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The word Advent means the appearing—something that bursts onto the scene. At this time of year we are actually thinking about TWO Advents. We look backward in gratitude to celebrate the first Advent of Jesus when He was born in a manger in Bethlehem. And then we look forward in joyful expectation to the second Advent of Jesus when He will return to earth again as King of kings. As we will in this time between the Advents, there are four qualities that we should exemplify—the first is hope.
When the candle is lit, darkness disappears.
Darkness is not the opposite of light, it is the absence of light. In the same way, despair or hopelessness is the absence of hope.
Adam and Eve lived in perfection, but when they tried to do things their way—instead of obeying God’s way—their sin caused them despair. They tried to cover their nakedness, but with a hopeless covering of dying leaves. God came with a promise of full restoration, and illustrated it by covering them with the skin of a sacrificial animal (Genesis 3:7, 15, 21).
Job knew the hopelessness of self-covering and finality of earthly life, and even David—the man after God’s own heart knew this too (Job 6:11-13, 17:13-16; 1 Chronicles 29:15).
But Job and David both knew the hope they could have in their Redeemer (Job 19:25; Psalm 16).
Hope in both the Old and the New Testaments means a patient waiting, anticipating with pleasure, having a confident expectation. It’s a light shining in the darkness that cannot be extinguished—it’s hope that despair cannot darken (Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7).
At His first Advent, Jesus appeared in our “clothing” so that He could become our sin and then clothe us in His righteousness (Hebrews 2:17; John 1:14; Romans 4:6-8; Hebrews 6:16-20). For this we look back in gratitude.
But we don’t live today merely in gratitude for Christ’s first Advent, but we also live in confident hope of Christ’s second Advent (Acts 1:11; John 14:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20).
He came into this world of sin,
Made flesh and blood His dearest kin;
He died, that He might take us in,
And keep us till He comes again. —Scott Hubbard
How do we live out this confident hope—
May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
Follow along with all four of the Advent attributes by clicking here.
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Last week I mentioned that I was a bit surprised that scientists had done so much research on the benefits of gratitude because science tends to have an over-reliance on the tangible world. But it’s hard to ignore that there are so many intangibles (like gratitude) which make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
We get ourselves into trouble if we focus exclusively on the tangible or intangible. We also get ourselves into trouble if we don’t use all of the resources God has given us.
The Bible tells us that we have been created in the image of God, and that one of the things that separates us from the other creatures in the world is our soul (Genesis 2:7). Our soul is compromised of our mind, our will, and our emotions.
We cannot allow any one of these to lay dormant or even considered less valuable than the others, nor we can allow any one of these to bully the others.
If my emotions dominate (especially emotions like fear or anger) I can give into fight-or-flight—Psalm 106:7
If my mind dominates, I can become dark and confused—Romans 1:21 NLT
If my willpower dominates, I tend to be very selfish—Isaiah 14:13-14
When my emotions flare up, when my mind is dark, or when I feel selfish, I need to remember to engage the other two parts of my God-breathed soul. This is where gratitude comes into play.
I love reading the Psalms when I’m battling the negative emotions that seem to rush in during trying times. The psalmists were so honest about what they were feeling. Check out a couple of examples in Psalm 7:17 and 9:1-2 where we see David engaging his mind and his will to make the choice to be grateful to God despite his circumstances.
In the New Testament, we see a similar response from Paul and Silas when they are falsely imprisoned in Philippi (see Acts 16:22-26). Despite their cruel circumstances, they chose to life thankful worship to God. Luke write that the other inmates were listening, and so was the jailer and his family, who ended up accepting Jesus as their Savior.
I’ve got three important words for you when dark times threaten to hijack your gratefulness:
TALK TO YOURSELF
We see another psalmist doing this in Psalm 42:1-6. He asks his soul why it is so downcast, and then he says, “I chose to remember God in all His goodness and I chose to praise Him!” These words are repeated again in Psalm 42:11 and 43:5, which tells me that giving thanks to God is not a one-and-done thing, but something that needs to be continually repeated.
You can get some conversation starters for your self-talk in two simple ways:
Write down your gratitude
Talk about your gratitude
Keep a gratitude journal: Write something down at the end of each and every day. Write it down. Re-read it regularly. Tell others about it. And then be ready for others to ask you about Jesus—just like the Philippian jailer—when they notice how thankful you are!
Use your mind to talk back to your fears and worries, and then engage your willpower. Don’t let your gratitude get hijacked by the circumstances around you, but allow your thankfulness to help you reframe your circumstances into God’s plan.
Check out the other messages in our Be Thankful series by clicking here.
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Do you remember this song: “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands”? It goes on to say, “If you’re happy and you know, then your life will surely show it….” Frankly, I’m concerned about Christians that are unhappy.
Charles Spurgeon was talking to his students and he said, “I commend cheerfulness to all who would win souls; not levity and frothiness, but a genial, happy spirit. There are more flies caught with honey than with vinegar, and there will be more souls led to heaven by a man who wears heaven in his face than by one who bears Tartarus in his looks.” Tartarus, in Greek mythology, is a sunless abyss, below Hades, in which Zeus imprisoned the Titans, which is the exact opposite of the Paradise described in the Bible.
Unhappiness generally comes from ingratitude. An unhappy Christian gives God no praise, robs Him of glory, and paints God in a bad light. A happy Christian lifts God high and invites others to know this All-Good, All-Happy God too!
Christians need to fight against the downward pull of negativity in which our culture seems to so easily gravitate. In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul says that a Christian who doesn’t engage in the complaining that the world is known for will shine brightly. Quite simply, thankfulness is the antidote to complaining (Philippians 2:14-18).
Even those who may not recognize the the authority of Scripture have extolled the benefits of gratitude. Psychologists and medical professionals have identified three benefits from a thankful heart:
Physical benefits—stronger immune system, less body aches and pains, regulated blood pressure, a better sleep-wake cycle
Social benefits—better communication with others, increased empathy, increased likability
And Christians can add one more benefit to this list:
Spiritual benefits—more dynamic corporate worship, enchanted Christian testimony, perseverance through trials, fortification against giving in to temptation
The well-known Cleveland Clinic reported that an attitude of gratitude leads to overall wellness. When you are grateful for what you have, it improves your outlook mentally, physically, spiritually, and relationally.
Here are five things you can start doing today that will increase your gratitude levels, enhance your Christian testimony, and generally improve your life:
Switch your perspective. Worry is focusing on what you don’t have. Make the switch to gratitude by giving thanks for what you do have (Matthew 6:25-34).
Strengthen your relationships. It’s fine to weep with those who weep, but let’s encourage others and be encouraged by others so that we can rejoice with those who rejoice (1 Thessalonians 3:6-10),
Foster healthy habits. Dr. Luke gives us the pyramid of health that Jesus demonstrated in Luke 2:52. The pinnacle is strong relationships, and grateful people are more empathetic and likable.
Keep a gratitude journal so that you don’t forget what God has done for you (Psalm 106:7).
Talk about your gratitude. This instills thankfulness in other saints (Isaiah 63:7) and in future generations of your family (Isaiah 46:4), and it becomes a testimony for seekers (1 Peter 3:15).
Let me close with this observation from Blaise Pascal: “There are three kinds of people in the world; those who have sought God and found Him and now serve Him, those who are seeking Him, but have not yet found Him, and those who neither seek Him nor find Him. The first are reasonable and happy, the second reasonable and unhappy, and the third unreasonable and unhappy.”
Reasonable, happy saints are the ones who lift God high and invite others to know this All-Good, All-Happy God too! Not just at the Thanksgiving season, but starting now and then going all year long!
Follow along with all of the messages in this series called Be Thankful by clicking here.
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John Stonestreet used an interesting term (pre-political) that got me thinking about how many government programs would be unnecessary if the Church was doing what Jesus called the Church to do.
Here’s the full quote from John Stonestreet: “Christian political engagement should hit its fever pitch notduring elections. The only way to relieve the political pressures of our day is to build up the pre-political aspects of our life together, especially the family and the Church. When we care well for our children, our neighbors, and our communities, the state doesn’t have to.”
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Jesus had just healed the sick people that were brought to Him, and then we read:
So the crowd was astonished as they saw those who were unable to speak talking, those with impaired limbs restored, those who were limping walking around, and those who were blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:31)
Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He told His followers that they would do the same things He had done, including preaching the Gospel and healing the sick. The focal point is still to be the same as it was while Jesus was on earth: “They glorified God.”
We would laugh if an ax boasted about the tree he had cut down. We all know that the power came from the lumberjack.
It was the lumberjack who chose the ax, sharpened the ax, and skillfully used the ax to chop down the large tree. The felled tree is a testament to the lumberjack’s strength.
In the same way, God may use one of us as His instrument to display His power. If the blind receive their sight, the lame can walk, and the lost find Jesus as their Savior, we would laugh if the one who prayed or preached boasted about his ability that brought about these miracles.
These changed lives are a testament to the power and wisdom that flows from God. The one who prays or preaches is merely the instrument that was used by Him. God may pick up that person again and again, or He may lean him against the wall after one use. God determines the best instrument to use for His glory.
In fact, God Himself says, “Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it?” (Isaiah 10:15). And, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
Be careful if you find yourself thinking, “Look what I have done,” and let your heart quickly change that to, “Look what my merciful God has been please to do through Me!”
It’s not about our glory, is all about God’s glory!
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Much like Jude who had a message he wanted to deliver to the saints, but was compelled by the Holy Spirit to address something concerning him (Jude 3-4), I, too, was excited to deliver the next message in our series on discovering your gifts and then living in your gift zone. But I am deeply concerned about the words and actions of Christian saints during these past election cycles.
I recently heard John Stonestreet say, “Currently, politics is carrying far more cultural weight than it is able to bear.” I agree: Christians are putting far too much emphasis on political candidates than the Bible would suggest.
I frequently quote something from Charles Colson that always makes people smile. He said, “Salvation will never arrive in Air Force One.” The flip side is true as well: Neither will the Apocalypse arrive on Air Force One.
We have to remember that the Most High is sovereign over all the nations of the earth, and He gives them to whom He choose (Daniel 4:25, 32). When we think that our candidate or our party is the only way our nation can be saved, aren’t we elevating the political process above God’s plan?
I hope this doesn’t come as a shock to anyone, but there are no perfect candidates, perfect political parties, nor perfect party platforms. We can study our Bibles, pray, study the candidates’ lifestyle and policies, but ultimately we will have to cast a ballot for an imperfect candidate.
God doesn’t have an “R” or “D” next to His name. He has not endorsed a political candidate. You may be sitting next to someone right now that is going to vote for the opposite political party that you will be voting for. And the way we interact with those people—whether they are fellow Christians or not—is deeply concerning to me.
Moses saw a couple of fellow Israelites fighting each other, and he asked them, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew” (Exodus 2:13). The Hebrew word rea means a friend who is also a fellow citizen. These Hebrews were citizens of Zion, but they were living in Egypt, and they definitely weren’t treating each other in a way that would be a testimony to the Egyptians.
When Stephen retold this portion of the story in his sermon, he phrased it this way, “Men, you are brothers” (Acts 7:25-26). Stephen used the Greek word adelphos which literally means “from the same womb.” But the Christians used this word to mean brothers and sister in Christ—people with whom we will spend eternity.
Let us always remember that others who are participating in the American political process are BOTH fellow US citizens AND brothers and sisters in Christ.
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Return of the King, when Gandalf sees fellow citizens and friends at each other’s throats, he exclaims, “Work of the enemy! Such deeds he loves: friend at war with friend, loyalty divided, and confusion of hearts.” Indeed, the enemy of our souls would love to see the chaos of a nation at war with itself; especially to see Christians at odds with each other.
Paul said, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10). On the flip side, Jesus said that when we think or speak poorly of a fellow human, we are in danger of judgment (Matthew 5:22).
Listen to Paul’s appeal to his friends at Philippi—
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 2:1-2, 4:2-3)
The politicians we have are always downstream from culture, which means we have allowed those sorts of politicians to be in place.
John Stonestreet used a phrase I hadn’t heard before, but I think it’s appropriate: “Christian political engagement should hit its fever pitch notduring elections. The only way to relieve the political pressures of our day is to build up the pre-political aspects of our life together, especially the family and the Church. When we care well for our children, our neighbors, and our communities, the state doesn’t have to.”How true this is!
I wrote something this summer based on Isaiah 3:4-5. In essence, I wrote that God gives nations the “leaders” they deserve. They are leaders in that they occupy an office, but they don’t lead people nor care for the citizens—they don’t have wisdom to lead nor do they care about anyone but themselves. This is the inevitable result for a nation that turns its back on God! So if we think our political and civic leaders are self-focused, unskilled, and childish, we should look in the mirror. It’s not “them,” it’s us. We have to change—turning wholeheartedly to God—and only then God can change our leadership.
We need to be praying for our governmental leaders, not vilifying them. We need to be speaking well of our fellow US citizens. We need to be especially treating our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ well.
Our hope is not in the results of an election. Our hope is in Jesus. The way we treat BOTH fellow US citizens AND brothers and sisters in Christ will either point people to Jesus or to manmade political systems.
I pray we can do better at pointing people to Jesus! I pray I can do better!
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A quick recap: We are all gifted by God, but we typically restrict ourselves to a comfort zone which is much smaller than our God-given gift zone. In order to maximize our impact for the Kingdom of God, we are going to have to get uncomfortable with staying comfortable—we are going to have to trust God as we push out further into our gifts.
Last week I gave you a homework assignment to think about the things you love to do. Why do we need to know this? Because it is one of the indicators of our areas of giftedness.
In the whole carrot-versus-stick discussion, you will find that most people are motivated by reward way more than they are by the fear of punishment. Look at how these God-fearing men were motivated by the God’s rewards:
Who’s more likely to get the reward: the one who loves what they are doing or the one who hates what they are doing? We are more likely to stick with what we love doing, and you are going to love doing what you are gifted by God to do.
Why we do what we do is much more important that what we do (Isaiah 1:11, 13, 15; Matthew 7:22-23).
We have been gifted by God to do great things. When we do those great things, we are rewarded and it brings God glory. That realization should answer the question of why we do what we do (Ephesians 2:10).
The way we see the world, what motivates us, and how we act are all determined by our gifts. We are working on the same Great Commission, but how we live that out will be different because of our different gifts.
In the Old Testament, the saints wanted Zion to be strong and God-glorifying:
David fought battles and wrote worship songs
Solomon gave wise proverbs
Josiah brought about reforms
Ezra encouraged the Israelite governor and high priest
Daniel encouraged the Babylonian rulers
Nehemiah built the wall
In the New Testament era, the saints should all want the Body of Christ to be strong and God-glorifying. Toward that goal, we still need warriors, worshipers, wisemen, reformers, teachers, counselors, workers.
Toward that goal, we all have a part to play (Ephesians 4:12). Check out the example of Paul in…
…Thessalonica: Paul was in the synagogue on three Sabbaths (Acts 17:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:8)
…Corinth: Paul was synagogue on the Sabbath days, but after Silas and Timothy arrived, Paul was able to be preaching every day for 18 months (Acts 18:1-5, 11)
What’s the difference? Silas and Timothy used their gifts so that Paul could use his. Without the “enzyme” of Silas and Timothy’s gifting, the whole Body of Christ would have been impoverished.
One of the things that will help your spot your areas of giftedness is noticing what you are passionate about—What do you love to do?
Let me give you three things to consider:
When can I do this again? vs. When will this be over?
When I do this, I’m tired but fulfilled vs. When I do this, I’m tired.
I would do this without pay vs. I would rather find something else to do.
Our prayer should echo what Paul prayed:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9-12)
If you’ve missed any of the messages in our series Living in Your Gift Zone, you can find them all here.
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We as a Church are underperforming. How do I know this? Look at the way the world treats Christians; specifically, look at what’s NOT happening.
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus said this right after He served His disciples by washing their feet. Is this happening today: Do people know you are a Christian by the way you put your love into servant-hearted action, or do they just know what you are against?
“Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). When was the last time someone saw your hope-filled life in such contrast to everyone else’s response that they said, “How can I have what you have?”
Peter said our adversary prowls like a lion. He is perfectly willing to bide his time, picking the strategy that works best. One of his favorite strategies is lies—sometimes half-truths or out-of-context truths.
…Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. … The dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:12, 17).
Lies are his native tongue. He lied to Adam and Eve right in the beginning (Genesis 3:1, 4-5), and he still lies now (Revelation 12:10). Jesus contrasted this with the truth that He came to proclaim (John 8:42-45).
The devil has learned that with many people, outright attacks drive them TO God. We see this in the oldest book of the Bible (Job 1:6f, 20-22), and in modern times (churches were filled after the 9-11 terrorist attacks).
What the devil would rather do is lie to you to keep you comfortable. In The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape implores Wormwood to keep his patient indifferent and comfortable. Indeed, we all have a comfort zone and we love to stay in it.
King Saul went from 3000 men to 600 men, from a full armory to only two swords, from defeating the Ammonites to being hemmed in by the Philistines. King Saul was enjoying life as the king, hanging out with his friends, sitting under a pomegranate tree, far away from his enemies. Life was good for Saul, life was familiar and comfortable. Saul was living in his comfort zone. But the comfort zone is a lousy place to live.
In the comfort zone you only tell stories, but never live an adventure. In the comfort zone, you only hear about what God has done for others, but you never experience Him move in miraculous ways for yourself.
God has given us all gifts so that we can live as overcomers and bring Him glory, but we settle for living only in our comfort zone. Our comfort zones are always way smaller than our gift zones, and the devil is perfectly happy to see us stay there.
Moses was comfortable in the desert, but God sent him in His power (Exodus 3:11, 14).
David was comfortable in the pasture, but God equipped him to lead a whole nation (2 Samuel 7:18; Psalm 78:70-71).
Jeremiah was comfortable being an anonymous priest, but God gave him words to prophesy to a wayward nation (Jeremiah 1:4-8).
Saul was comfortable as a Pharisee, but God sent him to tell the world the Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 8:3; 1 Timothy 1:16).
What lies have kept you in your comfort zone?
Maybe a parent said, “You’ll never amount to anything.”
Maybe a teacher said, “You’re slow.”
Maybe a classmate said, “You’re weird.”
Maybe the devil said, “You cannot make a difference in the world.”
You need to silence those lies with God’s truth:
God created me on purpose and for a purpose—Psalm 139:13-17
He has given me all the gifts I need to soar—2 Peter 1:3-4
He wants to help me, if I will trust Him—Isaiah 41:10, 13-14
Charles Spurgeon said, “The extent of power God can infuse into a person is immeasurable; when divine strength is granted, human weakness ceases to be a hindrance.”
So, friends, it’s time to get uncomfortable with staying comfortable. It’s time to stretch and soar out of your comfort zone and into more of your gift zone!
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I am a big fan of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They are founded on biblical principles. I would paraphrase two of the most important ones as: (1) We need a Savior to set us free and (2) We need friends to lean on. James 5:16 says this as succinctly as any verse: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
AA says: “Often times, a person with substance use disorder may have a need for control that can prevent them from achieving peace of mind. They may feel frustrated that they cannot control the actions of other people and turn to substances like alcohol to control their feelings, even though the control that alcohol provides is a farce. The Serenity Prayer is a gentle reminder that letting go and accepting a loss of control can help put an end to the substance abuse cycle.”
In light of our series called Is That in the Bible? let’s ask, is the serenity prayer in the Bible.
No, it’s not, but still there are some very important principles we shouldn’t miss from this prayer.
The full prayer is—
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next. Amen.
Should Christians pray a prayer like this? Biblically, there is nothing wrong with Christians praying prayers that have been written by men or women, provided that they don’t contradict the words God has spoken to us.
Remember James 5:16 that we looked at earlier? The Personalized Promise Bible has a prayer for that verse:
If I have stumbled in any way, I do not need to fret over it—I can rest in full confidence that the Lord loves me and forgives all of my shortcomings. I also know that sin is a hindrance to my healing. Therefore, if there is any sin in my life I repent of it. I confess my sins to trusted brothers and sisters in Christ, gaining strength and praying in agreement with them so that I will be healed.
In a similar fashion, I see several passages of Scripture that are woven into the serenity prayer.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” Proverbs 1:2-3 describes the help God’s wisdom gives us for daily living.
“Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time.” Jesus taught us to pray each day for our daily bread (Matthew 6:8, 11).
“Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.” Jesus also taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10), and He also prayed a very similar prayer Himself when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).
“Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will.” Jesus promised us both trouble in this world and His overcoming power to stand strong in that trouble (John 16:33).
“That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next. Amen.” Jesus promises eternal rewards that vastly outweigh the trouble we may face in this life (Luke 12:32; Matthew 25:21, 34).
The bottom line: The Bible is not just a Book to read through but a Book to pray through. ALL Scripture is for ALL servants of God. ALL Scripture is applicable to ALL the circumstances we will ever face in life.
If something like the serenity prayer—or any other man-made prayer—is based on Scripture and helps give voice to your prayers, use them! But use them as guides to help you begin to form your own prayers from biblical passages you are reading for yourself.
Names convey character traits, honoring of the past, and hopes for the future. God knows all of our days and how our name will be remembered at each pivotal moment of our lives (Psalm 139:16). Our names are lovingly tattooed on His hands so He always sees them (Isaiah 49:16).
God not only knows and uses the name our parents have given us, but He has a name for each of us that only He knows. When we get to Heaven, He will reveal to each of us the unique name He has for us (Revelation 2:17).
The word Advent means the appearing—something that bursts onto the scene. At this time of year we are actually thinking about TWO Advents. We look backward in gratitude to celebrate the first Advent of Jesus when He was born in a manger in Bethlehem. And then we look forward in joyful expectation to the second Advent of Jesus when He will return to earth again as King of kings. As we will in this time between the Advents, there are four qualities that we should exemplify—the first is hope. 
Craig T. Owens 