There’s amazing good news for those who are in Christ Jesus:
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, [31] so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
(1 Corinthians 1:30-31)
In Christ Jesus, then, you have become righteous, sanctified, and redeemed. Thank Him and praise Him for this reality in you today. Download the Gratitude Guide to continue nurturing gratitude this week.
This past Sunday, at Crestview, we released a gratitude guide (Access it here: Gratitude Guide) meant to stir our people to fresh expressions of gratitude rooted in the Gospel. I love how Milton Vincent connects gratitude to the Gospel in The Gospel Primer. He writes:
When I look at any circumstance God apportions me, I am first grateful for the wrath I am not receiving in that moment (the empty part of the cup never looked so good!). Second, I am grateful for the blessings that are given to me instead of His wrath. (Life’s blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve.) This two-layered gratitude disposes my heart to give things in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and it also lends a certain intensity to my giving of thanks. Such a gospel-generated gratitude glorifies God, contributes to peace of mind (Philippians 4:6-7), and keeps my foot from the path of foolishness and ruin (Romans 1:21-22, 28-29). (p.48)
So, I hope this encourages you and equips you with reasons to be grateful to God as we approach Thanksgiving.
From The Valley of Vision:
O My God,
You fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
My heart admires, adores, loves You,
For my little vessel is as full as it can be,
And I would pour out all that fullness before You in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with You
Ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
Ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
Ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
Crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless You for the soul You have created,
For adorning it, for sanctifying it,
Though it is fixed in barren soil;
For the body You have given me,
For preserving its strength and vigor,
For providing senses to enjoy delights,
For the ease and freedom of limbs,
For hands, eyes, ears that do Your bidding;
For Your royal bounty providing my daily support,
For a full table and overflowing cup,
For appetite, taste, sweetness,
For social joys of relatives and friends,
For ability to serve others,
For a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
For a mind to care for my fellow-men,
For opportunities of spreading happiness around,
For loved ones in the joys of heaven,
For my own expectation of seeing You clearly.
I love You above the powers of language to express,
For what You are to Your creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.
(HT: Challies)
Here’s a manuscript from what I said this past Sunday night at our church’s Thanksgiving Dinner…
On Sunday mornings this fall, we have begun to look at the book of Colossians. The more I steep in this book, the more the theme of thanksgiving seems to emerge.
In 1:3, Paul says “we always thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you” and continues that refrain in 1:11-12, when he told us that we please God the Father when we are “with joy giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
In 2:7, it is as we are “rooted and built up in Jesus Christ and established in the faith, just as you were taught,” that we will be “abounding in thanksgiving.”
In Colossians 3:15-17, Paul instructs us to “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” It seems that the constant drumbeat of those who live under the supremacy of Jesus Christ are thankful hearts.
Finally, in 4:2, Paul tells them to be passionate for prayer and thanksgiving when we he says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” We are called to be a grateful community. We’ve received so much more than we deserve. Therefore, tonight, we set aside a time to boast in the Lord and praise Him for the grace He’s shown us as a church.
What are you thankful for? What things has God done in your life this year? How could others be encouraged hearing of these things?
Some highlights for me included:
• Celebrating 5 years of marriage to my greatest gift, Meghan
• Purchasing a new home and moving out of an old one
• Watching God mature us and lead us and show His faithfulness with all the issues of water and mold in the basement
• Seeing God’s Word come alive in lives and hearts as we’ve studied Mark, Luke 15, Hosea and Colossians
• Deepening relationships I have with men and the Elders
• Traveling to conferences with men and other pastors, to Student Life Missions Camp, to visit the Stickels, to vacations
• Experiencing deep fellowship in small groups
• Sensing God’s encouragement as new ministries have emerged and new people have come our wayI’m sure there are other specific things you all have as well. What are some of those?
I was thinking this morning as I did devotions about Luke 10:21-24. Luke tells us that Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit for God the Father’s work in revealing truth to others. What a blessing it is that our eyes have been opened to behold spiritual realities. Thank God today for the gift of illumination.
I had some time to prepare for this coming Lord’s Day already. We will be studying Colossians 1:13-14 in a sermon I’m calling “Transfer Orders”. The outline has to do with the benefits extended to us through God’s rescue mission: rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His Beloved Son. Spurgeon, again, is on his game when he says:
And now Paul, having mentioned his Master’s great work—redemption by blood and the forgiveness of sins—goes on a tangent, as it were. He is so enthusiastic with regard to Christ and His great atoning Sacrifice that the very thought of Christ’s blood stirs his own blood and he seems like a man all on fire with holy fervor…
What struck me in this quote was the way in which these truths affected him. I wonder if we are moved by the beneficial message of God’s redemption and forgiveness for us. As we continue to think of this week, allow these truths–the truths of God’s Word from Colossians 1:13-14–to inspire fresh gratitude in your life.
Yesterday, we look at Colossians 1:11-12 in a sermon entitled Pleasing Him. This sermon really focused our attention on our need of grace from God and how He’s shown such amazing grace in giving us the Gospel. These points flowed from the general theme of what it looks like to walk in God’s will or in a manner pleasing to Him or walking in a manner worthy of Him.
I was encouraged to see how God is able to give us strength in circumstances and with people. These are situations in which many of us feel helpless. But, God is there to give grace. I hope your heart was encouraged.
Yesterday’s sermon is now up and online (Faith, Love and Hope – Colossians 1:4-5a). I thought we had a great time exploring what should inspire gratitude in our hearts for one another. God has done amazing things to knit us together in His body. Therefore, gratefulness to Him should characterize us as a church. Any thoughts on how this influenced anyone?
This Sunday AM, we will be looking at Colossians 1:4-5a. Here’s what vv.3-5a say:
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
This text will show us the grounds for Paul’s thanksgiving to God, specifically, faith and love, springing from the hope.
As we prep for the weekend, think about your heart and how gratitude is seen in your life, or, specifically, your prayer life?
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