Wisdom Matters

Paul’s words to the Thessalonian church seem overly optimistic at first. Paul set a very high standard for those early believers when he said, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” Even more difficult to comprehend is knowing those words were given to the first-century church in Thessalonica. Rome was quick to take control of the city because of its beautiful lo...

Paul was grateful for the Christians in Ephesus because word of their faith in Christ Jesus had spread throughout the area. Ephesus was a seaport city and one of the most beautiful cities in the Roman Empire. Roman leaders owned beautiful beach-front property in Ephesus. The entire world came to trade their goods, shop for goods, and be entertained in the coliseum there.  Ephesus was known for man...

We are surrounded with friends and family this time of year. Undoubtedly, a few of them are studying our lives to understand our faith. The holidays provide opportunities to share our faith with people we care about, and we can walk into every holiday occasion ready to honor God. Paul told the Colossian church, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” How wi...

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil that hung in front of the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. That veil was as thick as a man’s fist. The tearing of that veil was a miracle because only God could have done it.  The words of Psalm 100 provide a picture of how we are to approach the Holy of Holies today. Today, the Dome of the Rock is constructed where it is believed the Holy of Holie...

When God called us the “sheep of his pasture,” he wasn’t complimenting us. He was giving us a truth of Scripture. As we continue to focus on the wisdom of Psalm 100, we will grow wiser if we take every word to heart. Compared to God, we are sheep. Some sheep are smarter than others, but no one talks about the intelligence of sheep. Sheep are born to follow, and if they follow the wrong leader they...

Psalm 100 should probably be read every day. Every person who devotes their life to the work of the ministry should probably memorize this psalm and think of it throughout the day.  As a busy pastor’s wife, and now as I continue to work in full-time ministry, I am burdened by the truth of Psalm 100. Before I continue, we should hear the entire psalm. Psalm 100 has five powerful verses. Hear the Lo...

Every news story can be a praise to God or a prayer. That is also true for the times someone shares a need, a mistake, or a joy with us. All of us live flawed lives in a flawed world. Sometimes we just need to remember that this life is only a small moment on the timeline of our eternal existence. Christians are going to receive a “kingdom that cannot be shaken.” Every Christian can live each day...

Why was the Samaritan the only leper to fall on his face before Jesus, giving him thanks? This story is similar to the parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus was teaching the same lesson in a different way. The nation of Israel had come to think of themselves as the “chosen people” of God. Eventually, they began to live as people who were entitled to God’s blessings rather than living humbly gratefu...

I’ve been a Christian for many years, and I always enjoy having a conversation with someone who has recently come to faith. Their gratitude for their salvation is infectious. Their desire to learn, grow, and know God is a reminder that I should feel that same way. My soul is blessed when I am around someone who has “tasted and seen” that the Lord is good!  Gratitude is infectious, and those of us...

Generosity is a quality that is honored and respected by almost everyone regardless of personal ideology. Hearts are warmed by the person who gives up their seat for an elderly person. We smile at the one in the grocery line who offers to pick up the rest of the bill for someone. Generosity is a universal language of kindness. Paul asked the Gentile churches he had founded to provide an offering f...

The Hebrew word for soul is nefesh and means that part of a person into which God had breathed life itself. When a verse uses the word soul, it almost always means the most essential fiber of your being, your life itself. The psalmist was writing praise from the deepest part of his life and the very essence of his existence when he said, “Bless the Lᴏʀᴅ, O my soul and all that is within me, bless...

King David led an imperfect life, yet to this day he is considered to be among Israel’s greatest kings. David was a “servant to Israel” and lived with a joyful and glad heart for all the goodness the Lord had shown him. Today’s leaders don’t hesitate to boast of their accomplishments. David didn’t hesitate to boast in the Lord, grateful for his grace and goodness. Today’s leaders try to disguise a...

Today’s thoughts are about biblical wisdom that is difficult to believe. Paul wrote Timothy, his protégé, a statement that seems simple and easy to believe—until it isn’t. Paul said, “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” When we first read that verse, we think about the powerful testimony to God we see in our world. The complex simp...

There is a theological reason that worship services begin with hymns, songs, and moments intended to turn our hearts toward God in praise. I try to ignore the distractions of people walking in late or people who sing the lyrics with disinterested faces. I wish I could tell them, “These moments are the way you enter the Lord’s holy presence.”  Our praise and gratitude usher us to the foot of God’s...

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, plans are probably in full swing. There are things to be ordered, people to make room for, and lots and lots of food to purchase and store up for the holiday. Thanksgiving tables “abound” with food, family, and friends, and our faith should equally abound with gratitude. Some will have a quiet, small Thanksgiving. Some will find themselves on their own. Some w...

By the time Paul had written his amazing letter of theological truth to the church in Rome, the apostle had experienced a great deal. Paul had met the Lord on the road to Damascus and was blinded, but his eyesight was restored by God. Paul was criticized by his Jewish brothers, feared by his Christian brothers, and had been a traitor to both groups in his past. Paul had been arrested, beaten, ston...

The promised land was to be a blessing to the descendants of Abraham, but it was also to be a witness to other nations about the greatness of the one true God. The blessings God planned for Israel were intended to draw all people to himself. That’s why the author of 1 Chronicles encouraged the Israelites to give thanks to the Lord and to call upon his name. He encouraged them to live a life of gra...

If you made a list of the ten people who most impacted your walk with the Lord, whom would you name? Make that list and thank God for bringing them into your life. You can praise God for sending you the people you needed and using them to “increase” your walk with the Lord. God made us to need one another. Paul was grateful for his brothers in the faith as he watched their growth in their knowledg...

The word magnify is seldom used in our daily vocabulary. If we do use the word, we are probably talking about a microscope or reading glasses. The psalmist taught that we magnify God with our thanksgiving. In other words, our praise of God extols or elevates his greatness in this world.  God doesn’t change, but our thoughts about God do. Our thanksgiving doesn’t make God greater because he is alre...

Morning will come tomorrow because God has ordained it. There isn’t a day we live on earth that is not a gift from the Lord. Every day is a day we can rejoice in God and be glad, thankful for the chance to live. God created each day for us, his children. In Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin wrote, “There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intende...

What is your heart grateful for today? You have probably learned an acronym for prayer at some point.  -ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication -PRAY: Praise, Repentance, Ask, and Yield -The HEART method: Honor God, Examine your life, Ask for help, Request for others, and Thank God Prayer acronyms are helpful to guide and direct our prayers. Notice that each acronym contains th...

We know our bodies have daily nutrition and exercise requirements we should adhere to if we want to remain healthy. We don’t always understand that our souls have daily requirements as well if we want to remain strong in the Lord and walk faithfully in his good purpose for our lives. If we want to care for our souls, we need to make gratitude for God a daily vitamin. We can’t praise God without ta...

There are many ways to worship and gratefully praise our God. How you share your worship and praise with others is worth considering. I used to tell young parents who struggled with small children in the pew to “hang in there.” Their kids were learning and receiving much more than anyone realized. If a young child watched your worship, would they be drawn to your praise and want to know your God?...

Gratitude is not just our outward expression of praise; it is our daily sacrifice. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was a sacred offering to God, laid on the public altar for all to see. The psalmist wrote, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.”  There are days when gratitude for God is a natural emotion. There are other days when gratitude might be more of an effort. Th...

Old Testament believers understood that the heart was the center of life and also believed the heart was the center of a person’s passions or motivations. Consider how your heart quickly responds when excited, scared, or nervous.  When the psalmist says “my heart trusts,” he is giving an example of what it means to set aside personal motivations and trust God’s leadership completely. He knows that...