For Abundant Blessings We Give Thee Thanks

November 24, 2011

Rhodes Davis Godliness, Knowing God Leave a comment

Most of us feel displeasure for unappreciative people. One of the first things we teach our kids is to say “please” and “thank you.” We want them to show respect to others who do things for them. We want them to notice and appreciate the things that people do for them. We get frustrated with adults that seem not to have learned this lesson.

People will prepare a special meal, plan a party, find a special gift especially suited for that person, or some other unexpected show of appreciation only to be met with a mumbled “thanks,” or, worse yet, no thanks at all. It especially disturbs us when we go out of our way to do something special for someone and they act as if we owed them or that what we did was no big deal. I do not think that it is praise that we want; we want other people to recognize and appreciate the effort that others and we do for them. Does God get frustrated with us?

I wonder sometimes if it disturbs God when He blesses us with so many special blessings and we fail to notice or thank Him for them. Sometimes we do not express the common courtesy to God that we do with people with whom we associate.

Thanksgiving should characterize our life. It should be a natural part of our personality to notice what others do for us and give thanks. It means much to the person who serves us at the restaurant or from whom we buy services; yes it is their job to do this but we should show the appreciation that we would like if we were in their position. We may start to realize just how much others do for us if we look for opportunities to thank others for their consideration and efforts.

It should characterize our homes. Spouses should thank each other often for the things they do for one another. Thank your spouse for being married to you and putting up with you. Thank your spouse for the work they do around the house, or the work that brings in income for the house. Thank them for coming home to you at night and not going out to bars or participating in behavior that would endanger the marriage. Do not forget the common courtesies; thanking them when they refill your tea glass, when they pass the biscuits, when they get your door…

Parents should teach their children by example and thank them for things they do and, sometimes, for being themselves. Thank them for being good children and point out something in particular that they do well. Thank them for the drawings, crafts, and other things they make for you.

Children, especially, should thank their parents often. They sacrifice much for their children. They provide opportunities for entertainment, personal development, and recreation. They provide spiritual opportunities and, hopefully, instill Bible-based lessons for living. Thank your mom or dad each time they make food for you. Thank them for letting you participate in sports, take music or art lessons, or get involved in school activities. Thank them for bringing you to church services and teaching you about God and trying to help you understand how to be a decent person.

Some people have problems with giving thanks.

Perhaps they are not really thankful. Some have an exalted self-perception and do not think that they need God and that they owe no thanks to Him. Some are dissatisfied with the way their life turned out but cannot see the good things that they can thank God for. These people moan and gripe that things are not going their way. These people cannot see the good for their self-imposed misery. Those who are thankful have a sense of gratitude for what God has done and wonderment as to why He is concerned about them.

Some people are forgetful. Some make supplication to God but forget to thank Him for His blessings. Luke 17:11-19 records the story of ten lepers healed by Jesus but only one returned to Jesus to give him thanks.

How can we become more thankful?

Reflect on God’s influence in your life.

  • Sacrifice of Jesus – without His sacrifice and shed blood we would have no hope for eternal life
  • Doctrine of Christ – teaches us by word and example how Jesus lived and how we should live in the world; we are given wisdom freely.
  • Church – The influence of godly brethren may be a great blessing that we forget to thank God for.

Consider how you have been blesssed. People are often fond of asking, “why me?” Usually we ask, “Why am I sick, being laid off work, or having financial problems.” We do not usually ask

  • “Why was I born into a country with many great freedoms including the freedom to assemble and worship God as I should?”
  • “Why was I born into a family or blessed with friends who taught me the gospel?”
  • “Why me? Why do I live in a country with the best medical treatment available so that I do not suffer many chronic illnesses and am able, if I listen to the doctor, to live a long, healthy life?”
  • “Why was I born in a city that is not in constant turmoil from warring parties trying to destroy each other? Why do I go to bed at night without the sound of gunshots and bombs exploding outside?”
  • “Why am I able to read when 861 million people (2/3 of which are women) cannot read?”
  • “Why am I able to ask, ‘what’s for dinner?’ when millions in the world have no food to eat?”
  • “Why do I have a Bible, translated into my native language, that I can own when, for many centuries Bibles were only kept by the elite scholars and very wealthy people?”
  • There are many more things that we could ask, “why me,” but these are sufficient to remind us that we are far more blessed than we could possibly imagine.

Make thankfulness part of your daily prayers
According to Philippians 4:6-7 thanksgiving should be part of your daily prayers. Notice that thanksgiving  is linked with supplication—appealing to God to grant a request. We should not be afraid to bring our requests to God but we must remember to thank Him for listing, for His wisdom in answering, and for the answer we receive.

According to Colossians 2:2 we are to be vigilant in prayer (implies diligence and watchfulness) with thanksgiving to God. Thanksgiving in prayer should not be occasional nor should we need to be reminded to thank God. We should constantly be aware of the blessings that surround us and give thanks to God for them.

The God of Second Chances

November 17, 2011

Rhodes Davis Choices, Godliness, Knowing God Leave a comment

In golf it is called a Mulligan. When playing games with friends it is a “do over.” We mess up something and we are given another chance to do it right. In our spiritual lives God gives us a chance to be reconciled to Him when sin separates us from Him. He forgives and gives us another chance to live pleasing to Him. Thankfully, He continues to give us opportunities to succeed after we fail.

When God brought the flood predicted in Genesis 6, He cleansed the world of wickedness and began recreating the world anew. The thoughts of men were on evil continually. They were lustful and violent and God was sorry that He made man. He was pleased with Noah and instructed Noah to build an ark to save his household and animals that would repopulate the earth. God gave men a chance to repent at Noah’s preaching but they ignored him, 2 Peter 2:5. By destroying the wicked unrepentant sinners God gave the world a second chance. Sadly, mankind has returned to violent and lustful thoughts and dwelling on evil continually. God has promised that He will destroy the world for good but is giving men an opportunity to repent even now, 2 Peter 3:9-13

Spiritually, we are cleansed from the filthiness of sin when we are immersed in water for the remission of sins, Romans 6:1-11, 2 Peter 3:21. We enjoy a new life in which Christ lives in us. The lustful and wicked body of sin is crucified and dead to us. God gives us a second chance to live a life pleasing to Him. The encounter between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, recorded in John 8:1-11, demonstrates the merciful pardon that Jesus gives to those who sorrow for their sins and the exhortation to “sin no more.”

When we sin after becoming a child of God, we have the promise of God’s forgiveness if we repent, 1 John 2:1.  When Peter denied the Lord he wept bitterly for his betrayal. Yet Matthew 26:30-35, 65-68 records how Jesus forgave Peter. Peter became very useful in the kingdom of God and did not deny His Lord again. We can have complete forgiveness when we repent, 1 Corinthians 6:8-11.

If you have been forgiven by God and are His child, don’t waste your second chance. If you are not a child of God, come to Him in obedience so your sins can be washed away and you can enjoy a new life in Him.

Psalm 40: The God Who Rescues

November 15, 2011

Rhodes Davis Knowing God Leave a comment

Imagine being trapped in quicksand with no friend to help. The situation seems hopeless but you do not give up hope. Then, out of the forest, a rescuer frees you from the trap and brings you to safety. You feel relief and gratitude and thank your rescuer for saving you. This is the message of Psalm 40 except the quicksand is a miry bog of destruction and God is the rescuer.

Trust in God

Although God is in control of all things, he allowed David to fall into peril. God is our rescuer but He allow us to fall into trials to test and strengthen us. Occasionally we need difficulties and trials to test our faith in God and develop trust in Him. While in the pit he faced a crisis: put his trust in God (v.1) or man (v.4)? David knew that men would fail him so he waited on the Lord for deliverance. He trusted that God would not abandon him. That trust was well placed because God drew him out of the pit, placed him on solid ground, and put a new song in his mouth. This new song is likely a new song of praise about this recent deliverance. One more thing for which he could thank God.

Obedience to God
His trust in God was not based on the ritual of his worship but obedience from the heart. He did not have a superstitious view of God where the person who performed the right rituals would please God regardless of his lack of faith or insincerity. Today some people have a superstitious faith believing they can live immoral lives but go to church (at least on special days of the year) or give a regular contribution and God will accept them. Malachi 1:6-14 records God’s displeasure with those who think they please Him by going through empty rituals. God’s desire was that they shut the doors and quit pretending.

David’s focus was obedience from the heart. Such obedience, that included worship, was his delight. God’s law was written on his heart. It was an integral part of who he was, not just something he did.

Proclaim God’s Goodness
Having been delivered by God, he shared the good news of his deliverance with others. Of course, sharing the good news of deliverance from the mire of destruction is what the Christian does when he proclaims the gospel to others. Consider how David proclaimed the glory of mercy and salvation and how we should follow his example with the gospel:

  • He proclaimed the news with unrestrained lips (v.9). The greatest hindrance to the spread of the gospel is not oppression of enemies who want to silence us under threat of death but of Christians who restrain the gospel from leaving their lips for fear of embarrassment or ridicule.
  • He did not hide the news of his deliverance within (v.10). He did not keep the good news to himself. When we discover a great song, movie, phone app, or book we are eager to share it with others, post it on Facebook, and enthusiastically recommend it. The greatest news of all, that should be enriching every part of our life, can sadly become the best kept secret in a Christian’s life. Do not put your light under a bushel but on a stand that it may light the way for others! (Matthew 5:15)
  • He did not conceal God’s love and faithfulness in his life from the congregation (v.10) and proclaimed His great deeds (v.5). We must remind fellow Christians of God’s goodness and faithfulness during our difficult times. Other Christians may be going through difficult times and need to be reminded that God will deliver them even though they may have to suffer for a little while longer.
Although he praised God for deliverance, he knew that other evils would encompass him again (v.12). However, since he trusted in God and obeyed Him, he trusted that God would deliver him from future trials as well. The result of deliverance is not freedom from trials but more trials, more deliverance, and more reasons to praise God.
The trials provide opportunities for God to demonstrate his mercy, love, and faithfulness (vv.11-15). Our illusions of self-sufficiency fade and we realize that we need God all of the time. David closed with a hope that others would trust God just as he did and share his joy in a relationship with a loving and caring God.
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
(Psalm 40:17 ESV)

How Can Christ Be The Firstborn?

September 15, 2011

Rhodes Davis Bible, Knowing God Leave a comment

Of the names of Jesus in the New Testament, one of the most curious is “firstborn.” It seems to imply that Jesus was a created being, like man, and not the eternally existent God. In fact, some religious bodies have seized on this title to assert that Jesus is not God but at best, a god. A Jehovah’s Witness publication says, “According to the customary meaning of ‘firstborn,’ it indicates that Jesus is the eldest in Jehovah’s family of sons.” (Reasonings. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society: Brooklyn, 1989. p.408).

Although firstborn can mean the first child or first son born in a family (Exodus 11:5; Matthew 1:25), the scriptures also use it to indicate prominence. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes, “The laws and customs of all nations show that to be “firstborn” means, not only priority in time, but a certain superiority in privilege and authority.” (ISBE. “First-begotten”). God uses the title to indicate a special relationship with Israel and the tribe Ephraim in Exodus 4:22 and Jeremiah 31:9, respectively. Ephraim was not the oldest son of Jacob (Israel), in fact, he was a grandson of Jacob, a son of Joseph, but the name became synonymous with Israel in many prophetic writings.

Another example of how “firstborn” indicates prominence, not order, is the reference to Jesus as the firstborn from the dead. Jesus was not the first person raised from the dead. Elisha raised a young boy from the dead and a dead man thrown into Elisha’s grave came back to life. Jesus raised Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and many dead rose when Jesus died. Jesus was certainly not the first to come back from the dead but He had the most prominence for in His resurrection, He conquered the power of death and seized the keys of death, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Revelation 1:5, 18.

Jesus is also called the firstborn over creation, Colossians 1:15. Since we know that firstborn does not always mean the first in order, we must conclude that Jesus is prominent over all creation. He was not created but is the creator of all things, John 1:3. John said that Jesus was in the beginning with God and was God, John 1:1-2. In the book of Revelation, he writes that Jesus is the first and the last, Revelation 1:8, 17. Jesus Himself acknowledged His deity when He called Himself the I AM , John 8:58 (see Exodus 3:14). Jesus was not created but lived in the flesh like the creation and died that our corruptible natures might inherit incorruptibility. He is the source of life and our every breath depends upon Him. Truly He is the firstborn, or the greatest, over creation.

Jesus is also the firstborn among brethren, Romans 8:29. This final title also indicates the superiority of Christ. He is the head of the body, the church. We, as children of God—brethren—answer to Jesus as Lord. Jesus intercedes with the Father on our behalf. He is not the first brother of many brothers but is the firstborn—the preeminent one—among all the brethren because it is through His sacrifice we can become God’s children, Isaiah 53:10; 1 John 3:1. In Romans 8, Paul emphasized that God predestined us to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

Jesus is the firstborn—or greatest—over all creation, over all who have risen from the dead, among many brethren. Let us consider His greatness and worship Him daily.

In God’s Time

August 31, 2011

Rhodes Davis Godliness, Knowing God Leave a comment

As a self-proclaimed leader of God’s people, Moses was very frustrated. Having been raised in the palace of Pharaoh, he saw from a protected distance the oppression of his Israelite brethren. When he was 40 years old,  he murdered an Egyptian taskmaster beating an Israelite and the next day tried to negotiate a peace between quarreling Israelites. Moses supposed that his brethren would understand that he would deliver Israel from their oppression but they did not (Acts 7:25). Instead, he fled from Egypt alone fearing for his life. It seemed that Moses would live as an exile in Midian and forgotten to history. But God had other plans. Forty years later, God called Moses at Mt. Sinai to deliver Israel from slavery.

Moses resisted the call of God initially. Perhaps the sting of the rejection of Moses by the Israelite slaves 40 years before haunted him. He doubted himself and whether the Jews would believe him. Yet God commanded Moses to go and promised that he would be successful in leading the people from slavery into the Promised Land. Moses failed the first time because he tried to deliver the people through his power and at a time of his choosing. He succeeded the second time because he delivered God’s people on God’s schedule using God’s power.

Of course Moses didn’t have the benefit of God’s plan and schedule, but he didn’t need it. We don’t need to know His plans either. We must trust that He will accomplish His plan and the best for us if we trust and obey Him. This doesn’t mean He will give us everything we want or even make events in life turn out like we want, but He will make all things work out for the best.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

The difficult part is trusting in God when we don’t see how God can bring good out of our current circumstances. I had this confusion in many things when I was younger but as I have reflected on my life, I see how things worked out for the best even of what were very trying times. There were destructive tendencies in my personality and attitude that have been corrected through trials and what, I perceived to be setbacks at the time. There were life situations that seemed like dead ends that actually became important in helping me receive good things later.

Sadly, some people become impatient with God, follow worldly passions and materialism, and do not submit to Him. They sacrifice long-term growth and treasures for temporary pleasures and trinkets. To have “all things work together for good” you have to love God and trust Him.  Sometimes the full blessings one can have in life are limited because of the consequences of foolish living. God can still create a good life out of a damaged past and heal the damage of sin but it may take longer and some scars may be difficult to heal. If we live by God’s will, His plan revealed in the New Testament, we will have the best possible life on earth though it may take time to realize that God did accomplish good in His time.

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