MVP: Most Valuable Praise

November 26, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

In preparing for our Be Thankful series at my church, I have been reading and studying quite a bit about gratitude. For example, my wife and I are reading a devotional on the YouVersion Bible app call “Practicing Gratitude.” 

The other morning, our devotional writer shared this thought: “When the prophet Jonah was having a terrible day at work, he found gratitude by looking at God’s provision through the physical environment. God made a bush for shade and ‘Jonah was very happy about the bush’ (Jonah 4:6).” 

In our shared notes, my wife had an insightful word. She wrote, “Jonah’s gratitude didn’t last long. This is a great reminder to pursue a lifestyle of gratitude. It is sometimes very challenging in the midst of hard days to recognize God’s blessings, but it forces me to take my eyes off myself and place them back on my Lord and Savior!” 

My studies, this devotional plan, and Betsy’s insight got me thinking even more about the most valuable praise we can offer to our God. 

Jonah was indeed happy about the shade. But as soon as the shade was gone because the plant withered, he was back to his sullen complaining all over again! 

Ah, yes, poor Jonah is a microcosm of the whole Old Testament: God’s blessings are only appreciated for a moment until the complaining starts up again. 

Oh, wait! That’s still our story today. All of God’s blessings are so quickly forgotten unless we are intentionally grateful.

Especially in the hard times where it feels like our difficulties are just so unfair. 

Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). 

“In everything” is not the same thing as “for everything.” This means that I can still be God-focused in my painful circumstances, even though I may not be thankful for those circumstances. 

But as I remain thankfully God-focused, perhaps I may begin to see what He is accomplishing because of my painful circumstances. Just as Jesus saw “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2) and knew that His Father would triumph even in that horrific time, perhaps as I keep my eyes on Jesus I can begin to get a glimpse of God’s coming glory. 

Isn’t it “the will of God” that I know—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that I am irremovable from my position “in Christ Jesus”? 

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is IN Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 NASB)

Shouldn’t my assurance of that truth produce a joy that prompts praise from my lips that brings glory to God? Isn’t that praise of greater value precisely because it comes from a person in a setting where thankfulness seems impossible? 

God is magnified even more when praise comes from a thankful heart that is in a place where humanly there seems to be absolutely nothing praiseworthy. 

It is in this place that my praise is to God simply because He is God and He is worthy to be praised simply because of who He is! 

So I will praise Him no matter what—“in all things”—because I am secure that I am “in Christ Jesus.” That hope produces a reward that is invaluable. That hope produces a praise that is beautiful in God’s ears. 

…And we boast IN the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory IN our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out INTO our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:2-5) 

We give God our MVP—our most valuable praise—when it is lifted to Him in that place and time where the natural response would be grumbling and complaining. In those moments, remind yourself that you are IN Christ Jesus, which means even here in this dark moment you can be thankful IN all things. 

(You may also be interested in my post and video Praising God in the Troughs.) 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Your Gratitude Strengthens Other Saints

November 25, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Let me remind you of something I covered last week: 

  • If we start out thankful but then forget about our blessings, we become fearful and selfish, which makes us susceptible to the sin of grumbling against God. 
  • But if we start our thankful and then continually remember all that God has done for us, we remain joyful and secure, which fortifies us against giving in to the sin of grumbling against God. 

As I have shared with you during this series, medical science has discovered so many connections between gratitude and wellbeing—mentally, physically, emotionally, and relationally. Here’s another important finding from medical science: Chronic stress impairs memory formation. 

Remember this insight from George Santayana: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”? 

But what if we cannot learn the lessons from history because we cannot remember and recall those lessons? That’s one of the ways chronic stress ravages our ability to be grateful. Stress literally clogs up the amygdala in our brain so that these lessons cannot be filed away for future use. 

Where does this chronic stress come from? Stress can be a good thing—think of the stress we put on our lungs, heart, and muscles when we exercise. That good stress (eustress) prepares us to respond well in difficult situations. 

But chronic stress is unhealthy. It begins to make us withdraw into ourselves. We become self-protective. We start to see potential problems even behind blessings. 

Self-protective becomes self-focused, which is the exact opposite of the God-focus we looked at last week in Psalm 103:2. This also makes us want to isolate from people (see Psalm 42:1-4, especially the “used to” in v. 4). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

The enemy of our soul is prowling. He loves to see isolated saints because they are easier prey. This is why the New Testament again and again highlights the phrases “one another” and “each other” for the saints (for example: Colossians 3:15-16; Hebrews 10:19-25). When one saint struggles, all of the saints should feel that and respond quickly 

Consider the example of David’s life. David is in a stressful state where I am sure it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to find praiseworthy things. He is becoming more and more self-protective and therefore self-focused. 

  • Saul tries to kill him—1 Samuel 20:28-33 
  • The Philistines have him trapped—21:10-13; Psalm 56  
  • The people of Keilah reward David’s help with betrayal—23:10-12 
  • David is in a desert place (literally!) and sold-out by the Ziphites—23:14, 19-20 

Psalm 54 is written when David learns about the Ziphites’ plan. He begins to pour out his complaint to God in vv. 1-3, but then there is a totally different tone in vv. 4-7. What comes between is the word Selah—a pause to consider. 

I believe at this time is when Jonathan shows up to encourages David—And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God (1 Samuel 23:16). 

David learned this lesson well because when he’s in another tight spot, we read that David found strength in the Lord his God, which allowed him to encourage his distraught men to seek God’s help. It was with God’s help that they recovered everything single thing that had been taken from them (1 Samuel 30:1-18)! 

Your gratitude fortifies you and helps you encourage other saints. As you encourage other saints, they will then be fortified to help other saints—maybe even you! 

I like how Eugene Peterson paraphrases 1 Thessalonians 5:11 in The Message: “So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.” 

Your gratitude could make all the difference in someone else’s life, so “just keep on doing it”!  

Make sure you check out all of the other messages in our Be Thankful series. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments »

Links & Quotes

November 23, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Jesus didn’t teach us to pray for a lengthy supply, but for a daily supply. This keeps us dependent on our heavenly Father day after day after day.

I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

As if you needed more encouragement to control stress in your life, researchers have now found that stress can disrupt your brain’s ability to form memories, which can trigger more anxiety. Here is a surprising way for you to relieve stress in your life.

“The world cares very little what you or I know, but it does care a great deal about what you or I do.” —Booker T. Washington 

T.M. Moore is in the midst of sharing an eye-opening series of posts on what eternal life truly is. Here is a short snippet: “In Ephesians 1:15-23 Paul provides insight to how we may engage heavenly realities throughout our earthly and temporal sojourn. As he prayed for the Ephesians, so, we can believe, he would have prayed for us as well. But what did he pray? First, that God would give us His Spirit for ‘wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him’ (v. 17). The Spirit, we know, works with the revelation of God in Scripture to make us more like our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:12-18). He uses the entire Bible to help us increase in our experience of eternal life. This is true for knowing more of our great salvation as well as for glimpsing more of our eternal life.”

“Comparison sabotages two relationships at the same time: your relationship with God, and your relationship with other people. You can’t fully love others when you’re jealous of them or trying to outperform them. And you can’t love God when you think maybe God has given you a bad deal.” —Practicing Gratitude reading plan on YouVersion 

Recent studies have shown a connection between rising boredom rates and increasing digital media usage. The Axis Culture Translator reported, “Most of us (including our teens) reach for a digital device when we feel boredom creeping in. We might logically assume that the near-constant stimulation we receive from our devices would reduce our experience of boredom—but the truth might be the opposite. Analysis and discussion based on ten years’ worth of data suggests that while boredom might drive us towards digital media, it isn’t actually satisfied by it. Many users find themselves in a loop where the perceived solution to restlessness and boredom actually amplifies those uncomfortable feelings. In other words, the ‘thirst’ of boredom leads us to the ‘water’ of digital media, but the water is salty.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Am I On My Own?

November 22, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Galatians 2:2-3) 

Some people try to live as though the Bible says, “God helps those who help themselves.” This is exactly what Paul refutes.

In essence, Paul asks, “Does it make sense that after the Holy Spirit reconciled you to the Father through your faith in Jesus that then God would say, ‘You’re now on your own—figure it out yourself’?”

Of course not! 

When the Bible says that God opposes the proud, that means that He stands back from those who say, “I can do it by myself.” But the Scripture goes on to assure us that God gives more grace to the humble. That means that God is an ever-present help to those who say, “I cannot do this by myself.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Different Thinking In Difficult Places 

November 21, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

The Israelites had just been released from the slavery in Egypt when they faced one of the most difficult places they would know. God taught them how to thinking differently in this hard place. 

The Scriptures I reference in this video—1 Corinthians 10:11; Exodus 14:1-3, 10-14. 

You can watch the full sermon from which I took this clip here. 

You may also be interested in my blog post Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and a whole series of messages about difficult settings called Where’s God? 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , . 1 Comment »

A Book Review of “When Sheep Bite”

November 20, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

I was honored when T.M. Moore agreed to write an endorsement for my book When Sheep Bite, but I am beyond thrilled with the book review he wrote of my book! 

Here’s how he opens his review—

     Shepherding the Lord’s flock can be challenging in the best of times. I recall a comment by John Muir, the father of the national parks movement, who served as a shepherd in Yellowstone valley for some time. He observed that the sheep were difficult to move and to keep going in a single direction. They didn’t always respond well. In fact, he wrote, “It takes a whole flock of sheep to make a single dumb animal.”

     Since we are all the Lord’s sheep, we can probably identify with that—slow to learn, hard-headed, cold-hearted, lazy, complacent, and easily irritated. Not all the time, of course, but some of it, at any rate.

     But when your calling from the Lord is to be a shepherd in the Lord’s flock, to feed and nurture His sheep, protect them from spiritual harm, guide them into a richer and fuller experience of Jesus, and help them find their proper place of service in the Kingdom of God, tending the sheep can be especially challenging.

You can read the rest of his review here. And you can also check out my interview with Moore and his co-host Rusty Rabin on the Ailbe podcast. 

If you are a pastor—or if you love your pastor—please check out When Sheep Bite.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , . 2 Comments »

The Above-And-Beyond Disciple

November 19, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

It is nearly impossible to overstate how fearful Christians in the first century were of the Jewish zealot named Saul of Tarsus. Saul called himself “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:14) as he sought to seek out and destroy all who were followers of The Way. 

(Check out all of the verses in this post by clicking here.)

Not only was he personally bent on his ruthless mission, but he had the full sanctioning of the Sanhedrin (Acts 8:3, 9:1-2). This was the religious body that had successfully goaded Pontius Pilate into crucifying Jesus. 

So you can imagine the apprehension in Ananias’ heart when Jesus calls him to visit with Saul after he had encountered Jesus for himself. Ananias said, “I’ve heard all about this man and the harm he has done. And I also know he has come to my city with the authority to drag Christians off to prison” (Acts 9:13-14). 

Ananias’ interaction with Jesus seems to me to echo the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is as if Ananias is praying, “Is there another way? But not my will but Yours be done, Lord” (see Luke 22:42). 

Ananias is called a disciple of Jesus (Acts 9:10), and Paul even refers to him later as “a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews” (22:12). In other words, Ananias is an early church leader. What he does or doesn’t do here will set the pace for other Christians. 

So I love the fact that Ananias didn’t just begrudgingly do only what Jesus instructed him, but he said and did only what Christ’s love could empower him to say and do. 

Jesus told Ananias to lay his hands on Saul and pray for the restoration of his sight (9:12). Ananias did more. He laid his hands on him in such a loving way (9:17), that Luke uses the same word as when Jesus laid His hands on people for their healing (c.f. Luke 13:13). Ananias even called him “brother Saul” (9:17). 

Jesus told Ananias to simply pray for Saul’s physical healing, but Ananias did more: he prayed for Saul to be baptized in the Holy Spirit as well (9:17, 22:13). 

Jesus told Ananias what His plan was for Saul’s ministry, but He didn’t tell Ananias that he had to repeat that to Saul. Ananias did more: He reaffirmed to Saul what Jesus had already said to him and encouraged him to get up, be baptized, and began to do what Jesus had told him to do (9:15-16, 22:14-16). 

When Ananias called Saul “brother,” he used the term that fellow Christians used for each other (Philippians 4:1; Hebrews 2:11; 1 John 3:14). That means that Ananias is the first one to recognize the genuine conversion of Saul the persecutor to Paul the Christian. 

When the love of Jesus is in us, we will not be looking for ways to begrudgingly obey what Jesus tells us, but we cannot wait to lavishly do more loving things out of the overflow of Christ’s love in us. What a fantastic example Ananias has give all of us who call ourselves Christians! 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Grateful Remembering Fortifies Us Against Temptation

November 18, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

It is so much easier to complain than to compliment. We can slide into the negative conversations almost without thinking about it. 

In one of the last things that Paul wrote to Timothy—as he’s in prison, quite possibly awaiting execution—he warns his friend against the darkness of the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5). We need to engage our minds, our wills, and our emotions to not go with the flow of culture’s negativity. 

(Check out all the Scriptures I mention in this post by clicking here.) 

Remember the wise words from George Santayana: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” The apostle Paul said this before Mr. Santayana (1 Corinthians 10:1-6). We need to learn the lessons of the dangers of forgetfulness that leads us to ingratitude. 

Even before Paul, the Old Testament is filled with repeated reminders to remember God’s blessings and gratefully look to Him to supply every need. Let’s unpack some lessons on the importance of gratitude from Israel’s history in Psalm 106. 

  1. In Psalm 106:7, the Israelites forget what God has done for them in Egypt. Now that they appear to be pinned between the Red Sea and the onrushing Egyptian army, their forgetfulness becomes grumbling against God (Exodus 14:10-12). 

Here’s the lesson for us to learn: Even when we are in a tough spot, God put us there on purpose so that His glory could be displayed (Exodus 14:1-3, 13-14). This should remind us to be grateful. 

  1. In Psalm 106:13-14, instead of being grateful for the miraculous supply of manna, the Israelites are grumbling about the meat they don’t have (Numbers 11:4-6). 

Here’s the lesson for us to learn: God wants to teach us to be thankful for His daily provisions for us (Joshua 5:12; Matthew 6:11). 

  1. In Psalm 106:21, 28-29, the next generation of Israelites didn’t remember to be thankful because they had seldom heard their parents express gratitude (Judges 2:10-11). 

Here’s the lesson for us to learn: Our daily thankfulness fortifies future generations (Psalm 37).  

Here is the repeated pattern we see—

  • Thankfulness → Forgetfulness → Fearful / Selfish attitudes → Susceptible to the temptation to grumble against God 
  • Thankfulness → Remembering → Joyful / Secure attitudes → Fortified against the temptation to grumble against God

Jim Cymbala said, “Ingratitude to God is the first step toward backsliding and departure from God. So, it is to our benefit to have a thankful heart toward God.” 

Let’s put into practice this lesson from King David: “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget bot all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). 

You can check out all of the other messages in our Be Thankful series here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments »

Links & Quotes

November 16, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

I shared this video last week with my Patreon supporters. When we’re unclear about all that God has asked us to do, the first step is to obey the part that is clear to us. Check out my blog post Clearing up the Confusion for more insight on how Peter handled this.

I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

T.M. Moore calls on Christians to recognize the God-given authority our leaders have. Not just recognize, but submit to that authority: “We show that we believe the Lord and trust in His Word, and we demonstrate the evidence of that faith when we submit to our church leaders as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24). Submitting to proper authorities is an integral component of full faith. If we want to gain the benefit God intends for us from those appointed to lead, we’re going to have to learn to submit.”

“Talent is never enough. With few exceptions the best players are the hardest workers.” —Earvin Magic Johnson

“Take your job seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.” —Alex Trebek

The American Bible Society reports that Gen Z is engaged with Scripture less than any other generation. But here is a sad outcome: “Scripture Engagement is associated with significantly lower anxiety levels among all Americans, but especially among Generation Z. The anxiety score for Bible Engaged Gen Z respondents (3.4) is less than half that of the anxiety score for Bible Disengaged Gen Z respondents (7.1).”

What if the qualifications in Acts 6:3 were the only qualifications we used for selecting folks for ministry assignments: (a) good reputation, (b) full of the Holy Spirit, and (c) full of wisdom?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Unwittingly Fulfilling

November 15, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him [Jesus] nor the declarations of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. When they had carried out everything that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the Cross and laid Him in a tomb. (Acts 13:27-29) 

The prophetic words about Jesus were fulfilled by people who didn’t even realize they were fulfilling God’s pre-ordained plan! It is still true today: Nothing can thwart or delay God’s design, and people are still unwittingly fulfilling that design. 

God always gets the final word, the decisive word, and the best word. 

Here is an example from the public ministry of Jesus: A Christlike Response To Skeptics. 

Jesus is fulfilling every promise that His Father made, so we can live confidently and joyfully in that assurance. Check out my post Walking Boldly In Dark Places.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »
« Older posts
Newer posts »