Take Five!

February 16, 2012

"Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 106:1

I recently read a story about a man by the name of Ben who had a habit of grumbling. He complained about the weather, found fault with his family and friends, and allowed the smallest things to upset him. Then one day he read this rhyme: “When you have truly thanked the Lord for every blessing sent, then you’ll have very little time to murmur or lament.” He realized that his spirit of discontent had made him overlook the gifts God was constantly showering on him. Ben determined that with God’s help he would rid himself of this habit. So whenever he became irritated or began to complain, he would stop and thank God for the many good things he was enjoying. It worked! By centering his attention on praising rather than pouting, he found it much easier to avoid a grouchy mood.

As Christians, we have so much for which to praise the Lord. Yet there are times when it is a sacrifice to offer praise to God, quite frankly, because we don't really want to. It is easy to praise God when the sun is shining, but when the storms are all around us, the last thing we feel like doing is praising God. Yet, this is the very time when we need to lift our voices to Him in praise. The Bible is filled with admonition after admonition to give glory and praise and thanks to God. Notice that the Psalmist did not say, "Give thanks to the Lord when you feel good." Rather, he said, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" I don't praise God because I feel like it. I praise God because He is worthy.

Praise is a powerful weapon of our spiritual warfare. In fact, it is so important that the Bible mentions it 332 times. Praise is verbalized faith. If you thank God after the fact, that’s gratitude. If you thank God before it happens that’s faith. Praise helps us to see beyond our present circumstances to the immense possibilities that are ours through faith in Jesus Christ. Realize you serve a God who is majestic and sovereign. Nothing happening in your life now is ‘news’ or beyond His control. Although praise does not change our immediate circumstances, it will bring light to our darkness - a light that Satan cannot extinguish.

Psalm 97:1-6 uses the imagery of a thunderstorm to illustrate the mighty works of the Lord. The writer paints a scene of rolling clouds, jagged forks of lightning, and rumbling thunder to describe God’s power. The thick, dark clouds that hide the sun remind me that man cannot stand the full view of God’s glory (v.2). In the lightning I see a picture of God’s fiery wrath on His foes (vv.3-4). In all of these forces of nature I see the glory of God (v.6). Each storm that rolls across the sky can bring to mind great truths: God is awesome in power! So, when life’s storms occur, join the psalmist in praising God for His wondrous power and majesty, for He is good!

I encourage you to deliberately look for reasons to praise our Heavenly Father-I know that you will find manyfor He is good! Whether you feel like it or not, praise Him throughout the day, seek to do good and to share His love with others, knowing that such sacrifices are pleasing to our Father.

February 10, 2012

Monkey On Your Back?

There is a story of a business man who went to see his boss after attempting to deal with a complex problem unsuccessfully. After laying out the details of his difficulties, his boss quietly contemplated the man’s outcry and then announced, “It appears to me Mr. Smith that you have a monkey on your back, and it seems to me there are but two solutions here. The first is that you take your monkey and continue your day OR that you leave your monkey with me. The choice is yours, Mr. Smith.” Mr. Smith thought about his options and leaned down so his new found pet could jump on the desk of his superior. The monkey’s new owner then said, “Mr. Smith, your problem is now mine and I expect you to act that way. Go about your day and find new success!”

Oh, if removing the little “monkeys” that weigh us down from day-to-day were that easy? Well, maybe it is! In Psalms 55 David instructs us to, Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22). When David composed this Psalm his mind was agitated by the same types of situations we struggle with today. He recoiled in horror from the violence, anger, and abuse that stalked the city streets (vv.9-11). He suffered the anguish of being betrayed by a close friend (vv.12-14). He longed to leave and escape to a place of peace (vv.4-8). Because David’s anxious pain mirrors our own, his prescription for relief can be ours as well: “I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. . . . Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (vv.16, 22).

Could this be the solution we have been waiting for? We can give all our worries and cares to God for He cares about us! So, then what’s the problem? Have we become attached to the monkey? Your problems are not yours, but God’s opportunities to reveal His Glory in your life. God is inviting you today to give Him ALL the monkeys on your back, but there is one requirement. You must walk away! You cannot take them back and still expect God to fix them. Resolution requires ownership. Seeing God’s will come to pass in your life, including His blessings, His promises, and His purpose require that you give up the distractions and live a life focused on God through Jesus Christ. God desires to restore, support and strengthen you today. He will move you to a firm foundation.
Sometimes I think our suffering is often brought on by our inability to have faith in God to deal with our problems. You must relinquish your problems to the Lord. He is a gentleman who will not grab and snatch what you have claimed. However, the Lord will gladly accept your castaways.

What problems are you facing today? Is it time to visit our Superior God and share that “monkey” with Him? He will invite you to lay it down. Will you?

February 2, 2012

The Strength of God’s Grace

2 Corinthians 12: 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Many have said that Paul was one of, if not the greatest Christian who ever lived. Paul seemed to have a commitment to Christ that few ever have and God used him in a very powerful way. What made Paul such a dynamic Christian? Perhaps it was his education and intellect. Perhaps it was his religious zeal and passion. Perhaps it was the opportunities presented to him. Think about it, what was it that made the apostle Paul one of the greatest Christian who ever lived?Paul’s greatness came from the grace of God.
The thing that made Paul such a dynamic Christian was his dependence upon God’s amazing grace. God’s grace is not only sufficient to save us from our sins; it is also sufficient to strengthen us in our struggles. Paul tells us in2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.Christ’s power and ability is perfect. Christ is God and therefore everything about Christ is perfect. How then is His strength made perfect in weakness? The word ‘perfect’ as it is used here comes with the thought of bringing something to completion. Fulfillment – if you will. Christ possesses a perfect strength, yet His perfect strength cannot be fully realized unless there is a need. Christ allows needs in our lives, needs that are beyond our ability to handle, so that He might demonstrate the glory of His power and strength.
Many years ago Steven Curtis Chapman wrote and sang a song entitled – “His Strength is perfect.” It says beautifully what I am trying to express today. Here are the lyrics:

I can do all things

Through Christ who gives me strength,
But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me;
No great success to show, No glory on my own,
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know . . .

CHORUS
His strength is perfect when our strength is gone;
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.
Raised in His power, the weak become strong;
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

We can only know
The power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes;
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end.
He hears our humble cry and proves again . . .

“For when I am weak – then I am strong.” It seems like a strange paradox, but we can be our strongest during our moments of weakness. The reality is that God loves it when His children are broken before Him, where we cannot handle it all on our own, where we have exhausted our own resources so that we tap into His ultimate, loving strength. God wants us to stop trying to be strong and to be weak! Then, we become our strongest by drawing our strength from the grace of Christ. God's sovereignty is manifested in our failures as much as our successes. Though we attempt to make the right decisions, we will constantly fail in our endeavors if we do not lean into the strength of God for wisdom and guidance.