Growing Gratitude

 Zechariah 4:10 - "For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth."

How often are we ungrateful for the small things in our lives which are meant to produce big things? The Israelites became discouraged in the great work God had given them in rebuilding the temple. However, all they needed was a word of encouragement. God will not trust us with the large things until we can be thankful for the small. Our gratitude is often in direct proportion with His graciousness upon our respective lives. However, it takes a keen eye to understand the significance of the seemingly insignificant. It often requires a wise heart to thank God in the day of small things, for this will only lead us to greater things for our families, our churches, and all those with whom we are in daily contact. We must simply look for the goodness in all that comes our way and be grateful for all God gives. When we become thankful, it opens up a new perspective or perhaps one in which we had long forgotten.

Gratitude and thankfulness are the key to unlocking the door of small things which inevitably bring us into the largeness of Christ's bounty. We must merely start today by surrendering to Jesus and allowing Him to open our eyes to all He has most graciously given. Then we will be wealthy beyond our understanding for all God has done for us!

Glory to God

 Psalm 115:1 - "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth."

Within the heart of mankind, we have no true love and no real truth. Everything of spiritual substance is from God. Therefore, it is ludicrous for us to take any "props" for ourselves when we show a bit of kindness, mercy, or love to those both deserving and undeserving. All good gifts come from above, from the Father of Lights. We all need constant reminders that there is a loving God in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are not -- nor ever will be -- worthy of the glory due His name.

Like the psalmist, may we recoil from even the hint of self-achievement in any philanthropic manner. An honest appraisal of this sort only comes from heart revelation born in humility. Through proper wisdom, may we continue to give to Him glory, and honor, and praise for He is worthy.

The Proud Fool

 Psalm 14:1 - "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good."

It is one thing to be foolish. It is quite another to be a fool. We all think and behave foolishly at times. However, to allow our minds to think foolishly over a lifetime creates the life of a fool. Just because we have gone fishing a time or two does not mean for our epitaph they will say that we were a fisherman. That would be abusrd! When we fill our lives with a certain hobby or work or even faith, then we will be known for what we  have practiced.

To deny God takes faith just as to believe in Him similarly takes belief. Atheists do not like to confess that they cannot prove that God does not exist. Therefore, they must use faith for their hypotheses regarding how and why we are here. The leap of faith becomes even more profound for those who have become fools in their own thinking, because they have nothing to witness to their beliefs other than their own flawed logic.

Believers have not only the irrepressible witness in nature but also the inner witness of God when He causes us to be born again. An argument cannot be won when a child states to an atheistic professor that "they know that they know that they know that God dwells within them." For heavenly wisdom such as this, there is no human logic.

Understanding Our Nakedness

 Genesis 3:11 - "And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

It is of paramount importance who tells us we are naked and how we respond. When God tells us about our nakedness, He does it out of love. He desires for us to be clothed in His righteousness. That is why he desires to confront us with that truth. However, the devil loves to tell us we are clothed when we are really not. We may seek to cover ourselves with our own goodness (fig leaves), yet God must cover us in order for there to be true redemption. Even as God covered Adam and Eve with animal skins (Genesis 3:21), nakedness is only atoned for through the sacrifice of blood.

Beloved of God, just as God covered Adam and Eve's nakedness with animal skins, so He covered our transgressions with the sacrifice of Jesus. He is the only One who can cover up our sin so we will never be ashamed before God again.

Visible Faith

 Matthew 9:2 - "And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the  paralytic, 'Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.'”

We cannot see the wind. However, we can see the effects of it as it blows through the trees or unfurls a flag with its directional force. The same is true of faith. We cannot see faith unless it is in action. James tells us "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). Jesus understood this perfectly and that is why he made the proclamation to the paralytic that his faith had made him whole. Could He see the substance of faith itself? Not as the perfect Man who had emptied Himself of God. However, He could see the fruit of faith as they struggled to see Jesus.

If people would look at our lives today, would they see faith? Would they see someone struggling to know God  more in their lives? Or, would they see someone who is content and happy with the status quo. Beloved, we all have a degree of paralysis from the effects of sin. Jesus is looking for faith in our lives to help us to walk with Him -- joyous and free in His holiness!

From My Distress ...

 Psalm 118:5-6 - "From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear."

Nobody likes to be in pain. A troubled or grieving heart is often the worst type of sickness because there does not seem a quick remedy. To lose a loved one or to experience morbid depression can feel as if something has scooped our insides dry and left us numb. However, at our lowest we can become God's candidate for a miracle. At these times, we need to lean on God and others to help us through.

However, often God desires us to learn to rely upon Him. While distress is often the precursor to relief, pain can likewise cause us to seek relief. While these truisms may seem obvious, how many of us continue to wallow in our sorrow and grief when the Lord has made a way for us? No longer should we feel trapped and claustrophobic God has promised to put us in a large, expansive place if we cry out to Him. Then, as the psalmist, we can truly say, "whom shall I fear? for we will know without a doubt the Lord is for us.

Evil as Good

 Malachi 2:17 - "You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, 'How have we wearied Him?'" "In that you say, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD,and He delights in them,' or, 'Where is the God of justice?'”

How it must grieve God when we say we are a Christian nation and yet live like the devil! When so called Christians do evil and say they are saved by the grace of God it is a travesty. Marriages end in divorce and then these say "Oh well, God will forgive me." Or, others embrace homosexual marriage and say that God has changed today, culturally, from the God of the Bible. No, beloved, God has not changed. He still hates divorce as he said through His Prophet Malachi, And He still regards homosexuality a sin according to His Apostle Paul.

God never changes. However, mankind continues to insist that He does. Until mankind surrenders to the unchanging God, he will continue to arbitrarily change his own mind. Professing to be wise they will continue to be fools. May they come to understand that a God of love has not licensed the world to sin.