How Thankful Are You, Really?

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

Have you ever met someone who just bought a new car, just came home from a dream vacation, or who just had some big thing happen in their life?  And the reason you know this is because it seems that all they want to do is tell you about it.  In this kind of a situation, you do not have to ask the person to find out about these things, because they want to talk about it so much.  In fact, you almost have to try and find a way to have them talk about something different, because they are so preoccupied with their big event, that it is all they seem to be able to talk about.

The Bible is very clear that God's people should be thankful people.  But sometimes this is a principle more than a practice.  In the United States, the fourth Thursday of November is called Thanksgiving, and it is traditionally a time for people to be with family and friends, but it is not always a time of being thankful.  Sometimes at these gatherings of family and friends, people will talk about something they are thankful for, and this is good, but how grateful are we really if our being thankful is mainly limited to one day in the year?  Shouldn't we be more grateful and thankful all the time? 

As Christians, there is so much that we can, and should be thankful for.  But very often, we find it easier to focus on and talk about the things we are not so happy about or grateful for.  So, how thankful are we, really?  Christians should be the kind of people that are known for being grateful, people who always have something they want to tell you that they are thankful for, rather than people who never seem to be grateful.  When we think about all that God has done for us, and all He has provided for us, it should be easy for us to be thankful.

Who Do You Act Like?

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children."
Ephesians 5:1 (NKJV)

Recently, I was having lunch with a friend.  This friend is someone I have known for my entire life, and they were also good friends with my parents.  While we were talking, my friend reacted to something I said and made the comment, "You have the same sense of humor your dad had."  This person had heard something I said, and it reminded them of something my father said.  This was not a surprise, because being his son, and having spent so many years with my father, it was very natural for me to act like him.  This is very common in families; children take after their parents and act very much like them.

There are two families in the world today, the family of God, and the family of the devil.  Everyone belongs to one of these two families, and the difference is that those in the family of God left the family of the devil by receiving Jesus as their Savior and Lord, they were born again into a new family.  And, as Paul said in Ephesians 5, as the children of God, we need to imitate our heavenly Father.  In the same way, Jesus told the Pharisees that they did the work of their father, the devil (John 8:44), they were in the wrong family. 

Paul said in Ephesians 5:1 that the children of God should imitate God.  This of course does not mean that we are trying to become God, but we should act like Him, we should display the same traits as our heavenly Father.  If we are not acting in the way that our heavenly Father and Jesus would act, then who do we act like?  If we are not following the example of Jesus, who was the will of God in action, then who are we imitating?  Just like children would imitate their natural parents, it should be natural for the children of God to behave like God, our lives should reflect the spiritual family we are in and who our spiritual father is.

Sweet Words, Or Bitter Words?

"Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing, my brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter water from the same opening?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Thus no springs yields both salt water and fresh."
James 3:10-12 (NKJV)

In Germany, and other nations, there are springs of water that you can go to and get very fresh, sweet water.  Rivers high up in the mountains have water that is also very fresh, and you can drink right from those rivers.  Unfortunately, sometimes a spring or river can become polluted.  When that happens, no one should drink from that water, because the water would be harmful.  Once the water is polluted, it is no longer fresh, even though it was at one time, because water cannot be fresh and polluted at the same time.

One theme that is seen again and again in the Bible is the importance, and power, of our words.  While some people have taken this topic to an extreme, the fact remains that the Bible shows us how our words can help or harm people.  If we are consistently speaking negative and harmful words to others, we will only hurt them.  But, if we speak positive and kind words to others, we will build them up and encourage them, because our words do matter.  The words we speak about ourselves, and others, will have an impact on us and those we speak to.

In James 3, it compares the words we speak to water that comes from a spring, which can be fresh water, or it can be bitter water, but it cannot be both at the same time.  In the same way, our words can be a blessing, like fresh spring water, or a curse, like bitter water, but our words cannot be both at the same time.  And if our words are sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse, the result is that the words we intend to be good words are diluted and will not have the value and impact that they should, because our words are inconsistent.  We need to watch our words and speak words of life that bring fresh water to others.

Places Everyone!

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased."
1 Corinthians 12:18 (NKJV)

When there is a production of something like a play, there are different characters in the play, there are people working behind the scenes, and there can even be some musicians involved.  When the play is ready to be performed and about to start, the director will say something like "places everyone," to let people know it is time to be in their assigned place.  If someone is out of place, it can affect the entire production and cause problems.  For everything to go smoothly, everyone involved needs to be in their place doing their assigned task.

As soon as someone receives Jesus as their Savior and Lord, that person becomes a part of the Family of God, they become a part of the Body of Christ.  There is a place and purpose in the Body of Christ for every believer.  In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul compared the Body of Christ to our natural body.  Just as there are no extra or unnecessary parts in the human body, there are no extra or unnecessary parts in the Body of Christ.  We may look at ourselves that way sometimes, but God has a part for every believer in the Body of Christ.

As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:18, God has set each of us in the Body of Christ as He pleased.  It is not up to us to pick our place in the Body of Christ, but it is our responsibility to learn through God's Word and with the help of the Holy Spirit what our place is, and how to best function as the part of the Body of Christ that we are.  If we are not in our place doing the work that God has planned for us to do, something will be missing and there will be problems.  Today, God is saying "places everyone," to all of us in the Body of Christ, because there is a world to reach, and a harvest to reap, and we need to do our part.