Thanks - Living

Thanksgiving Day 

Thursday, November 23, 2023

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

At one time the English poet Rudyard Kipling's writings were so in demand that he was paid 10 shillings (about $1) per word for his efforts.  A group of students thought that was outrageous, and sent him a letter with 10 shillings enclosed.  They asked him (since his words were so expensive) to send them his best word.  He replied, of course, "Thanks!"  

In all of life and human existence our best word is "grace."  Today as we once again celebrate Thanksgiving, we could talk about the many ways God’s loving grace provides for our needs:

·       of food and a roof over our heads 

·       healing and miracles

·       family and friends

·       freedom

But the best word is still grace, and no scripture says it better than John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." 

I'm thankful for grace.

His grace is enough!

His grace is enough to forgive my sin, and make me clean.  That means I will not perish because I'm forgiven. 

A man was considering the purchase of a Rolls Royce.  He asked the dealer some questions about the luxury car, and all were answered, until the man asked how much horsepower the engine had.  The dealer didn't know, and since there was no manual for this hand-crafted vehicle, he sent a telegram to England for the answer, "How much horsepower does a Rolls have?"  Shortly a return message came; there was only one word:  "Enough!"  As much, and as bad as my sins are, Jesus' grace is enough to wash me white as snow.  

His grace is eternal. 

Eternal life is as much quality as quantity.  None of us would care to live forever if it meant the current human condition.  As a child it seemed that I would just go on forever.  I know better now.

·       Bodies wear out, and relationships falter. 

·       There is much suffering and pain in the human family. 

Anything that will last forever has to be the best.  I'm grateful that I will live forever and "for better!"  I have the greatest gift for which to be thankful.  

HOW SHALL I RESPOND?

We are taught from a very young age that, when someone gives you something, you say Thank You.  And, as we also find out, words can be cheapened if we do not back them up with actions that match those words.  To say “thank you” for all God has done is best said by living it out.  So I'm going to live thankfully!  For me, today and every day is "Thanks-living” Day!

For You Today 

I have no great homework assignment to lay on your shoulder today…only a prayer for your day, and your life, that you may find joy, peace, and eternal rest as you live thankfully in our Lord’s presence.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Dealing With the Tough Stuff

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy.  Encourage those who are timid.  Take tender care of those who are weak.  Be patient with everyone.  See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.  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 5:14-18

Lazy, timid, and weak – It seems Paul has begun the work of caring for the kindergarten of Christianity.  And yet, who hasn’t been lazy, timid, or weak?  These are common ailments of character, and we humans are subject to character flaws.  But notice how Paul then modulates to patience.  That is the needed ingredient in caring for the weak links in character or community.

One of the privileges of being a pastor to a congregation is the holy ground of trust, where church members commit their problems and trials to your keeping in prayer.  A pastor is told heart secrets that would scorch the paint off nursery walls, and depress the most positive people. 

In 2005 I moved from being a Baptist pastor to the Methodist tribe.  Part of that process was in cooperation with a committee charged with overseeing and encouraging me during the shift.  They were kind, helpful, and encouraging to a nearly 60-year-old who had already served 25 years in pastoral ministry.  However, after one session their assessment was that I needed to wait another year before being confirmed in the process of elder-status, because you have too much sadness in your life.  I tried to accept their guidance graciously, but this was one time I had a tough time following Paul’s admonition to be patient!  Inside I was steaming…too much sadness???  Too much sadness?  I’m a pastor; people tell me all the sadness of their lives…OF COURSE I’ve got TOO MUCH SADNESS!

In retrospect, I’m repentant of that inner response.  I needed Paul’s warnings at that point.  Their assessment may have fallen short, but instead of humbly considering their earnest care for my inner peace, I bristled; I had no patience.  I missed the mark by a wider margin than their assessment.  In my impatience and anger I was not (as Paul advised) thankful in ALL circumstances.

Sometimes I think I have not grown much in the patience department.  This week I was walking in the parking lot from the gas pump to the store when a young man almost backed over me.  My Mother would have bristled to see the dance her youngest boy did to escape being flattened…and Dad would’ve had a great laugh and story to tell his buddies.  I quickly (and loudly) told the young driver what a four-thousand-pound SUV can do to an unprotected human body, and how he should look before he backs-up.  The young man humbly apologized to the irate old preacher.  I was immediately convicted of my inappropriate anger and impatience.  As a pastor I have taught, counselled, and (at times) prided myself on being patient.  In truth, I need to sit in dust and ashes more often.

After reflecting and praying about my impatience, I’ve decided to change my way of viewing my circumstances from reacting…to pro-acting.  Reacting is acting in response to how you’re treated, or how the circumstances affect you.  Proactive is deciding beforehand to act in love and joyful thankfulness, no-matter what happens.  I will look-for, and hopefully find, God’s hand of lovingkindness, however the circumstances unfold before me.  I know this will be difficult (at first), but I’m also certain the long view will see the benefit of inner peace for me, and opportunities to serve God’s Kingdom.

For You Today 

We live in a hurried, pressure-driven, and often angry world.  Pray for the calming, joyful influence of patience to take the temperature down a bit; that is something we can all use.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Today’s title Image from Pixabay.com  

Images without citation are in public domain or cited via weblinks.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Returning the Blessing

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy.  While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.  The disciples were indignant when they saw this.  “What a waste!” they said.  “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”  But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me?  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.  She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial.  I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”  

Matthew 26:6-13

The setting of this event is near the end of Jesus' life and ministry.  The religious and political forces have joined hands to seek his death.  Even within Jesus' own organization, Judas joins the evil plot.  Barely a week before the crucifixion, Mary throws all caution to the wind and bestows a "king's ransom" type of gift on the Lord.  This act of worship causes his followers consternation over Mary's extravagance; it causes curiosity among the onlookers; and it causes Jesus' heart to overflow with gladness.

Which Mary of the New Testament’s several is the one who pours-out this blessing on Jesus is somewhat in question.  The accounts differ in the gospels (perhaps due to separate incidents).  But the question as to which Mary (the prostitute, Magdaline, or the sister of Lazarus)...whichever, we are presented with a beautiful answer as to how our love and worship of the Lord should take form.  Every Mary in Jesus’ life and ministry received life from the Lord.  Magdaline received the gift of forgiveness that changed her whole outlook. 

Jesus treated her (perhaps a common prostitute), with respect, and her life became worthwhile.  Mary, sister of Lazarus received her brother back from the dead.  Either Mary would've given all they possessed to a Jesus like that!  What I love about this account is that Mary is obscured, and Jesus is lifted-up!  That is the true essence of worship – I bow lower, Jesus is lifted higher!  

Fritz wasn't that way.  Fritz was Mrs. Grace's six-toed, twenty-five-pound alley cat.  

Mrs. Grace was an elderly, homebound lady in a church I served years ago.  When you came into the house, Fritz took pains to make sure you knew just who was in charge.  He would demand attention – you can do that when you're the big cat in the house.  He would demand to be scratched behind the ears.  If he didn't get it all to his satisfaction, he'd look you in the eye and dig his extra toenails into your forearm.  When he was done with you, he'd walk over to Grace's chair and sit down in a self-satisfied huff.  Fritz owned the place.  He liked Miss Grace because she fussed over him and fed him…often.  But Fritz worshipped himself!

Mrs. Grace, on the other hand, worshiped God.  She was a prayer warrior, continually lifting all the members of our church before the throne.  When I visited her every few weeks, she was eager to hear "how our church was doing". That took the focus off her, placing it fully on the family of God, and the God of her family.  When she died, it was revealed how extravagant the gift was that was poured out, leaving most of her estate to fund ministries.  She could've afforded a chauffeur and a better home, but she put the resources God had entrusted to her into the work of God.  Truly, this extravagant love was poured out.

For You Today 

You hear often in worship testimony times how God has poured-down magnificent blessings.  Question:  Do we miss times to return the blessing?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library. 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Fill 'er Up!

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.  Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.  Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.  Colossians 3:16-17

The Apostle instructs the believers at Colossae to make certain everything they do is done as a representative of the Lord Jesus.  That is a heavy responsibility! 

As a pastor, just out of seminary in 1983, my first day on the job I sat in the office (which was a room attached to the back of the parsonage).  All of my books were on the shelves, which, thanks to Mrs. Preacher, had just been dusted and polished, along with the desk, panneled-walls, and everything else.  Even our cat had received a thorough spraying with Lemon Pledge before he was allowed in there. 

My Bible was opened, along with a pencil and a new legal pad.  I was ready to begin work on Sermon #1.  I looked around at the bookshelves, mimeograph machine, and thought:  I’m their pastor, and I don’t have a clue what to do next. 

In some ways I’ve never escaped that thought, because it’s always been a surprise from one day to the next what God will lead us into.  That day I felt something akin to what Abraham must have experienced when God called him to pack it all up and follow Him to a place he’d never seen.  It was an adventure (to say the least) and Abraham had to learn a whole new way of thinking.  He was going to be God’s representative in a strange land.  And that is still happening today.

One of the most sacred responsibilities a believer can accept and practice has nothing to do with being a larger-than-life personality, so you can lead a church or your family, or a few coworkers to follow Christ.  Rather it is allowing the richness of Who Christ is to fully, and firmly, indwell your being.  It’s about opening-up your heart and will to what Jesus shows you is your part of the harvest to labor.

For instance, I came to that small membership church in the tiny town of McIntosh, Florida with the clean desk, and a new legal pad, and no clue.  But I was thrilled to be there, and thought I’d arrived in the place I would spend the next forty years, or more, preaching and growing that little church into a lighthouse.  That was eight churches ago!  The ride along the way has been interesting, bumpy at times, and teaching me all along the way what was really important…letting Christ dwell in me, no matter what the events of the day brought.  In times of plenty, we learned how to share.  In times of scarcity, we trusted God to multiply the loaves and fishes.  In times of sorrow, joy was waiting, just off stage to make an entrance when we’d lift our heads to the Author of our faith.  And in times of success, the enemy was hiding (sometimes in plain view) to steal God’s thunder with his deceiving offers.

What I’m trying to say is that God was always going before us in a prevenient grace that made our way possible, and profitable.  In gains and losses nothing matters except that others see what God is doing in you as His representative.  This is how we are his witnesses.[1]  With Christ living in us, we are filled with the richness of His life, and we live in thankfulness and praise!

For You Today 

Ready to live fully for Christ?  Look around, follow Him, let God fill-up your life’s tank with thankfulness and praise.  Yup…fill ‘er up!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:  Getting Dressed  Part 1    Part 2   Part 3    Part 4    Part 5  

Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] …and you shall be my witnesses….Acts 1:8

Thankful!

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2022

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Seven years ago on a rainy August morning, I awoke to find that our little dog Wellie’s hind legs had become paralyzed.  A few hours later I got the call from my brother Thom that our Dad had graduated to the Church Triumphant. 

When big things happen in your life, especially on the same day, you remember that day clearly, and with an intensity of emotion.  I don’t know how more oddly-connected two events could be – the death of my father joined in my memory to a dog’s health issue.  But there are some similarities.

There is pain

While our vet assured us our little fur-beast feels no pain, the look of bewilderment on his little face that morning, and the growing sense of loss was unmistakable.  Perhaps the harsh reality of seeing a little animal suffer helped prepare my heart for what was to come just moments later, when I would hear the words that Dad had passed.

There is also patience

My father was not a patient man.  He could get excited about the prospect of getting something accomplished in an intense way that was so focused, all else had to be put on-hold.  You could see it in his eyes, and it always meant you could get on board or you could stay behind! 

Sometimes it took great patience just to be around my Dad; navigating his energetic ways caused patience to develop in those who knew him well. 

Our little Wellie’s paralyzed legs have forced him to slow down.  I had to re-learn patience as I help him up and down stairs, and do the mundane tasks that were taken for granted before.

There is perseverance

Wellie is not a little dog to be denied!  When it is supper time he lets you know with that stare and incessant barking, right in your face!  He maintains his space, and will not be pushed aside.  

He still plays, loves and licks you on the ear lobe when you pick him up.  He knows the family routines and is always willing to lead the pack when it’s time to go, dragging his little back legs behind.  These are important issues to a dog.

My Dad also paid attention to the important things.  He loved my Mother and his sons fiercely and faithfully.  He loved and served God with whatever lot God placed in his hands.  Even in his nineties Dad could be seen in the halls of the local nursing homes limping along with his cane, visiting (as he called them), the old people, bringing the joke-of-the-day and a smile to each room.

My father was a man of perseverance, overcoming his depression-shortened education with a lifelong thirst for learning.  He would make the most of his annual vacation time by visiting historic sites in the United States. 

Perhaps what I will remember most is Dad’s integrity, a character strength which balanced-out his impatience and perseverance.  Somehow this ordinary man had an extraordinary impact on those with whom he shared this life. 

One story my Mother told me was how Dad worked his way up to be the foreman’s assistant at the aviation plant during World War II.  He supervised a dozen workers.  After the war the need for planes eased up, and with it came layoffs.  One day the boss came to him with the list of people Dad would have to give notice of termination.  One of those men had a large family, and had been a faithful employee for years.  My Father tried to reason with the boss that the man shouldn’t be on the list.  Another employee, a young girl had only recently been hired; it was only right that she be let go, because she was living with her parents, and the economic hardship would be less than someone with so many depending on his paycheck.  The boss refused; Mom said they later learned it was because the boss was pursuing her romantically.  When Dad found this out he refused to fire the man with the family.  The boss said:  you either put his name back on that list, or put your own on there in his place.  And that is exactly what he did!

At times I have been faced with ethical decisions, and it is my Dad’s integrity, placing faithful commitment to doing what’s right, above career, money or comfort, which helped build in me a moral compass based upon kingdom principles.  Whatever sense of character I possess, my Father was a Godly teacher who led me to the well. 

For You Today  

It’s been more than seven years, and the thankfulness for a man’s impact on a son is still growing.  Thanks,Dad!                                                                             

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       A Gift in the Basket   and   The Passover Connection

This devotional memoir first appeared on Rocky Road Devotions entitled Thanks Dad! August 11, 2016 (updated this date)

Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

My Heart Belongs to You

 

Valentine’s Day, Monday, February 14, 2022

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:13

Roughly 72-million adults will combine to spend a couple billion dollars on gifts for their loved ones today.  In America, pet dogs come in higher on the Valentine’s Day gift list than cats (53% to 47%[1]).  The reason may be because dogs wag their tails as a sign they’re glad to see you, while a cat’s wagging tail is a veiled warning your kitty is getting ready to shred your arm.  Teachers receive more Valentines than anyone else.  It may certainly be a sense of admiration from their little students, but I’ve long-suspected it might be a way to a better report card.  All this may well be revealed at the Great White Throne judgment, but, until that time, it’s fun to wonder why lovers do what they do.

Of course I’m always prepared for Valentine’s Day.  I’ve got an advantage; two days prior is the anniversary of the day Elizabeth and I got married.  That advantage is February 12, 1967 which was the best day of my life. With all the TV advertising the month before the great card, flower, and choclate-exchange, it’s impossible for me to forget the way she looked walking down the aisle.

This year that thanksgiving for my blessings takes on a new memory.  I am thankful for the love shown me by the nurses and staff at Lexington Hospital’s cardio rehabilitation unit.  It is impossible to miss the sense of dedication and purpose surrounding that great team of mercy. 

I spent the mornings of 36 days (over 5 months) being guided through exercises and health education with Cynthia, Kathy, Elizabeth, and Teresa.  They are a great team that exudes energy, positive direction, and encouragement.  Of course the silent partner of the team is Tin Man, who was always on the job.  I found out that a previous patient made that fellow as a thanks-gift for the staff.  I can identify…he’s the Tin Man in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, who lamented to Dorothy, I don’t have a heart.  Tin Man found his heart by the end of the movie, and I sat under his likeness all those mornings, trying to encourage mine to behave itself.

This Valentine’s Day I will be basking in the glow of having spent 55 years with my bride, my best friend.  I will also be thankful for new friends who helped me develop an attitude of recovery.  I’m also going to take with me the image of Tin Man’s sincere joy and loyalty, as a reminder that love comes in many shades, colors, sizes, touches, and selfless deeds.

It is my calling in this life to serve He who is the source of joy, Jesus Christ.  I serve the One who gave the ultimate gift of love, His life in exchange for my need of forgiveness.  And each time I am reminded of that, because someone exercised kindness, helpfulness, or unselfishness to bless me, like the Tin Man, I find a little more of what my heart was designed to be.      

For You Today

You’ve got a heart!  You were designed with one that can love or hate.  When you dwell on the good and lovely things in this life, like people who’ve been a blessing to you, and the God who loves you, you’re likely to use the energy and breath God gave you to pass-along joy and hope to others.  In a world so challenged with hatred, violence, and sadness, there is a great need for the heart inside you and me that will say:  I love you.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title:  Russell Brownworth (own work)    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

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[1] Finder.com survey

Thank You!

 

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Praise the Lord!  For he has heard my cry for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and shield.  I trust him with all my heart.  He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.  I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.  The Lord gives his people strength.  He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.  Save your people!  Bless Israel, your special possession.   Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them in your arms forever.  Psalm 28:6-9

Here we are a few days before the national holiday of Thanksgiving, so you’d expect a message of being thankful.  So, here it is:

There is just something right about being thankful.

The Psalmist, King David, had plenty about which to be thankful.  He writes this prayer as a gushing sense of gratitude for God’s deliverance from powerful enemies.  The words reveal David’s relief and reasons for being so thankful; he calls the Lord my strength and shield, a safe fortress, save your people!  These are images of someone who has experienced extreme vulnerability and helplessness against almost certain destruction.

There was a story in yesterday’s news feed[1] about a Florida man whose puppy was grabbed by an alligator.  The man leaped into the pond, grabbed the gator, and forced its jaws open to release the dog.  I can imagine that puppy was one thankful hound.  That had to have been what David felt, like he was snatched from the alligator’s mouth.  Thanksgiving flows naturally and without hesitation when the heart recognizes what God has done.

It’s tempting to dwell on how unthankful we can be, especially in America, over-blessed with financial wealth and the creature comforts that go with it.  And how strange it is that, living in the land of blessing, we must focus on thankfulness.  It would seem more natural to walk in thankfulness constantly.  But we humans are a forgetful lot; we spend most of our days wanting more than we already have. 

I must confess that I look forward to Thanksgiving, perhaps more than any other holiday.  And it’s for good reasons, gathering of family (COVID notwithstanding), down time from regular activities of work, chores, and doctor’s appointments, and, lest we forget, THE MEAL…how could we forget turkey, dressing, and pies?  All those things are good (except if you dare to mention the scale). 

But, most importantly, there is that sense of sharing around the table a sense of thankfulness for so many blessings my family has received which lights my fire for this holiday.  There are trials and disappointments, as there are for every other family.  But Thanksgiving Day, and its sense of remembering God’s goodness to us in so many ways, is a benchmark of Christian living; it defines our sense of worship.  Like the puppy, we too were snatched from the jaws of sin by one who leaped into the pond of this life and stayed for the cross.  The stone trying to hold him in death’s jaws couldn’t resist the resurrection power of God.

Who could not be thankful for such a gift?

For You Today

Like your mother told you about sharing that last piece of pie with your brother, remember to share that gift of Christ with others through your thankful ways.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

GO TO VIDEO

Title image, Pixabay.com and    W   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on thankfulness see:  Road Rescue  and  Today We Are Thankful

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[1] Today, Florida Man Saves Puppy Dragged into Pond by Alligator