The final days of the year are some of my favorite—they always have been. There are many reasons that this is the case, including Christmas and extra time with family. But, more recently, this time of the year has become one of my favorites because I have found it to be a time of reflection and preparation for the new year.
The Christmas season is always a time of challenge and wonder in the area of preaching. One of my favorite texts comes from Luke chapter two where Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple.
More than any other time, I love Christmas! Perhaps it is because I was born in December. Perhaps it is because I have fond memories of growing up in Ohio, sipping warm chocolate, overlooking mounds of lake-effect snow. Perhaps it is because it is one of the few times each year when my wife and I can have all of our children together under one roof again. But I love Christmas!
After admonishing every believer as Christian soldiers to put on the whole armor of God and identifying each piece of that armor in Ephesians 6:10–17, Paul commands us to be, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). Prayer must be our attitude and action in our battle with Satan, the flesh, and the world.
Do you have a heart that is overflowing in praise and thankfulness to God? Do you have a praise list that is equal to your prayer list? Are you careful to take inventory all of the good things God is doing for you?
On Thanksgiving Day, when you are sitting around the table sharing your blessings, it’s easy to feel thankful. But we all have to work to maintain a grateful spirit every other day. Perhaps it would help to identify these four attitudes that are enemies of thankfulness:
We can all be grateful to God for His many blessings. One year, just after Thanksgiving, my wife had an interesting Bible class this with the 11th and 12th graders in our academy. She asked the girls to write down all the things they are thankful for—in five minutes.
Rejoicing in the Lord Will Produce a Grateful Spirit
I have never met a joyful Christian who was not a thankful Christian. Joyfulness and thanksgiving go hand-in-hand. Where there is one, you will find the other.
James calls it the royal law, but his epistle is not the first place we find it in the Bible. Leviticus chapter nineteen is the first place we find this law. See it here in its original context:
Taking Unexpected Opportunities to Invest in Others
Rats! Another flight delay! Oh well, if you fly much these days you are aware that delayed departures (and arrivals) have become the norm rather than the exception.
The Lives of Those You Impact Speak Much Louder than Anything You Say about Yourself
Recently, I was on the planning committee to honor someone who was certainly worthy of commendation. A fellow responded to our recommendation by saying, “Well, I have done that too.”
It seems that there are busy seasons of life when we give ourselves to our calling in more intense and more protracted ways than normal. No matter your calling, your life is demanding, and you are busy running from one event to the next.
We often talk about what God’s grace does for us. And, truly, it is abundant. We talk about how greatly we need it in ministry. And we do. But have you ever considered if you might be preventing God’s grace from working in your heart? If you might be blocking its flow in your ministry?