Simple This is the season of Thanksgiving. A time set apart for us to give thanks for all the ways that God has blessed us. But how do we do that? Well, I suppose we could think of it in the simplest terms possible and just say, “Thanks God.” Or we could choose to be more elaborate and dramatic, being sure to use plenty of adjectives and adverbs to color the sentiment, while still communicating a simple thank you message. But maybe there are some steps that you and I could take to help make our giving of thanks to God even more meaningful even if it is still simple. The point is not to multiply the words used but to deepen the understanding of those things for which we are thankful. As the old saying goes it is the thought that counts. Reflection Even if we do not come up with any better words, intentional reflection on our blessings should drive us to prepare our hearts to genuinely express our appreciation to God. This kind of reflection means that we are thinking about the things that have happened in our lives and the gifts that we have received from the hand of God (James 1:17). The purpose of this reflection is to count or recount those blessings. In this way, we are acknowledging the reality of the meaning of those privileges and advantages and receiving them as blessings that were given to us as the kind intention of our great God! Meditation In this step we are not only remembering and recounting the gifts but also thinking deeply about the effects and purposes of those gifts. It is at this point that we may even realize that some things that we had not formerly thought of as positive had a greater purpose to be used for the edification and encouragement of others. In these cases we often cannot know in the middle of the circumstance the glorious purpose and comfort that God intends in the future (2 Corinthians 1:3-7). This is not the worldly idea of emptying our minds but rather we want to fill our minds with God’s word and works so thoughts of God and His grace and goodness are produced and promoted. Here we are considering the riches of God’s sovereign plans and the great depth of His thoughts (Psalm 92). Proclamation When we have taken the time and effort to consider all these ways that God has lavished His goodness and love on us then we should tell it! This is not only Thanksgiving season but also moving into Christmas season. One of my favorite Christmas carols is “Go Tell it on the Mountain,” and that is exactly what we need to do with our Thanksgiving. Yes, of course, we need to tell God thank you in private prayer and private praise but also in public proclamation and corporate worship. LOOK what our God has done! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving full of faith, family, and fellowship (oh and turkey, lots of turkey!!).
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Word What makes words of any kind powerful? Most of us probably remember that old saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The thing is, we know that is not true. Words can hurt us. Words can do damage to our emotional well being. They can cause discouragement, despair, and even depression. Words can also do social and theological damage through lies and false teaching. So many of the problems in our world are because of the spreading of false words, fake news, and pseudoscience. Words are really at the core of our lives and our world. Communication is key to everything we do as image bearers of God. Our ability to use language to convey deep and complex issues, beyond the concrete realm, is part of what separates us from what scripture calls the irrational beasts. God is a communicator and He has made us to be communicators. Language is both God’s invention and His tool. This means that words and language are powerful because our sense of self, society, and civilization is built on it. Equality However, are all words of equal power? The answer to this question must be a resounding NO! Not all words are of equal weight and value. As a matter of fact, in many cases the problems mentioned above are because we give undue power to words and ideas that do not deserve it. Not every idea is worthy of consideration. We must discern the value of the content of the words being spoken. Just because the sentences are well structured or the voice is silvery smooth does mean that the concepts are true and sound. Along with the issue of content we must also realize that the source of the words also factors into the value of the statements being made to us. Does this person or entity have authority or competence to speak on the matter at hand? I once read that during the presidency of Lyndon Johnson, he called the residency of economist Ken Galbraith. Galbraith was napping and had instructed his housekeeper to hold all his calls. When Emily Wilson, the housekeeper, answered the phone the President said: "Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson." To which Emily responded: "He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him." To which the President commanded: "Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him." Emily then informed the President: "No, Mr. President. I work for him, not for you.” Ken Galbraith recounting the story says: When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. He said, "tell that woman I want her here in the White House.” (Sumagaysay, 2012) Ms. Emily Wilson understood that the value of the words was vested in the position of authority that the person held. In this case the position was one of employment. However, the position could be one of expertise, honor, esteem, or legal authority. In each of these situations the word carries the weight of the person that gives them. Do you know, trust, and respect the source? Answering these questions is at the foundation of understanding the power of words and communication. Scripture What about God’s word? In Isaiah we are told that God’s word will not return void but will accomplish the purpose that God has for it (Isaiah 55:11). So does this mean that there is some kind of mystical effect that the Word of God has when we read it? The short answer is no. Please let me explain. The Bible is supernatural but not superstitious. The Bible has been given to us through the instrument of language and as such it must be heard, interpreted, and rightly applied. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God through our minds and applies the truth to our hearts. I do not mean that this is simply an intellectual exercise. Scripture must be spiritually appraised (1 Corinthians 2:11-16). This spiritual illumination that the Spirit does in use is through our cognitive abilities. The power of the word of God is in the work that the Holy Spirit does to cause us to understand and receive the things that the natural man cannot understand on our own. Some people, however, believe that the Bible is doing some spiritual battle with the forces of darkness. No doubt the Scripture is our sword when we are engaged in spiritual warfare but again it is not meant to be flung around aimlessly but rather wielded precisely and intentionally for purposes that God has for it. The demons are not frightened by a recording of the Scripture playing in the sanctuary when no one is there or a person mindlessly reading the text without considering and consuming the meaning and the message. The power is absolutely in the word, but the word is a message. Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The power of the Bible is in the message of life that it contains. This gospel message tells about the one true and holy God against whom you and I have sinned. And it tells us about the mercy and grace that God has had on hopelessly sinful men and women, meaning us, by sending His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ to live the life of obedience and righteousness that we should have lived, to die the death as the wages of our sin that we should have died, and to be raised on the third day gaining the victory over sin and death so that everyone who turns from their sin and wickedness to trust in Jesus as the perfect Savior and sovereign Lord will have eternal life! This is the power of the Word of God! Ego Who am I? This is crucial at the very heart of our human psyche. The question is important because it is about how we perceive and understand ourselves. Most people look to others to help them answer this question. We often look to our family, community, ethnicity, or social groups to help us answer this question. The prominent place that social media has taken in most people’s lives is evidence of this, not only as a trend, but a fundamental reality. But should we be basing our answer to this question on these external factors? I believe that the answer is both yes and no. In the yes column, we need to understand that social motivation is a necessary part of sanity. The idea that a person should just be themselves regardless of what that means to others, individually and corporately, is not only selfish but unsustainable. There are thoughts that you and I have that should not be said. I am not saying that we should seek to be conformists to everything in our culture, for the Apostle Paul said that we should not be conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2). But Paul was not saying that we should throw out all behavioral norms. Instead, he was referring to patterns of sin and worldly philosophies. We have a name for people who genuinely do not care what other people think. They are sociopaths. However, in the no column, the most fundamental answer to this question about ourselves cannot be fully answered by looking to other individuals or groups. We need that community to support us and help us, but we also must know ourselves. Self Deception The first thing that we need to realize is that we can lie to ourselves. We can deceive ourselves into thinking that we are something that we are not. This can happen in at least two ways. We could interpret everything that happens to us and that is done by us in such a way that we believe that we are the consummate hero of our own story. In this scenario, the problem is that we spin the relevant facts to our advantage, in order to protect our inflated self ego. The other way that we can deceive ourselves is more debasing and sinister. We can deceive ourselves by making ourselves the victim in every encounter and the consummate underdog. In this situation, we consider ourselves to be deserving of a better life. This drives so much of the dissatisfaction, depression, and despair that is rampant in our world today. We must become people who are self suspicious enough to guard against our own self deception. Self Awareness This kind of self suspicion is to lead us to be aware of who we really are. Reflection on our lives is not a bad thing unless it becomes a never ending spiral. The point of self reflection is not to just keep navel gazing but to understand what is true about us and our lives so that we can turn our focus away from ourselves to others. We need to search our hearts and know ourselves. But we need help! We need someone who is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). We need someone who can search our hearts and find everything that needs to be removed from our lives (Psalm 139:23-24). The point is that we need to find ourselves in Christ. We should not define who we are according to the standard of the world around us, but neither should we be defined by what is in us. We must be defined by the one who made us! And it is Him who is remaking into new people (2 Corinthians 5:17). The reality is that we are not personally or collectively at the center of reality or meaning. So our meaning and value is defined by our relationship to the one who is at the center of all things. Since it is the Lord who is the point and focus of all existence and meaning then our lives are about His purposes and His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31)! Stuff We live in a material world. Back in the 80’s Madonna boldly confessed that she was a material girl, and she was not the only one. We are people who love our stuff. We spend money we don’t have, to buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t know or like. I know that is a bit jaded but physical things can become idols for the very reason that they are so tangible. It is easy to place too much importance on the things that we experience through our five senses to the neglect of things that we can’t see or touch. However, we must also be careful that we as spiritual people do not overreact to this and conclude that the physical world is unimportant. Paul says that we are not meant to be “unclothed” meaning without bodies but rather clothed (2 Corinthians 5:2-4). Jesus has a physical body right now and he always will. Even after the current heavens and earth have passed away God’s word will not pass away (Mark 13:30-31). He will create a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). Possessions But it is not only our physical bodies that matter, it is also our possessions in this life. The Bible has a lot to say about greed, idolatry, covetousness, and envy. Yet, throughout both the Old and New Testaments, the individual rights of people to possess things and own property is repeatedly upheld. Even in Acts when Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and forfeited their lives, Peter states that the land and the proceeds were their own property and under their control (Acts 5:1-12). They did not die for only donating a portion of the sale, but rather for lying about it. Propriety is serious business in the Bible, and when King David is going to sacrifice to God to save the people from the ravages of his own sin, he is not willing to offer to God something that cost him nothing (1 Chronicles 21:18-27). Economy Societally, our economy depends on individuals owning property. I don’t simply mean under the capitalist system that we have in America. Even where socialist or communistic systems have been or are being tried they must allow for some kind of private ownership of something. Imagine if you don't own anything, not even the clothing you are wearing. If every person had an equal right to everything then the tuffiest bully on the playground would have whatever they wanted. In this case, the tuffest bully is the government and you and I would have nothing. To lose the right to have personal possessions and property is to lose freedom. I don’t mean that having things makes you free, but rather that having the right to own things is necessary to true freedom. Ownership I believe that God has ordered our existence in this way so that we can understand that His relationship to all things,especially humanity and the elect, is one not only of love and faithfulness but of sovereignty and ownership. All of humanity belongs to God by way of His right of creation. Inventors own the property rights to the things that they create, and in the same way God has every right to do with His creation as He sees fit. He is the potter and has the right to mold the clay into the vessel He choses (Jeremiah 18:1-12; Romans 9:19-23). However, God also has a special right of ownership of His people. Paul tells the Corinthians to remember that they have been bought at a price and do not belong to themselves (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul also reminds Titus that Christians are a people for Christ’s own possession (Titus 2:11-14). Therefore God has a right to us and a claim on us that is legitimate. We are then responsible before God, as his treasured possession, to live for Him and serve Him with our whole lives. |
AuthorEddie Ragsdale Archives
May 2024
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