I have much to be thankful for!
I give thanks today for…
• My relationship with God through Christ and the influence of His Spirit.
• My wonderful wife Bonnie.
• My children: Tim, Daniel, and Kristen.
• My parents: Charles and Janice Knight
• My brothers: Gary, Jim, and Danny and their families
• The Church that God has privileged me to pastor for the last 17 years: Hope Evangelical Covenant Church.
• My friends…which are too many to name but are worthy of thanking God for.
• My pain and struggles which make me dependant on my Lord.
But I am also curious.
What are you thankful for?
Your partner in the gospel
Pastor Paul
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Prompted by the wrestling we did last year in Chris Axtell’s awesome, meaty Sunday School class (Gospel Worship), I have found myself delving this year into a personal study of the absolute sovereignty of God in all things. It has caused great confidence in God’s purposes and much awe and thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteThis has proven to be the most expensive year of our married life, questions and concerns about my daughter’s health and my health for much of the year was a constant, and the life-blood of our small business (closely tied to the housing industry) continues to seep away. Amidst it all, though, God is teaching us great and mighty lessons.
We have identified with Job as God has given us courage to look at our circumstances and yet proclaim his great goodness and his sovereignty over the affairs of men. We have been reminded that many trials are purposefully designed by God to fashion an unshakeable faith on the other side of our test and we know that discipline of itself might avail nothing, but a harvest of righteousness and peace await those “who have been trained by it (Heb. 12:11).”
In Scripture we read that “the apostles rejoiced to be counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:41).” For them this disgrace was in the form of floggings and personal threat. For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego disgrace meant knowing that their God could save them, but being willing to meet horrific deaths “even if he does not (Dan. 3:16-17).” For Nebuchadnezzar this meant living in the wilderness for seven years as an animal to bring him to the point of acknowledging and glorifying “him who lives forever (Dan. 4: 34-35).” And for Job it meant suffering great personal losses to prove in the heavenlies his loyalty to God (Job 1: 8-12). In all of these circumstances God’s name was magnified.
Trials and suffering by God’s people (physical, spiritual, material, etc.) provide the opportunity to “suffer disgrace for the Name”—to enlarge God’s fame by our submission to his loving will in our lives (Job 1:21) and by our acknowledgment that “everything he does is right and all his ways are just (Dan. 4: 37).”
Hebrews tells us that there have been believers that were tortured and “refused to be released—so that they might gain a better resurrection (Heb. 11:35).” Jesus himself endured the cross and scorned its shame “for the joy set before him,” namely, his exultation at his father’s right hand (Heb. 12:2).
I am left to wonder, if given the opportunity, would Dana and I “refuse to be released” from our present trials. Through first-hand experience, God has deepened our understanding of his character (Ex. 34: 6-7) and power. He desires to “grow up our faith” by causing us to release more and more of our perceived control and throw ourselves wholly on his sovereignty which is working all things out for our good, the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28).
Knowing this, would we refuse to be released so that we might gain a better resurrection? In our better days, we respond in unrestrained thanksgiving for not leaving us as we were, but passing his goodness in front of us and bringing us to our present circumstances that cause us to be mindful of it. In our weaker days, we implore him to help our unbelief (Mark 9:24) and we are most grateful for his patient mercy that “remembers that we are dust (Ps. 103:14).”
Kim, thank you...
ReplyDeletePFK
Thanks for reminding us to "itemize" our thanksgiving, moving it from the general to the specific.
ReplyDeleteBtw, very nice family photo!