Gratitude and Faith

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” (Eph 1:6-7 AV)

I was reminded recently how thankfulness and faith cooperate, specifically in the application of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  Paul mentions the forgiveness of sin by the blood of Christ in verse seven.  It appears in the context of the praise of verse six.  Being thankful for what God has done and expressing that gratitude is a work of faith as James teaches it in the second chapter of his letter.  Works and faith are not diametrically opposed.  Works of self-righteousness and faith are.  Faith is manifested by a change.  This change can be visible, or it can be internal.  But there is a change.  There is a change of action, demeanor, or spirit.  When it comes to accepting God’s forgiveness, expressing gratefulness is that act of faith that makes the forgiveness of God efficacious.  A thankful heart goes a long way in making grace a permanent comfort.

A king wished to show his subjects kindness beyond the normal.  He called for a feast.  The best was offered.  All his subjects gathered on the castle grounds.  There were activities for the children.  There were competitions for the men and boys.  The ladies were treated to pampering and comfort.  Mealtime came, and the servants of the king laid out savory meats, fresh vegetables prepared several different ways, and baked goods to satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth.  Following the meal, the king called for the attention of all his guests.  At their place setting, there was an envelope.  They were instructed to open it.  Inside they found one gold coin, an envelope with the king’s name and address on it, and a blank note card.  They were told the gold coin had to be held until six months from the present date.  After that date, the coin would hold its face value.  Most appreciated the gift.  Many wondered what the envelope and card was for.  After six months, the king sent his legions throughout his kingdom to collect the coin from some of his subjects.  It was discussed among the citizenry why the king chose from some to collect the coin while others were allowed to keep theirs.  As conversation circulated, it was discovered those who used the blank card and envelope to write and send a thank you card to their king were allowed to keep their coin while those who did not, lost it.  A heart of gratitude made a temporary gift, permanent.  Believing in the benevolent nature of the king and expressing it by a note of gratitude was the key to making grace a permanent resident.

By expressing gratitude for mercy and forgiveness, we are expressing a heart of faith in the benevolence of God.  If, on the other hand, we seek forgiveness yet neglect an expression of gratitude, do we truly understand how permanent and wonderful divine forgiveness is?  By saying thank you, we possess that which was offered and make it permanent.  By simply accepting it without gratitude leaves open the possibility that the gift was not truly given and meant to be kept.  Saying thank you to God is our way of acknowledging not only what God has offered but also accepting it as a completed act of God.  This is so important and could be the key to overcoming stubborn sin.  Seeking forgiveness and being completely convinced one has attained it greatly reduces the likelihood of falling again.  We may fall, yes.  But thanking God for His wondrous grace for specific forgiveness makes it harder to fall again.  Perhaps the key to our stubborn sin is an expression of gratitude at the mercy of God!

Trouble of Soul

“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” (Joh 12:27 AV)

The bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in all points as we, but did not sin.  Then we read His words above and notice that the Son of Man suffered angst over the will of the Father.  The word for ‘…troubled…’ means, “to agitate or disquiet”.  Upon further study, one would discover that this disquietness is not limited to one emotion.  It could be fear.  It could be anxiety.  For the Son of Man, we are careful to attribute emotional weakness in ways that would not pertain to Him.  So, being troubled will have to do.  The comforting thought is that if the Son of Man felt troubled at the revealed will of God and yet it was not sin, we too might be troubled and it not be sin.  Second, if we have no trouble of the revealed will of God, there might be a problem with the level of challenge we are willing to consider.  The old man will fight against the revealed will of God.  The step of faith God asks of us comes with risk.  There should be trouble over the revealed will of God.  Otherwise, we are not looking very deeply.

Just last night, some fellas and I were talking about repelling.  One guy had repelled down a wall years ago, and he expressed his desire to try it again.  Another had never tried it.  As a young man, I repelled at summer camp and also in the Niagara Gorge.  At summer camp, the wall was about thirty feet in the air.  We could either repel down the wall or over one of the sides that had no wall.  The thing about the side with no wall was the initial commitment.  One had to kick out and drop quickly or you would swing back and hit your forehead.  Before the instructor allowed you to free fall, you had to make several descents with the wall.  The feeling is the same whether you repel down a wall or repel without one.  It is the same feeling, but different degrees.  There is fear.  There is anxiety.  There is lack of confidence.  One feels exuberant, but at the same time, some trepidation.  Many different emotions are at play.  When one masters the skill of repelling, he might seek another challenge that brings back those same emotions conquered by adrenaline.  The degree of challenge is matched by the depth of trouble one might feel in his soul.

The same is true of the Christian life.  Our lives are a series of steps.  Some are designed to teach us obedience.  Others, trust.  Some require correction.  Others, challenges.  At each step, trouble of soul is present.  Life is difficult.  Trouble measures growth.  If there is no trouble, then we cease to grow.  One might think there will come a time when trouble of soul is no more a part of the life.  We live for years, learn to obey and trust, and then expect the need to learn both will cease.  We will finally have peace of soul.  At some magical age, trouble of soul is no longer an experience.  This is simply not the case.  Trouble of soul is a constant companion as long as we have breath in our lungs.  Each day is another day to learn something.  Each day is another day to be challenged with new obstacles.  With each passing day, month, or year, trouble of soul may be right around the corner.  But take courage.  The Son of Man was confronted with the will of God.  When He was, trouble of soul was his companion.  If the Son of Man suffered trouble of soul, so too shall we.  The good news is that in spite of trouble of soul, Jesus came out the victor.  So too shall we!  He is on our side!  He will give us strength.  He has shown us the way to overcome trouble of soul, and we too shall be victors!

He Can Do Everything

“If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.” (Joh 9:33 AV)

Profound words from an unlearned man! The man born blind received his sight from the Son of God.  He was relentlessly interrogated by those who hated Jesus.  When one looks at his sound theological reasoning, we understand how upset this made the men of letters.  The even expressed as such.  How dare an unlearned man of no means instruct the established scholars of the day?  They were insulted.  So what?  The man born blind spoke the truth in a way that anyone could understand.  The man who had opened his eyes did something never done before in all of human history.  The man born blind went so far as to site the scriptures as proof that Jesus is the Messiah.  The scriptures foretold that the One who would come would open the blind eyes and deaf ears and mute tongues of those inflicted therewith.  His statement above is his mic drop.  If Jesus is not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do a thing.  In math, there is a formula that is expressed by the axiom: if A equals B, and B equals C, then C equals A.   Putting it another way, if Jesus is from God, then He can do everything!

As a saint, it occurs to some that intimate knowledge of who and what Jesus is becomes our chief passion.  After all, He is the groom of the Church.  The Church is His bride.  We are instructed to pray to the Father.  That does not mean we are forbidden to pray to the Son.  It is the Father’s will that we are concerned with.  He is the administrator of the Godhead.  It is the Father who determines the will.  The Son is tasked with carrying out that will.  Therefore, it makes sense to build a relationship with the Father.  Yet, the Son will be that person of the Godhead with whom we interact for the duration of eternity future.  It will be the Son who sits on the throne and rules with a rod of iron.  It will be the Son who returns to the earth and defeats all His enemies.  It will be the Son who casts Satan into the pit of hell forever and ever.  It will be the Son, with the Father, whose glory outshines the sun.  Jesus tells us that to know Him is to know the Father.  Therefore, it is important that we know the person of Jesus Christ.

The deep truth that is revealed above is the eternal godhead of Jesus Christ.  He is equal in nature to the Father.  He is eternal in scope and being.  His attributes are eternal and infinite.  When the man born blind states that Jesus must be from God because if He wasn’t, there would be no miracles, is also stating the other side of the coin.  With Jesus, nothing is impossible.  Why?  Because He is from God.  Because He is God.  Jesus may have come to earth as a man.  He may have limited His omnipresence to a body.  He may have limited His omnipotent nature to the need of water and nourishment.  But in no way does that suggest He ceased to be our eternal creator.  Not in the least!  I know how important it is for a wife to believe that her husband can care for her every need.  I was reminded of this recently.  Watching an aging couple as the husband cares for a fragile wife is a beautiful picture of how God cares for us.  She still sees her husband as larger than life.  He can do anything.  Her heart safely trusts in him.  My Jesus knows my every need.  He knows them better than I do.  To be quiet and trusting is the goal of this saint.  To see Jesus as larger than life is the need of the hour.  To understand that Jesus can do anything and nothing is out of His ability to control is the comfort and security of the saint.  If He were not of God, he could to nothing.  But because He is from God, He can do everything!

Bigger and Better

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” (Joh 5:25 AV)

Eternity is easy to forget.  As I get older, I am constantly aware that things are ending.  Parenting ended almost a decade ago.  As age creeps up and our health begins to fail, earthly life is coming to an end.  We have a lifetime of memories.  God has been so good.  The older we get, the more we are reminded of this truth.  As memories of tribulation fade and the memories of blessings remain, we are brought to the conclusion that God has been, and always will be, good.  There are other things that will come to an end.  Family traditions will fade by the constant changes of life.  There was a time when our entire extended family would meet for a holiday dinner or family reunion.  These things will also come to an end.  Careers fade into the past.  As we age, we attend more funerals than weddings.  If we are not careful, we will allow the end of things to overwhelm us.  We will forget that the end of things only means the beginning of something far greater.

Ending of things does not mean the end of all things.  In fact, the end of things could mean the start of even greater things.  This tends to be the pattern of life.  God set His plan on the ‘bigger and better’ principle.  Remember that Singles activity?  You are given a penny, and the point of the game is to return with something far greater than the penny.  Your team ventures out into the community, and you barter for half a day.  The penny is traded for a knickknack.  A gospel tract is left as you go to the next house or place of business.  The knickknack is traded for a book or small kitchen appliance.  The game goes on and on.  I have seen teams come back with a vehicle!  The point is to trade up.  Life works the same way.  We trade up.  We go from kindergarten to grade school.  We go from middle school to high school.  We go from high school to college or career.  We go from being single to being married; from childless to having children.  We go from being empty nesters to grandparents.  We go from a small apartment to a starter home.  From there, we reach our forever home.  Life is upward.  Endings mean better beginnings.

If the ending of things is overwhelming, our eyes are in the wrong place.  Jesus tells us that the time now is that the dead will hear the voice of God and rise to eternity.  Those who have trusted Christ have a beginning that waiting that is greater than we could ever imagine!  Paul said, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Ro 8:18 AV) The same is true of the blessings of life.  As much as we appreciate the blessings of this life, there awaits something far greater.  The verse above has a twofold application.  In the present tense, Jesus is speaking of eternal life.  Those who will hear the voice of Jesus will accept Him as Savior.  Thus, they shall spiritually live.  Going further in the context of chapter five, Jesus included the resurrection and eternity future.  In other words, knowing Christ begins and eternally continues life.  There is no ending.  Only change.  So, when we are overwhelmed with the melancholy of change, we must remember that change for the believer only means bigger and better.