God's Will: Give Thanks In All Circumstances!

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday. Where does the time go? I recently lost a legitimate 10 lbs., and I am wondering if I can keep it off over the holiday season. This Thanksgiving holiday is going to test my resolve like none other. Run Ronnie Run!

As you prepare to celebrate this holiday with family, friends and food, and I mean a whole lot of food, I want to encourage you to spend some extra time thanking God for all the wonderful things you have in life. Too often, we tend to focus on the negatives, or on the things we don’t have, instead of giving thanks for all we possess.

My favorite scripture on thankfulness in the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. It says: “16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I think it is important to point out that God doesn’t expect us to give thanks for all circumstances in life. For example, if a loved one dies, we don’t have to be thankful for this unfortunate incident.

However, as this scripture exhorts us, we can be thankful even in our worst moments in life. For example, instead of focusing on the loss of a loved one, we could remember all the wonderful times we had with him or her and give thanks.

Why is being thankful so important?

Thankfulness is important because it protects us from a negative attitude. A thankful attitude will act as a protection against the dark forces of anger, unforgiveness, anxiety and fear. Don Kistler said, “The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he or she does for God is too much, and everything God does for him or her is too little." Thankfulness creates a no stick surface in our souls, which prevents the negative fallout from corrupting the mind, will and emotions.

Why is thankfulness so important?

Thankfulness is important because it is a more healthy way to live. A recent study of 1,000 people aged 65-85 points to the importance of a positive/thankful attitude in dealing with life. After almost 10 years of follow-up, researchers found that people who described themselves as optimistic/thankful had a 55 percent lower risk of death from all causes and a 23 percent lower risk of heart-related death.

While one's attitude toward life isn't everything, it does make a crucial difference in dealing with life. Optimistic and thankful people tend to be more physically active, drink less, and smoke less. They cope with stress more effectively.

John Henry Jowett, a British preacher of an earlier generation, said this about gratitude: "Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic." What did he mean? He meant that gratitude, like a vaccine, can prevent the invasion of a disgruntled, discouraged spirit. Like an antitoxin, gratitude can prevent the affects of the poisons of cynicism, criticalness, and grumbling. Like an antiseptic, a spirit of gratitude can soothe and heal the most troubled spirit (John Yates).

Have you ever wondered: “What is God’s will for my life?” His will is for you to give thanks in all circumstances of life. This makes total sense! It protects us from a negative attitude, and it is the healthiest way to live. I can think of no better time to remember the power of gratitude than during Thanksgiving week.

My prayer for you this week is that your heart would be just as full with thankfulness as your belly is with turkey! That’s a whole lot of thankfulness!

Happy Thanksgiving and God bless!

Adversity: A Blessing in Disguise!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been attempting to answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people? The Bible teaches us that God uses hardships and trials to develop character in us. When we possess character and perseverance, we will bring glory to God even in our most difficult moments. Without character and perseverance, we will never bring glory to God when we suffer.

On October 6th, in a football game against the University of North Carolina, Florida State University field goal kicker Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals in the fourth quarter. He pushed the potential game winner—a 40 yarder from the middle of the field—wide to the right.

After he and teammates listened to coach Jimbo Fisher’s postgame speech, Hopkins cracked open his Bible and read Psalm 34:18. It says: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

While most players will avoid reporters after not performing well on the field, Hopkins chose to speak to the media and answer their questions. When asked why he decided to talk to the media Hopkins said: “There's a lot of stuff I'd rather do than talk about this," he said. "But I'm going to give you the honest answer. I think God just puts us in some situations with highs and lows. And sometimes, you can affect more people with how you react in your low time than you can in your highs."

"So if I can affect just one person through Christ and how I handle the situation, then that's what I'm here for."

Near the conclusion of his post game interview, running back Jermaine Thomas grabbed Hopkins and whispered in his ear for several moments. Hopkins eyes watered when asked about the conversation. “That was probably the closest I came to crying the whole night,” Hopkins said. “He just said that he loved me and the other guys on the team love me.”

It seems Dustin Hopkins is affecting more than one person through Christ!

Though most of his teammates already had showered and changed, Hopkins still was wearing his uniform. He had answered questions for well over 10 minutes.

“This is just a blessing in disguise,” he said. “For sure.”

How can having the worst game of your college football career be a blessing in disguise? It can be blessing when you know that character and perseverance are developed during times of adversity. It can be a blessing when you know that the crown of glory is attained on the road of suffering. It can be a blessing when you understand your greater purpose in life is to be a witness for Jesus Christ in every situation.

One week later, during a night game against the Clemson Tigers, and with the Seminoles’ ACC Championship hopes hanging in the balance, Dustin Hopkins was once again called upon to kick the game winning field goal with three seconds remaining on the clock. This time his attempt would be from a terrifying 55 yards away
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The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Dustin Hopkins kick sailed right through the middle of the uprights as the time ran out on the game clock. The Seminoles won 16-13!

Dustin Hopkins two missed field goals during the North Carolina game gave him an opportunity to glorify Christ in his time of suffering. It also gave him the opportunity to develop more character and perseverance. Finally, it gave him an opportunity to witness about his Christian faith.

Coach Fisher told a reporter after the victory over Clemson, with tears in his eyes, that there is nobody else in the country he would rather have kick a field goal for him with the game on the line. He said he knew Dustin had the ability to make the field goal from that long distance. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Coach Fisher then said: “He’s (Dustin Hopkins) even a better person than player.”

It seems Dustin Hopkins is affecting more than one person through Christ! What a blessing in disguise!

(This blog referenced comments from Ira Schoffel's article on Tallahassee.com called "Hopkins comforted by verse, teammates") Great article Ira!

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? (Pt. 2)

Why do bad things happen to good people? It is a question that people have been asking for many generations. In twenty years of studying religions and their worldviews, I have found that only a Biblical worldview gives a redemptive purpose to suffering, hardship and trials. Ultimately, this can be seen in the life of the Holy Bible’s central figure: Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered by dying on a cross to reconcile sinners to God. The death Jesus suffered was redemptive in that it brought life to all who choose to put their faith in Him.

In this blog I want to give you the three main redemptive purposes of suffering, hardship and trials.

1. Enduring hardships produce the character (righteousness and peace) of God in our life.

I have a great relationship with my father. In fact, I consider him my best friend. My father did many things to demonstrate his love for me. He spent time with me, fed me and he bought me good things. He also disciplined me when I needed it. Now that I am a father, I realize how important my father’s discipline was for my character development.

The Bible teaches us that like a good father, God uses hardships in life to discipline us. Without discipline, we will never possess the character we need to act righteously.

Hebrews 12:7, 11 says: (7) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

(11) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

2. Trials help us develop perseverance in our life.

If we want to accomplish something great in life, we need to possess the ability to persevere. Sooner or later, we are going to face opposition and difficult times. Without perseverance, we will give up when the going gets tough. Therefore, perseverance is one of the most vital character traits we need to develop.

James 1:2-4 says: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

As we go through trials and learn how to endure, the suffering we face during these times is redemptive because it matures us and makes us complete. As mature men and women, we can now rejoice during our trials because we know our faith is being perfected during our most trying moments.

3. The crown of glory is attained on the road of suffering.

Before taking over Every Nation Tallahassee Church as Senior Pastor, I worked at Florida State University as a strength and conditioning coach. During the glory years of Florida State football in the 1990’s I observed an interesting phenomenon during meal times after practice.

There was a certain time of the year when the football team would be extremely loud during dinner. This time of the year was preseason conditioning which included early morning matt drills. It was impossible to not notice that they were bonding in a special and unique way. This time of bonding always happened during their worst season of suffering. Florida State football attained more glory than any other collegiate football team during the 1990’s because they embraced suffering together as a team. Almost all of the players attributed their unprecedented success to the hardships they experienced during matt drills.

1 Peter 5:10 says: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

There is no glory in life without first going through some sort of suffering!

Next time you are going through a difficult time in life, remember God is using this moment to develop in you Godly character. With Godly character, you will be able to preserve during your trials. Also, you will mature and become complete while persevering. Finally, God’s glory will be manifested through your life as you handle trials with character and perseverance.

Why do bad things happen to good people? They happen because our heavenly Father loves us and is committed to us becoming people who reflect His glory on planet earth.

How do you handle your hardships?