#ThankfulThursday

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

As Paul is wrapping up his second letter to the church at Thessaloniki, he kind of creates this "punch-list" of things Christians should be doing, or at least that's what it seems like. It could be kind of a check-list that we could run through and check off. But the things he lists can't be done in a short time or even a day - these are lifetime practices. Really what Paul is describing is what should be the default setting for every follower of Christ, but Paul makes the list, because he knows (and God knows) we are a work in progress and need to be reminded and encouraged. 

In the heart of this punch list, Paul gives what I think is the Big Three - Always be joyful, never stop praying, and give thanks in every situation and circumstance. While I think they go together, it is the last one that Paul says is "the will of God in Christ Jesus for you all." They're all important commands, but Paul spotlights giving thanks as God's express will for our lives. 

I'm not sure we value the giving of thanks as God would have us to. As kids, we’re taught that “please,” and “thank you” are magic words— a formula that will compel adults to give us stuff. As an adult who follows Christ, I've treated the giving of thanks as a perfunctory duty, something I generally do before committing the sin of gluttony at the meal table. Even when I would read a "thanksgiving" passage in the Bible, I would just kind of skim over it and not really think about it. I trivialized the word “thanks” so much that it doesn’t stop me when I read it. I don’t think about what it means. 

The Bible makes a big deal about giving thanks. The word or concept is mentioned more than 200 times between the Old and New Testaments. There are several words that are used for giving thanks, but the two big ones are "yadah" in the OT and "eucharisteo" in the NT. 

Yadah is defined as "Acknowledging what is right about God in praise and thanksgiving" (Baker, Word Study Dictionary). In it's earliest form it meant to "throw or cast" with the hand. It came to mean expressing with words and actions, a deep appreciation for God and His goodness. I love the Hebrew definition of thanks because it is totally tied to who God is. The more we learn about God, the more we should praise and glorify Him.

Eucharisteo means "To show oneself grateful, to be thankful, to give thanks..." (Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary). It is formed from two Greek words - eu (good) and charis (grace), so literally it means expressing "good grace" or we could also say, "thanking God for His good grace."

What both of those words mean is is that giving thanks is not just a thought process or attitude, it is an action - we are to GIVE thanks, express our gratitude toward God, not just for what He does for us, but for who He is to us. Giving thanks not only recognizes God's goodness, but it spotlights His greatness of character and being. He is God and there is no other - give Him thanks and praise! 

Take some time to day to express in words, through prayer and maybe even writing, your gratitude to God for who He is and for all He has done for you!

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MAGNA VIEW CHURCH

Five things I want my Family of Faith to know I'm thankful for:

Magna View Baptist Church...

1. I am thankful you believe the Bible and seek to be obedient to the commands of our Lord.
2. I am thankful you have a heart for missions and are willing to send those who are able to go.
3. I am thankful for your generosity and passion to give cheerfully to the work of the Lord.
4. I am thankful you are willing to serve, to give of your time, talents and resources for the glory of God.
5. I am thankful that you are faithful to God and to His servants.

You are a blessing Magna View Family! I thank God for you each day. I love you as my family of faith!

Pastor George

MONDAY THANKFULNESS

I have so much to be thankful for. Thinking back over the last couple of days:

1. Thankful for my mom who is a woman of great faith. She made sure all of us kids got a foundation in church. She worked hard all of her life - working all day, coming home to cook supper and then clean-up. She rarely got to sit down and relax around the house. I love my mom and she is still such an inspiration to me.
2. Thankful for my wife who is such an amazing mom to my daughters. Cecelia is a unique person and she is a perfect match for me. She knows what is going on ion our daughter's lives all the time. She is very honest and straightforward with them, and she is passionately protective of our girls. I see a huge amount of respect from them for her because they know she loves them and would die for them. At the same time, they know she might just snap and go all "Madea" on them when they do wrong. I love my wife and I'm thankful for her abilities as a mom.
3. Thankful for my daughters. It is such an incredible thing to watch them grow up and see them serving the Lord. I love seeing them use their gifts and talents to honor God. Each one of them is very unique and special. They are truly gifts from God and they bring so much joy into my life.
4. Thankful for the encouragers at church. God has brought some special ladies into our church that are so encouraging. They are always saying kind things and lifting people up.
5. Thankful for my church family. I say this a lot, but God has really brought together a special group of people at Magna View. Each week I am amazed at how God is working through our congregation. As the pastor, I get the "backstage pass" into people's lives that others don't get. It is amazing to see God working in our family of faith.
6. This is probably too far down on the list, but I'm thankful for a God of grace and honesty. I love getting to be myself with God. I don't have to put on a front and pretend like all spiritual when I'm not. God knows my heart and there is no need to pretend with Him. This has also given me the desire to be myself before others as well. All  my life I've often been guilty of trying to put on a good front for people, trying to please them and make people think I was better than I really was. I still fall into the trap sometimes, but I feel like I'm getting more comfortable at being myself around others (even church folks).
7. This one will sound weird - trials. A part of me wants everything to go smoothly in my life all the time. I'm guilty of wanting the "easy" path, and I used to get really frustrated and even depressed when things didn't go according to plan, or when I found myself in difficult situations. I still struggle with my attitude, but I've come to realize how much God has grown through the trials and difficulties I have gone through. Yes, I would wish that I didn't have to go through any more of them, and yes, I'll get a little frustrated and discouraged from time to time. But I'm getting a little better at letting God have His way with me through the difficult times and trusting more in Him.

Lot's to be thankful for.

MONDAY THANKFULNESS

I've found that it is always best to start the week with an attitude of thankfulness. Monday's are often difficult times for ministers - we're typically exhausted from the weekend, we're discouraged because attendance was low, or no one responded to the message (basic "pity-party" stuff), and we have a long list of things to accomplish before next Sunday. Think about Monday's too much and you'll climb back into bed and hide under the covers (which is sometimes the best thing to do).
But I've found that taking a few minutes to count my blessings sets a positive tone for the day and even the week. So here's what I'm thanking the Lord for today:
1. The amazing grace of God that abounds in my life! I'm overwhelmed by the fact that God loves me even though I screw-up most of the time. My past is covered under the blood of Christ and my day is in His hands, therefore I can relax and rejoice in His amazing grace!
2. An incredible family of faith that I am blessed to be a part of. The Lord says that whoever leaves anything for the cause of the Kingdom will receive 100-fold back in return. I don't know that I've left very much behind for the Kingdom, but I've gained an incredible amount through the family of faith that God let's me be a part of. Magna View BC is an awesome group of people to share life with.
3. The challenge to be more proactive in sharing my faith with others and inviting others to join me in this journey of following Christ. Jesus says I WILL be His witness (Acts 1:8), therefore I am challenged to live out that verse today.
4. My wonderful wife and daughters - everyday I am thankful for the incredible relationship I have with the people closest to me. God has blessed our family with a wonderful (and weird) sense of humor. We laugh together more than any family I know of. I'm not only enjoying my family in this life, but I rejoice in knowing that I'll enjoy them forever in Christ.
5. Electronic connections - I know its not the same as "face-to-face" fellowship, but I'm thankful for the ability to connect with people who are significant to me through electronic media. I'm blessed to learn about what God is doing in people's lives all over the world.
6. Challenging readings - Reading the "Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and he is stretching my understanding of the church.
7. The opportunities to impact others for Christ. It's hard for me to fathom that Jesus chooses to partner with me to impact people's lives, but He has put His treasure in this earthen vessel, and I want to use it for His glory!

  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Monday Thankfulness

Just a few things I'm thankful for this Monday evening. They're not in any particular order -

1. I'm thankful for a great Sunday at Magna View. The powerful presence of God's Holy Spirit has been obvious in our worship services and I am thankful to be there and experience it.
2. For a wonderful family - I had a great week/weekend with my family. My oldest daughter got her official drivers license, and we learned she made a good grade on her ACT. We spent Saturday in Corbin, KY for my youngest daughter's 12th birthday. Her choice was to go to the Original Kentucky Fried Chicken Sanders Cafe. It was a neat experience. We spent the afternoon walking around an indoor flea market looking for "treasures" we couldn't live without. On Sunday my middle daughter was called upon to lead a worship song in the worship service - she did awesome. I'm so proud to see how God is using her. I have a great group of girls.
3. Small Group was incredible Sunday night. I attended the "seniors" group and I was blown away again at how God is building His Body @ Magna View. We have some great Seniors who have a heart for the Lord and the desire to share their experiences with others. I learn something new about our church family every time we get together in small group. Our time of sharing about what our parents "handed-down" to us was powerful!
4. For the opportunity to teach college students the word of God. I have a great group of students in my Religion 101 Old Testament class at Carson-Newman College. They stayed with me through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy tonight.
5. For getting preached to today at the Nolachucky Baptist Association Pastor's Conference this morning. Don Pierson, prayer specialist from the TBC preached the pure word of God to us pastors today - it was both encouraging and challenging (and a little painful as well).
6. For the opportunity to start my day in prayer and in the presence of my Savior and in the word of God.
7. For Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor executed by the Nazi's at the end of WWII - for the writing he left behind, The Cost of Discipleship - grace is free, but it is not cheap. It cost Jesus His life, but I cheapen it when I fail to live completely committed to Jesus.

Never stop cultivating a heart of thankfulness.