A Thankful Heart

“While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When He saw them, He said to them, " Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine--where are they? "Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19

Today as I wrote a small entry in my prayer journal I thought of how sometimes I’m too hard on myself. Often, like so many, I see all that is un-Christ-like, all that is unworthy and if I’m not careful I dwell on it too much. Too often I pray and Christ answers and I go my way…
So today as I prepared my heart for this wonderful Thanksgiving season I simply asked for a very thankful heart. A heart that is thankful not only during this season but continually.

I recognize that I may never do a great work for our Savior… in terms of great numbers. I may never preach to hundreds or thousands. I may never have millions to give to the poor. I may never write something that gets published throughout the world and thereby bring Christ glory. But if only I can have a thankful heart. A heart that will turn around, go back to my Savior and proclaim to Him that I’m so thankful. A thankful heart that is content and overjoyed and remembers all that Christ has done, is doing, and will do. A thankful heart that loves my Lord so very, very much.

‘Father, thank you for this season of Thanksgiving. May our hearts turn towards you during this season. May we stop and turn and remember… and be thankful for your countless blessings and goodness. Give us Father, a thankful heart!’

Wait on the Lord

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Waiting is difficult and painful. Waiting is difficult because we want everything done now. We believe that we see urgency that maybe the Lord doesn’t see. Waiting tries are faith. Nagging doubts can creep into our hearts and minds as to why the Lord delays and why he’s allowed such difficulty to come into our lives or the lives of our loved ones in the first place. But true trust and faith in the Lord doesn’t question, it accepts. Or does it? Is it good to question the Lord?

Why must we wait? Does God work in the midst of our waiting? Or, is He toying with us? Some people think this way. If you analyze this thought pattern you catch a nasty glimpse of human nature. A glimpse that is laced with rebellion, doubt, and selfishness.

For who are we to question God? Is not He in control? Is it not He that rules and reigns? Or, do we know better than He? Do we believe the lie of the garden, that maybe, just maybe we need to take control of a situation on our own?

Throughout scripture men and women waited on the Lord. Joseph waited twenty-two years before his dreams were realized. Moses, killed a man while trying to fulfill what he believed God wanted him to do but then needed to wait over forty years to fulfill the Lord’s calling in his life. Hannah waited many years before the Lord gave her a child.

They waited as we do on the appointed time of the Lord. A time when the glory goes only to the Lord and not to ourselves. Human nature loves to be glorified. The Lord delights in His glory. He will not share His glory with anyone and deservedly so.

Waiting teaches us contentment. We learn to be thankful for who we truly are and for what the Lord’s given us. Thankfulness teaches us humility and humility teaches us to give to the Lord, the glory.

The Lord knows all that you wait for. He knows just the right time to intercede. He knows that you struggle with waiting on him but he also knows how to give you comfort during such a time. He asks that you be brave and courageous and that you trust in him when fear comes or nagging doubts or unwarranted questions plague your heart. The Lord wants to know of you and me, ‘do you truly trust me’?

A blanket of darkness

In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:18-29

Unfortunately, not everyone sees what we see or understands what we understand. Across our world there is a great darkness, a blindness, concerning God’s Word and His ways. There are shades of world-views that go from the brightest light to the darkest darkness. What we and others believe is somewhere in this spectrum.

God’s desire is that we move away from darkness to His light. That we move from a belief in lies to truth. Each and everyday His Spirit tugs at our hearts to ‘come up higher’; to leave the darkness of disbelief and to join Him by becoming children of the light. That we believe in the truth found in His Word.

How can we know the truth unless we read and know His Word? How can we move towards His great light, a more understanding of Him, unless we fill our minds with truth? How can we teach those who are held captive by darkness unless we become children of the light?

And how will the captive hear the Good News unless some one tells them? For there seems to be a quieting of voices in our world. No one wants to discuss belief systems. Many, it seems, keep to themselves or run to their homes and keep their thoughts to themselves. Open discussion and even more, open hearts are now seemingly comfortably covered by a blanket of darkness.

Yet, God’s light shines forth in a world of darkened philosophy and belief to declare His Son Jesus Christ! Those that were once deaf to the hearing of God’s Word now hear and now perceive. This, once was us. We were at one time blind and deaf, unknowing and uncaring the things of God. But the mercy of God saved us, cared for us, and shared with us the light of His gospel.

Can we not ignore the sharing of this gift to others?

Truth or Deception

Therefore the Lord said: “ Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.” Isaiah 29:12-14

I wonder, sometimes, as I try to catch a glimpse of newsworthy-news of all the deception. With each click of the remote I turn from one lie, to one corruption, to one cover-up, and to so much insanity. It disheartens my heart on one hand to see integrity clouded, honor dismissed, and deceit praised. On the other hand, I’m righteously angered at the lives and hearts that are deceived and slowly destroyed by the corruption, by lies and deceit.

Today, the name of Jesus Christ cannot or should not be spoken in our classrooms, our speeches, or our media. Our airways have been usurped by an unbelieving and dishonest societal class who espouse a realm of lunacy. We are told that ‘terrorists are only people, they are not that bad,’ or beware ‘our world will be destroyed by global warming’ or ‘we need to save mother-earth’.

The Truth is that terrorists are killers. Global warming is a myth. And our hearts and minds need salvation, our world needs conservation, a big, big difference. So many lies are told and so often that many believe them because they do not love the truth, they become out-of-touch with reality.

Does it not seem that wisdom is perishing? In this world right and wrong are so muddied that many are in wonder as to what is right and what is wrong. The consciousness of mankind is every so slowly being seared and that which is reprobate is called good, proclaimed as an example.

Yet, in the midst of such an environment, God has called us to righteousness. Not our own, not a religious righteousness, but his righteousness. We are called to discern right from wrong, to question truth from deceit, and to encourage and admonish one another as we see with each passing days, evil abounding.

May the love of God so abound in our hearts. May His word become our greatest treasure and may we shine as lights in a darkened world, for the glory of God!