Did you know that your abundance and spiritual growth is determined in part by your level of thanks? It's true! That is what we discuss in our series "Step Up" in the installment called "Up Your Thanks".
Think of this; if you are not thankful for what you have you are focused on what you don't have. If you are focused on what you don't have your are coveting which is a sin (Exodus 20.17), and you are festering a life of greed. There are differernt kinds of thanks to offer: Natural Thanks, and Pure Thanks. There are likely more, but this is what we will look at today. Natural thanks is simply recognizing something was done for you and you say thanks. Sometimes it is empty or sometimes it is with an alterior motive... trying to flatter the giver so they will return often and with more. Pure thanks is totally different; it responds to generosity with acts of love. Pure love never says "thank you, but...".
When it comes to our faith we are to have Pure Thanks for what Jesus has done for us. I Thessalonians 5.18 gives us insight into the seemingly elusive will of God which we are all seek, and tells us that giving thanks is part of the glue that holds it all together. You reaching your full potential of abundance and greatness in Jesus Christ is determined by your level and purity of thanks.
Please take the next half hour to sit back and reflect on your life as you view this challenging installment called "Up Your Thanks." Share it with a friend and then write us and let us know how it changed your life.
Showing posts with label blessing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blessing. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tears=Joy
Does God grade on a curve? No. Is God's love love for us based upon a "How much I love Him" meter? No. Are God's blessings bestowed to me based up my dedication and devotion to Him. Yes.
Although it is true that a person can live a life of a carnal Christian and still receive blessings from God, we are still instructed to "Be Holy as I am Holy." There are still responsibilities for the believer. Some try to deny that a God of Grace could ever be partial to some and neglect others. The fact is that God is a just God, and that means he will keep his word. As you look through scripture is repeats over and over the idea that God will bless his own, and the obedient more so than the lukewarm. This is not a bias God, this is a fair God.
God, being a fair God, wants to see us excel in all we do. God nurtures our needs in all realms; spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional, and in all areas we are to submit to him. When we do this, there is reward. Blessings to believer should not be our driving force of dedication to God, but it is certainly a bonus.
Last week a revelation came to be based off Psalm 126.5 "Those who sow in tears, shall reap in joy." Think of this verse; what does it mean to "Sow in tears" and what does it mean in relation to our service to God? Yes, there are certainly times we literally invest sweat, blood, and tears into our life's passion, but was characterizes those times? If we are passionaite about something or someone so much that we are "sowing in tears", it is not an easy task, trial, or temptation that we are going through; we might want to give up. Through out the Psalms David continually whines to God about the unjust people living a life of luxury while he is enduring the day in misery... he was having to "sow in tears".
You too will face mountains in life where you can't do anything but "sow in tears". You won't be able to do more than endure for the moment and have faith that God will take care of it. It will seem easier to give up on people, God, and issues in our life than to press through, but what is the reward in that? God did not intend for us to be quiters or failures. If we were made in the image of God, we were made in the image of the greatest "overcomer" this world has ever known. There are times you will have to invest sweat, blood, and tears into your life, but there is just reward also.
The last half of the verse states the blessing given to people who are faithful through troubles and temptations. "...Shall reap in joy." This is the principle of "Sowing and reaping" found all through scripture. You get what you give. If you put forth a half-baked effort in life, don't expect much out of it. If you put forth a limp-wristed handshake in your relationship to God, don't look for the greatness of the utmost joy. Our salvation is not achieved by anything more than the faith we have through God's grace (Eph. 2.8-9), but our blessing is. Ephesians 5 lists off the fruit of the Spirit, and in them is Joy; how do you get it? By letting Spirit have control and produce it... having faith, sowing in tears because we know God is in control, and from it we "shall reap in joy."
Yesterday I spoke with a friend who is currently incarcerated and shared this verse. This man is justly in jail and he knows it. The fact is that he will face the temptation that put him there for the rest of his life, and in order for him to continue overcoming those temptation he will have to work at it and continually submit this area to Christ. It will not be easy; he will have to "sow in tears" to retain victory, and the reward from God (reaping in joy) will be far greater that the pleasure he would receive from his past substance abuse.
When life seems to be producing little joy, examine it again and see if you have been sowing in tears. What has your effort level been in handing it over to God and pressing through, claiming the power of God. Joy is not conditional upon circumstance and it does not mean you won't bad days, weeks, or years in life, but it does make it easier to sow in tears, when you know that God's blessing of joy awaits.
Although it is true that a person can live a life of a carnal Christian and still receive blessings from God, we are still instructed to "Be Holy as I am Holy." There are still responsibilities for the believer. Some try to deny that a God of Grace could ever be partial to some and neglect others. The fact is that God is a just God, and that means he will keep his word. As you look through scripture is repeats over and over the idea that God will bless his own, and the obedient more so than the lukewarm. This is not a bias God, this is a fair God.
God, being a fair God, wants to see us excel in all we do. God nurtures our needs in all realms; spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional, and in all areas we are to submit to him. When we do this, there is reward. Blessings to believer should not be our driving force of dedication to God, but it is certainly a bonus.
Last week a revelation came to be based off Psalm 126.5 "Those who sow in tears, shall reap in joy." Think of this verse; what does it mean to "Sow in tears" and what does it mean in relation to our service to God? Yes, there are certainly times we literally invest sweat, blood, and tears into our life's passion, but was characterizes those times? If we are passionaite about something or someone so much that we are "sowing in tears", it is not an easy task, trial, or temptation that we are going through; we might want to give up. Through out the Psalms David continually whines to God about the unjust people living a life of luxury while he is enduring the day in misery... he was having to "sow in tears".
You too will face mountains in life where you can't do anything but "sow in tears". You won't be able to do more than endure for the moment and have faith that God will take care of it. It will seem easier to give up on people, God, and issues in our life than to press through, but what is the reward in that? God did not intend for us to be quiters or failures. If we were made in the image of God, we were made in the image of the greatest "overcomer" this world has ever known. There are times you will have to invest sweat, blood, and tears into your life, but there is just reward also.
The last half of the verse states the blessing given to people who are faithful through troubles and temptations. "...Shall reap in joy." This is the principle of "Sowing and reaping" found all through scripture. You get what you give. If you put forth a half-baked effort in life, don't expect much out of it. If you put forth a limp-wristed handshake in your relationship to God, don't look for the greatness of the utmost joy. Our salvation is not achieved by anything more than the faith we have through God's grace (Eph. 2.8-9), but our blessing is. Ephesians 5 lists off the fruit of the Spirit, and in them is Joy; how do you get it? By letting Spirit have control and produce it... having faith, sowing in tears because we know God is in control, and from it we "shall reap in joy."
Yesterday I spoke with a friend who is currently incarcerated and shared this verse. This man is justly in jail and he knows it. The fact is that he will face the temptation that put him there for the rest of his life, and in order for him to continue overcoming those temptation he will have to work at it and continually submit this area to Christ. It will not be easy; he will have to "sow in tears" to retain victory, and the reward from God (reaping in joy) will be far greater that the pleasure he would receive from his past substance abuse.
When life seems to be producing little joy, examine it again and see if you have been sowing in tears. What has your effort level been in handing it over to God and pressing through, claiming the power of God. Joy is not conditional upon circumstance and it does not mean you won't bad days, weeks, or years in life, but it does make it easier to sow in tears, when you know that God's blessing of joy awaits.
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