Thank Offerings

The last thing we want to do when things are going bad is thank God. We plead, we ask for help, we complain, but we don't typically give thanks.

That's why scriptures refer to the sacrifice of praise. "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name" (Hebrews 13:15).  Isaiah says, He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God" (Psalm 50:23). When we sacrifice thank offerings, we prepare the way for God's salvation. Amazing! 

The only way to give thanks and praise in bad times is to intentionally shift focus. We look away from terror to Truth, from fear to Faithfulness, and we change. Not only do we find strength to persevere (see Hebrews 12), but we experience an other worldly peace that keeps our hearts and minds focused on what is true and lovely (Philippians 4:6-8)--a far cry from anxiety.

It's not Pollyanna thinking. We have to admit our challenges before Jesus our Intercessor. But as we start looking for things for which to give thanks, the Holy Spirit cleans our lenses and adjusts their focus. We become more aware that God's power and love far surpass our needs. Soon we learn to see the Almighty's hand in our lives even after we've shrunk back from some of the ugly gift wrapping.

This rediscovery (that we can trust God) prepares us to lay down worry and fear. It deactivates our default complaint button. The sacrifice of thanks and praise accustoms our eyes to behold our Savior in grander dimensions, including ones that speak to our needs.

While it's not easy or natural, sacrificing thank offerings honors God. It lays out the red carpet for Jesus, our Savior, to show us the stuff of His salvation.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Is there a situation in your life that is dragging your attention away from Christ and diminishing your sense of God's great care and presence? How might your sacrifice of thanksgiving impact your well being?

What aspect of God's salvation in your life is God revealing? 

Thank God anew for a time when your sacrifice of praise refocused you on God's presence and perspective. 

Eucharisteo

I recently read A Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She  beautifully writes that accepting grace, experiencing joy, and giving thanks are all a part of appreciating what Jesus Christ offers us at Table.

Giving thanks, eucharisteo, intentionally observes life's details and looks for God's invisible footsteps.  Ann's uncommon phrases arrested me to experience her delight and frustration. Whether her circumstances were ugly or beautiful, her eucharitsteo (giving thanks) always led her to encounter God's presence.

Ann gave me a magnifying glass that reveals details that I'd stopped seeing. The simple discipline of thanksgiving is easy to overlook. But, as I practice jotting down my reasons for thanks, I become more observant, see God's finger -- tracing love -- even in shadows.  It brings light and fresh joy.

If you haven't read this book, consider doing so. Her style is unusual, poetic, and will provoke you to draw close and discover Christ's table set for you in surprising places. The Lord spreads His nourishment not only in organized gatherings of  the church. He spreads His table for you in your everyday places.


For Your Consideration

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)

Is it difficult for you to give thanks in life's routine?

Would you consider keeping a thanksgiving journal for 21 days? Notice the results and decide if it's worth continuing.

Ruts or Rhythms

After I shared that I would ask God to dislodge me from unproductive ruts this year, my husband commented. Ruts reminded him of confinement. I pondered. How about productive ruts, then? Don't we need ruts to streamline most of our activities?

But the more I thought, I liked rhythm over rut. Rhythm has musical connotations and I love music. Dance. Movement. Change. Even when we practice, repetitively, to master dance steps or calligraphic strokes, practice scales or conquer syncopation, rhythm's melody lifts us above the mundane. It reminds us that we are part of God's grand symphony.

In a rut, we easily lose perspective. Our spirits wilt and enthusiasm wanes. But, when we look for the Creator's purposes in our rhythmic activity, we climb out of our pothole. When we remember God's purpose even in mundane work, we revive, become more productive, persevere in our activity.

So, as I practice God's presence in 2012, I'm asking for new ways of reconfiguring the ordinary. I'm listening for the Holy Spirit's song.

It's bringing new delight in the Lord. Purposefully listening for my Jesus' rhythms, I'm drawn into His dance.

I trust His lead. I can learn these steps. This rhythm is no rut.


For Your Consideration

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17, NIV)

How might giving frequent thanks in your routine give you ears to hear God's rhythm for you?

What does it mean for you to speak and act in the name of the Lord Jesus?

Thanksgiving in Advent

The "T" of the ACTS prayer acrostic (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication), giving thanks, is never out of season and packs benefits of its own.

At any season, taking time to look for things to be thankful for miraculously shifts your perspective. Though your income may be choking or your health questionable, thanksgiving is a choice that flips your surroundings right side up. Fault finding stands us on our heads seeing all that could potentially bring discomfort or even terrorize us.

During Advent, and any other season, giving God thanks seems to release that pressure and stand us on our feet again. Thanksgiving refocusses us on the big picture in which our kind and merciful heavenly Father daily provides for our needs.

"Praise the Lord, God our Savior, who helps us every day" (Psalm 68:19, NCV). "Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms" (Psalm 68:19, NLT).

God is our Savior --ready to help us as we call. Immanuel, "God with us," enjoys our gratitude, rewarding us with a happier heart and feet replanted and on the ground.



FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

When pressure has you thinking only about your problems, will you choose to give thanks for the good gifts your Savior gives you?

What will it take for you to flip right side up?