In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul gives this beloved church family (and all church families) what seems to be a monumental challenge: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (ESV) When we merely focus on the "thanksgiving" part, this alone seems most difficult, especially when the circumstances may be far from "good." If we were to make lists of all the "good" things we were thankful for and then commenced to thanking God for all those things, we might feel we were closing in on the object of the command. But what happens when the "good" list gets wiped out--then what? Ephesians 3:20 sounds similar: "And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (NLT) Perhaps the key to compliance is the part where it says, "In Christ Jesus." How so? Because the things in Christ Jesus--the eternal things won for us by Christ's sacrifice--cannot be wiped out. Those things are moth, rust, and thief-proof! Those things are better than "good!" And therefore, as our Father's adopted children, no matter the temporal circumstances in the here and now, thanksgiving for what has been won for us by our Lord, is not only possible, but something we can embrace with all our hearts...

In Paul's Doxology found in Romans 11:33-36, it says: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)! For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor? Or who has first given God anything that he might be paid back or that he could claim a recompense? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it)." (AMPC) When we read in Scripture how God knows everything, that He's, all-knowing, the theological term is: Omniscient. And of course if He's Omniscient then He knows everything there is to know about us! More incredible yet, the One Who knows all things grants us the awesome privilege of knowing Him! How awesome is that?! So do you know Him? Would you like to?

Philippians 4:4-7 says: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (ESV) What's promised in this passage? Peace! And the text says that peace will surpasses or transcend all understanding. In other words, whatever it may be that's fueling our anxiety, causing us to worry, may not be understood even after we've prayed, but peace--of more value than understanding--should settle us into a place of trusting God as we wait for His answers. Some might tell us in times of fretting to go to our "happy place." But God's Word tells us to pray and allow Him to blanket us with peace. In Matthew 11:28-30 we have a striking invitation from Jesus which He issues to all of us weighed down heavily by worrisome burdens of every sort: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (NKJV) That sounds like a superb invitation!

After God revealed to Daniel the dream of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, here's what the prophet wrote in Daniel 2:20-21: "Daniel answered and said: 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.'" (NKJV) These words were not only true for Judah, living in the midst of Babylonian captivity, but these words remain true for all people of all nations throughout all time! While elections come and go and various leaders rise and then later disappear, the throne of Almighty God and our Lord Jesus Christ remains absolutely secure and occupied! Therefore, in the meantime, no matter what nation or what leader temporarily holds power, anywhere on the planet, the Great Commandment and Great Commission--issued to us by Jesus Himself--stands immoveable for the citizens of the Kingdom of God. So not only is this true for Christians in America, but for Christians from every nation, tribe, and tongue…

The prefix, or root word, ortho means: straight; right; correct. We see ortho in front of a lot of important words such as orthodontics, orthopedics, orthotics, and orthoscopic. A couple theological terms should also be included in the mix: Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy. Orthodoxy refers to right doctrine. Orthopraxy refers to right practice. Jesus, the Word made flesh, most certainly exemplified everything He taught. Ideally as believers we want our orthodoxy and orthopraxy to be in alignment and working hand to hand. 1 John 2:3-6 helps clarify the distinct terms and how they work together: "We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands." [orthodoxy.] Whoever says, 'I know Him,' but does not do what He commands [orthopraxy] is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did." (ESV) Paul had to especially encourage his young protege, Timothy, just how vital both of these were. Sound or right teaching must be carefully and faithfully preached. And likewise, whatever is taught, must be put into practice. This also means of course that Paul's exhortations to Timothy, were also very much meant for us...

Philippians 2:3-4 says: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (ESV) The VOICE version illuminates those verses like this: "Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first.” Paul follows these powerful admonitions by showing how Christ Jesus perfectly modeled and exemplified all this via His incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. And it's likely Paul was quoting the oldest credal hymn of the time. Some have rightly said that the genuineness of a person's faith and relationship with God is manifested best when no one else is watching. What does love look like when a neighbor or stranger or even an enemy is down for the count and it's just you and them? When pressed about who our neighbor was, Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. To the Samaritan, that lone bleeding Jew was a stranger and enemy but he cared for him like a beloved neighbor. So Jesus has set the bar high for us, not only by the example of the Samaritan, but especially and most assuredly by the example of Himself!

In 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 Paul talks about giving and what our hearts should be like in doing so: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." (ESV) Giving must flow from willing hearts, not as a result of twisted arms. When giving flows from a heart that trusts in the Ultimate Giver, the results reverberate in the here and now but also serve as deposits in heaven. When we realize that everything we have comes from God anyway, then we begin to realize that whatever we give is never really lost; it's merely sown. While we don't exactly know what that harvest will look like, it'll certainly surpass the seeds themselves. The results of this increasing awareness is our hands become less tight-fisted and more prone to opening wide. In Chapters 8 & 9 of 2 Corinthians, as Paul lays out such truths, He also reminds us of the Gospel which should be the foundation for all our giving. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 he writes: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich." (ESV) And Paul echoes again in 2 Corinthians 9:15: Thanks be to God for His inexpressible Gift!" (ESV)

Psalm 126:1-6 says: "When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him." (ESV) This Psalm's relevant for anyone who's experienced horrible trials or painful losses that caused a cry for our Lord's restorative intervention. Many of us have experienced such seasons. The Psalmist's lament includes an urgent plea for God's help in order to press on and get through. Jesus experienced this firsthand when facing the cross. Hebrews 12:1-2 affirms and encourages us like this: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." (NLT)

A humble Christian is a holy Christian. Our heavenly Father is faithful to work humility in those He loves by pruning them through trials and tribulations. But Jesus, Peter, James, and Paul encourage us to cooperate with the Lord by humbling ourselves. We do this by being obedient to the Lord's commands in scripture. One set of commands seems a bit excessive in its requirements: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Always; without ceasing; in all circumstances...was Paul using hyperbole when he penned these words? Is it even possible for a believer in this life to attain this level of commitment?

When Jesus' earthly ministry was first beginning, He told His fishermen friends, who'd caught nothing all night, to once again cast their nets back into the water. Despite low expectations, they complied, and their catch was enormous. (Perhaps it was humbling for fisherman to be out fished by a Carpenter!) Then after Jesus' death and resurrection, He encountered His disciples once again on that same Galilean sea. It was early morning and their nets were yet again empty. From the beach they heard a Stranger telling them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. They did and once again the catch was enormous. Immediately it dawned on them the Stranger on shore was Jesus. In between these two miraculous catches came a time where a certain tax came due. This time Jesus instructed Peter to go fishing. He also told Peter to open the mouth of the first fish he caught and behold a coin would be found, the exact amount of the taxes owed by both Peter and our Lord. That Jesus can do miracles involving fish should not surprise us. That He does even greater miracles in making men and women His followers should not surprise us either and yet Him doing so should never cease to amaze us. Jesus still turns fishermen into fishers of men and hopefully you're among those He's caught and made His own!