Thanksgiving...What, Lord, Should I Be Thankful For?

It is late on Thanksgiving evening, and friends and family have all gone home. We are here reflecting upon which direction my thanks would go tonight. Of course, I am grateful for a wonderful family, all of whom are following God. I am thankful for the friends in my life. The friends that are around me currently, as well as the innumerable friendships I have made over the years. I am grateful to God for the unwavering love for me and the relentless pursuit of my soul throughout my life.

There is the call of God to be thankful for, and I am. His Grace for every situation is my sustaining force. Thank You, God, for that. The Holy Spirit's guidance and anointing is necessary for life. Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith, keeps me on knees of gratitude.

With all of this, I still do not think I have touched upon the greatest things that God Life in my have produced. I have pondered, and then realized.

The greatest thing I have is the Grace to be the Light of the world. To effect the lives of the lost in a positive way, to draw them to Christ, and then to walk with them through the muck and the mire of learning to grow and Christ….these are the precious things. God is showing me that it is one thing to thank Him for all that He is doing for me, but that I should not make that my world. All things are for my sake, so that I can be all things to all men. This is the thing that I am made for. To be a gentle, caring, long suffering friend to people that know nothing of this.

I love my brothers and sisters in the Lord. You are all precious to me. But our relationship is sealed. Forever. May I never let my relationships with body members rise above my relationship to 'others'. What I mean is, I will cultivate my church family relationships, and my biological family relationships, to grow them, along with me, into poured out ones for the lost.

There is so much to say on this topic. It could be a series of messages. But, for me today, Lord give me the ability to be loyal to the lost!! Please God! Make my loyalty be to the Great Commission. Give me the Grace to bring my friends and family along in this. May I be reproved, oh God, when I am off centered in my relationship to the lost or the undiscipled. Help me to speak words in season to those around me, and thereby fulfilling my role as a friend in the Body.

Oh God, thank You for making my life, not for me, but for others.

Amen

Does My Faith Withstand the Trials of My Life?

by Matthew May

Many times we separate the details of our every day life from our belief system. It becomes so easy to find a solution on my own for the simple little needs of life, what should I eat right now, how can I finish this project at work, how can I learn this information before my exam, and so on. Then the giant storm comes that shakes my ability to solve my problem on my own. I am forced to turn to my belief system (my faith) for a solution outside of myself.

For some, perhaps there isn't much substance to my faith that really applies practically to my life. A "higher power" may sound nice, but it is lacking the only characteristic that I need to make it through my storm, a personal touch, a relationship, a comfort. I have chosen, however, to make my belief system more comfortable. I am free from responsibility to something or someone other than myself. I can easily say that God is not real, it makes life much more independent, fun, and comfortable. That is until my comfort is taken away by a massive storm, which requires something more than I can give. Suddenly, my belief system and it's ideals are far removed from me as I grasp desperately for something that really applies to my life and ALL of it's problems.

I believe this is what David the Psalmist was referring to in Psalm 139:23,24 - "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." David said to "try me," or prove me with some test. Immediately we think of being perfect before God, or not failing in the test, but I don't believe that this was David's point. The point is this, that when God tests us, the trial proves to us how much we need God. The storm reveals the "wicked way" that is in each one of us and how desperately we need God to lead us "in the way everlasting." Trials aren't a twisted display of works, but a time for revelation of our need for the grace and companionship of God. When God is at the center of my belief system, my relationship with Him grows in the measure that I reach out beyond myself to the one who practically meets my needs.

Matt has been part of the Verticalink family for several years. He and his wife, Emily, faithfully led the VL team at Johns Hopkins University, entering into countless conversations around the Truth of the Word of God.
The Mays now reside in Berlin, Germany, where they are doing missions work.

Drawn To Speech, Or Drawn To God?

We have our reactions and our responses when it comes to people of many words. We can find ourselves drawn to the person who has seemed to make verbal communication an art form. Flowery speech and immense knowledge can come across as something worthy of our undivided attention. If we were to consider all the talking that is discharged continually on this planet, we would surely cry out for quietness!

I have found that many christians receive the gift of talking. As I look in the scriptures, however, I cannot find this gift recorded. It seems, then, that the christian has many things to talk about, and so many potential hearers!

We do have great things to communicate, as believers. The Gospel is the key to life, after all. We must convey it to as many persons as we can! Have you noticed, though, that the Gospel is concise, and does not require many words to convey? In fact, the use of too many words can add confusion to the simplicity of God's unconditional love toward man.

You know, I think God gave us a message through creation. He gave us two ears, and one mouth. So it isn't that we should not speak, but it is that we ought to listen MORE than we speak! This represents the true gift in communication, which is found in listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and listening to the other person, and still having gentle guidance in the conversation.

The Gospel does not need to be sold. People do not need to be tricked into believing. Conversely, God, through the Holy Spirit, leads his people to salvation. This is done mysteriously, lovingly, and miraculously by the Creator.

If there are objections in a conversation, then we apply reasoning to expose the source of the objections, and the source of the Gospel. Godly reasoning comes from a prepared heart. This would be one that has a good knowledge of the scriptures and theology, combined with a compassion and desire for others to know their God. Even this reasoning does not manifest itself in wordiness. On the contrary, the opposing viewpoint is most often the wordy one.

James 1:19 calls us to be quick and ready to hear, and slow, even dull to speaking. The chapter finishes out by teaching us that hearing must lead do doing. Each one of us wants to receive everything we can from God, so that He can work out His Will for us through us. There is much to hear. Heaven is always speaking.

Stay quiet, and listen. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!