Thankful for you...

We must give thanks to God for you always, Christian brothers. It is the right thing to do because your faith is growing so much. Your love for each other is stronger all the time. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 NLV

The old maxim is that you are what you eat. So what happens when you feed someone a steady diet of criticism?

Studies have shown that children who receive criticism on a daily basis from those who are important to them lose their motivation to try new things. They become discouraged and defeated.
Likewise parents who focus on the good things their children do, encourage them to work harder to do the things that please their parents. They develop higher self esteem and aren't afraid to try new things.

Couples who practice mutual respect and develop a complimentary attitude toward each other have stronger marriages. No, it's not always easy - it does take work, but it is worth it.

Sure there are times when we need to offer criticisms because of sin or problems in someone's life, but there are ways to phrase those criticisms constructively so that they become motivators instead of destroyers.

So, I wonder what our churches would look like if we worked harder at giving thanks for those we rub shoulders with instead of complaining and criticising them?

Here's a few suggestions to try this week:

• Find a young person and speak to them. Ask them about school and offer to pray for them for an upcoming test or project. Youth and adults are a lot like oil and vinegar - they don't mix until shaken together.
• Ask a single mom what she needs and offer to help or pray for her needs rather than complaining about her noisy children in church.
• Pray for someone who is ill, make a card or visit them. Listen to their health-related complaints and offer smiles and encouragement.

Pray and ask God to show you creative ways to bless and encourage those around you before judging or criticising them.

Prayer and praise

““O give thanks to the Lord. Call upon His name. Let the people know what He has done.” 1 Chronicles 16:8 NLV

God has given us some very unlikely weapons to fight the spiritual battles we face each day. On the surface, they don't look like they would accomplish much since they are only made up of words. But God has ordained them - they do work and are very powerful.

Prayer is one. It loosens the power of God so he can fight for and with us against the hard things that come against us.Because of prayer, God is able to do the impossible to save us out of difficult situations. Other times, prayer changes us somehow so that even if the circumstances in our lives don't change, we do. We can bear them and we can trust God to work the situations out for our good.

The other weapon is prayer's twin: praise. Praise is an extremely personal weapon in that it always affects us at the heart level. When we praise, our attitudes change - despair becomes hope; fear turns into trust.

This morning I read the testimony of a trafficking victim who was herded into shipping containers with several other women. She lived this way for three years but she still was able to retain her faith. How? She learned to sing praise songs to God in her darkest hours. And she taught the other women to sing with her.

Another prisoner was kept chained in a tiny, dark cell. He said the only part of his body not in chains was his mouth. Yet, he kept his faith strong by singing songs of praise to God. Somehow, another inmate heard him through a small hole in the stone wall and learned to sing the songs of praise. By the time he was released, 8 inmates had learned to sing praises to the Lord.

What ever kind of "prison" we live in today, we have the weapon of praise to heal, sustain and encourage us. The good news is that as we vocalize our praises, others are healed, sustained and encouraged too.

Thank you Lord for the twin weapons of prayer and praise. Teach us to wield them well! Amen.

“Tell of your joy to each other by singing the Songs of David and church songs. Sing in your heart to the Lord. Always give thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20 NLV

Have you ever had a song rumble around in your head that just won't quit?

Last night a beautiful old hymn of the church got stuck there and I found myself humming and singing the words I remembered over and over again. I'm not even shure why it was there, but it just reverberated there. So in light of today's verse, I think I should share that one with you. To hear the music, click on the video link at the bottom of this post:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near; Praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth! Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee; Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee. What need or grief ever hath failed of relief? Wings of His mercy did shade thee.

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging, Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging, Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace, Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.

Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding, Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding, Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night, Saints with His mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him. Let the Amen sound from His people again, Gladly for aye we adore Him.

***

Joachim Neander wrote the words to this hymn in German around 1674-79. It was one of many poems he wrote and sang to the Lord as he wandered the beautiful Düs­sel River Valley during the time when he was the principal of the Düs­sel­dorf Reformed Grammar School. At that time, the valley was a narrow gorge, full of caves and beautiful waterfalls - a perfect spot to inspire such majestic words.

As he wandered there, he often held outdoor gatherings where he would share his poems and preach about the Lord. Today the valley is named after Neander and is a wide, open area after being quarried for limestone deposits. And in case your wondering, yes, the famous remains of the "Neanderthal Man" were found there in a cave originally named after the hymnist.

Spinning around in circles

“May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 GNT

Eggo is a 10 year old Chihuahua who belongs to our daughter, but we offered to keep her when our daughter moved into a small apartment a few months ago.

Although she is a very vocal, yippy little dog, she does make us smile with some of her antics. Whenever I ask her if she needs to go outside, she scoots around the dining room table several times or dances around in circles until I can get the leash attached to take her out. If we've been gone for a period of time during the day, she will greet us in much the same way with happy little yips and circle spins as we pet and greet her.

Whenever I see her spinning around, I'm reminded of a definition of the word "rejoice" that I heard several years ago. According to the Ancient Hebrew Research Center, the Hebrew word most often translated as "rejoice" refers to spinning around in a circle.

There are times I get excited about the Lord here and now. I can only imagine an excitement so uncontainable that it causes me to spin around in circles when I see him face to face! How about you?

Lord, I rejoice at the thoughts of your coming. Amen!

Tomatoes and more tomatoes

Be glad you can do the things you should be doing. Do all things without arguing and talking about how you wish you did not have to do them. In that way, you can prove yourselves to be without blame. You are God’s children and no one can talk against you, even in a sin-loving and sin-sick world. You are to shine as lights among the sinful people of this world. Philippians 2:14-15 NLV

Last weekend, I bought a half bushel of Roma tomatoes to make and can spaghetti sauce. I haven't canned sauce for a while so I had forgotten what a big job it is. About halfway through the process of blanching and skinning the tomatoes, I realized I was grumbling to myself about all the extra work I had taken on. I didn't have to buy those extra tomatoes or make sauce - after all, I still had lots of tomatoes in my garden which would ripen over time. I could freeze them and make sauce later when it was cold outside.

The more I complained to myself, the harder the job seemed to become. My back started to hurt between my shoulder blades and I felt really tired. But then I decided to put on some praise and worship music so I didn't have to listen to myself complain.

As the music seeped into my soul, the job became easier and the tight muscles in my back relaxed a bit. No - not because the job had become easier, but because I had a change of attitude. I remembered why I wanted to make all that sauce; how good it would be to have a taste of summer in the dead of winter and to have some to share with my children who had families and jobs that prevented them from canning.

After I got all the tomatoes in my big roaster to cook, I remembered I needed to run some errands. On the way home, I ended up at a roadside farm stand where I bought another half bushel of Roma tomatoes to make more sauce.

No, I'm not a glutton for punishment. I know the amount of work that lies ahead. But because I can already see, smell and taste the goodness, I'm motivated for the work ahead. This time I'll start the process with praise and make the big job a lot easier!

Lord, help me to do everything without arguing and complaining. Thank you that a spoonful of praise makes everything easier! Amen.