Seeking God Daily

“…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV)

 There are many things for which I am not thankful. Among many, I am not thankful for cancer or for child abuse or for terrorism. I despise all of them. Now take a close look at the Bible text above. Paul, the author of 1 Thessalonians, did not say we should be thankful for all circumstances but rather in all circumstances. And his tone is quite emphatic regarding the regularity of our gratitude; “…all circumstances”, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the happy and sad, all of the time and in every situation, barring none! So, although I am not thankful for many things, including cancer or child abuse or terrorism, God’s expectation for me is to still give thanks if I should ever face such calamities.

 And why should we be prepared to always give thanks? For starters, because God said so! He always knows what is best for us and He makes it quite clear that a thankful heart satisfies His will for us which will equip us with His perspective toward our circumstances. When we look through God’s lenses we are enabled to see more of God Himself and less of the circumstance. His desire is to assure us that He is there in the middle of the circumstance to provide what we need in order to endure it or to enjoy it, as well as learn from it.

Christian writer Henri Nouwen was invited to visit L’Arche in France, the first of 130 communities worldwide where people with developmental disabilities could live and share life together with their caregivers. In 1986 he accepted the call to pastor an L’Arche community in Canada called “Daybreak’. It was during his pastorate that he wrote about his relationship with Adam, a young man with severe developmental disabilities. That relationship inspired the following quote and illustrates Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5.

“Being grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say “thank you” to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.”

Perhaps my five year old grandson, Caden, unknowingly, expressed it the best when it was his turn to pray at our Thanksgiving meal a few years age. He began by saying thanks for each one around the table, including the dog, and each family member that was not present. Then he named each one of his preschool classmates, his teacher, his toys, boys and girls who didn’t have any toys, anyone who might be sick, and to God for making things (Fortunately, he didn’t start naming them or we’d still be sitting around the table.). Finally, he turned his thankfulness to the food. While attempting to name each entrée by name he got stumped by one of grandma’s not so familiar looking dishes. He hesitated, looked at his famished family around the table, and then with a big smile on his face, blurted out, “Oh, thank you, Jesus, for everything! Amen.”  I’ll second that, Caden, Amen.

So as you snarf down that turkey wing and some of mom’s pumpkin pie on Thursday, be reminded that you can be thankful at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances. It’s not because you’re necessarily fond of what might be happening in your life but because of Who is with you…

 …NO MATTER WHEN, NO MATTER WHERE, NO MATTER WHY, NO MATTER WHAT! THANK YOU JESUS.                                       

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So I say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b, 6

I watched one of my all-time favorite movies last week, the 1981 Oscar winner for best picture, Chariots of Fire. It’s a marvelous tapestry of compelling storyline, believable performances, and thrilling race scenes (can you tell I always wanted to be a film critic…look out Roger Ebert). Nearly thirty years ago my wife and I were sitting in bed watching the Academy Awards and didn’t think that a movie with such an overt Christian message had a chance to take home Hollywood’s biggest prize on her biggest night. But,  the film about the “flying Scotsman”, Eric Liddell, brought home  movie industry’s gold medal.

Every time I’ve watched this flick I’ve walked away inspired and challenged. This viewing was no different ,although the scene that provoked my thinking this time didn’t have Liddell in it. Liddell’s greatest threat to being  beaten in any given race, was England’s speedy sprinter, Harold Abrahams. In their first race against each other, Liddell defeats Abrahams in the 100 meters. Abrahams takes the “beating”, as his girlfriend calls it, like a pouty child. Sitting in the empty bleachers looking like he was about to cry, he whines to her, “If I can’t win, I won’t run!” She responds with an in your face retort, “Harold, grow up! If you don’t run you can’t win”…simple, direct, obvious and very profound.

Got to thinking about pouting…you know … when the bottom lip protrudes in displeasure looking like a hooked carp . You see it predominately in children but it’s certainly not uncommon to see a sullen smirk on a big person, e.g. Harold Abrahams… or how about The Pouters Hall of Shame in the Bible.

CAIN displayed a jealous pout after God chose his brother’s sacrifice over his own. He had the dubious distinction of being the first murderer in history (Genesis 4). BEEN ENVIOUS OF WHAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS DONE OR ACQUIRED?  

SARAH displayed an impatient pout when God didn’t give her a son when she wanted one. She decided to take things into her own hands (actually she took things into her own tent) and forced her husband to commit adultery (you don’t hear that happening everyday) (Genesis 16). BEEN FRUSTRATED WITH GOD WHEN HE DOESN’T DO THINGS YOUR WAY?

MOSES displayed a limiting pout when he told God that he wasn’t qualified to be used by God to get His people out of Egyptian captivity.  Moses discovered that God could use even a tongue-tied goat herder to do great things for Him (Exodus 10). HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD ANYWAY?

THE ISRAELITES displayed an ungrateful pout after they left Egypt as a free people, no longer slaves, but complained about their wilderness cuisine. God gave them the opportunity to write the cookbook, 101 Ways to Serve Manna (Exodus 16). HOW CONTENT ARE YOU WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOUR LIFE?

JONAH displayed a self-pity pout when the nastiest nation on earth told God they were sorry and experienced God’s compassionate forgiveness after Jonah had delivered God’s turn or burn message. He learned that when you throw a pity party, you’re usually the only one who shows up (Jonah 4).  FELT  SORRY FOR YOURSELF LATELY?

ELIJAH displayed a childish pout after seeing God’s absolute power defeat 450 false prophets. He celebrated the victory by fleeing to the desert, laying under a tree, and asking God to let him die (2 Kings 19). HOW SECURE ARE YOU IN GOD’S CONTINUAL PROTECTION AND POWER?

AHAB displayed a greedy pout when his neighbor, Naboth, refused to sell his vineyard to him. For this and other dastardly deeds he committed, he won God’s Wicked Witch of the West Award for the Bible’s Most Evil King (1 Kings 21). HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH FOR YOU?

A RICH YOUNG MAN displayed a defeated pout after Jesus gave him an answer he didn’t really want to hear regarding how to live forever. He learned the hard way that it’s not how much you have in the bank but who you have in your heart that counts (Mark 10:17-31). ARE YOU PERMITTING ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE TO BLOCK GOD’S ULTIMATE BEST FOR YOU?

Who hasn’t been guilty of pouting for some reason or another? We’ve all wanted to throw in the towel when we didn’t get our way…you know…”It’s all about me” mentality. Ever wonder how God feels about our pouting? I think He just might say,

“Larry, (feel free to insert your name, if you dare) grow up! If you don’t love and trust me, you can’t …

…enjoy the blessings of others, let alone, your own blessings

…enjoy my perfect timing and my perfect will

…enjoy getting me out of your little box and seeing more of me

…enjoy being thankful and content in what I have provided

…enjoy your faith growing deeper and wider

…enjoy the privilege of being God’s ambassodor

…enjoy my wisdom, even when you don’t fully understand it

…enjoy living in my victory

…enjoy ME!”

Simple, direct, obvious, and very profound!

 “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”  Hebrews 6:1

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been call according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28

I love being a grandpa. It gives me license to be silly. My two grown sons can’t figure out what happened to me. They watch me with my seven grandkids and just shake their heads in disbelief. “Is this really the man we called Dad? Is this the guy who told us to stop being gross, don’t do anything stupid in public, grow up, quiet down, and be careful? Look at him now, he’s embarrassing us.” And you know what? They’re right…and I don’t care because the grandkids love it. When I crack my nose or ask the grandkids to pull my finger or talk like Larry Boy the Cucumber or distort my face and I hear them yell, “Again Papa”, I just have to give them more.

One of the more civilized activities I love to share in with my grandkids is reading to and with them. Especially books that engage their impressionable young minds, have cool illustrations, and a message that young and old can comprehend. One such book has a long history in our family. Grandma read it to me, Mom read it to our sons, and I’ve read it to our grandkids; one of those books that is so sweet and simple and at the same time is powerful and profound. It’s Margaret Wise Brown’s The Runaway Bunny, a story of a little bunny who tells his mother that he is going to run away. The mother tells the bunny that no matter where he goes or what he does she will not give up or go away. “If you run away I will run after you, for you are my little bunny.” Little bunny finally gives in to his mother’s persistence and says, “Shucks, I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny”.

That’s a relentless love; love that is unshakeable and immovable, love that is never leaving but forever loving. It’s a picture of God’s love for us. Listen to Psalm 139:7-10. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, you right hand will hold me fast.” His perfect love is always present, always pursuing, always providing, always protecting. He demonstrated this relentless love when He extended mercy, grace, and forgiveness to us through the life, death, and resurrection of His One and Only Son, Jesus (Romans 5:8).

Have you come to the place in your life where you realize that God will not give up on you or go away from you? If you have, how about taking the time to thank Him for loving you so completely. If you haven’t or you’ve strayed from His love, how about giving in to your heavenly Father’s persistence right now? Absolutely nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35). It’s relentless!