SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #97 ---- 11/22/99
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We fight The Good Fight
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #97 ---- 11/22/99
TITLE: "Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart"
My Dear Friend and Partner in Ministry:
I begin my letter today with a . . . .
SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST:
My 84-year-old mother is a marvel and a fighter. You would never know by
being around her that she suffers constantly, and has for years, from
many of the curses of diabetes, along with other significant health
problems. In 1975 she suffered a near fatal bout with congestive heart
failure. The following year we threw a big 40th wedding anniversary
celebration for her and my father because we frankly didn't expect her to
reach their 50th. Last March they celebrated their 63rd.
This past Monday she had another bout with the same problem which put her
in the hospital. After adjusting her medication, the doctors sent her
home. After a restless several days her condition had not improved, and
she had also begun having severe uncontrollable tremors. Dad took her to
the emergency room where they admitted her to the hospital.
So, I would be so grateful if you would lift her and Dad up in prayer.
They are both faithful long-time warriors in the ministry, no longer able
to engage in the battles, but still highly decorated officers of the
highest order. It's people like them who make it possible for people
like you and me to continue on with a hope and confidence.
Thanks for praying.
GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART:
I first shared some of these thoughts with "Shoulders" subscribers in
July, 1998. With our national holiday, Thanksgiving, coming this week, I
want to review some of those thoughts. If you happen to be from another
country and don't want to read about America's earliest beginnings, just
scroll on down a way.
I. OUR NATION'S CONCEPTION:
He was a young man ---- a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ ---- a man
of conviction, compassion, and courage. Yet, most people have never
heard of him. He exhibited moral character, and spiritual maturity
beyond his years.
One day he faced the greatest challenge of his life ---- for his very
life itself. While at sea, he was the victim of a tragic shipwreck at
the hands of an intense storm. After hours in the turbulent waters
beckoning for his life, and near death itself, he was washed up on shore.
He lay there unconscious among the rocks in the water's edge ---- some
say perhaps for days. Finally his body was discovered by some local
towns people. To their amazement, he was still alive. They rushed him
into town and began the process of nursing him back to some semblance of
health.
He eventually made his way back to his homeland and his family.
Years later, after raising a family to adulthood he would tell his young
grandson a fascinating story ---- it probably went something like this
(my treatment is questionable, but the basic facts are true and
documented):
"As I lay there on the rocks, too weak to move, and drifting in and out
of consciousness, I seemed to remember a scene ---- a dream ---- perhaps
a vision ---- I cannot tell. I heard this voice without sound ----
something telling me that some day there would be a land, far away, where
Christians would come ---- a land from which all the nations and tribes
of the world would hear the Gospel ---- a land out of which would come
the message of Jesus Christ preached to all other nations."
Sitting with rapt attention, that young grandson would ask his
grandfather to repeat the story over and over. It would become a story
that would drive him as a young man, and capture his heart fully as an
explorer. And, one day, in his own captain's log, reflecting on his
grandfather's story, Christopher Columbus, whose own name means "bearer
of Christ", would pen his own words about that land.
"It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His hand upon me)
the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. . . .
There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit,
because He comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy
Scriptures. . . For the execution of the journey . . . I did not make
use of intelligence, mathematics or maps. It is simply the fulfillment
of what Isaiah had promised (Isa 49:1,6). . . No one should fear to
undertake any task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the
intention is purely for His holy service."
After land was sighted at 2:00 a.m. on an August morning in 1492 and the
landing party came ashore after daylight, the first act committed was
that of Columbus and his two captains kneeling before God with
thanksgiving on the shores of what was to be known as San Salvador ("Our
Savior").
That pattern repeated itself later on the West Indies and virtually
everywhere he went in discovering new territory.
It is not surprising that not only did the historians of Columbus' day
omit these facts and distort the actual accounts, but the revisionists of
our day, beginning back in the 1930's, have done the same thing. All we
hear today about Columbus is the way he ravaged and raped the people of
their innocence and their land of its riches.
II. OUR NATION'S BIRTH:
The story of Columbus and his grandfather became reality in the formation
of our nation.
1. The Pilgrims:
1) Captain John Woodlief led the ship "Margaret" and its
passengers from England to near Jamestown in December, 1619, with clear
instructions that "Wee ordaine the day of our ship's arrivall at the
place assigned for a plantacon (plantation) in the land of Virginia shall
be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty
God."
Their first act upon landing was to carry out that instruction at what
became known as the "Berkeley Hundred" plantation.
2) Captain Christopher ("Christ-Bearer") Jones, on September 6,
1620, embarked from England on the ninety-foot-long Mayflower with a
group of Christians seeking complete religious freedom in the new land.
Dropping anchor in Provincetown Harbor, the weary and malnourished group
came ashore near where Plymouth Rock rests.
After a harsh winter during which nearly one half of the 103 original
passengers died, Chief Squanto befriended them and taught them skills of
crop raising, resulting in a prosperous Spring and Summer.
Governor William Bradford issued the following proclamation that Fall.
"inasmuch as our great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest
. . . and has made the forests to abound with game, and the sea with fish
and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the
savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us
freedom to worship God accourding to the dictates of our own conscience;
now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your
wives and little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between
the ours of 9 and 12 in the daytime, on Thursday, November ye 29th of the
year of our Lord 1623, and the third year since ye Pilgrims lande . . .
there to listen to ye pastor, and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God
for all His blessings."
2. The Founding of America:
In 1776, after identifying 27 violations of Biblical principles of which
England was guilty, the colonial leaders declared independence, and
addressed and incorporated those 27 Biblical principles in the
Declaration of Independence.
Few people are aware that this most sacred of all human documents in the
United States is actually a treatise on these Biblical principles.
Of the 55 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 53 were
(contrary to the ACLU, the People for the American Way, and others)
active members of local churches.
James Madison said, "We've staked our future on our ability to follow the
Ten Commandments with all our hearts!"
Noah Webster, writer of the first dictionary, could spontaneously quote
scripture, verse after verse, chapter after chapter.
George Washington said, "You can't have national morality apart from
religious principle."
During his first year as president, and because of national peace and the
ratification of the U.S. Constitution, he also proclaimed a day of
thanksgiving, for, as He said, "... the signal and manifold mercies, and
the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and
conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union,
and plenty, which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational
manner in which we have been enabled to establish Constitutions of
Government for our safety and happiness."
3. The Development of Our Nation:
Abraham Lincoln, after a bloody year of war punctuated by the battles at
Gettysburg and Vicksburg, said in 1863, "It is the duty of nations as
well as of men to owe their dependence upon the over-ruling power of God;
to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with
assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and
to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and
proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the
lord.
"We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subject
to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justify fear
that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be
a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins; to the needful
end of our national reformation as a whole people?
"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have
been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in
numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have
forgotten God! We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in
peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly
imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings
were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated
with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the
necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God
that made us.
"It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly,
reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice,
by the whole American people...."
THE COMMAND TO GIVE THANKS:
The Bible is replete with commands to give thanks, to be grateful. And
often it is directly connected to national security, blessing, and
safety. Paul told Timothy (I Tim 2:1-2) that the first thing we should
do is prayer and thanksgiving should be made on behalf of all men and for
people in authority in order to live a tranquil and quiet life in all
godliness and dignity.
I Thess 5:18 tells us that it is God's will that we give thanks in all
things. The Psalmist in 50:14-15 indicates that a sacrifice of
thanksgiving, paying your vows, and calling on God in times of trouble
guarantee our rescue. Psalm 95:2 urges us to come before His presence
with thanksgiving and shouts of joy with songs.
One of my favorite passages is Psalm 100:3-4, which exhorts us to enter
his gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and come into his courts with
praise.
For those of us in ministry, this is often easier said than done.
Perhaps our expectations are too high, or our focus is on the wrong
thing. As a result, we concentrate on the wrong things and end up
grumbling and griping instead of giving thanks. Yet, there is no doubt
that we are commanded to give thanks ---- to be grateful.
THE RESULTS OF GIVING THANKS:
Strange things happen when we begin to say "thank you" to others or to
God. Somehow, joy is released and it begins to fill our souls. Have you
ever noticed that? Jesus told His disciples in the Upper Room that He
had told them the principles of abiding in order that His joy would dwell
in them, thus making our joy full and complete.
Ever wonder what may trigger that process? I believe that the natural
response to His discourse on abiding in Him would be, "Wow! Well,
Thanks, Lord!" And that would unleash an ever-rising level of joy in our
hearts.
I also think Peace is released by developing a grateful heart, as is
love. I recall an event years ago when I took time to thank a church
member, who was in an adversarial position with me, for some insight he
had into a certain matter. Frankly, I didn't love him, and didn't want
to love him.
However, when I thanked him, something very strange took place ---- I
began to love him. While we still were on opposite sides of numerous
issues, we became friends, and learned to love each other, though often
still in disagreements.
It all began when I became thankful.
Another thing that comes from a spirit of thanksgiving is a submissive
and humble attitude. When you thank a person (or God) for something they
have done or said, you are humbling yourself by recognizing and honoring
them for that act.
Then, I believe that developing a grateful attitude creates perspective.
When we take time to express our thanks to God for all His great
blessings, it seems to level the playing field, and we soon discover that
the blessings far outweigh the disappointments and hurts.
Finally, I believe that expressing thanks and gratefulness is an initial
ingredient into intimacy with the Father through worship. Psalm 100 to
which I referred earlier hints at that.
When Jo Ann and I are responsible for leading a congregation in a time of
worship, we have a basic formula we follow: Celebration, leading to
thanksgiving, leading to praise, leading to true worship. Here's how it
works.
Celebration is telling each other how great God is and what great things
He has done for you. Much of our Christian hymnody unfortunately stops
at that level ---- and ultimately leaves us unfulfilled in our worship.
You can do that celebration thing only so long until your attention is
eventually drawn away from each other to the one who did it all ---- God.
So, you move from mutual celebration into directed thanksgiving ----
thanking God for all He has done.
Again, as you thank Him for all He has done, you soon realize that He did
what He did because He is Who He is. That leads you to praise ----
honoring God for Who He is. Inevitably you leave the gates of
thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. There you simply lavish
Him with praise for Who He is.
Somewhere in that process of praise, the Holy Spirit is going to pull
back the veil before the Holy of Holies, and you will enter into His
presence for some of the most life changing times of intimate communion
and prostrate worship you could ever imagine. When you enter there, you
find the "love seat" where you sit side by side yet face to face. Words
fail you; inhibitions leave you; all else fades from your mind ---- you
worship Him Who alone is worthy of our worship.
But ---- it all began with a thankful heart.
IN CONCLUSION:
Just a thought, my friend ---- have you ever been ungrateful?
Unthankful?
Have you ever considered what it cost you to be that way?
I sometimes wonder if we realize just what price we have paid on occasion
by, because of oversight or intent, failing to obey our Master's command
to give thanks in all things, give thanks with a grateful heart, and
simply say "thank you" to God ---- or some individual.
I really pray that Thanksgiving will be more than an annual holiday in
America ---- but that it will become a way of life.
The older I get, the more aware I become of the necessity of thankfulness
and gratefulness.
May your week be one where you are thanked many times over, and where you
express thanks to your family, your flock, and your God.
In Christ's Bond,
Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright November, 1999. All rights reserved.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
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If this letter has blessed you and you know of someone else who needs to
be encouraged, feel free to forward it in its entirety to all such people
you know.
If you would like a list of past issues which you could receive upon
request, just let us know.
ANOTHER BOGUS E-MAIL LETTER:
This past week I received a letter from a seven-year-old "Amy Bruce"
telling us of her fatal illnesses and indicating that "Make A Wish
Foundation" would give seven cents for every e-mail sent in her behalf.
Obviously it is a total hoax. If you would like further info, ask me, or
check <http://www.wish.org> for details. I also have some "hoax" guidelines I'd
be glad to send you if you like.
UKRAINE AND INDONESIAN ELECTION RESULTS:
Ukraine:
The re-election of Leonid Kuchma as president of Ukraine is an answer to
prayer for the country's Christians. Thank you for praying for that
country and its future. Kuchma defeated the Communist Party candidate in
a run-off election Nov. 14. He has supported the church during his
five-year tenure, giving Christians more freedom and use of public
buildings and property for churches, and has apologized for the
persecution of Christians during the communist era.
indonesia
Another answer to prayer is the election of Abdurrahman Wahid to the
presidency in Indonesia. The ailing 59-year-old Muslim cleric, a staunch
advocate of religious tolerance for many years, has resisted calls for an
Islamic government and favored parity among all religions, Compass Direct
News said. Wahid "could not be more ideal," a Protestant pastor in
Jakarta said. "He is wily yet honest, brilliant but approachable, and a
committed believer yet tolerant of those of all faiths." Wahid has many
Christian friends and advisers, including a Jesuit philosopher, Franz
Magnis Suseno.
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