Living In Gratitude

Every day I do more than pray. I live in a constant state of gratitude. I am so accustomed to thanking God for every good thing (and there are hundreds, even thousands of good things every day) I am acutely aware of His presence as a result. It's a wonderful way to live, this constant state of gratitude. You must understand that this doesn't mean that nothing bad has ever happened to me, and therefore I live in a la-la world of only blessings. It means that when something bad does happen, I'm so in the habit of thanking God that I can see clearly every good thing in the midst of the bad thing. It's like wearing night vision goggles. The small, sometimes minute specks of blessings become brightly visible to me and they give me strength.

Bible says "he who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies God". Time and time again the theme is repeated that God doesn't want the kind of sacrifice we often think of. He doesn't want us to "give up" things so much as he wants us to "offer up" things. There's a difference. He doesn't want us to live a life of want and without. He wants us to enjoy the abundance he offers, and expand it by appreciating it and giving thanks for it, and sharing it with others. We can never lose our blessings by sharing them. We can only lose them by hording them. Blessings jealously horded only become moldy and rotten. When given away, they are replenished a hundred times over.

This concept of living in gratitude works on multiple levels, but here are the top two for me:

It gives me peace, strength, and a strong sense of abundance which equals well-being.

It offers up to God praise which He welcomes and blesses.

The Battle Is Not Yours

I love this idea, that 'the battle is not ours but God's'. It shows up in 2 Chronicles 20:15 when Judah was about to be attacked by three different armies. King Josaphat assembled the people to seek help from the Lord. Sure enough, pretty soon the spirit of the Lord settled on a man named Jahaziel and he spoke those famous words:

" Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde' [we could substitute any great trouble] 'for the battle is not yours but God's......You will not need to fight in the battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.'"

Not only did they not need to fight, they were ordered not to. This was not only salvation from their enemies, it was a very convincing demonstration of God's power and his love for them.

The same idea shows up first in Exodus when Moses leads the people out of Egypt. They become really afraid when they realize that Pharaoah's troops are following them and they cry out in anger to Moses, cursing him for bringing them out of Egypt. But Moses tells them, "Fear not. Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today.....The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still."

This is a huge help to me in so many instances. When I worry about how to handle a certain circumstance and the worry causes strain and stomach ache, I have to remember this concept. I have only to be still and the Lord will fight for me. The battle is not mine, but God's. This is true only, of course, if I let go and let God. I can't try and influence the outcome by praying desperately for the results I want. I can pray, just not desperately. The "being still" is the key. I must surrender to God completely. Turn the problem over to Him and really turn it over. Hand it over and be still.

This technique actually requires practice. I must be so tuned in, so connected, and so yielded to God that I can really use the technique. Faith requires practice. It's like a muscle that needs exercise to become strong. Taking time for prayer and spending time reading the Bible every day is essential, at least for me. It's my exercise routine for the faith muscle.

There are several quotes in the Bible about 'being still' and 'waiting for the Lord' and they give me an enormous amount of peace and quiet strength. Here are a few:

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him (Psalm 37:7)

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)

Wait for the Lord and keep his way. (Psalm 37:34)

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

But they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord will fight for you, you have only to be still. (Exodus 13:14)

I'm sure there are lots more. These are some that I often repeat to myself.

I just love the idea of 'being still'. It requires so much faith, and so much trust, it is an incredible feeling when I actually accomplish it. And of course, true to his word, God always does fight for me. And the way the problem is resolved is always some marvelous way that I could never have imagined. So the real bottom line is, by all means let God fight for you, because he knows what you don't.

Aliens and Strangers

I started counting how many times I came across the phrase "aliens and strangers" in the Bible, and I'm up to six so far. Peter said, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul." (I Peter 2:11), David says it in his Psalms, it appears in Hebrews and I Chronicles. It begins in Genesis when Abraham appeals to the Hittites to sell him some property to bury his wife Sarah. He said, "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." So originally, the term was used quite literally. Abraham was not one of the Hittites, so he was literally a stranger.

But it's the later usage that really got my attention. Something rang so true when I came across it. We, as children of God and citizens of God's kingdom, are aliens and strangers in 'the world'. We are "in the world but not of the world". As followers of God's laws and citizens of God's kingdom we feel like aliens in this world of self-worship and instant gratification. The Kingdom of God is 'the world' turned upside down. Or vice versa. For example:

In God's Kingdom -

- Whoever would be greatest must be the servant of all.

- The meek shall inherit the earth.

- You must love your enemy.

- Where your heart is, there is your treasure.



But in 'the world' -

- Whoever would be greatest must have servants on every side.

- The rich and powerful will control the world.

- Sue your enemy, or bring him to ruin any way you can.

- Where your bank book and investment portfolio are, there is your treasure.

But the world is wrong, because it's an illusion. It's all temporary and there is no joy or peace in it it. We are here for just a blink of the eye in terms of eternity.

But we must remember that salvation is now. And eternity is just one long 'now'. So walk in the light of salvation. It's not just about heaven and our life after death. We walk now, and just keep walking and one day we will come to a divide and we will just keep walking and walk right over it to the next world - our native land. But don't neglect the now. Even though we, as believers, are aliens and strangers here, we are here, and we can live brightly in the Kingdom within the world.

Prayer for Today and Every Day

Lord, help me to always yield to the life-giving influence of the Holy Spirit within me. This great gift of the Holy Spirit, given by the risen Christ who sits at your right hand, is the most precious possession I have, because he is your personality instilled right into me. I have only to yield my flawed human personality to his divine instruction and ordinary life becomes Life with a capital L.

Thank you Lord