Life Matters - November 23, 2023
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into his gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name.” (Psalms 100:1-4) Thankfulness is a condition of heart and mind much encouraged, even commanded, in the Word of God. It is, after all, the only condition of heart and mind with which we can enjoy life. It is a heart condition that creates something of a bedrock underneath the turmoil and upheavals of this present life. In the battle between good and evil, between right and wrong, it is the turf upon which good and right always wins. It is the area in which the devil is the hardest taskmaster; is it not? As he drains the joy out of life then blames others for it. Or circumstances, or things, or problems, or relationships, or the lack of them.
It is also the area in which the gospel of Jesus Christ really shines; is it not? Thankfulness is the natural outflow of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It is the praise expressed by the redeemed, it is the heart connecting with the Captain of our salvation, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the scape goat sent into the wilderness, the lowly one riding on a donkey, the conqueror we expect on a white horse, the One who disappeared into the clouds, and our Savior whom we expect to see again as He reappears to conquer, to separate between good and evil. He is our ‘’great High Priest who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God...’’ (Hebrews 4:14) and He feels for us, “For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”(v.15)
Have you been tempted this past year? Have some days seemed hard? Have you been tempted to worry? Jesus can feel for you. Have you been tempted by loneliness? With carnal reactions? To reject others because you felt rejected? Jesus can feel for you. Have you been tempted to bitterness? At its outset bitterness may feel like a luxury. Until we become its slave. Then it becomes a hard task master. We can lift that ugly, dripping, oozing black mass, or the beginnings of it, to Jesus who receives it as if it were a gift and replaces the ugly with beauty, the black mass with light and love. If we come to Him, with our sin, He will cleanse us. And He gives another kind of luxury…the luxury of accepting, of loving those who reject us. And that, dear friends, feels good. So good. While feelings are not dependable judges of right and wrong because we can feel good about something that is not, still, love feels good. “Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57) May we continually find that victory, praise, and thanksgiving before temptations find lodging in the battleground of our minds and take up residence in our hearts. The battleground is the mind. The prize is the heart, the seat of affection. May we stay free, truly free. ‘’There hath no temptation taken you, but that which is common to man:’’ (1 Corinthians 10:13) That “you” includes me, because yes, I do know what the above is like. (in case you’re wondering) And think of it, Jesus knows what it’s like, because He has been here! He’s been through it! He endured it all for all of us. God, in Hebrews 4:15 assures us that Jesus was/is “yet without sin.” And He invites us to partake in that victory, to be free! Let us finish well the completion of 1 Corinthians 10:13… But God…. ”will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” So, on this Thanksgiving Day 2023, let us “bear it” with thanksgiving, praise, and adoration for Jesus, who sets us free!
Life Matters!