4jlkelly

Tag: Colossians 2:6-7

  • Abounding in Thanksgiving -5 ways to gratefully live loved- Colossians 2:6-7

    Abounding in Thanksgiving -5 ways to gratefully live loved- Colossians 2:6-7

    rooted in christ col 2

    1-Remember God’s faithfulness – Joshua 4, 1 Samuel 7

    Remember your very best days and your worst failures. And see God there. Memories reveal God’s presence, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. There are no coincidences. God is governing this world. “Thus far the Lord has helped me”-He is sovereign. God has forgiven and restored us yesterday, worked in us with sanctifying power today, and He is our hope in the future for glorification.

    Remembering what God has done prepares our hearts to live a life of thanksgiving.

    2-Keep the Conversation going all day in prayer – Philippians 4:6

    If you’re not praying about something you are worrying about it. Fear erodes are faith and makes us use are self-sufficiency to cope with life when things get out of our control. Prayer keeps us trusting. And a prepared prayer- one that is specific instead of general makes the answers clear. We see God working with purpose. Over 20 times in the New Testament God links ‘ask me’ with thanksgiving.

    Faith thanks God continuously for His ever-ready presence found in prayer.

    3-Generously give as we are called for His purposes- 2 Corinthians 9:11

    God’s Word links thanks and giving together. When we understand that God owns it all and how generously He has given to us our heart and hands are open to generously give of our resources of time, talent and treasure to His purposes.  God asks us to be cheerful givers and the way our hearts are grown is through the trust and faith of the ‘giving test’. Who gets the first of your time, treasure and talents?  If God did a spiritual audit of your spending this week what did you spend your time, treasure and talents on? “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”

    Thankful hearts give and produce thanksgiving to God.

    4-Share your gratitude and gladness with others – Isaiah 12:4

    God is writing His story in your story and you are an eye witness of God’s active living power and love. A life of thanksgiving is lived as a witness of where God showed up.  We are like a tour guide in a museum, we know all about the “artist” and we point to His work, showing off His master pieces and telling of his creative work.  We all have a story of God’s faithfulness and only you can tell others your unique story. “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the world his wondrous love. How mighty he is!”

    Thankful people don’t let God be an anonymous giver, they tell the world about his generosity and share their blessings with others.

    5- Sing to God and about God – Psalm 147:7

    There are more songs written about Jesus than there are about love. Christianity is a singing faith. We sing songs about who God is in our worship and we sing songs to God about who we are in Him.  God invented music, filling the heavens with worship first then anointing men to express our hearts to him through songs. Singing restores us. Worshiping God refocuses us on Him instead of our circumstances. Words put to music give people a way to corporately all say the same thing together as we sing. So don’t just stand there, sing!  “Sing out your thanks to him; sing praises to God.”

    Expressing our thanks to God in song and worship restores us.

    Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7

    5 Ways to Live a life abounding in thanksgiving Colossians 2:6-7
    5 Ways to Live a life
    abounding in thanksgiving Colossians 2:6-7

  • Remembering what God has done prepares us for thanksgiving

    Remembering What God has Done prepares us for thanksgiving

    Memories link our past to our present and weave yesterday into tomorrow.  But in the middle of today, in the really good times and the very hard times, how often do we forget what God has done for us. We are called in the Hebrew tradition to ‘Make present God’ accounting for his presence and building altars to serve as a signpost of memorial that mark “God showed up here”.

    Remembering is a crucial part of thanksgiving.

    In Deuteronomy. 6:12 Moses issued a final warning to Israel just before they entered the promise land, “beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt…”

    In our prosperity we are warned in Proverb 30 to pray and ask “give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

    Moses built an altar and named it “The Lord is my Banner” Exodus 17:15.

    Joshua was charged to have the 12 leaders of Israel build a memorial from the stones of the Jordan Joshua 4

    He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

    Samuel, set up a monument to remind Israel of God’s strong hand in victory naming the pillar Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us”. This stone pillar called God’s people to recall, and remember often, the time when God turned things from bad to blessed. Seeing the stone they remembered God’s help in the past, God’s presence relied on today, and God’s hope assured for tomorrow. The Ebenezer was a “picture” of the Lord’s readiness to hear their cries and save them, and it served to remind them where to turn for their strength and power—and whom to thank for their deliverance.

    The psalmists built a similar monument with songs. Songs help us remember words. Many of the Psalms chronicled the history of God’s people and their Great God by helping people remember what God had done. They praised God for his faithfulness, deliverance victory and forgiveness.  They prompt us to recount things that really happened. Don’t you remember, God lead you out of bondage in Egypt? Didn’t he feed you in the desert and keep doing so, even though you grumbled and complained? How many times has he forgiven your repeated idolatry and wandering? Victories, don’t you recall all the times God won for us and overcame the enemy? And if he did so much for you in the past, can’t you depend on him to do as much, if not more, for you today? And why are you worrying about tomorrow? Won’t he still be there for you, hearing your pleas for help, acting on your behalf? Psalm 78 tells us “I will utter hidden things, things from of old, things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us to help you remember … to remind you of God’s power … to give you trust and confidence in him … to teach you to lean on him … to be your Ebenezer for as long as you live until heaven.

    Unlike the commemorative Biblical memorials, your Ebenezer—your stone of help— your banner or signpost, requires you gather not stones but memories together and recall the many and varied victories God has given you. You might begin by remembering the gifts of life-parents, siblings, mentors and coaches, Youth leaders, camp counselors, pastors, teachers-all those God surrounded you with to grow up. Your memories could include the blessings of education, friends, a profession and your communities of faith that disciple you. Especially recount certain events in your life—times of celebration and success and times when God turned what appeared to be disaster and turned them into an unexpected opportunity, or times of failure when he rebuilt you and times of hardship when you gained maturity. This year’s highlights, the season of transformation you are currently moving in and what God has done most recently. Making present God turns you away from fear, doubt, and disbelief today, because you realize once again how many times in the past God has forgiven, protected, helped and healed you and the hope you have in tomorrow’s provisions.

    The meaning of the Hebrew word for memorial is “to remember.” Today our “Ebenezer” stone is Christ. In the form of His cross, your Ebenezer-Thus far the Lord has helped me- stands as an eternal memorial that God has given you the victory of all victories! He has overcome, making all things new and is with you always. Through the cross, Christ has won atonement and redemption, and eternal life with him. His cross assures that past sins are forgiven completely and sins of today and in the future will be forgiven as well. We stand in Christ, righteous.

    Remember your very best days and your worst failures. And see God there.  Memories reveal God’s presence, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. God was with you, there. There are no coincidences. God is governing this world.  Thus far the Lord has helped me-He is sovereign. He is Immanuel- with me God.

    Just as God has been with us yesterday, memories remind us of what God has done. His presence is our peace in each moment to help and strengthen us so renew your commitment to live for him today.God has forgiven and restored us yesterday, worked in us with sanctifying power today, and He is our hope in the future for glorification.

    Remembering what God has done prepares our hearts to live a life of thanksgiving.