Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
This week we’re talking about the reasons to be thankful as a preacher. If you preach, it is good to be reminded of these points from time to time because sometimes the work can be discouraging. But also, if you don’t preach, the points we’re going to discuss today will also help you as you try to encourage and support those who are doing this work.Continue Reading
As we conclude this brief series on gratitude, we have focused on how our ability to be thankful affects our behavior. We have seen that gratitude is the basis of any faithful service to God and will enable us to receive the greatest benefit from prayer.
As we think about the blessings themselves, we need gratitude if we are to appropriately enjoy the good things that God gives us. Notice what Paul told Timothy:
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
In our final article in this series, we will consider how to enjoy God’s blessings with gratitude. Let us consider a few thoughts.Continue Reading
Gratitude is about more than just knowing what to be thankful for. A true sense of thanksgiving should necessarily affect our behavior. In the previous article, we saw how gratitude is essential if we are to “offer to God an acceptable service” (Hebrews 12:28). As we will notice in this article, it must also be the foundation of our practice of prayer. Remember what Paul wrote:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
As we pray to God, if we want it to benefit us, we must pray “with thanksgiving.” Let us consider a few points.Continue Reading
In the United States, Thanksgiving is near the end of November. This holiday is meant to be a time to reflect on the many reasons we have to be thankful. Of course, as Christians, we are to be thankful at all times, yet this holiday is a good reminder for us and society as a whole.
A few years ago, I published a series of articles leading up to Thanksgiving about the reasons we have to be thankful.* It is important that we recognize the many things for which we have to be thankful. However, it is just as important that we allow this sense of gratitude to impact our behavior.
So in this short series, we will consider how we conduct ourselves with gratitude. In this first article, we will discuss how we serve God with gratitude. Notice what the Hebrew writer said:
“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).
Before we can offer “acceptable service” to God, we first must learn to “show gratitude” for the blessings He gives us. Let us consider some thoughts on this.Continue Reading
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
This week we’re talking about gratitude. With the Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded to reflect on the many reasons we have to be thankful. While it’s important to recognize our blessings, it is also important that we allow this sense of gratitude to impact how we conduct ourselves. So that’s what we’re going to discuss today – how we conduct our lives with gratitude.Continue Reading
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS
This episode is being released on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving as a holiday is traditionally a time to spend with family and sharing a good food together. However, the basic premise of Thanksgiving is that it calls us to remember the blessings that God has given us and express our gratitude for them. So in our episode today, we’re going to talk about this idea of gratitude and how it is connected with happiness and contentment.Continue Reading
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100:1-5).
This psalm begins with a universal call to praise God. It gives us some insight into how we offer praise to Him and describes some of the reasons why He is worthy of such praise.
Let us notice some of the things this psalm tells us about how and why we are to praise the Lord.Continue Reading
What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
Available in print and digital format.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
If you have further questions about using any of the material on this site, please contact me.