When Thanks Makes God Known

Nov 28 – 1 Chronicles 16:8

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

You know what struck me about this verse when I first read it?  Oftentimes in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament), poets and other authors will repeat themselves as a way of strengthening the meaning in their words.  This kind of writing is all over Psalms.  For example, Psalm 3:1 says “O LORD, how many are my foes!  How many rise up against me!”  That’s saying the same thing, right?  Ok.  So keep that mindset and read today’s verse again, making a mental break at the semicolon.  What if the first part of the verse means the same thing as the second part of the verse?

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name” = “Make known among the nations what he has done.”

It gives a different perspective, doesn’t it?  One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, points out that the defining characteristic of a person who genuinely trusts God is an attitude of thankfulness in all things.  This makes sense to me because if you can thank God for your circumstances even in the most difficult times, then you are trusting God – He is in control with His best for all of us in mind.  So if we have that kind of gratitude when other people around us don’t, it becomes a testimony to the strength and goodness we find in our God.  Now, of course, it is another matter entirely to develop the kind of trust that can be thankful in all circumstances…but that takes a lifetime so we’ll save it for another day. 

How do you make God known among the nations?  Perhaps being thankful is one way you’ve never thought of.  I know I hadn’t.  Think about the ways your thankfulness might open a door for others to be introduced to God.  And then try to live that way.

A Confession – Oh, To Love Well

Nov 19 – Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

It has been quite the weekend for me.  I had the privilege of taking some of the wonderful youth from my church on a camping trip to a campground not so far away for their first experience with church camping.  A lot is asked of them, in terms of serving and cooperation and, overall, they really rose to the occasion.  Sunday morning, each of three groups presented a portion of our camp-style worship service.  The last group shared some verses that really caught me off-guard about Jesus who was rich making Himself poor for us.  At that point, I realized that, when I leave my job where I am now, the one thing I want to leave them with is some beginning knowledge of just how much they are loved – because, to some extent, I think every Christian believer has to start there.  God enabled me that morning to share my heart in the way I wanted to but something slammed me between the eyes later in the day - despite just how very much I want them to know they are loved, I’m not so sure I have demonstrated that love to them.

It is so easy to lose focus on the WHY.  It is so easy to concentrate on the actions in ministry.  I try to build the best group I can build and help individuals be the best individuals they can be…and I forget to just be Jesus to them.  I want to be one who “delights” in the Lord.  I want to show that to them.  I want to love them well so that, in time, they become the ones mentioned in these two verses who delight in the Lord.

What is your focus?  Where is your heart?  And if your intention are good, do your actions coincide with where your heart is?  Think about it.

And if you are any of my youth reading this, know that you’re hearing my heart.  I hope you will see Jesus in me more in the next month than I have shown you in the past.

When Christianity and the World ‘Crash,” It Can Be Pretty Great

Oh man.  I did it again.  I skipped a day!  I’m sorry.  I’ve been very scattered these last few days.  I hope you don’t hold it against me. 

Nov 14 – 1 Peter 3:18

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

I love that Christian lyrics are not solely found in “Christian” songs.  Take a look at these lyrics from Daughtry’s song “Crashed”:

Well I was moving at the speed of sound.
Head-spinning, couldn’t find my way around, and
Didn’t know that I was going down.
Yeah, yeah.
Where I’ve been, well it’s all a blur.
What I was looking for, I’m not sure.
Too late and didn’t see it coming.
Yeah, yeah.

And then I crashed into you,
And I went up in flames.
Could’ve been the death of me,
But then you breathed your breath in me.
Then I crashed into you,
Like a runaway train.
You will consume me,
But I can’t walk away…

From your face, your eyes
They’re burned into me.
You saved me, you gave me
Just what I need.
Oh, just what I need.

Now, make that song about crashing into God.  Hebrews 12:29 (quoting from Deuteronomy) says that “our ‘God is a consuming fire.’”  Our old way of life is consumed, our earthly human desires are consumed, and God breathes His breath into us to raise us to life, just as Jesus was, only our resurrection is one of the Spirit.  And this is Chris Daughtry singing this!  I love it!

What things outside of immediate Christian culture speak to you about the truth of who God is?  What messages do you see in “secular” music or movies or TV that remind you about who God is and who He created people to be?  Discuss 

*If you want another great song related to these lyrics, check out “Consuming Fire” by Third Day.  It’s one of my all-time favorites!

Talking it Out and The Dark Side of Sharing

Sept 28 – Night School 

Nicodemus made a brave move.  Even though he was one of the leaders of the Jewish people, he came to Jesus to talk about his faith questions.  He told Him what he believed about Him and then waited for some more answers.

Talking about our faith out loud can be a very difficult thing to do.  We may be afraid of what people will think when we talk about it or we may be afraid of what people might ask.  Depending on your age, you may feel like you don’t know enough to begin asking questions about who Jesus is or why He should matter.  You may even feel like you don’t quite know how to talk about things like God and faith.  All of that is ok. 

My encouragement to you is this – talk about it anyway!  Go ask a Christian adult or friend you trust the questions that are on your mind.  Even pastors won’t have all the answers but they can point you in the right direction.  Maybe you have a favorite story or learned something about God that you thought was really cool.  Tell someone!  You know what?  Good friends and trustworthy adults won’t mind being asked these questions and they love hearing when when you get excited about your faith!  In fact, they will respect you even more for it.  It’s hard to talk about things we don’t fully understand but it’s important too. 

Maybe some of you already talk openly about your faith.  That’s wonderful!  I hope you realize what a blessing it is to have that comfort level and freedom.  Keep going with that!  Talk to your youth leader, your friends, or your parents – anyone who lets you talk about the things you believe and the things you have questions about.  These are incredibly valuable people to have in your life!

Even more importantly, talk to God about how you feel and what you struggle with.  Listen for Him to speak some answers quietly to your heart.

Sept 29 – Forbidden Friendship

When our faith is something very surface-level in our lives, it’s not hard to avoid it.  We can talk about other things or change the subject when necessary and avoid any awkwardness we’re afraid might come up if we mention church or God.  But at some point in our faith lives, it becomes difficult or even dishonest to NOT talk about the way our Christianity intersects our lives.  This was the struggle today’s author had - she couldn’t stand to be silent anymore because it was simply being dishonest to one of her closest friends! 

But there can be consequences, in this author’s case, painful ones that completely severed a wonderful friendship.  I want to encourage you to read through a little bit of the book of Acts.  Start with the sections DevoZine recommends – Acts 4:1-21, 7:54-8:3, and 12:1-4.  What if you had to face risks and persecutions like those just to talk about your faith?  It would make it a lot harder, wouldn’t it?  And I’ll bet you would be pretty darn committed to that faith if you were willing to risk and endure that much to defend it.

Have you reached a place yet where your faith has to be shared?  Where you cannot separate the story of your life from the way God has moved in it?  There are times when mine sure hasn’t.  There are times when we need to allow our actions to speak louder than our words, but there are times when we simply must share something with someone about who Jesus is.  Pray to understand when each of those is necessary.  And while you’re at it, praise God that you live in a country where you can speak freely about your religion and your God, and pray for the people in countries who cannot speak Jesus’ name.