Gratitude Is A Medicine

November 27, 2023 — 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. 

Gratitude is our shield against the negativity, and gratitude is also our sword against the ambushers. But using these pieces of our armor is exhausting, which means we also need a way to recover from the attacks of negativity. 

Jesus began His public ministry with a sermon that prompted Luke to record that “everyone spoke well of Him.” But in less than 60 seconds, after Jesus outlined how His ministry would unfold, Jesus is being criticized to the point where those same praising people are now ready to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:18-29)! 

Elbert Hubbard wrote, “If you have something others don’t, know something others don’t, or do something others aren’t doing, then, rest assured, you will be criticized. … To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.” 

Even though Hubbard is probably right, Christians don’t have the option to “say nothing, do nothing, be nothing,” because Jesus has called us to go into all the world, preach the Good News, and be salt and light. That means we will be victims of criticism. We can use our shield and sword of gratitude, but we are also going to need some medicine to help us recover too.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is a lie. Words do hurt. 

Jesus told us these stinging words would be thrown at us like sticks and stones in Luke 6:22. When we are criticized, we have to be careful not to get embittered. How does that happen? We are naturally self-protective, so criticized people become critical and cynical unless they can be healed and have joy restored. If we hold on to our hurts, bitterness can fester in our hearts (Hebrews 12:14-15). 

Look at David in Psalm 69. He acknowledged the attacks from his enemies and how it made him feel, but then he applies the healing medicine of gratitude—

But as for me, afflicted and in pain—may Your salvation, God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:29-30) 

Our healing is in our thanking! 

Medical research has shown that gratitude improves physical health—it reduces stress and resets the heart’s healthy rhythm. This is just as true spiritually: gratitude is our medicine. 

You may be thinking, “How can I bless critical people? How can I be grateful when I’m surrounded by such hostility?”  

David also wrote Psalm 23 for us. This is the psalm that begins, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.” But notice especially the words of verse 5: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” 

It is precisely in the presence of enemies that God invites us to abide with Him and to receive His medicine of anointing. But I also see that our Good Shepherd doesn’t just give us adequate blessings, but overflowing blessings—enough for me and more to share with those around me. 

In the New Testament Greek, one word for “bless” is eulogeo which literally means “good words.” Jesus, Paul, and Peter all tell us that when we are victims of the sticks and stones of negative words, we are to respond by saying good words both to God and to those who are hurling evil words at us (Matthew 5:43-44; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Peter 3:9). 

Peter shows us exactly how Jesus did this when He was hanging on the Cross and enduring the sneers, mocking words, and insults from those surrounding Him (1 Peter 2:21-23; Luke 23:35-39). Instead of throwing evil words back at them, Jesus blessed them by saying, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). 

Learn a lesson from our Lord
Often silence cuts like a sword
When we stand upon the Rock
We needn’t bother when fools mock


Bantering with fools just won’t do


Unless you want to be foolish too


To the wisest words they won’t listen


But joy in airing their own opinion




Our Lord knew just what to do


When mockers hurled words untrue


He entrusted things to the King


Who perfectly records everything




Help us follow the example You gave


To not engage with those who rave


May not our hasty words undo



Because we have been forgiven, we can forgive. Because we have been blessed with overflowing blessings, we can bless. Our healing is in our thanking! 


If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series on power of gratitude, you can check them all out by clicking here. 


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WWLD?

November 15, 2023 — 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. 



An expert in Jewish law asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” 


Jesus, knowing this man was an expert in the law, turned the question back on him, “What do you think is written in the law about this?” 


This man quoted to Jesus two passages in the mosaic law, and Jesus told him, “You have answered correctly. If you do that you will have eternal life.” 


The two things he quoted were loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself. But then comes an interesting phrase. Luke writes that, “He wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” This tells me that this expert in the law was trying to figure out the least that he could do to be approved by God. 


In answer to his question, Jesus told the story that we now refer to as the parable of the good Samaritan. The Samaritan didn’t measure his love by the least he could do, and he didn’t limit himself to doing only what was comfortable or convenient. In fact, he didn’t measure his response at all—he simply did what was needed without any thought of the cost. 


This is exactly what Jesus did too. He gave all that was needed because He was motivated by love (Philippians 2:6–8; John 3:16–17, 15:13).


We often use WWJD to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” 


Since Jesus embodied love, maybe a more clarifying question would be WWLD—What would love do?


Maybe we could combine this with the Golden Rule. If I was in need, how would I want my neighbor to treat me? Then, as Jesus said to the expert in the law, “Go and do likewise to all your neighbors.” This is what pleases God and glorifies Jesus. 


(Read this whole account for yourself in Luke 10:25-37.) 


Perhaps a good prayer for us would be: Heavenly Father, I want to love the way Jesus loved. Help me to do what Love would do in all my interactions with my neighbors today. Father, be glorified in my neighborly responses today. I want to follow the example Jesus gave me, so I pray this prayer in His name. Amen.


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Links & Quotes

November 4, 2023 — Craig T. Owens 








Healthy leaders look in the mirror first before they confront a teammate on something that needs to change. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on The Craig and Greg Show about defeating the two-headed leadership killer of ignorance and arrogance. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.




“I am often, I believe, praying for others when I should be doing things for them. It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see him.” —C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer


“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” —William James


The most empowered and empowering person is the one who remains in Jesus.


“Whereas three or more incidents of intense stress within a year (say, serious financial trouble, being fired, or a divorce) triple the death rate in socially isolated middle-aged men, they have no impact whatsoever on the death rate of men who cultivate many close relationships.” —Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee, Primal Leadership


T.M. Moore has an outstanding series of posts on how Christians should interact with the governments in the lands in which they live. I highly recommend this series to you. T.M. wrote, “We have seen that justice is a jewel of many facets. In its obligatory facet, justice requires that we love our neighbors simply because they are made in the image of God. We must regard them, and do with them, as we wish to be regarded and done with ourselves. In its preventive facet, justice demands that we use forethought in all our actions to make sure, as far as possible, that our neighbor or his property is not injured by what we do. Distributive justice encourages us to share generously with our neighbors and others in need. Restorative justice comes into play when the balance of neighbor love has become disturbed and the one guilty of disturbing it is required to set things right again. Each of these forms of justice, grounded in the Law of God, is very much a part of life in our society today. It is simply mindless or prejudicial to insist that we should have no input from Scripture or the Law of God, either in the public square or in the making of public policy. Our nation was founded on Biblical principles of justice, and to deny this is to rewrite history past and to put in jeopardy history to come.”


The Greek word translated as “consider” in Hebrews 3:1 means to observe closely, to consider attentively, to fix your eyes or mind upon it. In its context, this verb is usually directing us to the end result of being in awe, kindling a renewed faith, and being rejuvenated with a new resolve to move forward. This is what happens especially when we consider Jesus❣️








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Can’t, Won’t, or Don’t

November 1, 2023 — 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. 



I think it is very instructive that Jesus began His three years of public ministry after thirty years of preparation, and that He began His daily ministry after an early-morning prayer session. If Jesus needed that kind of preparation time, what would make us think we could do with anything less?


Karl Vaters and I discussed Chapter 10 of my book Shepherd Leadership which is entitled “Can’t, Won’t, or Don’t” This chapter (and our conversation) covers the three main reasons leaders need to address to make sure they are being adequately prepared.





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The Lens For Difficult Biblical Passages

October 31, 2023 — 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. 



If you’ve ever found sections of the Bible difficult to understand, I’ve got a few thoughts to help you out.


Check out this episode of The Podcast.




Resources mentioned in this video:



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Because You Say So

October 25, 2023 — 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 had been a long, fruitless night of fishing for Peter, Andrew, and their fishing partners. They came back to shore and began to wash their nets which had caught nothing all night long. 


As they washed their nets, no doubt contemplating how they were going to make ends meet without any fish to sell in the marketplace, they listened to an itinerant Preacher. This Man was fascinating to listen to as He talked about Scripture in a way none had ever heard. 


The crowds listening to Him swelled in size—almost spellbound by His kindness and wisdom—until the Preacher had no place left to stand on the shore. Turning to Peter, the Preacher said, “Peter, my name is Jesus. Would you allow Me to stand in your boat so I can continue to speak to all of these good people?” 


Peter welcomed Him onto his ship and pushed out a little ways from shore. There he sat and continued to listen with growing amazement at the way this Man taught. It was unlike anything Peter had heard from any other rabbi. 


When Jesus concluded His sermon and dismissed the crowds, He turned to Peter and said, “Thank you for helping Me. I know it’s been a tough night for you. If you will sail back out to deeper waters, you will be able to let down your nets for a huge catch.” 


Peter smiled and said, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught a thing. I doubt we will be able to catch anything now.” For a brief moment, Peter contemplated rowing Jesus back to shore, but those words he had heard Jesus speaking were still resonating in his heart, bringing to life a faith he hadn’t known. 


Almost before he realized he was speaking the words, Peter said, “But because You say so, I will obey.” 


No sooner had Peter and Andrew let their nets down into the deep water, than they caught so many fish that their nets almost began to break. They shouted to their partners for help. Even with their combined efforts, the amount of fish they caught nearly sunk their boats! (See Luke 5:1-11.)


What an example Peter has given me! 


It may seem illogical, unconventional, counter-cultural, scary, or embarrassing. But because You say so, I will obey. 


I may lose friends, lose “face,” lose position, lose money, or lose possessions. But because You say so, I will obey. 


I may feel afraid, uncertain, unclear, confused, or skeptical. But because You say so, I will obey.


It’s only in my obedience that I can see Your power, Your lordship, Your wisdom, Your blessing, and Your glory.  So because You say so, I will obey. 


Jesus, You said, “Anyone who loves Me will obey Me” (John 14:23). I do love You, Jesus. No matter what it is, because You say so, I will obey. 


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Impossible Or Opportunity?

October 4, 2023 — 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 dad knew it was impossible. His son knew it was impossible since he had lived with it nearly all of his life. All of their family and friends knew it was impossible because they had seen the devastation. The disciples of Jesus even proved it was impossible. 


The son was plagued by a demon. In a last-ditch effort, the beleaguered dad brought his boy to the disciples of Jesus. But the disciples were stymied. The dad said to Jesus, “I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they could not” (see Luke 9:37-43; Mark 9:14-27).


Jesus loves “impossible” situations. 


What seems impossible to humans is merely an opportunity for the greatness of God to be seen.


Don’t run from your difficulties.


Don’t quake at the impossibilities.


Don’t try to solve the seemingly unsolvable on your own.


Bring the “impossible” to Jesus. 


Jesus said to the dad, “Bring your son here.” Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 


This is why Jesus loves it when we bring the impossible to Him: God’s glory is made abundantly clear. Luke records, “And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.” 


The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory of God is seen in the deliverance. 


Don’t throw in the towel on your situation. Don’t throw up your hands in despair. Instead, bring your impossibility to the One who is never stymied, never at a loss, never too weak or too busy to meet your need. Bring it to Jesus and let Him do what only He can do. 


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Shift Your Faith

October 2, 2023 — 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. 



When Luke says first that “Jesus grew in wisdom,” that is our indication that a healthy mind is at the foundation for every other aspect of health (Luke 2:52). We don’t see Jesus anxious or worried, we don’t see Him confused in His thinking, or even indecisive of what to say or do. So by studying the life of Jesus—and the Scriptures on which He relied—we, too, can improve our mental health. 


This may sound unbelievable when you first read this, but I believe that at their foundation, anxiety and assurance are remarkably similar. The similarity is that they both have faith. 


The dictionary defines faith as a strong or unshakeable belief in something. The biblical definition of faith is remarkably similar: “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). 


Using those definitions of faith, let me point out the similarity and the difference between the anxious mind and the assured mind:


    

  • Anxiety is faith or expectation that something bad is going to happen. 
    • 

  • Assurance is faith or expectation that something good is going to happen. 
    • 



But the biggest difference of all is seen in the mental health of the one worried and anxious about the bad things that are coming versus the one who is confidently assured of the good things that are coming. 


If we are going to be mentally healthy people, we need to shift our faith from anxiety to assurance every single time we feel the worry building in our hearts. This isn’t just changing our mindset but knowing what we believe and why we believe it. 


Assurance and anxiety both believe in the unseen. The assured person believes in God’s promises to provide all that we need, while the anxious person doubts their own abilities and resources will be able to sustain them. 


As a result, the assured person has an abundance mindset, while the anxious person has a scarcity mindset. 


These feelings can be traced back to our faith about the origins of the universe. The assured person believes that God transcends this universe—that He existed before time began and spoke all created things into existence (Hebrews 11:3). But the anxious person is still trying to find answers in constantly-changing theories about the universe’s beginning. 


Since the anxious person thinks the universe’s beginning was an accident, they can easily wonder if their own life is an accident. But the assured person believes they have been uniquely and purposefully created by God to have eternal purpose (Psalm 139:13, 16; Jeremiah 1:5). 


Finally, the person who sees the universe and their own life as accidental becomes quite anxious and uneasy when they think about death, and what may or may not come on the other side. But the one who trusts God as their Creator is confident that God is their eternal reward (Hebrews 11:6). 


Hebrews 11 is filled with the accounts of assured people who shifted their faith away from anxiety—believing something bad was going to happen—to the assurance that God was bringing about something incredibly good! Hebrews 12 then invites Christians today to remember that cloud of witnesses and keep our eyes on Jesus, who is described as the Author and Perfecter of our faith, so that we don’t lose hope (Hebrews 12:1-3). 


I’ve previously shared seven strategies for a Christian to maintain a strong mental health. Our eighth strategy is a constant shifting of our faith away from anxiety to assurance. Every single time an anxious thought tempts us to believe something bad is coming, we need to make a shift toward the assurance of God’s goodness. 


Really quickly, here is how we can use the first seven strategies to help us make that shift: 


    

  1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you make a new path. 
    2. 

  2. Notice your fearful or anxious words and pull them out by the root.  
    3. 

  3. Confront the thought patterns that are causing fear or anxiety. 
    4. 

  4. Talk back to those fearful thoughts with the truth from God’s Word. 
    5. 

  5. Check the inputs that may be causing fear (poor diet, not taking time for solitude, anxious friends, etc.). 
    6. 

  6. Focus on today—I like the words of the song “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow!” 
    7. 

  7. Don’t look to escape, but take time to de-escalate. 
    8. 



If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series on mental health, you can find all of them by clicking here. 


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A Proactive Pause

September 25, 2023 — 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’s keep in mind why we are learning and working on these spiritual disciplines. The key phrase is “so that”—I get stronger so that we can get stronger.


Today we are looking at spiritual discipline #2—Solitude. We will need discipline to abide with Jesus in our time of solitude—removing all distractions—so that we can respond better to our circumstances, and help other saints respond better too. 


Part of the dictionary definition of solitude is “a place absent of human activity.” Note that important word human activity. Solitude is a time for stepping back from all our human striving to get a heavenly perspective. Solitude is a proactive pause in difficult times so that we can respond with a God-honoring reaction. 


Let me give you five ideal situations to discipline ourselves to find solitude. 


(1) After ministry exertion. I’m sure there have been times when an interaction with another person or a group of people has exhausted you. It’s at these times we should find a place of solitude to be refreshed, just as Jesus did (Luke 5:16). 


(2) In stormy times. When everything around us seems to be unstable, proactively pausing in a time of solitude is saying with the psalmist, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble,” and then hearing God say to our anxious hearts, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:1, 10). These are the same words Jesus said to both the stormy seas and the disquieted hearts of His disciples (see Mark 4:35-39). 


(3) When we’re between a rock and a hard place. This is when we feel like neither option before us is a pleasant one. Like when the Israelites were caught between the onrushing Egyptian army and the uncrossable Red Sea. Listen to how similar the words of Moses sound, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (see Exodus 14:1-14). 


(4) When we have a big decision ahead. We may gather all of the information and do our our research and still feel inadequate to make a good decision. Jesus had hundreds of disciples, but He needed to choose just twelve to serve as His apostles. Before making this decision, Jesus spent the night in solitude with His Father (Luke 6:12-13). 


(5) When we get angry. There are other strong emotions that sometimes seem to overwhelm us, but I’ve noticed that anger causes more people to fly off the handle than most of the other emotions. When Jesus saw the shameful way the temple was being used, He got so angry that His disciples recalled the Psalm that said zeal was burning Him up (Psalm 69:9; John 2:17). Instead of reacting in the heat of the moment, Jesus spent all night in solitude with His Father (Mark 11:11, 19).  


Our solitude time could include Bible reading, but it’s probably more of a time for quieting ourselves—taking a break from human activity—so we can hear the Holy Spirit reminding us of what we’ve already studied (John 14:26).  


Then keep in mind that solitude is not retreating and staying away from others, but solitude is so that I can effectively respond to pressing situations. Christian solitude is not me-time, it’s us-time (where the “us” is me + Jesus) so that I’m ready for we-time (where the “we” is me + others). 


This is such an important discipline for Christians so that we don’t respond inappropriately in an intense situation, but we respond in a Christ-like way that brings glory to God. Pay attention to your strong emotions, listen to the Holy Spirit, and proactively find a place of solitude. 


If you have missed any of the other messages in this series called Saints Together, you can find them all by clicking here.


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Save Your Breath

September 20, 2023 — 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.



I know you want to lash out against those evil people who come at you—just to say something that will “put them in their place.” 


I get it. I feel like that at times too. 


But pause. 


Think about the last rain storm that came your way. The rain beat down on your roof and the wind blew against the walls of your house. You knew that there was no reason to yell at the rain because you were safe in your house. You also knew that yelling at the wind and the rain wouldn’t do a thing to it. 


Isaiah describes the breath of ruthless, wicked people as “a rain storm against a wall.” The wicked may rain on you, but you have an unshakable house.


Recall the words of Jesus—


Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)


When you abide in Jesus—when His words are the foundation of your life—you are safe and secure. There is no reason to fret about the breath of the ruthless, there is no reason to lash out at them. In fact, there might not be any reason to speak to them at all.


The stormy breath of the wicked will eventually give out. Their power has a limit. But you are secure inside the Limitless One, the Omnipotent One! The One who is eternal will never run out of strength and love for you. 


Let the evildoers rage, but you can save your breath. Instead of using your breath to respond to their howling words, use your breath to praise the One who holds you securely forever!


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