Thanks Giving

How many times do I thank God for what He has done for me. How many times do I thank Him for the blessings He has given those around me?

In Fact we are now as a Nation ungrateful. We are out of people - as we get close to Thanksgiving -who cherish the Holiday for what it is.

Gratefulness for what we have. The people we know. The lives and comfort we surround ourselves in.

We are ungrateful. It is an attitude and lately I have noticed America does not have an attitude of gratitude.

Yet I myself struggle with the attitude of gratitude at times.

I heard a phrase once that I am borrowing here from Adrian Rogers.

Am I humbly grateful?Or Grumbly hateful?

God has blessed me and the people around me. Do I truly give thanks for them and their blessings?Do I thank Him for my job?The vehicles, the house, the bills paid? The good Health?

When driving through town and running late I thank Him for the green lights in my favor. But what about when I get behind 2 utility trucks at 7 am on a Monday morning when I am late for work?

I thank Him for the sun and gorgeous days but what about the rainy stormy days when it interrupts my plans yet gives life to the world around me? The Rain that Brings beauty to the world around me?I thank Him for the money in the bank but what about when I am scraping the bottom of the account?

Do I thank Him when I am down to $14 dollars two days before payday? there are some who would love to have $14 at that moment.

Psa_18:49  Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

1Th_1:2  We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

An attitude of thanks. A perspective of what He has done instead of what we think should have been done. A grateful heart, a thankful focus on the blessings we have received versus what we think - or feel - should be.

He is God He knows past present and future.

We are human we know present and past and both of those imperfectly.

The only true way to be happy everyday is to stay in a state of thanks. For what we have, what we can do, what He has done and what He will do.Thank Him for the job even if there are problems, thank Him for the vehicle even if the tire goes flat,thank Him for the water heater, the AC, the Hotdogs for dinner (yum), thank Him for all He has done, and don't forget to thank Him for what He has allowed to not happen.

Job was righteous and deeply afflicted by the hand of satan at God's allowance.

Thank Him for allowing temptation and the way out of it, for what He has given - and what He has taken.

He is God and He loves you.

If He chastens you or allows temptation to come into your path be grateful He loves you and cares enough to be in your life.

He owes us nothing yet He gave everything.

Humbly grateful.

This year lets celebrate Thanks Giving, capital T capital G. Giving thanks, and thanking those in our lives.

Let’s be Humbly Grateful, not grumbly hateful.

We do not attend church, we are The Church

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Upon this Rock (the Rock that is Jesus, the Son of God) shall the Church be built. Peter is not the Rock upon which the church shall be built, but upon his statement calling Jesus the Christ, Jesus is the Rock, the cornerstone of the church.

Neither is the Building we gather in the church, We call it church, but that is a construct of wood, steel or brick.

We do not attend church, this is a truth that we have forgotten. We the Christians, the followers of Christ ARE the Church. The church building means nothing except as a place for the Church to gather.

How we have forgotten this fundamental truth. We do not attend church, we The Church gather in a building to meet with fellow Church members in a spot we agreed to meet in.

We need to remember this.

When Christ comes back for His Church it won't be the buildings going with Him.

He came that we might be as He, He was never as us.

Joh 7:7  The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 

Jesus is God. Yes I know that He had a different perspective for He was not of us, never was never will be but through Him we can be of Him. He came that we might be as He, He was never as us.

Yes He was in human form, yes He ate and drank as we, yes He came and walked as we walk but never as us. He is/was/and shall ever be God.

How we have messed up this concept. That ad campaign that says He gets us, well that ad campaign does not “get” Him. He was here to lift us up, to show us God’s love and to let us know that this world, the one we stand on today, He overcame this world, He defeated death and Hell. He was never as us, He never got us, He was here to help us understand Him.

That is a concept and a thought that so many have failed to see and I understand and why? Because they want to excuse their behaviors by making Him like them.

He was never like us. Born of a virgin, never will that be any of us. Perfect, sinless, never will that be any of us.

He came not to be on our level, even though we preach that up, no He came that we might be better than us. That we might be like Him and what have we done with that?

We have tried so hard to bring Him to our level rather than striving to rise to His level.

We tend to see things through the lens of this world, our experience and just like the disciples we can not understand.

It is because we do not understand that we fail to try.

Remember when He was resurrected, the disciples spent 40 days with Him, do you realize we have no idea what they said, what He said, other than a few words of that time here on earth?

Why? Because it was in that time, that their understanding of Him and who He is became so much sharper. Then they received the Spirit and that was what made lions out of lambs.

That same Spirit, that changed them when they finally knew who He was, and yes I meant that the way that it sounded. When they finally figured out Who He was, then the Spirit gave them courage and wisdom, strength and resolve.

Why have we so misunderstood this Christian life? Why have we toiled in mediocrity?

Because we do not understand fully who He is.