything that you may be so used to, you just expect it. Anything that may seem inconsequential, but could be blessings going unnoticed. If you are experiencing loss, let yourself mourn, but let yourself also revel in the fact that you had something to begin with.

Let’s ask the Lord to open our eyes to the many blessings and abundance of things that are there simply to remind us that God loves us. He loves you so tenderly, so purely, so beautifully. Nothing in this world could be more valuable than that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Kaylee Kissack

Thankful Hearts

Thankful Hearts

“With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6b

Sometimes in reading Scripture, it’s the little words that capture my attention.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (CEV):

Did you spot with and then? Paul speaks a powerful truth to me here in Philippians 4. He tells us that a thankful heart, anchored in Jesus, is the gateway to a peaceful spirit. What a beautiful promise. Gratitude on my part is honored by the Lord; it is he who supplies incomprehensible peace to my thankful heart.

John Ortberg says, “Gratitude is the gift God gives us that enables us to be blessed by all his other gifts, the way our taste buds enable us to enjoy the gift of food.“

There is an old movie that I love. It’s a Civil War drama called Shenandoah. In it, Jimmy Stewart plays a widowed father of a large farm family. He is a man with a keen sense of self-sufficiency. At the beginning of the film, he prays before each meal (because his wife made him promise to do so before she died), but it is a pretty testy prayer. “Lord, we cleared this land, we plowed it, we planted it, we harvested the crops, and we fixed the food. We worked till we were dog-boned-tired. None of this would be here if it weren’t for us, but thank you anyway. Amen.”

Then the war comes. He loses everything. His family is ripped apart. Brothers fight against brothers. He suffers the loss of two sons. His youngest son, who reminds him so much of his wife, is carried off as a prisoner of war and lost to him for many years.

Deep into the war, the remnant of the family gathers around the table for a meal. Jimmy starts to pray the old prayer, “Lord, we cleared this land, we plowed it . . . “ but he chokes up and can’t go on. Suffering and loss—he is heartbroken, no longer feeling self-sufficient.

Ironically, it is loss and pain that open the door to gratitude. Toward the end of the story, against all hope, Stewart is sitting in church when his youngest son comes home to him, limping down the aisle. And they stand and sing together, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow . . . “

Stewart’s character comes to realize something powerful…in spite of circumstances, it’s really all a gift. His life was a gift. His children were gifts. The seeds…and earth…and rain…and sun…and growth were gifts. His work was a gift. Life itself was a gift. And God graced him with one more incredible gift—the capacity for gratitude.

The Lord likewise graced the apostle Paul.

“… for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
Philippians 4:11

Gratitude comes from the same word as freedom (gratis = free). Gratitude is the freeing expression of a free heart toward the One who freely gave, says Ravi Zacharias. A free heart and a peaceful heart—because we belong to Jesus and are thankful.

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”
Psalm 107:8-9

by Connie Grosse

His Beloved

His Beloved

…stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.” Philippians 4:1

As I begin to read the Apostle Paul’s final words to the church at Philippi, my heart swells. I take a deep breath, attempting to slow the pounding of my heart. But I cannot restrain the stirring within me. It is the Holy Spirit. He presses me—“Stop here. Stay in this place for a while.”

“Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.” Philippians 4:1

My eyes open wide to such great grace bestowed upon Paul. This man, who once persecuted those who loved Jesus unto their death, begins chapter 4 with undeniable affection for such believers.

In context, it is overwhelmingly evident he had taken on the very nature of the persecuted Christ-follower himself, imprisoned for the very thing he—in times past—self-righteously abhorred and rejected.

I read and reread the words of Paul, once called Saul, who believed the slaying of Stephen—and others like him—to be righteous. Those truth-telling lovers of Jesus the Nazarene—blasphemers of the highest rank—were his enemies. And everyone knew it.

But here in verse one, Paul calls people like Stephen his.

He writes, “my beloved brethren”…“my”…“mine”…”you are mine”.

I feel a lump surface in my throat and I close my eyes. I imagine this man chained to a Roman guard, with tears in his eyes. Not for himself, for them—his brothers and sisters in Christ. The people he once condemned he now shared such glorious affections.

I imagine him thinking on what is true and honorable, right and pure, lovely and admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. The promises of knowing Jesus Christ were such as these things—and Christ Jesus himself—full of truth and reverence, righteous and perfect, acceptable and pleasing, gracious, virtuous, good, and worthy of all praise.

And I imagine him thinking such will be Christ’s Bride, his beloved, divinely loved by God’s Beloved Son.

How can I bring myself to read past this powerful display of heavenly love and ownership? Paul says, “you, my beloved,” and I am undone.

Why?

Because a sinful hater of God’s true children—a hater of even God himself—now displays the miraculous with all the love of Jesus Christ—loving Jesus to the point of dying to self.

That, my friends, is the epitome of the handiwork of grace.

And that is my story—once a hater, now a lover. Only Jesus. Only the Cross. Rejoice!

“In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people” Isaiah 28:5

by Dana Lange

Dear Insecure Girl…

Dear Insecure Girl…

There she was. She was beautiful, kind, confident, had flawless skin, loved Jesus, everyone loved her and—most of all—I wanted to be her. It was so hard not to compare myself to her.

You might think this was ten years ago when I was in high school, but this was actually three years ago, when I was first saved. I was twenty-three years old and I wasn't secure in who the Lord made me to be. I was still thinking confidence came from my looks and style—like the world says. I knew the Lord loved me, but I wasn’t letting Him work out those insecurities in my heart, the root of the problem.

I bet you’ve struggled with the same thing, right? Maybe you think it's normal for women to be insecure and compare ourselves to every beautiful girl that comes our way. Or, maybe your crush likes a certain girl and now you want to be just like her so maybe he'll like you? This is what I would say as a woman who struggled a lot with insecurity:

Let's take a look at Genesis 3, where we meet Eve, the most popular woman on the planet, She had everything but wasn't content. She wasn't satisfied in God, with her hubby, Adam, or with being basically the only woman on the planet. I mean, under those circumstances you might think how could Eve be insecure, right? But she was.

In Genesis 3:5 Satan tried to tempt Eve. He told her

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The Serpent was basically saying to Eve, "you're not enough," and she fell for that lie.

God doesn't leave us guessing where we stand with him, or how much he loves us. He has so many promises in his word on how he feels about you and me.

Remember, he is the God of the individual. He leaves the ninety-nine for the one. I've been praying everyday that the Lord would create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

The best place to be, as a believer, is to put every doubt and insecurity in the Lord’s hands, knowing you can't fix anything yourself. God has to do that work in your heart. If you don't, the insecurity gets bigger and it affects not only you, but everyone around you.

What comes out of insecurity? Jealousy, bitterness, anger and other horrible things. Are you putting your insecurity in God’s hands or in the world’s hands?

Don't take my word for it. Look at these verses which reveal the Lord’s love for you and how He feels about you. Can you believe the God of the universe is in love with us? Agh, my heart!

“God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good; his love is eternal.” Psalm 136:1

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galations 2:20

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15

People are always drawn to a girl who knows who she is in Jesus and isn’t afraid to show it. She's confident in who God has made her. She's confident in the gifts that God has given her. Yes, she knows there are girls who are prettier, have better fashion, and are funnier than she is. But, if she struggles with insecurity she immediately gives it to the Lord. In his hands everything is made pure. Everything is made beautiful. Everything is made perfect. Insecurity doesn’t have to be part of your story. You can be confident in who God says you are.

by Jasmin Hernandez

Eagerly Awaiting His Return

Eagerly Awaiting His Return

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” Philippians 3:20-21

We live in an exciting time. Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t take more than a glance at the news or social media to know this nation—this world—is in a sorry state. But, it’s in a state Jesus warned about in Matthew 24:

“And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.” Matthew 24: 6-8

Almost every day there is some new event reported that lines up with the prophecies from the Old Testament prophets such as Ezekiel and Daniel, and Jesus himself as recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. We can rejoice in Jesus for we see his warnings coming in view—the beginning of birth pains. We can rejoice in Jesus because our permanent citizenship is in heaven with him. Our citizenship here on earth is temporary. Everything about today is preparing us for tomorrow.

Paul exhorts us to be eagerly awaiting the return of our Savior. Jesus admonishes us to occupy until he comes. What does that mean?

Perhaps the answer is found in a parable Jesus taught in Luke.

“A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” Luke 19:12-13

The New Living Translation says, “Invest this for me while I am gone.” The parable is one most of us know well. The servants were each given some silver to invest during the master’s absence. When he returned he asked for an accounting of their investment. Some did well, and one did nothing with the talent given.

We’ve each been given talents by our Creator. They are unique to us—not to be compared with those given to someone else. Every day we’ve been given time—time to develop those talents and time to seek our treasure.

“Don’t store up treasures on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21

Is our treasure Jesus? Do we invest time in study and fellowship with him? Do we see our role in nurturing our marriages…in teaching our children…in doing the best we can in whatever circumstances God allows into our lives as investment in obtaining that treasure?

Investing our time and talents every day in the quest for our treasure fulfills our purpose in life. It honors God, and that is, after all, why he created us. As believers, our citizenship is no longer in this strife-torn world…we’re just passing through.

Oh, let us eagerly await his return, for he will change our limited mortal bodies into glorious eternal bodies like his own. He has that kind of power.

by Marilyn Allison