NOTHING to be thankful for

Here, on the day before Thanksgiving, I admit that I have nothing to be thankful for...
EXCEPT:

• for my physical life: I am so grateful to God for the opportunity I have had to live these past 43 years (I am so old!). If my life ended today (not my desire by the way), I would still be grateful for incredible experiences in life that God has given me. I am grateful for each new day.
• for my eternal life: One of the main reasons I would be o.k. with dying today is because I believe God's Word, that tells me that when this life is over, we all enter eternity, either with God in Heaven, or apart from God forever in Hell. And because of God's grace, not my own doing, I became a Christ-follower at a very young age, trusting in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation. According to the Bible, that means that when I die, I will go to Heaven, not because I earned it, but because of God's grace and mercy.
• for my wife: Sorry fellas - regardless of what you might think about your wife or other women, I have the most beautiful, godly, woman in the world as my wife; and I am extremely thankful for her. I don't know how she puts up with such a sinful husband; but I'm so glad she does.
• for my children: The Bible says it is a blessing to have a "quiver full" of children; and for us, 5 is certainly a "quiver full"! All 5 of our awesome children came to us as depraved, sinful human beings; and they still are! Well...they do still have their sinful natures, in tact, and demonstrate them often (just like their parents do!); but as Jesus comes into their lives, He makes an incredible difference. My main prayer for each of my children is that they would become Christ followers; and live for Him the rest of their lives. I am amazed at how God brought each child to us; and I am incredibly grateful for them! They are very special, each one of them, and they are a blessing to me each day.
• for my friends: To my friends, I quote the Apostle Paul, in Philippians 1:3: "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." I am so thankful for my friends. They hold me accountable in different areas of my life. They pray for me. They support me. They encourage me. They remind me of truth. They love me, despite my many faults.
• for my church: I wouldn't want to do anything else but be a pastor. In my opinion, it is the greatest job ever! Even with its many challenges, there is nothing better than being a pastor. I get to help people grow in their spiritual journey, including going through the ups and downs of life. When I see that God has used me, even in a little way, to help someone grow in Him, I couldn't be more satisfied with "work". Thank you God for this great privilege of shepherding your people.

See? What did I tell you? Nothing (almost) to be thankful for!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I guess God knew what He was talking about

I mean no disrespect, as though there would ever be a time when God wouldn't know what He was talking about. I am referring to the fact that God always knows what He is talking about; but many times we live as thought there might be a question about that. For example, in the areas of personal conflict, because it is so personal, and because there are so many emotions involved, it is very easy to forget that God had already figured this all out. It doesn't mean that there would never be conflicts, but that God has made it clear how we are to handle them.

When we are in the midst of conflicts, we don't seem to think all that clearly. We begin to take everything very personally even if everything is not meant to be. We look for allies, who will side with us, and against the "other side". We live in a defensive mindset, and are ready to attack at any moment. In these situations, if we handle them in our own power, it is not too difficult for relationships to be fractured and possibly even ended.

But, recently, I saw a group of people put into action God's plan, which is always right and which is always best; but is not usually very easy. God's plan is of the Spirit but our plans are hard to ignore because they are of our flesh. Some of what I saw, and some of what is a part of God's plan is as follows:

• Be specific as to what the offense is
• Listen to gain a heart of understanding
• Remain calm
• Admit any errors on your part
• Ask forgiveness for causing offense
• Be willing to forgive
• Be humble
• Express concern for the other person and the relationship
• Above all, be scriptural

Does it surprise you to know that when we "play by these rules", that God brings clarity and resolution to conflict? Go figure!

Let's read about SEX

Today, I preached a message on the 7th commandment: Do not commit adultery. I shared, from God's Word, that this includes adultery of the body, but there is also adultery of the heart. This includes having sex outside of marriage, but also includes what happens in our minds and what comes out of our mouths. We live in a society that is immersed in sex and sensuality; and it bombards us on a daily basis. It is difficult, even if we are committed to Jesus Christ and want to live a life of purity, in honor of Him, and for His glory.


At the end of the message this morning, I shared some resources that can be a good start to applying the principle of this message and of God's Word, as it relates to purity, apart from and within marriages. Here is a brief list and a few comments I would like to make about each one:


Addictions:A Banquet in the Grave by Ed Welch
*This is the best book I have ever read on what to do with general addictions. It talks alot about alcoholism and AA, but it gives great biblical principles on how to handle any sin cycle you find yourself in.


And The Bride Wore White by Dannah Gresh
*This is excellent for women who desire to get married in the future; but have a desire to be pure or get pure, before going into marriage.


At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry by Steve Gallagher
*Hands down, this is the best book I have ever read on sexual addition, of any kind. It also has a workbook that goes with it. I highly recommend it.


I Still Do is a message I preached here at Grace a year ago. If you want to hear more about marriage and divorce, more that I was able to share in the message, then do this:
go to http://www.gbcwestlake.org/ , click "online audio", choose Audio Archive, page 4.


Passport2Purity is a set of CD's, to be used by parents who want to talk to their kids about sex and having purity until marriage. This is great to use as a getaway for a parent with a child of the same gender, for an overnight, talking about this important issue, before it becomes a problem. We used it first with our 11 year old daughter and then our 12 year old son. This is put out by an organization called Family Life and is done by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
*This might be the best book I have read on marriage, at least in the last few years. I love the subtitle: "What if God's purpose in marriage is to make us holy rather than happy?"

Sheet Music by Dr. Kevin Lehman
*If you want to read and talk about sex, and how to improve it, with your spouse, read this book!

Strengthening Your Marriage by Wayne Mack
*This is a book I recommend a lot in marriage counseling. There are some great basics here, that can be helpful to any marriage. There are also great discussion questions that can be used between couples, or in groups.

The Love Dare by Alex and Stephen Kendrick
*This is something that you should do for you spouse, rather than asking him/her to do it or doing it together. This is an opportunity for you to take 40 days and really concentrate on showing love to your spouse, maybe in ways that you are not used to doing. If you can, do it without your spouse knowing your doing the book. See how long it takes before he/she realizes you are doing something out of the ordinary!

The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn
*I recommend that everybody reads this one; regardless of your marital status or age. It is small and short; but full of great biblical principles about sex.

For those of you reading this, but have some other great resources you know of in this area, please leave a comment so that I and others can benefit!

What's on the radio at 5:15 AM?

To those of you who may be reading this, that are feeling a little lonely, or a little lost right now...to those of you who feel the weight of some burden that is coming down on your shoulders, wtih no relief in sight...to those of you who are experiencing enough deception that you are starting to question the truth...to those of you who woner if you're going to make it...

Let me just share the lyrics of the first 2 songs I heard when I turned on the radio at 5:15 this morning:

Voice of Truth - by Casting Crowns
Oh what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is and He's holding out His hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again: Boy, you'll never win! You'll never win!

Chorus: But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling meTime and time again. "Boy you'll never win!""You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size to put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high from on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles when I stop and listen to the sound of JesusSinging over me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Your Grace Is Enough - Chris Tomlin
Great is Your faithfulness oh God You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy And nothing can keep us apart
So remember Your people Remember Your children Remember Your promise Oh God
Your grace is enough Your grace is enough Your grace is enough for me

Great is Your love and justice God You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation And all Your people sing along
So remember Your people Remember Your children Remember Your promise Oh God
Your grace is enough Your grace is enough Your grace is enough for me

So remember Your people Remember Your children Remember Your promise Oh God
Your grace is enough Your grace is enough Your grace is enough for me Your grace is enough Heaven reaching down to us Your grace is enough for me God I see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love Your grace is enough for me For me

Reflections on Psalm 73

Psalm 73 has been a Psalm on my mind recently. Let me share the most encouraging and challenging verses here:

Psalm 73:24-26,28 - "You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works."

When I don't really know what to do, or where to go, God is there. It is His counsel that gets me through. His counsel is in His Word. His counsel comes through the Comforter, the Counselor, God the Holy Spirit, who dwells within me. And His counsel, many times, comes through other people who love and care for me, who speak God truth to me, and remind me of His ways.

I know I am weak and I fail often. When I concentrate on my failures and the fact that I don't meet other's expectations, I can get discouraged. But instead, what I should do, what I want to do, is find my strength from the one who is truly my refuge: my Lord and Savior. It is His expectations that I want to meet. And it is a great comfort to know that His main expectation of me is: to trust Him. When I feel weak, He wants me to trust that His Word is true: "My Grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness." (II Corinthians 12:9)

And, as the Psalmist closed, so do I: I want to tell you how awesome my God is. He has strengthened me, He has helped me, He has brought just the right people at the right time to encourage me. I am a witness to the fact that He keeps all of His promises, and He is who He said He is: He is God, He is my fortress, He is my refuge, He is truth and life!