November 25, 2009
Can you give thanks for 2009?
I just flew in from Atlanta after recording three new small group series and two new television series. It was very intense, but I had a great time and I’m very excited to see how God will use what we’ve done to help “Christians live like Christians” here and all around the world.
On the five hour flight home I spent a lot of time thinking and remembering. It’s easy to get so focused on the future or the challenges that we face that we fail to stop… and really remember!
Remembering does not seem like such a big deal until you open the Scriptures and read the book of Deuteronomy or recall the story of Jesus and the 10 lepers. In both cases forgetting what God had done in the past led them to miss God’s best in the future. And so on a plane, I let my mind drift back over all of 2009 and much of 2008. I wrote in my journal and sat in the dark silence at 30,000 feet remembering my experience of our Lord’s intervention of grace in my life, in my family and in the ministry of Living on the Edge.
I wasn’t really thinking about “Thanksgiving” at the time, but I found myself quietly giving thanks and writing down specific answers to prayer that seemed like possibilities only a few months ago.
I do not know what your Thanksgiving plans are, but I encourage you to find a quiet place and… remember…
If you need a little help getting started, let me share with you the brief outline that I will be teaching from this weekend at Venture . It is a short 20 minute message that will be followed by multiple testimonies and pictures to help us remember what God has been doing at Venture Christian Church and in our personal lives.
As you look over the outline and partake of the “exercise in remembering” please know that we at Living on the Edge are very thankful for you…
your prayers…
you’re leading of a small group…
your ministry to others with the tools that we provide…
your financial support …
your e-mails and letters…
your iPod downloads…
and your commitment to becoming r12 Christians are all causes of rejoicing and Thanksgiving here at Living on the Edge.
Giving Thanks for 2009 – Psalm 103
1. There is awesome power in REMEMBERING.
1“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . .”
- Remembering is a deliberate CHOICE
2. Remembering God’s specific acts of kindness change our FOCUS and PERSPECTIVE.
3“. . . who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: . . .”
- Reflecting on God’s gracious acts ushers us into a knowledge of His WAYS.
A Personal Exercise in “Remembering”
1. List 5 things you’re thankful happened in 2009.
2. List 4 people you’re glad that are in your life.
3. List 3 painful or difficult things that have caused you to draw closer to God in 2009.
4. List 2 things you tend to take for granted that were listed in Psalm 103:3-6
5. Memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 this week and practice what it says . . .
16“Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
danaetherton@msn.com on November 26th, 2009
Thank you for this study this morning. Although I was reading through Hebrews this morning, Psalm 103 and your specific questions and challenges have given me clearer calling for today. I will have about 20 family and friends (mostly unbelievers or wayward Christians) join us for Thanksgiving. I get frustrated when I see that it appears that I impact them so little for the Lord. Ps 103:7 “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.” The Lord impressed on my heart that He shows me many things about Himself like He did to Moses. And He is big enough to make His deeds known to ALL who will come to my house just as He did the entire nation of Israel even though they were rebellious and stiff necked. Your question about what verses I take for granted caused me to see what I overlook. I feel free to enter His rest today, to love my guests and show hospitality with my thoughts fixed on Jesus Heb. 3:1. Thank you Chip for practical steps all year long that allow the Miracle of Life Change in me, a Martha by nature with a strong bent toward worry & workaholism. The Lord continues to set me free by His grace. God bless you, your family, and the ministry of LOTE.