One day three people visited the Grand Canyon—an artist, a preacher and a cowboy. As they stood at the edge of the massive canyon and marveled at its expanse, they each responded with a statement of exclamation. The artist cried, “Ah, what a beautiful scene to paint!” The preacher exclaimed, “What a wonderful example of the handiwork of God!” The cowboy mused, “What a terrible place to lose a cow!”
In the church, we all bring our own unique perspective on life. We come from various backgrounds and have different experiences. But God brings us all together in Jesus. Christ is the one thing we have in common and he is the One that we all have agreed to obey. Let’s do our best to minimize our differences of opinion and focus on the truth that we have in common; and that truth is Jesus.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”—John 17:20-21.
One of the most dreaded phrases in the English language is this—“some assembly required”. Those words strike fear in the hearts of people who are not at all handy at putting things together.
Have you ever worked late into the night on Christmas Eve trying to put together a gift for your child? You thought that the assembly would be simple. After all, it came with easy-to-understand instructions. But it turned out to be more of a job than you ever imagined.
Some of us would rather not think about that phrase, “some assembly required”, but those words have something to say about the way God interacts with the human race.
Some assembly was required for God to create the world. Through Jesus, God spoke the word and, out of nothing, the universe was brought into existence.
Then God made us in his image. Some assembly was required for that. God made Adam from the dust of the earth and Eve from a rib taken from Adam. As for the rest of us, Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Some assembly was required for human beings to exist.
Then Adam and Eve messed it all up. We mustn’t be too hard on them. If they hadn’t have done it, we surely would have. Mankind’s sin caused the world to be cursed and broken. It needed to be put back together again. Some assembly was required.
So God put together the nation of Israel and set them aside to be his people. He molded them and taught them that they should expect a Messiah, one sent from God who would save the people from their sins. This Messiah would fix things.
And he did. Jesus came into the world and died on a cross to pay the price for the sins of all people. All those who trust in the crucified and resurrected Jesus for their salvation are brought together to form his church. He assembles us to be his people and to do his will in this world.
Now some assembly is required on our part, as we meet to worship together every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). We are not to neglect the assembly, and God warns us that harsh punishment awaits those who forsake the assembly (Heb.10:25-31).
For those who hold onto their faith in Jesus and remain a part of his church, there is one more assembly to consider—when we all are gathered together to live with Jesus in eternity. 1 Thess.4:16-18 says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
What encouraging words these are! This world, with all of its pain and suffering, is not our final destination. Jesus will assemble all of his people to live with him in eternity. May we live faithfully for him as we await for his return.
Everyone appreciates receiving a little encouragement for their accomplishments. We are all somewhat like the little boy who said to his father, “Let’s play darts. I’ll throw and you say ‘Wonderful!’”
Okay, maybe that is an example of someone who craves a little bit too much affirmation! But we all do need encouragement. In this world where discouragement lurks just around every corner, let’s try to lift each other’s spirits when we have the chance to do so.
“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”—1 Thessalonians 2:11-12.
In some parts of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side. Because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon the women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs and then rinse them in the cold ones. A tourist who was watching this procedure commented to his Mexican friend and guide: “I imagine that they think old Mother Nature is pretty generous to supply such ample, clean hot and cold water here side by side for their free use.” The guide replied, “No, señor, there is much grumbling because she supplies no soap.”
Rather than grumble about the things we don’t have, we should be thankful to God for all the wonderful blessings he pours into our lives on a daily basis. We ought to be especially thankful for the salvation that he has given us through Jesus!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”—Psalm 136:1.
Paul Harvey told the story of a woman who called the Butterball hotline with a question about a frozen turkey. The bird had been in her freezer for over 20 years. She wondered if it would be safe to eat it. The customer service representative answered that a turkey that had been frozen for over 20 years would be perfectly safe to eat, but it would be very tough and quite tasteless. The lady replied, “I guess I’ll just donate it to the church.”
I think we can all do better than that! Let’s make sure that we always strive to give the Lord our very best. After all, he gave his best for us!
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”—Colossians 3:17.
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”—2 Corinthians 9:15.
This is an especially joyful time of year for most people. We have just spent time celebrating Thanksgiving, and now we look forward to commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
One way we celebrate this time of year is with holiday meals and special treats. I have a tendency to overeat just a bit during the holiday season. I know that I need to cut back, because yesterday I cut myself shaving, and instead of blood, gravy trickled down my cheek!
So what do we do between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Besides getting our stretchy pants out of the closet! Here are a few suggestions.
First, we can be generous. After all, God loved us so much that he gave us his only Son Jesus to die for us on the cross so that we could believe in him and not perish but have eternal life. God is the ultimate Giver. 2 Cor.9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
One way that we can give thanks to God for Jesus is to imitate the generosity of our heavenly Father. We always have the opportunity to give generously to our local church with our tithes and our offerings. We also have other chances to be generous, especially this time of year. There are many worthy projects and organizations that help people to have a better Christmas by providing food and gifts. And most of them do this in the name of Jesus. Since “God loves a cheerful giver” (1 Cor.9:7), let’s try to cultivate a spirit of cheerful generosity that becomes an important part of who we are.
A second way to spend our time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is to extend invitations to people. The gospels give several examples of people inviting others to come and see what Jesus is all about. John the Baptizer encouraged his followers to pay close attention to Jesus, God’s Chosen One, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29-34). After deciding to follow Jesus, the first thing Andrew did was bring his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. Likewise, once Philip chose to follow Jesus he brought Nathanael along also (John 1:40-45). The woman that Jesus encountered at the well in John 4 told her whole village that they needed to come and see what Jesus was all about.
People who are not currently following Jesus sometimes experience a softening of their hearts at Christmastime. They may be more likely to accept an invitation to a worship service, Christmas play, Christmas concert or some other event that promotes Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. We would do well to spend time inviting people to come and listen to the gospel message this Christmas season.
Finally, we need to put Jesus first this holiday season. After all, he is the reason for the season! Ultimately, Christmas is not about the food and festivities. It is all about Jesus—Emmanuel—God with us! He willingly came into this world to give his life as a sacrifice for our sins. The baby Jesus was laid in a manger, but he was destined for the cross! He is Savior and Lord, and therefore we need to give him the attention that he deserves. Sure, there are many distractions this time of year, but let’s keep our focus on Jesus. As the song says, “O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!”
In A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, William Law writes:
“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms, or is more eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God willeth, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.”
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”—Colossians 3:17.
A woman had this simple but telling epitaph etched onto her husband’s tombstone—“He always appreciated.” One very important goal that we should have is to live our lives in appreciation for all that God has so graciously given us and the abundance that he pours into our lives every day. The Bible often urges us to give thanks to God. Gratitude doesn’t come naturally. We must learn to develop an attitude of gratitude.
1 Thess.5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
First of all, this Scripture says that we should always be rejoicing. Paul the apostle wrote these words. He also wrote Phil.4:4, which says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” What is remarkable about this repetitive reminder to rejoice at all times is that it was written from a prison cell. If anyone had an excuse not to rejoice it would have been Paul! But he knew something that we ought to know also—true joy does not depend on our circumstances. Circumstances are constantly changing, from good to bad or vice versa. But the Lord’s goodness to us abides continually, and therefore we should always maintain a joyful, worshipful mindset that is an important part of an attitude of gratitude.
Along with rejoicing always, we are urged to pray continually. A prayerful outlook on life is a logical expression of the joy that we have in the Lord. A lifestyle of prayer is evidence of one who truly appreciates the Lord and wants to have an on-going conversation with the One who loves them so much. And, of course, thanksgiving will be an important part of our prayers to God. We shouldn’t start to pray and immediately go to our long list of wants and desires. Prayer should begin with worship and thanksgiving. We have so much for which to be thankful! Let’s not short-change the Lord with our prayers. May they be filled with honest, heartfelt gratitude.
Finally, the above Scripture encourages us to give thanks in all circumstances. No matter what happens to us in life, we always have reasons to give thanks to God, especially for the salvation that we have been given through the crucified and resurrected Jesus! God promises that one day our pain will be taken away forever and every tear will be wiped dry. There certainly are times when we especially long for that day to appear, but until it does, we must give thanks in all circumstances, because, as the verse says, this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.
The story is told about a Bible college professor who was driving along the highway with his wife when they were involved in a serious accident. When the professor regained consciousness, he looked over to see that the emergency responders were covering up his wife’s body. He knew that she was dead and that he might soon be dead too. He quickly turned to the person tending to him and said, “Make sure that my students get this message—“Rom.8:28 is still true!”
Of course we know what Rom.8:28 says—“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Even in the worst tragedy, God can work to make something good come out of it. And the fact that we trust God to do this enables us to give thanks no matter what the circumstances.
So let’s always be working to develop an attitude of gratitude. Let’s rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks to God—no matter what!
The book of Acts concludes with these words about how Paul the apostle preached while under house arrest—“He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31). An overview of Acts shows us various ways that the gospel message was unhindered as it spread across the world.
The gospel message was unhindered by the Jewish religious leaders who wanted to put a stop to it. They ordered the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. But the apostles replied that they couldn’t help speaking about what they had seen and heard, and they refused to be silenced.
The gospel message was unhindered when the sin of Ananias and Sapphira threatened the holiness of the church. God dealt quite severely with their sin, and the fear of the Lord filled the whole church.
The gospel message was unhindered when one ethnic group became neglected when it came to feeding the widows in the church. The leaders immediately addressed the issue in such a manner that the whole church was satisfied.
The gospel message was unhindered when Stephen was killed for preaching the truth and a great persecution broke out against the church, scattering all except the apostles. Instead, those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went, and the church continued to grow.
The gospel message was unhindered when Saul threatened Christians with imprisonment or death. The resurrected Jesus appeared to Saul, who was amazingly converted and—better known as Paul–became a great proclaimer of the faith he once tried to destroy.
The gospel message was unhindered when legalists infiltrated the church, imposing their views about what people must do to be saved. The leaders stood up and declared that it is by the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved.
There are many other examples of how the gospel message was unhindered, but rather spread throughout the land in spite of many various obstacles.
Why was the gospel able to spread so quickly? There are several reasons.
First, the early Christians were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (1:8). With the power of God working within them, the words and actions of the believers brought fantastic results.
Secondly, the gospel proceeded unhindered because it contains a simple message—the crucified and resurrected Jesus is the only way to be saved (4:12) and those who want to respond in faith to God’s offer of grace are to repent and be baptized (2:38).
Third, the Christian movement succeeded because it was fueled by prayer. They asked God to do great things and he honored their requests by really shaking things up! (4:31).
Fourth, the gospel message thrived because the world could see the great love the Christians had for one another, love that compelled them to share everything they had with believers who were in need (4:32).
Finally, the good news of salvation through Jesus continued to spread because of the boldness of the believers who shared this gospel. They were willing to die for their cause! (12:2).
So, brothers and sisters, no matter what difficulties the church might face, the gospel message will continue to spread, and many will respond to the good news that salvation is available through Jesus. Let’s be filled with his power as we prayerfully, lovingly and boldly proclaim the simple but all-important message of salvation through Jesus!
Winston Churchill said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.” He may have been thinking about his own experience when he uttered this quote, but Churchill touched on one of the basic teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest. He called them together and pointed out, “…Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:33-35).
Hmmm. Servant of all. That does indeed sound like a lot of responsibility. It’s no wonder that so many people try to find a way around Jesus’s prescription for true greatness!
Jesustrek 