A Time to be Thankful

No matter what may be happening in your life, no matter how bad things may seem, there is always room to be thankful. Even with Barbara facing a fourth bout with cancer, this time inoperable, stage-four cancer, we still have so much for which to be thankful.

Over the past three months, we have visited Barbara's family in California, spending quality time with her mother, brother, sister and their families. We have visited my family in Nebraska, visiting with my brother and his family. And above all else, we took a trip to Oklahoma to spend quality time with our son Tim.

Psalm 107:1 says, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever" (NIV). You see, there is always room for thankfulness because it is the Lord to whom we give thanks. It is all about the Lord Jesus. It is not about us. It never has been about us. If it was ever about us, it would be all doom and gloom. But it isn't. It is about God our Savior. That is why we can give thanks regardless of the situation in our life.

Because it is all about Jesus, we can give thanks because "he is good" (v. 1b). Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him" (NIV). No matter what life situation you face, "take refuge" (v. 8b) in Jesus and you will "see that the LORD is good" (v. 8a).

Two more Psalms expound on this thought: Psalm 31:19 says, "How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you" (NIV). Those who "fear" (v. 19a) the Lord, or who are in awe of Him and humble themselves before Him; those who trust Him and "take refuge" (v. 19b) in Him, will have an abundance of "good things" bestowed upon them "in the sight of all" (v. 19a).

Psalm 84:11 says, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (NIV). The Lord lights our way ("a sun") and "shields" us from evil (v. 11a). He "bestows favor and honor" (v. 11b) on those who trust Him. He holds nothing back "from those whose walk is blameless" (v. 11c), but showers them with all good things.

Because it is all about Jesus, we can give thanks because "his love endures forever" (Psalm 107:1c). Psalm 86:15 says, "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness" (NIV). Because He is filled with compassion and grace, His patience and love and faithfulness overflow to those who trust in Him.

That is why we can cry out with the Psalmist, "Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love" (Psalm 109:26, NIV). Again, no matter what life situation you face, you can be thankful because it is all about God, and His love never fails. Amen.

Trust the Lord and Lean on Him

Most of you may already know, but for those who don't, Barbara has a cancerous tumor surrounding her portal vein just outside her liver. A stent was successfully installed in the vein to help protect the blood flow to her liver and keep it strong and healthy. The cancer is stage four. She will begin chemo treatments shortly. Also, they are doing genetic testing in hopes that this cancer can be attacked directly by a non-chemo drug. Many have expressed a word from God that she will be healed and have long life. And so we pray.

For now, our church elders have decided to send us to Oklahoma to see Tim before she starts chemo treatments and before any possibility of becoming to sick to travel. They even took up a special offering to help finance our trip. We leave Wednesday. Pray for a safe and rewarding trip.

For today's Bible Insight, take a look at Proverbs 3:5-6. It reads, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." For the Christian, it all begins with trust. Who do you trust? All too often I hear Christians say, "I can handle this. I don't need anyone's help." Really?

To say that is to trust only in yourself. But the proverb says to "trust in the LORD with all your heart" (v. 5a), not in yourself! You can't go it alone. None of us ever could. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who sees us through all things dark and nasty. No matter how tough things get, trust in the Lord Jesus. He will see you through it all.

When you trust only in yourself, you tend to lean only on your own understanding. But the proverb clearly states the obvious: "And lean not on your own understanding" (v. 5b). Our understanding, our knowledge is limited and weak. The Lord's understanding and knowledge is unlimited and strong. He is omniscient, which is just a fancy theological word for "all-knowing." What better reason is there than that, to lean on the Lord in all things.

The proverb then says: "In all your ways acknowledge Him" (v. 6a). This only makes sense. If you are to trust Jesus and lean on His understanding, then you must first acknowledge Him. You can't say you trust Jesus, and then deny Him. It doesn't work that way. Jesus said, "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:33). The writer of Hebrews added, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).

Rightly, the proverb concludes: "And He shall direct your paths" (v. 6b). What other outcome could there possibly be? When you truly trust in the Lord Jesus and not yourself, when you truly lean on His understanding and not your own, when you truly acknowledge Him, that He is God and He rewards those who diligently seek Him, then He will remain true to His Word. He will reward your faith and He will direct your path. He will see you through all your troubles. Amen.