The Gates of Thanksgiving

November 27, 2008

According to David, the worship experience is like having an audience with the greatest Monarch in the world. The protocol that leads us into the presence of that Monarch begins at the gates of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a gate that leads us into the presence of God (Psalm 100).

In practical terms this means that when we want to enter into the presence of God in our own private prayer closet, we should begin with thanksgiving. In other words, just start by thanking God for everything we can think of for which we are grateful.

In my own experience I have discovered that no matter how bad things get, the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff. When I, therefore, start thanking God for all the good things, I not only find myself in the presence of God. I confirm the reality that God is good and things are not as bad as I thought they were.

So no matter how bad things may be for you right now, discover the therapy of thanksgiving. Start thanking God for every good thing you can think of for which you are grateful until you discover, in the presence of God, that the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff and things are not as bad as you thought they were.

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Posted by Dick Woodward

HOW DO YOU SEE THINGS?

November 22, 2008

Matthew 6: 22 & 23
The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

How do you see things??

According to Jesus, the difference between a life filled with light or happiness and a life filled with darkness or unhappiness depends on how you answer this question. He taught that if our eye, or the way we see things, is healthy our life can be filled with happiness. But if the way we see things, if our outlook or mindset is messed up, there is no end to how dark our life can be.

If you are one of the millions who have lost big in the stock market it’s so important for you to have the right attitude toward your losses. When we suffer a loss we have two options: we can focus on what we have lost and be depressed, or we can focus on what we still have and be filled with gratitude.

The next thoughts Jesus shared were that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot and we should not try to serve God and money. Is money the driving force of your life? Are you trying to serve those two masters? Are you serving God and money? Is your life filled with light or darkness – with happiness or unhappiness?

How do you see things?

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Posted by Dick Woodward