G Thanks day 1

The power washer guy at my car wash. The detailers get thanks. But I like my car wash because before I roll through and they power spray the hard to clean spots. But hard to tip someone while rolling into a car wash and with a power sprayer going. So today i found a way tip him with a "G Thanks" card without getting the interior of my card drenched.

The G Thanks Challenge

“Gee, Thanks”  This sentiment is often the sum total of the expression of gratitude people experience in our current culture.  Gratitude is a discipline.  Thankfulness is a practice.  The problem is that it is more and more a lost art.

Thanksgiving is thanks given.

Facebook culture is spreading a status update concept for expressing things you are thankful for.  This is a good thing because stopping to think about why you are thankful makes you more thankful.

I want to challenge you to go beyond status updates though.  The challenge is to give thanks in personal ways this season.  Everyday do something that requires you to go out of your way to give thanks.

Express thankfulness in words spoken instead of typed.  Express it personally and not just technologically.  Express thanks in doing not just in saying.

There is so much to be thankful for, so many people to be thankful for, and so many blessings to be thankful for.

So if you take this challenge…starting today and everyday until Thanksgiving…do something to give thanks. 

BTW…Sunday we start a series called “G Thanks.”  We will be learning about what the Bible has to say about Giving, Growing in, and getting thanks in life.  See you Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00.

Playing the Blame Game with God

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the Lord. Proverbs 19:3

Some times the wisdom written in Proverbs is so accurate it is scary.

I wonder how many times I have heard someone rage against God for their life issues caused by their own foolish decisions.

Don't rage...repent.
Not raging...returning.

He is willing and ready to forgive you. Are you ready to live a better future or is more important to blame the past?

Quit playing the blame game because he willingly took your blame and your shame. He already won this game. Not by blaming you but by shaming himself.

Lose this game and you finally win.

THE RUN

The Run

The name of Yahweh (the Lord) is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are protected.  Proverbs 18:10 (bold added)

The run is always important.  We run for all kinds of reasons.  I personally run for fun, oddly enough.  But spiritually the run is huge.  We are told to run many times in the Bible.

Flee sexual immorality…1 Corinthians 6:18
Run with perseverance the race marked out for us…Hebrews 12:1
Run and not grow weary…Isaiah 55:5
Run in such a way to get the prize…1 Corinthians 9:24

The idea of running in Scripture is tied to our heartfelt obedience and our sincere repentance.  We run from because we run to. 

The name of the Lord in their culture would mean turning to a person knowing and trusting the character of that person.  Too often when we turn to run in our spiritual life we simply turn from something and not to someone.

What about your life?  Are you a person that is truly repentant?  Have turned away from bad in your life or have you turned to God with your life?

The righteous run to the Lord and He is a strong tower.  If you find yourself still fighting the same old battles in same old places you faced them before, then perhaps you turned from and not to.

Run to the Lord today…you will find strength there you have never known.

No Wax

Romans 12:8 says we must love sincerely. It literally means without wax. The background of the word is best illustrated in art of that day. A sculptor would often use a wax to cover up mistakes on a sculpture. Done well these small places would be unnoticeable for years until dirt and age would show the imperfections. A sincere sculpture was one with no such cover ups. It was without wax.

I challenge you today to love without wax. The difficult part of such love is that we are imperfect and the people we love are imperfect. The Bible also teaches that love covers a multitude of sins.

Insecure love cannot cover sin. Sincere love is not a relationship that is right because there exists no wrong. Sincere love is a relationship that is right in spite of all wrong.

Sunday we will jump deeper into this passage to learn more about sincere love. Hope to see you at 8:30, 9:45 or 11 AM at Fellowship Church.