Posts tagged Thankfulness

Too Often We Take Our Most Important Gifts For Granted

Apr22
2012 Written by Warner Smith

Why do Christians need to be renewed from time to time in their Christian walk? Sometimes it is due to overt sin, but other times it is due to a sin that is not as pronounced or noticeable. That sin is the failure to love God enough. I don’t know about you, but I find myself taking God, and his many gifts to me, for granted.

You may have experienced this in your life as well. Children most often take their own parents for granted. As one whose parents are deceased, let me encourage to not persist in making this mistake. In relationships often one person will take the other for granted. When we do this we are being ungrateful, and presumptuous.

When you notice this happening to you in your relationships you need to think about the many things about which you have become accustomed and try to imagine life without them. What if you had to go through life without those people or things that you now take for granted?

This is also a very good exercise for us when we begin to take God for granted. Think with me of just some of the wonderful gifts God has given to us. G. K. Chesterton said it well, “When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” Below are some gifts God has given each of us which we should take with gratitude.

1. God has given us the gift of life.

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 (NASB)

2. God has given us the gift of natures beauty.

And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9 (NASB)

3. God has given us the gift of purpose.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. Genesis 2:15 (NASB)

4. God has given us the gift of free choice.

And the Lord God commanded the man saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NASB)

5. God has given us the gift of marriage and companionship.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”. . . But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called `woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:18;20c-25 (NIV)

6. God has given us the gift eternal life through His Son.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

Have you taken these and the other wonderful gifts which God has given us for granted? If so, you can begin to renew your relationship with God today. As long as you have breath, it is not to late.

Posted in Daily Devotions - Tagged

The Importance of Being Honest Even on Our Taxes

Apr17
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

This year the IRS has graciously given Americans until Tuesday, April 17, 2012 to pay their income taxes.  Traditionally, however, April 15 has been tax day. Many of us pay our taxes only begrudgingly. Jesus taught that we are responsible to pay the tax which our government determines we owe. One of Jesus’ disciples, Matthew, was a tax collector Mt 9:9 (IRS agent).

If you want to protest the paying of taxes to the government you will not find a sympathizer in Jesus.

17 . . . . Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” . . . 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:17b;19–21 (ESV)

Jesus had a rather unique way of paying His tax.

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” Matthew 17:24–27 (ESV)

Rather than focusing on Jesus’ method of gathering the funds necessary to pay his tax, however, we should focus on the fact that the funds He needed were supplied to Him by His Father.  In fact God provided more than Jesus needed giving Him enough to pay His and Peter’s tax bill. We don’t need to steal from the government but simply need to trust and obey God and be honest about our tax bills. You and I need to “put off” stealing and “put on” honesty.

Paul clarifies the biblical principle taught by Jesus in his letter to the church in Rome.

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.  8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:6–8 (ESV)

Our problem with feeling pressure to steal and be dishonest arises from our violating the principal to “owe no one anything, except to love each other.” Because we have failed to trust God and live by His principles we take control of our lives to our own selves and begin to believe that we have what we earned therefore it is ours to do with as we choose. Instead we should recognize that what we have, whatever it is, whether great or small is the gift of God and is His for which we are  to be good stewards. We may not always be able to trust our government we but we know we can always trust our God.

Posted in Daily Devotions - Tagged

Making the Most of What We Know Concerning God

Apr16
2012 Written by Warner Smith

Our only means of knowing God is through His revelation. God reveals Himself to us in two ways, general and special revelation.  Special revelation is progressive (proceeds gradually or in stages).  We see the progressive nature of God’s special revelation in the revelation of His personal name to Moses.

2 God [Elohim] spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord [Yahweh]. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God [El] Almighty [Shaddai] , but by my name the Lord [Yahweh] I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Exodus 6:2–4 (ESV)

Originally God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty [El Shaddai].  He further reveals Himself to Moses, however, by His personal name Yahweh.  Why did God do this?  He needs no reason and He owes us no explanation, because He is God.  God is sovereign!

19 . . . I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”   Exodus 33:19b (NASB)

We know God’s name only because he chose to reveal it to Moses. God’s name is only known to those whom He favors and loves.

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.          Exodus 3:13-15

God’s personal name is not Elohim, or El Shaddai but is Yahweh.  This progressive revelation of God to man ends in Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the perfect and complete representation of God to man.  He is the Word living.  The Bible is the Word written.  Jesus is telling us this when he states:

16 . . . blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.  Matthew 13:16–17

All the prophets longed to know what we know about God through Christ.  Many people who loved God and lived righteously before Him would have given their fortunes to have access to the knowledge about God which we have at our fingertips in the Bible.  Do we understand what a privileged position we occupy?  I am afraid we take the special revelation we have concerning God for granted.

What precisely do we see and hear which so many others longed to see and hear? The good news about Jesus.  After being confronted about their message Peter and John explained to the rulers in Jerusalem that:

19 . . . “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19b–20 (ESV)

What have you seen or heard?  For the special revelation which God has given to us to have any saving effect for others it must be shared. You and I as recipients of this special knowledge concerning Jesus are to bear witness of this truth to others. Before you can be a witness you have to have seen or heard something.  Do have any knowledge about God or experience with God about which you can personally testify?

The special revelation which God has given us is given to us for a purpose.  This revelation is to be used by us to personally experience God.  With this experience of God we are to inform others of this special revelation about God in Christ.

  • Do you know about God and Christ?
  • Have you experienced God through Christ?
  • Are you sharing your knowledge of God and experience of Christ with others?
Posted in Daily Devotions - Tagged , ,

40 Days of Preperation Easter Sunday

Apr08
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today is Easter Sunday. The highest and holiest day in the Christian religion. Without the resurrection of Jesus from the dead Christianity is useless. There have always been those who have denied Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. There is no evidence, however, that any of the disciples, or New Testament witnesses ever wavered concerning the truth of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, even when tested with laying down their own lives.

People do not die for beliefs which they know to be false! That the disciples and early Christians died willingly is evidence that;

  1. They knew Jesus was who He said He was
  2. That Jesus in fact truly has been raised from the dead.

The Apostle Paul made his argument for the reality and importance of Jesus’ resurrection to the Church at Corinth. Paul wrote:

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (ESV)

Notice that Paul teaches that if the resurrection of Christ were ever to be disproved then Christianity would also be disproved. If Jesus’ power is not sufficient to conquer death then neither can He overcome the power of sin. Fortunately for those of us who believe, we know that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead, because we have the witness of the Holy Spirit testifying to the reality of His resurrection within our souls.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20-21 (ESV)

Jesus’ resurrection is not only the lynch pen concerning the reality of the claims of the Gospel writers, but it is also a fact of history, witnessed by over 500 individuals.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 1 Corinthians 15:3–8 (ESV)

The facts of Jesus’ resurrection are presented in the Gospels in a rather matter of fact fashion.

1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” 11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. Matthew 28:1–15 (ESV)

The fact that Jesus was resurrected is only helpful to us if we believe that He also is God’s Son, and died in our place for our individual sins. Easter is genuinely a celebration only for those who believe and know with absolute certainty that Jesus is who He claimed to be, was capable of accomplishing the work His Father assigned Him, and is currently interceding at the right hand of the Father on our behalf.

Easter is not about eggs, baskets, bonnets, or new clothes.  Each of these things are fine in their place, but none of these have any place in a genuine celebration of the resurrection of Christ. A more proper and authentic celebration of Easter would involve thanking God for His grace, praising God for His provision of a sacrifice capable of removing the penalty of sin from us, to worship Him and desire to live in His presence, while doing everything we can to tell others about the Good News that is found through following Jesus Christ.

Will you celebrate Easter? If so, how? Will you choose to commemorate this act that gives hope to Christians that there is forgiveness of sin and eternal life for all those who believe, or will you gather like Easter is just another excuse to celebrate without giving God His due? Remember Jesus’ teaching:

15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:15–21 (ESV)

Please make it your only ambition to be “rich toward God.” Happy Easter!!!

Posted in Daily Devotions - Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

40 Days of Preparation Day 35

Mar30
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Warner Smith

Today, Friday March 30, 2012, is the thirtieth-fifth day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” lying and “put on” honesty. Have you ever been amused by a child who has yet to realize that you know the truth about that which they are desperately trying to convince you otherwise. It is precisely on such occasions with my own sons that cause me to understand the curse which heredity can be. Whether they were toddlers, young children, older children, or teenagers their belief that they were capable of inventing new ways of pulling “the wool” over their parent’s eyes was amusing and at times bemusing.

This is probably how God feels about us when we try to explain to him why we can not obey Him, or why the clear teaching of His word does not apply to us in our particular circumstance. I have found that too often much of the time I have spent in prayer was wasted by my feeble attempts to rationalize my sin and disobedience to God. I seem to become willfully ignorant of the lesson God taught Jeremiah.

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” 9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:4–10 (ESV)

Notice that God tells Jeremiah that He has known him since He was formed in his mothers womb. Further, God tells Jeremiah that He consecrated him and appointed him. The word translated consecrated means that God has set Jeremiah apart. It comes from the idea of being made holy. God has also appointed Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations. This was a very strange idea to Jeremiah. His understanding of God did not expand beyond his own nation.

When you take the time to really think about it you realize how many similarities there are to God’s calling of Jeremiah and how God calls and sends Christians today. First, you understand that God has known you since your beginning. Furthermore, in your beginning God set you apart to be different from the rest of the people on the planet. He made you to be unique and in your uniqueness He wants to use you. Being holy to God means that you will be different, very different, and that is not simply O.K., it’s the way you are supposed to be. (If you are the parent of a teenager especially a daughter you need to drive this truth deep into their being).  Next, God has a specific task in mind for you. He called Jeremiah to be a prophet who brought the bad news of judgment to his own people and the people in every nation.

God has called each Christian to proclaim the good news of our sins being forgiven through the sacrifice of His son to all the people in our own family, town and world. Like Jeremiah we want to make excuses for why we cannot go.  Notice what God told Jeremiah. Negatively God tells Jeremiah and us, “Do not say.”  Many of us waste much time negotiating with God.  We try to convince ourselves that we can’t go, we can’t serve, or at least we can’t do it right now.  When you begin to bargain with God about these things remember He said “Do not say.”  Next, God tells us  “Do not be afraid.”  When we are honest about our motivations many of us do not obey God’s calling to tell others the truth about His son because we are afraid.  The thought of simply sharing our faith in Jesus with another person scares us to death.  Some fear what other people might think or say about us if we were to actually talk to them about spiritual things.

Remember God’s answer to Jeremiah “to whom I send you, you shall go! And whatever I command you, you shall speak!” (Why should I not be afraid?) “because I am with you to deliver you.” Our fear and refusal to be obedient in going and inviting others to place their faith in Jesus Christ reminds of the following story.

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Before we begin to negotiate with God we need to remember how foolish our own children seem to us when they attempt to rationalize and explain their own disobedience.  When we refuse to do what Everybody is supposed to do and what Anybody could have done then Nobody does it.  This means that the Somebody whom we were supposed to tell will not hear and that Somebody, is Somebody’s child, and Anybody knows that they might even be yours.

Posted in Daily Devotions - Tagged , , , , ,
← Older Entries