The Strength to be Honest (Gratitude 18)

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me…So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:23-25, 27-28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul passed on what he received and it included giving thanks. I have heard the communion explained countless times and yet I cannot remember one time where just as part of the explanation someone included the giving thanks bit. If you were asked to describe what happened at the last supper what would you highlight? I think I would included who was there, what he said, what they ate and the Judas interaction but I don’t think I would have remembered that he gave thanks.

The thing about this is that Paul had heard it from the Lord himself… When Jesus was explaining the communion to Paul and what had happened Jesus told him “I gave thanks and took bread and said the following”. It is easy to miss this point, but Jesus in a supernatural interaction with Paul decided a key fact that had to be passed on and had to be included in the Bible was that he gave thanks.

I guess there are many reasons for this but in this passage the Corinthians were struggling to be honest with themselves. They were not taking time to reflect on their own hearts and lives before communion with tragic consequences. I think that we often don’t face up to ourselves because we have forgotten just how blessed we are. We worry what others will think, what they will say, what we will think and say about ourselves even. However, when we are grateful for all the amazing blessings we have, when we think that God is our Father and all that means then it gives us the ability to be honest.

Perhaps take some time today to reflect on all the good things God has given you, not least the communion and what that tells us about Gods love and grace. Then use the confidence, peace and security that brings to be honest with yourself and others about what the Holy Spirit wants you to change?

Making it Public (Gratitude 17)

“Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:33-35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Pauls confidence is amazing. They haven’t eaten for 14 days, a storm has blown them off course, the experienced sailors are terrified and the guards want to kill the prisoners, yet Paul is confident.

He has been told by God that no one will be lost as long as they listen to him and he takes God at his word. It is so easy to know the great promises of God and yet in the storms of life to act like they are not true.

You will have your favourites but here are a few of God’s promises we can rely on:

1. God has promised to supply every need we have – “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. Phillipians 4:19.
2. God has promised that His grace is sufficient for us – “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬
3. God has promised that His children will not be overtaken with temptation – “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬
4. God has promised us victory over death – “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:54-57‬ ‭NIV‬‬
5. God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love Him – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬
6. God has promised that those who believe in Jesus and are baptized for the forgiveness of sins will be saved – “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts‬ ‭2:38-39‬ ‭NIV‬‬
7. God has promised His people eternal life – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John‬ ‭10:27-28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul knew these promises and lived like they were true. As a result when it came down to it he was able to give thanks, in the midst of a storm PUBLICLY. He wasn’t embarrassed, he wasn’t keeping it on the quiet just in case, he thanked God publicly. It was high risk but he had faith in a faithful God.

So the key question today is how could you go public with your gratitude?

Gratitude Jesus’ Signature Move (Gratitude 16)

“He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared4 from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:25-32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The disciples hearts were burning within them as they heard the word of God. Jesus took them through a complete Old Testament survey. All the key verses and insights about the Messiah and what had to happen were laid out before them as they walked together. Can you imagine what it would be like to listen to the greatest bible scholar and authority in the history of the world. I am not surprised their hearts were burning. Burning with insight, conviction, faith, hope and wonder.

All that being said though, they didn’t recognise Jesus. I wonder what they saw when they looked at him. How was it that they couldn’t recognise him? Was it disguise on Jesus’ part? Discouragement on the part of the disciples? Was it a spiritual blindness that came on them or simply that this wasn’t how Jesus usually acted?

Regardless of why they didn’t recognise him, the trigger to the breakthrough though was gratitude!

Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and handed it to them. This was Jesus’ signature move. Most of us have one. A mannerism or trait or habit that that is unique to us. It is the thing that marks us out as us.

Gratitude was Jesus’. When they saw him being grateful they immediately recognised him.

So I suppose the key question today is whether the same can be said of us?

Gratitude in the face of adversity (Gratitude 15)

In the face of all our challenges God still calls us to be grateful! The media is full of adversity stories, people are ill and some survive but many die, the economy is in trouble and people are losing jobs, houses and their savings, and the message is that the world is facing something unprecedented. So how do we respond to this as Christians?

I think there are a number of answers to that question but the one I am going to focus on is that we should be grateful!

Adversity is supposed to be our companion as a Christian. I know that doesn’t sound great but it actually is. Without adversity we don’t grow, God can’t discipline us so we miss out on the harvest of righteousness, our faith shrivels up and miracles die out. I know this is easy to say and sounds so trite but Jesus knew this and so didn’t avoid adversity because he knew how important it was.

“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:14-20, 22-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The thing that gives us hope that even when facing adversity we can be grateful is Jesus’ life. He did go through the worst of the worst but he didnt resort to sin and therefore his example has the authority to call us to this standard.

Jesus faced it all and yet still was known for and constantly praised. as he approached the greatest adversity of life, the separation from God on the cross as a result of sins he didn’t commit, he was grateful. As he ate for with his betrayer, he was grateful. As they argued about who was the greatest, he was still grateful!

I have recently been betrayed at work by someone I really care about. The truth is the Covid situation freaked them out so they started to try and steal clients and look after themselves. There is no way, if I wasn’t a Christian that I would be grateful right now. I would be angry and vengeful and full of malice.

To compare my little challenge with the psychological, emotional and relational pressure Jesus was facing is ridiculous and yet he was still grateful.

The interesting thing of course is where he found it, in his food and drink, the most basic of commodities.

So, if you are struggling a little with gratitude today, perhaps spend time thanking God every time you receive something basic and simple. Every cup of tea, coffee, piece of food, etc. You never know it might just reset your expectations and help you see the good in what is otherwise a very challenging time.

Learning to be Grateful can take a while (Gratitude 14)

Have you ever noticed how short our spiritual memories are? We can experience great miracles, massive spiritual highs and see the hand of God one day and the next be stressed out and fearful. This very human characteristic of spiritual amnesia can make learning to be grateful a very slow lesson indeed.

We are not alone though, through out the Bible we see people experiencing Gods blessing one day and then seeming to forget it the next. In todays verse it is the disciples turn to experience this spiritual amnesia.

“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:32-34, 36-38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have very short memories. This miracle is almost a repeat of the the feeding of the 5,000. A hungry crowd, a compassionate Jesus and disciples who can only see the problem. They must have groaned inwardly when he asked how many loaves and how many fish do we have. They must have realised when he gave thanks that once again a little is always enough with God when we are doing his will. I guess they also promised that they would never forget such an amazing day as they picked up all the broken pieces. The trouble is though, we know they will, just as we do.

The disciples had seen the feeding of the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 small fish and they had now seen the feeding of the 4000 with slightly more resources 7 loaves and some small fish. The key point is that the two extra loaves were still not enough without God. It was always going to be about God, even if they had a mobile bakery following them around. So if you are feeling grumpy, frustrated, angry, resentful about something or someone, you are probably suffering from spiritual amnesia and need to remember the amazing things God has done in your life.

He created everything from nothing and doesn’t need any resources to achieve anything.

The challenge here though is not to have head knowledge only! We need to always thanks God for what He has given us and even more than that we need to reflect and pray until we feel it.

If you are struggling with this perhaps make lists each day of the amazing miracles he has done in your life and the things he has done, that you said would change your life if he answered your prayer.

The Secret to Long Term Joy(Gratitude 12)

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”” Luke‬ ‭17:11-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The key point to this verse is super clear – only 1 out of the 10 was grateful enough to praise God and thank Jesus personally. I am sure the other 9 were grateful they were healed. I am sure they were super excited and amazed. They just didn’t make their gratitude public and come back to Jesus.

The miracle turned them into happier people but not worshipers of Jesus. They will have been healthier physically but missed the actual point of the blessing. I heard today about something called the 99 Problems List. It basically means that at any given time you have a set number of problems, lets call it 99. If you work really hard at one and get it off the list then the idea is that you will still have 99 because it will be replaced by another. This is important because the Lepers had just got rid of their biggest problem but a key truth about life on Earth is that, over time, it will be replaced with another and unless they learn to praise and thank God they will be in the same place as they were before.

In fact, studies show that good news like a pay rise, etc increases our joy by about 10% and lasts for up to 6 months, then we revert back to our base level of happiness. This is why Lottery winners report the same amount of general happiness 1 year after they win the money as they did before they won. The only activity that has been shown to keep us happier for the long term is to practice gratitude.

The only one who was healed that day who will have sustainable happiness and joy is the one who constantly reminds himself that he has an amazing Father who cares for him and maintains a personal and expressive gratitude for Jesus.

The foreigner got it right!

The desire for miracles when we are in pain is natural and relief will come.

How long it lasts is up to you.

There is a throne and someone is on it (Gratitude 11)

I have spent a lot of time thinking about God as a Father this year and it has reminded me that it doesn’t matter how long you are a Christian, God is still full of surprises. Thinking about God rather than how he relates to us or what he can do for us but just about him is a great thing to do. It helps us to not have an earth centric view of him and to focus on heaven where it all started and will end. Todays scripture is a great one to help with this.

“The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:” Revelation‬ ‭4:7-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Whenever I find a scripture with words that seem similar I know there is something powerful in the original Greek. Chapter 4 of the Revelation is an amazing one. It is about the throne room of heaven and includes one of the most enigmatic, reassuring and faith building scriptures in the Bible – “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” Revelation‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭NIV‬.

Whatever we are facing today we can always know and be sure of the simple fact that there is a throne in heaven and that it is not empty. Someone is on it, ruling and guiding and ultimately judging. Of course this is only wonderful if you know the one on the throne and if your view of him is something that encourages you.

So how did you see God? Your answer to that question is the most important thing in your life. It will determine your response to challenges and blessings and to people who are kind or harsh or in need.

In Chapter 4, the creatures around the throne see and know God at all times and for all time so, I wold suggest they are pretty good guides for how we should think of God.

The first thing they do is give glory to God. The Greek word here speaks of something’s intrinsic value. That is to say, there are things about God that just make him worthy of glory regardless of how we feel, what we connect with and how life happens to be on a given day. As you pray and live your life do you know these things and hold onto them as an anchor? Knowing God is awesome and glorious and on the throne of the universe is an essential truth and something we need to be experts in.

The next thing they do is give honor to God. The word used here means the perceived value of something. This is an important difference as Glory is about what is true regardless of our experience but honor is something we give for the things of God we are in touch with and perceive as valuable. Sometimes I can be a bit in my head and pray about Gods glory (things that are true but not necessarily experience) and forget that I should also find things experientially and personally wonderful about God. It is a relationship and needs to be lived as one. There are awesome things about my wife that I know but if I live for long without a personal sense of them then quite frankly I am not going to have a great marriage. The opposite is true though which is that our feelings and thoughts are not the world. God is still great and big and wonderful even if we are a little estranged from him for a while. This is particularly important when our forgiveness of ourselves is lagging behind Gods forgiveness of us.

Finally the third thing the creature give are thanks. This is the final and essential step the creatures took. This study of gratitude has really helped me to see that I spend most of my time in the first of these stages and through prayer and bible study I usually get to the second but that I have spent large amounts of time missing the true sense of Gods awesomeness because I often struggle to get to this third stage of deep and profound thanks.

How about you, where have you spent most of your time this year?

1. Knowing God is great?

2. Valuing his awesomeness in your day to day life?

3. Expressing real gratitude to Him for who he is?

When the wait is long (Gratitude 9)

My last blog talked about what to do when prayer is hard and todays is about when it is easy. It is such an inspiring scripture about the release of answered prayer. While the last one talked about being reminded to be devoted todays talks about a time in Pauls life when he couldn’t do anything but pray, he had no rest, no peace and would have been praying continually. It then talks about what it feels like to get through that time and to see the answer and to finally experience the extraordinary joy of answered prayer.

6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 1 Thessalonians 3:6-9

He was obsessed with how the Thessalonians were doing. – “So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:1-3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He would rather be left alone than not know how they were. You can imagine him watching and praying for Timothy’s return. Encouraged when the weather was good, praying all the harder when it wasn’t, his eyes fixed on the horizon seeking for any sign Timothy was on his way back.

Is there anything in your life that you are hanging on for? Something you are scanning the horizon for and desperately seeking Gods intervention in. The good news is that he is working, even when Paul couldn’t see Timothy, the good news was there, even as Timothy traveled back but was still out of sight the good news was still there and when it finally arrived it was all the more awesome for the wait.

It is great to keep in mind the fact that the greater the wait, the more the prayer the sweeter the victory.

When prayer isn’t your favourite thing (Gratitude 8)

Prayer can be challenging, which to some degree is a surprise because it is an incredible privilege. It is an opportunity to spend time with the most inspiring, exciting and awesome Father who loves us and wants the best in everything. He has designed a world so we could be his children and has experienced extraordinary pain in giving birth to and bringing up his wayward children. He is awesome and yet it is so easy to not get up and pray. It is too easy to be busy and distracted and to be unsure if it is even worth it.

If we were convinced and I mean truly convinced about prayer I don’t think it would be an “ad hoc chat” type thing, or a “I prayed for 30 mins and then go on with my day” type thing or reserved for Church and meals. It would be a life style. People would relax by praying, an evening in would be the most awesome opportunity to pray rather than hit Netflix. We also wouldn’t have scriptures like todays.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul calls the Colossians to DEVOTE THEMSELVES to prayer. The word devote in Greek is proskarteréō and means to consistently show strength which prevails (in spite of difficulties); to endure (remain firm), staying in a fixed direction or to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty. Paul wasn’t surprised by the fact that people are not consumed by prayer so he calls us to put intense effort in despite the challenges.

I am sure you can create your own list of why prayer isn’t our greatest distraction that but for me they include:

1. We are Designed to be Interactive– All through the Bible we learn about God when he speaks. Romans says he leaves his mark on creation for those who don’t hear the Gospel but basically anyone who connected with God heard his voice somehow. A burning bush, a quiet wind, a prophet or evangelistic disciple, faith comes through HEARING the word – “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans‬ ‭10:17‬. So while prayer is two way, it is also different. I have “heard Gods voice” in prayer through scriptures that pop into my mind, thoughts and ideas but they are always in my voice and not his. In Greek prayer is an exchange of wishes but it isn’t a dialogue, at least not in a normal way.

2. We seek certainty and and results NOW – Answers often take a while to come. Prayer isn’t some cosmic ordering plan where as long as you say it it happens. God is greater than that and we have an intermediary who changes what we pray for into what we should have prayed for anyway. So while there is often a sense of excited anticipation and wonder about what Gods answer will be we rarely get the fix of certainty and results in the moment.

3. Other things give us the first two quicker and easier than prayer – When you want a real relationship with someone you have to spend time with them. Not distracted or divided time but focussed time where you get soul to soul. For my wife and I to be close and have special moments we have to have a lot of other moments. Therefore to have a great relationship in prayer with God you have to change your priorities, schedule and say no to lots of others things that meet the two needs mentioned above in a much more natural way.

So what should we do? Thankfully Paul gives us some great advice in the same scripture – be watchful and thankful.

The goal of the first is to stay alert and aware of what God is doing over time. The fact is that God is communicating to us, He is speaking back but we are sometimes just not alert enough to see and hear it. He most often works through process and so to see his reactions to our prayers we need to be watching for the subtle as well as the Big Bang type interventions.

Secondly we need to be grateful. The way we keep our eyes on who he is and what he has done already and how that changes our sense of the wait. They first put mirrors in lifts because it changed how long people thought their journey was. In a lift looking at ourselves makes the time fly, how much more when we are fully focussed on our awesome God.

If you are struggling a bit with prayer, perhaps take a break for asking and instead seek out what he is already doing.

The Long Haul (Gratitude 7)

My son is celebrating his 1st year as a Christian this weekend and my wife and I are celebrating our 23rd year of marriage. These are the things that need to last and they are defined by the lang haul.

This isn’t true for everything. The long haul isn’t as normal in our culture as it used to be. People used to have long haul careers, today we have the gig economy. Children used to think about what they are going to do when they grew up however most will actually do jobs that don’t exist today and will utilise technology that will look like science fiction. Personally, I think this is great. Change is exciting and having the flexibility to seize opportunities is an inspiring thing. The only challenge is if we forget that there are some things that we need to be in for the long haul and if we let go of the skills that will keep us in the game for our whole lives.

Paul addresses this in todays verse to the Colossians:

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians‬ ‭2:6-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul summarises the long haul by reminding them that they received Christ Jesus so they need to continue to live with him. The word received in English sounds almost passive but actually in the Greek it means to aggressively take something. They didn’t just get told the message they chose and seized it. It was essential for my son to take hold of the Gospel and not to do the “I was brought up a Christian so I am one” thing. It has to be personal and not cultural or passive if it is going to last. The continue is interesting as well because it means to walk a complete circuit. The long haul is about making it all the way and not just for a period of your life.

It reminds me of the parable of the sower where completing the full circuit, making it all the way through was dependent on someone’s roots, which is where Paul goes next.

1. We need to be rooted in him – this reminds me of the experiment of growing tress in a hyperbaric chamber, sealed off from the outside influences of weather, bugs and disease where they received the perfect nutrients, temperature and moisture. The only issue was that once they were transplanted to the outside world they fell over! By removing adversity they had removed the need for roots and they had created weak and fragile trees, nice and tall, full of leaves but without any staying power. We need to welcome Gods root growing adversity and let our roots grow down deep into him.

2. We need to be built up in him – the Greek is about having a solid foundation (the roots) and then building according to a plan. This is not just a random building we are building but should be according to Gods plan. It is interesting that the difference between the man who built on rock or on sand was following the words of Jesus- ““Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬. Memorising, studying or sharing the words of God all help but most of all we need to put them into practice.

3. We also need to be strengthened in faith – the word for strengthened means to walk where it is solid and secure. Faith should become more sure over time! The ideal is that over the long haul our ability to walk in faith should feel like we are on solid ground, even thought to others it might look precarious. The reason is the longer we know the one we have faith in the more confident we should be. We can never out give, out serve, be outside his power or forgiveness. Lets relax a little and know He is God.

4. We need to be taught – a quick point he slips in after the faith point is that we need to be taught. When we are in the fight we need others to encourage, support and teach us. How good a student are you?

5. We need to overflow with thankfulness – we finally get to the gratitude bit… it has taken a while but it is so important because you could do all the above 4 points without joy and gratitude and you will get some benefit but goodness it will be a burden. In fact just writing the list felt a bit burdensome. No matter how well intentioned lists of things to do and be, without gratitude tend to become legalistic and to miss the point significantly.

The Greek is interesting because it means that we should have an overflowing or “to go beyond the expected amount” of gratitude for Gods grace.

We are in it for the long haul but I am not sure we can make it simply by doing the right things, we need joy, happiness, lightness of spirit and all the other things that come from a crazy amount of gratitude.

Are you as focused on your gratitude level as you are on doing the right things? I am not saying striving to please God is bad but unless it is accompanied with shed loads of gratitude it will be a long haul indeed.