From time to time, I come across a message from someone that is worth reposting. This is one of those messages. Written by Dr. Kenneth Berding, who is a professor at Talbot Seminary, this message reminds us of the lavish grace of God. Take a moment to ponder Dr. Berding’s message.

I love the fact that in the United States we as a nation set aside one day a year simply for giving thanks to God for his good gifts.  At some of our tables, we will take a few minutes before we eat to mention the things that we are thankful for: a new job, a delectable Thanksgiving meal, or a loving spouse. This is all good and proper. We should take every opportunity to thank God for his particular gifts.

But have you ever thought about the fact that thanksgiving is one way of describing the entire Christian life? This is not an exaggeration. One powerful and entirely biblical way to think of the Christian life is simply this: God showed us grace, and our response to that grace should be a life lived out of gratitude. The Apostle Paul put it like this: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:17).

The manner in which we serve others illustrates the point well. Christian service isn’t simply deciding to serve, and then “gritting out” our service. We serve in conscious awareness of the lavish grace we have received from God! God looked upon us, criminals (“sinners”) that we were, and chose to send Jesus to die in our place. As a response, we sacrificially serve others because of the unbounded grace we have received.  

The sinful woman who poured expensive ointment on Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair illustrates the relationship between thankfulness and its lived-out relationship to the actions of one who has been forgiven much. When Simon the Pharisee complained (in his own head) that Jesus shouldn’t have allowed a sinful woman to act in such a way, Jesus challenged those thoughts with “he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47). But the woman at Jesus’s feet knew how much she had been forgiven, allowed that grace to move her heart toward gratitude, and the result was an extravagant act of thankful service to Jesus.

Perhaps this Thanksgiving we can move beyond listing out individual things that we are thankful for and start to respond more deeply to the grace God has demonstrated through the sacrificial death of Jesus—and how such thankful reflection might work its way into the way we live the year ahead. A whole life lived out of thankfulness is the right and proper way to respond to God’s lavish gift of grace through Christ. 

While headed to a meeting recently, I got behind slow traffic – VERY slow traffic. I was trying to drive the speed limit which was only thirty-five miles per hour, and I was barely able to drive twenty miles per hour. The road was hilly and curvy, so it was unlawful to pass. I am sure this does not happen to you, but I felt myself getting impatient and irritated.

The vehicle in front of me was a monster-size pickup truck. I began to think, “Who drives a manly vehicle twenty miles per hour? Come on man! Step on the gas!”

As we approached a huge curve, I had a better visual of what was going on in front of me. There were two other cars in front of the truck, and the lead car was going terribly slow. The reason we were slowed down was not because of what I could see, but because of what I could not see.

There have been so many times in my life when I wished things would hurry along. What I really wished was that God would speed up the process. As I impatiently drove behind the truck driver, my waiting experience could have been much better. Seething, getting aggravated, and being impatient did not make the wait any less, but it sure made it more unpleasant for me.

Do you enjoy waiting? Most of us would say a resounding, “No!”  We do not like waiting. We want things to be done on our timetable. Our society today wants things done quickly, however, for the Christian, walking by faith requires trusting God while sitting in His waiting room.

Noah had to wait for the rain to come and the rain to stop. Daniel had to wait in the lions’ den, not knowing when his ordeal would be over. Even though God promised a son, Abraham and Sarah waited decades for Isaac to be born. I have often thought about the years of waiting that Joseph had to do to see the promise of God fulfilled in his life – hard, unfair years of waiting. Even Jesus had to wait thirty years to begin His earthly ministry.

When Jesus was leaving earth to return to His Father in heaven, He said to His disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4).

I seriously doubt that any of Christ’s followers wanted to wait in Jerusalem. John 20:19 tells us that the disciples were afraid of the religious leaders who killed Jesus. They hid behind locked doors, fearing for their lives. It would have been far easier to hide in an obscure place, anywhere but Jerusalem.

Why did Jesus make them wait in a place they would rather leave? Why Jerusalem? Because Jerusalem was where He needed them to be. He was about to pour his Spirit out upon them and birth the Church.

Jesus saw farther down the line than did His disciples.

The waiting can be hard. Sometimes, it is easy to feel like God has forgotten about the desires of our heart. It’s easy to explain to God that He needs to hurry it up! When we find ourselves in the waiting room, it is important to remember that God has a plan for us that is far greater than what we could imagine. He sees farther down the line.

I could not see what was farther down the line as I slowly drove in traffic. God sees the whole picture. He sees everyone involved in the whole picture. He has promised “…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. Trust Him.

Recently, I was thinking about a woman I met many years ago. I met Nancy at the church where my husband was the lead pastor. While in that church, I worked in several areas which also included counseling with women.

Nancy came to my office and took a seat, and before she said anything she began to cry. I sat quietly giving her a moment to release the obvious pain she was carrying. Nancy began to talk with me saying that she never felt good enough to be a part of God’s Kingdom. She proceeded to tell me her story.

When Nancy was seventeen, she got pregnant out of wedlock. Nancy was a teenager during a period when couples usually got married if this was their situation. As she and her parents sat with the priest of the church to set a wedding date, she confessed that she was pregnant. (There are several churches that have priests, so I am not trying to call out a denomination.)  The priest shamed her in front of her parents and proceeded to tell her, that because of her sin, she could not be married in the “holy part” of the sanctuary. As a result, those who attended her wedding knew the situation. She felt ashamed standing there on her wedding day.

As I listened to Nancy, my heart had such compassion for her. Sitting in the chair in my office that day was a seventy-year-old woman, who had been bound by shame for more than fifty years. Her question to me was, “Am I good enough to be forgiven and accepted?” A big smile was on my face, and I held Nancy’s hands in mine and said, “You were forgiven the day you asked God to forgive you. Don’t let anyone hold you in the chains of shame.”

I then asked Nancy to follow me as we walked into the church sanctuary. I took her by the hand and walked her all over that sanctuary. We walked through the church, behind the pulpit, sat down at the piano, and finished at the altar.

I reminded Nancy of these words from the great Church hymn “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood.”

There is a fountain filled with blood
  Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
  Lose all their guilty stains:
  Lose all their guilty stains,
  Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
  Lose all their guilty stains.

As we concluded our time together, my parting words were, “Nancy, don’t ever let anyone hold over your head what Jesus has placed under His feet.” Nancy’s whole countenance changed. Her face lit up, and from that time forward, she was always glowing during worship. Nancy now resides in heaven, and I know she is smiling in the presence of the One who forgave her.

Have you ever felt ashamed? Maybe it was something in your past, something people want to hold over your head. Shame can be an overwhelming emotion that imprisons us, especially if it comes from Church leaders.

Let me be emphatic! Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross to free us from sin and shame. If people or Satan can heap shame upon us, then our emotions might tell us that God is withholding His love from us because of our actions. The good news of the Gospel, however, is that God’s love is not about what we have done for Him; God’s love is about what He has done for us!

Today, let the shame go. Jesus offers you an invitation to rest in His unfailing love, and to live in the freedom He has granted. It is no longer shame on you but shame off you!

“Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” – John 8:36

What an absolutely delightful opportunity I had this past weekend. I was asked to be the guest speaker at a cowboy church in Saint Clair County, Alabama. Though I have heard of cowboy churches, I had never been to a cowboy church.

The tables were adorned with cowgirl boots used as vases to display beautiful live flowers. There were sequined cowgirl hats and sparkly western clothes worn by many. The after party on Friday night was filled with food, laughter, and line dancing. The whole weekend was packed with fun, chatter, and God-encounters.

As we were sitting around the lunch tables, an announcement was made that a horse was outside and anyone who wanted to ride the gorgeous, gentle animal was invited to step out into the warm sunshine and enjoy a ride.

My daughter-in-law Kelly and her mother were at the conference. I encouraged Kelly to go out and ride the horse and send pictures and videos for her sons to see. All of a sudden Kelly’s mother said, “I want to ride the horse.”  I thought to myself, “Are you sure about that? I mean we are not spring chickens anymore.” She was firm in her resolve to go ride the horse.

As we stepped outside, Kelly’s mother walked over to the horse, ready to ride. The owner of the horse was there to guide her in mounting the animal.  As she stepped up to the horse, I said to Kelly, “Let’s get behind her just in case she starts to fall. That way we can support her.” 

We stood behind Sharon, ready to support her if needed. She threw her leg up over the horse and successfully mounted. The owner then guided her around the area. Sharon grinned all the way.  I loved seeing her successful ride. Sharon’s success was a wonderful experience for all of us who were by her side.

Everyone needs other people by their side. It is always a blessing to have people around us, who have faith in us, who will assist us as we venture out for God – people who stand ready to catch us if we feel ourselves slipping as we try new things – people who will say, “You can do this!”

I am sure there have been times when you wished someone would walk beside you, someone who would understand and help you. While each of us must take our own unique journey, I think the Bible clearly teaches that we are to walk with others.

I am not sure we fully appreciate the power of encouragement as we walk alongside others. It often is a powerful experience for them and you. Kelly and I both smiled when we saw the smile on her mom’s face.

The Bible tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11. Do not minimize the gift of being an encourager. I have had some great cheerleaders who have helped me as I have walked with God, even when I failed and needed someone to catch me.

Never have I heard someone complain, “I have been encouraged too much. I just wish people would stop encouraging me so much.” 

Today, let’s spread encouragement in a very discouraging world. Say it everywhere you go today. With a smile on your face, look at that server and say, “You’re doing a great job!” Look at your pastor or pastor’s spouse and let the words pour out, “Thank you for all your ministry! You are a blessing to the Kingdom of God.”  Look at your friend and proclaim, “Keep it up, you got this!”

So many are suffocating in this negative world. Be an encourager – it is oxygen for the spirit.