On Thankfulness
Good morning to all reading! I pray God will bless you and all of us together in His body at Brentwood. My prayer is that we would be a church that God uses to make a difference in the lives of people.
I truly believe thankfulness to God is our greatest measure of spirituality, our closeness to God. I want to share these quotes by godly people.
“If anyone could tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and perfection , he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever seemingly calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing.” —William Law, English Clergyman
I thank God for my handicaps, for through the I have found myself, my work and my God. —Helen Keller
Bleed is he who submits to the will of God; he can never be unhappy. Men may deal with him as they will, but he is without care; he knows that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” —Martin Luther
Spring time! A time of renewing!
Looking back over my 70 years of life, I think I can say that spring is my favorite season. Everything seems to come to life again, after a winter in which everything seems dead and hopeless. But in this brief writing, I am not just calling your attention to our seasons in the valley. My heart goes to our constant need of spiritual renewal. Though I’ve been saved for over 50 years, I still have areas of my life I have to check out and bring under the Lordship of my Savior. I have to renew my commitment to the Lord in all areas. There are a few that I don’t have trouble renewing, but there are some areas that are a struggle. I am renewing my resolved to wait patiently on the Lord in all areas of my life. My tendency is to “fix” things as soon as they arise and look for the quick solution. If something is wrong, I want to “fix” it yesterday! This only brings me fret and deep, troublesome anxiety. Most things, I cannot fix! I have to renew my resolve to “Be still” and remind myself who God is. How about you? Do you have areas of your life that need to be re-committed to the Lord? If so, Do it! We have but a fleeting moment to live for our Savior, to bring others to our Lord. So, may this not just be a “spring-time” calendar speaking, but a time of refreshing in our spiritual lives.
Something to Think About?
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” Romans 14:5
In this passage we see Christian liberty exemplified. As we know, each person has his own thoughts and ideas concerning different things. The example above in the observance of special days is an example. NO, it is not talking about whether it is OK to commit lewd sin or not to serve the Lord.
Many human beings love “ritual”. Some people feel extra righteousness by clinging to certain rituals. Rituals are fine, by the way, but the only thing that should make us feel more holy is our daily walk with the Lord and serving Him as He has commanded.
This brings me to the question of “Good Friday” or “Holy Friday”. The things I am about to say are my personal thoughts. If you differ, that is fine; that is our “liberty’ in Christ. First, I don’t believe Jesus could have been crucified on a Friday and spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the earth , as Jesus said he would, if He resurrected Sunday morning. Remember, the morning and the evening compose a day, no matter what time the Jewish day began. Secondly, every day of your life you should be celebrating Christ’s crucifixion. Paul said, “I die daily.” Every day that I enjoy salvation, I live in the light of His crucifixion. I would feel very hypocritical if I had a special “Holy Friday” event, and lived the rest of the days carelessly, spiritually speaking.
Long story short, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” God bless you and have a great week, living in the reality of His crucifixion.