In Every Thing give Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

It is easy to give God thanks for those things in our lives that our according to our will.  The child who is healthy, smart, athletic, good looking and living according to God's Word.  The job we enjoy and that pays sufficiently.  The family we love and who loves us.  The good health we may enjoy.  The avoidance of life's tragedies. A roof over our head and clothing on our back.  When life's circumstances match or are within the realm of our acceptability, it is easy to give thanks. 

It is quite a different story when life's circumstances are not what we would want.  However, God instructs us to give thanks in every thing. Every thing includes the accidents that leave us in pain, the loss of one we loved whole heartidly, the child who has gone astray, the job loss, the financial problems, the failed or failing health crisis. 

Let me just remind ourselves of this one truth; not all of life's unwanted circumstances are acts of God.  We cause many of our own problems by decisions we have made that violate God's Word and are made apart from God's will.  Other of life's unwanted circumstances are because of the evil deeds of others. 

Now with this as an introduction let us define and dessect I Thessalonians 5:18.

IN every thing give thanks...  Please note that God is saying we are not to be grateful for everything, but IN everything that has happened. What God means is to thank Him for His presence and power as we walk through the difficult circumstances and trials of life.  In Christ Jesus there is victory and triumph over all, no matter how terrible. Therefore, in everything (not for everything)—as we walk through all—thank God for the victory He has given us through Christ.  Thank God for His presence and His comfort.  How can we do this?  One is to remember that God is working in the lives of those who love Him.

Romans 8:28 ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This is a great and precious promise that God will work out all circumstances in our lives for His glory and our betterment. 

for this is the will of God...  What is the will of God?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV) ¹⁶ Rejoice evermore. ¹⁷ Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
These three admonishments are the will of God in our lives.  We are to rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things.  All three of these things are an evidence that the child of God is filled with the Spirit of God. 

Ephesians 5:18-21 ¹⁸ And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
¹⁹ Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; ²⁰ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
The Christian life is to be lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Without Spirit fullness we cannot be thankful in all of life's circumstances. Are we filled with God's Spirit?  Is there the evidence of an attitude of gratitude in our lives? 

Handling Success Successfully

Handling Success Successfully

Sir William Walton said; It's just as difficult to overcome success as it is to overcome failure.  How we handle success determines if we will continue to be successful or return to failure.  I have found in life that many do not know how to handle success successfully.  Here are a few tips on handling success.

1.  Stay Humble:

Proverbs 11:2  ² When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. 

Proverbs 16:18 ¹⁸ Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

It is easy for us to become proud after an accomplishment or a series of accomplishments.  The Bible warns us that our pride brings shame and destruction.  Pride is easier to recognize than to define, and easier to recognize in others than in ourselves.  Pride is perhaps best defined by synonyms such as arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness.  Pride takes the honor and glory due to God and applies it to self.

According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, humility is freedom from pride and arrogance; humbleness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth. In theology, humility consists in lowliness of mind; a deep sense of one's own unworthiness in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will.  Simply put, humility is dependence on God for all we do. 



1 Peter 5:5-6   ⁵ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. ⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
James 4:6 ⁶ But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Matthew 23:12 ¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

2.  Give God the Glory:

It is the natural inclination of our flesh to take the credit for all we do that is successful, and to blame others when we fail.  It is the opposite that brings God's blessing and continued success.  When you have success in your life, give God the glory!  It is God who gives you the strength, the passion, the ideas, the support of others, and who works in ways that perhaps we do not even realize. 

1 Corinthians 10:31 ³¹ Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Psalm 86:5 ⁵ For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.   

3.  Keep Doing what Made You Successful:

After a great victory, or success we often take time to bask in the glow of victory.  Although we should take time to praise God for what He has done, it is important we return to our routine.  The routine that brought us God's blessing and success should return immediately.  Far to often, success is greeted with complacency.  It is greeted with a change in our daily duties that brought us success. Far to often success is followed by failure, and this failure is avoidable if we return to the routine that brought us success. 

If you have recently been successful in battling addiction, stay humble, give God the glory, and stay in your routine.  The same principles can be applied with the holidays approaching.  It is easy to get out of our success routine, and fail.  Stay humble, give God the glory, and keep doing what made you successful.

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

I sat in Trig class copying diligently the problem from the chalkboard to my paper.  I worked diligently for next 20 minutes on the solution and turned in my paper for what I assumed was an "A".  I was wrong (I know many of you are shocked, but really, I am not always right LOL).  When the paper was returned to me I had gotten the answer wrong.  How and why did it happen?  Simply, I had written the problem wrong off of the chalkboard.  The lesson learned is; you can't start with the wrong problem, and get the right solution.  

This is also true in life.  You cannot continue saying and believing wrong information.  When you start off with the wrong belief, you rarely end with a proper solution. The misleading, lying, denial, deceptive behavior must stop. Believing information that is not true must be replaced with the truth of God's Word. 

Remember, this is one of the great tactics of the Devil to ruin people's lives is to get them to believe something as true that is not.

The Lord Jesus Christ offers the direct opposite, He offers the truth.

The Truth:

1.  Jesus is the Truth:

John 14:6 (KJV) ⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 1:1 (KJV) ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 (KJV) ¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

2.  The Word of God is Truth:

Psalm 119:160 (KJV) ¹⁶⁰ Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (KJV) ¹³ For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
John 17:17 (KJV) ¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

The Truth...

1.  The Truth Protects Us:

Psalm 91:4 (KJV) ⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. The psalmist writes that the truth of God's Word is a shield and buckler.  The shield was a body size protective armor.  Although large and heavy, it was movable.  The buckler was a hand held shield usually round that was also used as protection.

God is saying that the truth totally protects us from the arrows of sin, the world, and the devil.  Our enemies cannot harm us when we are in the truth. 

Isn't this a great promise of God?  If we are believing and living the truth, no harm can come our way.  If we are in the truth of Jesus Christ and living His commandments, God has promised protection from all our enemies.

2.  The Truth Frees Us:

John 8:32 (KJV) ³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The bondage of sin is the most grievous bondage; and freedom from its guilt and influence is the greatest liberty.Breaking this bondage includes transforming our thinking.  What we believe directs what we do.

Romans 12:1-2 (KJV)¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.   ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  

This, the truth,  is not only something to be known, but something to be done.

John 8:31 (KJV) ³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Knowing and doing leads to moral freedom.  The transforming power of Jesus Christ frees men from the power of sin.  Reading Romans chapters 6 and 8 will shed more light on this truth.

3.  The Truth Saves Us.

1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV) ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

There is only one God and He had only one Son, Jesus Christ.  God's Son Jesus Christ provided salvation for all who will believe.  This truth is the only truth concerning salvation. 

John 14:6 (KJV) ⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is only one way of salvation and that way is the truth of Jesus Christ.  It is His blood, His death, His resurrection that provides for us salvation.  This salvation is not by our works, but by our faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) ⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.
John 3:36 (KJV) ³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The truth saves us, the truth frees us, and the truth protects us.  If you would like more information concerning your salvation, I would encourage you to view this website.  It gives a clear presentation of the gospel message.
http://www.preciousseed.com/