give thanks in all circumstances

Give Thanks in All Circumstances
 by Erin Mohring ~

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I remember reading this verse with one of our boys when he was small and he was confused. “How can I always be rejoicing? I have to be praying all the time? I don’t think I can be thankful when I’m sick!” I had to agree with him at the time — this verse asks a lot of us! In reading and praying more over it, I was able to tell my son (and myself) this truth:

It’s all about perspective.

“Rejoicing always” doesn’t mean we’re always jumping up and down with excitement, but rather refers to living in the joy of the Spirit. “Pray without ceasing” is not a command to get down on our knees in prayer all day long, but it is about our constant personal connection with God.

“Give thanks in all circumstances” is the easiest part of this passage for me to understand, but it isn’t always the easiest to live out. This time of year, as Thanksgiving approaches, we see people sharing their gratitude all over the place. It’s inspiring, but it doesn’t usually last past the holidays.

Paul wasn’t talking about seasonal gratitude. He was talking about a state of mind that starts with our trust in Jesus and belief that God works out all things for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). When we live this out, we can’t help but give thanks to Him, no matter what we are going through.

Here are three ways you children can express gratitude, as illustrated in this fun picture book:

1. Start the day with gratitude

Giving thanks to God right away in the morning shifts our perspective before anything else happens. Even saying, “Thank You, God, for another day to love and serve You!” can completely change how you approach the day!

2. Thank God for nature

When I’m having a rough day or week, getting out into nature and witnessing God’s beautiful creation can transform my mind. Go outside with your kids and take turns thanking God out loud for the beautiful things you see all around you – the changing leaves, the migrating birds, the refreshing breeze.

3. Write thank-you notes to family and friends

We write thank-you notes when we receive gifts, but let’s also use them to thank the special people in our lives for the gift of their presence! Set out a stack of blank note cards and encourage family members to use them to write one a week to someone who has helped or blessed them in some way.

In the middle of trials, expressing gratitude to the people God has placed in our lives reminds us we are not alone.

So many families have wonderful Thanksgiving traditions centered around giving thanks, but we can center our homes and family lives around gratitude year-round, in all circumstances, because He is good, He loves us, and those things will never change! Now that is a reason to rejoice!

Christian humility

Why Christians Can Be Both Humble and Certain Michael J. Kruger

One of the most common objections made to the absolute claims of Christianity is that Christians are arrogant. Christians are arrogant to claim that they are right; arrogant to claim others are wrong; arrogant to claim that truth can be known. Unfortunately, in the midst of such accusations, no one bothers to ask which definition of humility is being used. Over the years, the definition of humility has undergone a gradual but nonetheless profound change. Especially in the intellectual community. In the modern day, humility has basically become synonymous with another word: uncertainty. To be uncertain is to be humble. To be certain is to be arrogant. Thus, the cardinal sin in the intellectual world is to claim to know anything for sure. Of course, this shift presents a real problem for Christianity. Christians believe that God has revealed himself clearly in his Word. Thus, when it comes to key historical questions (Who was Jesus? What did he say? What did he do?) or key theological questions (Who is God? What is Heaven? How does one get there?), Christians believe they have a basis on which they can claim certainty: God’s revelation. Indeed, to claim we don’t know the truth about such matters would be to deny God, and to deny his Word. (This doesn’t mean, of course, that Christians are certain about everything; but there can be certainty about these basic Christian truths). Thus, for Christians, humility and uncertainty are not synonymous. One can be certain and humble at the same time. How? For this simple reason: Christians believe that they understand truth only because God has revealed it to them (1 Corinthians 1:26-30).  In other words, Christians are humble because their understanding of truth is not based on their own intelligence, their own research, their own acumen. Rather, it is 100% dependent on the grace of God. Christian knowledge is a dependent knowledge. And that leads to humility (1 Corinthians 1:31). This obviously doesn’t mean all Christians are personally humble. But, it does mean they should be, and have adequate grounds to be. Although Christians have a basis on which they can be humble and certain at the same time, that is not necessarily the case with other worldviews. Take the atheist for instance. He is quite certain of a great many things (contrary to his claim that one cannot be certain of anything). He is certain either that God does not exist (hard atheism), or certain that one cannot know whether God exists (soft atheism). And, in his critique of Christianity, he is quite certain that Christians are mistaken in their claims to be certain. In essence, the atheist is claiming, “I know enough about the world to know that a person cannot possibly have a basis for certainty.” That in itself is a pretty dogmatic claim. But, on what is the atheist basing these far reaching claims about the universe? His own finite, fallen, human mind. He has access only to his own limited, knowledge. So, now we should ask the question again: Who is being arrogant? The Christian or the atheist? Both claim certainty on a great many transcendental issues. But one does so while claiming to be dependent on the one who would know such things (God), and the other does so dependent on only themselves. If either position is a posture of arrogance, it would not be the Christian one. No doubt, the atheist would object to this line of reasoning on the grounds that he rejects the Bible as divine revelation. But, this misses the point entirely. The issue is not whether he is convinced of the Bible’s truth, but rather the question is which worldview, the Christian’s or the atheist’s, has a rational basis for claiming certainty about transcendental matters. Only the Christian has such a basis. And since his knowledge of such things is dependent on divine grace, he can be humble and certain at the same time. For more on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and the issue of Christian knowledge, see my recent sermon. For more, visit Dr. Kruger's website: Canon Fodder.

wipe off the guilt

Are You a Christian Struggling with Guilt? Ron Edmondson

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” John 3:17 Are you a believer, but you can’t seem to shake the feeling of guilt? You know God saved you, but you still feel so much guilt from your past? I need to assure you today that, in my understanding of Scripture, guilt does not come from God. The devil often uses guilt to keep us from doing the will of God and growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Guilt has to do with condemnation. You feel the “weight” or “sentence” of your sin. But didn’t Christ die for that condemnation? The next verse after John 3:16, the famous and familiar verse, reminds us that God sent Jesus to save, not to condemn it. Romans 8:1 says there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The very definition of guilt has to do with remorse for having done something wrong. Furthermore, guilt is being responsible for an offense. A Christian’s sins have been paid for on the Cross. One of the very definitions of guilt is “guilty conduct; sin”. The sin debt of any believer is heavy, but every bad offense we have ever committed has been covered over by the grace of Jesus Christ. We still sin, but Jesus doesn’t get back on the Cross. His death was sufficient for all our sins. There is “no condemnation” for those who are in Christ Jesus. Please don’t misunderstand, you may feel sorry for your sins and ask God for forgiveness. That’s what we call repentance, but God’s motivating factor in obedience is love, not guilt. God guides His children to obey Him with a loving hand. Sometimes God’s love for us involves discipline. Many times we suffer the consequences of our sins. God will lead us to follow Him exclusively, but He will do it with love, not with guilt. Jesus didn’t come to earth to bring condemnation. He came to bring salvation to all who would believe in Him. Thank God today that there is no guilt for the person who knows, loves and believes in Jesus Christ as Savior.