Give Thanks in Everything | A Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Introduction
Thanksgiving is this Thursday.  I’m thankful Kelly doesn’t have to work and our kids are all coming up.  Since my wife works as a nurse in a hospital, it is rare that she is off and we can all gather to celebrate the holiday on the actual Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving is something Christians should strive to practice everyday.  Gratitude is a lifestyle. A thankful heart is possible when we root our life in Christ, not in our circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
¹⁶ Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

“Always Be Joyful.” (verse 16)
This is one of the shortest—and yet most challenging—commands in Scripture.  So let’s take a closer look at it.  Verse 16 says, “Always be joyful.”

You might think it’s impossible to always be joyful.  There are so many difficult times in our lives where it seems impossible to be happy
But it is possible if you understand what Paul really means.

Paul is not saying:
Always be happy.  Every person has ups and downs. Sometimes you're happy, sometimes you're sad. Some people are more even-keeled than others. Other people are really happy one moment and really sad the next. But joy is not the same as being happy. Paul is not saying, “Be happy at all times.” He's saying, “Be joyful.”

He's also not saying we should pretend everything is fine. We know bad things and evil things happen, and it's okay to acknowledge it. You don't have to pretend. 

Paul is not saying we should ignore grief or pain.  We all go through pain. When someone dies that we love, we grieve for them. And it’s important that we don’t pretend we're not sad or grieving, because that's not healthy and it will come out in other ways. But joy can exist even in the midst of grief. And I want to tell you this—joy is more remarkable, real joy is more remarkable because of pain. When you see someone who is full of joy even though they are full of pain, that is wonderful.  It's remarkable.

Paul is saying:
Choose joy because your joy is in Jesus, not in circumstances.  This is important because circumstances change, feelings rise and fall, but Christ is constant.  We can choose joy because our joy is in Christ and Jesus is always the same.

A Thermometer vs. Thermostat
How many of you are cooking a turkey this week?  When we cook our turkey, we use two important tools that are related (and sound similar), but have different functions.  We use a thermometer and a themostat.  A thermometer measures the temperature of the food.  It reacts to the conditions.  A thermostat tells the oven what temperature to aim for.  It controls the environment.

Most people act like thermometers.  They simply react to whatever is happening around them.  If good things are happening they are happy.  If bad things, they are sad, angry, depressed.  They simply reflect whatever’s happening around them.

Christians who choose joy are like thermostats.  They tell their life what attitude to aim for. We aim for the joy that we have in Christ. We may not be there yet—we may not be in a joyful environment—but we're aiming for Christ, and He changes our life.  Christians who chose joy bring the energy that changes the world around them and makes it more joyful.  The source of that energy is the Holy Spirit.  It is the light of Christ burning within us, even in a dark world.

“Never stop praying.” (verse 17)
Verse 17 says, “Never stop praying.”  You might think it’s impossible to never stop praying. But it is possible if you understand what Paul really means.

Paul is not commanding nonstop verbal prayer. Paul is describing a posture of prayer—constant communion, continual awareness of God’s presence.

Prayer fuels gratitude because:
You stay connected to the Source of peace. Remember Jesus in the boat during the storm? He was asleep while the disciples panicked. Jesus could rest because He was connected to the Father. When we stay connected to Jesus, we can have peace even in our storms.

Prayer fuels gratitude because you are reminded you are not alone. Think about Jesus in Gethsemane. Facing the cross, He prayed. He prayed so He would remember He was not alone—His Father was with Him. If Jesus needed prayer, so do we.

Prayer fuels gratitude because you begin to see God working in the everyday moments. My wife and I have been preparing to sell our home. A photographer came yesterday, but it was raining and overcast. Kelly kept praying, “Lord, just let the sun break through for a few minutes.” And at the exact moment the photographer arrived, the clouds broke and sunlight lit up the front of our house. Some call that coincidence—I call it God answering her prayer. And when you begin to thank God for moments like that, you start seeing His presence everywhere.

Prayer is like breathing. When it’s healthy, you don’t even notice it. But when your breathing is off—like with a cold or a sinus infection—you notice it immediately. Prayer is like that. When your prayer life is sick, nothing else seems to work well. So maintain a posture of continual prayer, and it will change your attitude.

“Be thankful in all circumstances…”
As with the other statements in this passage, it seems impossible to “be thankful in all circumstances.”  How can anyone possible do that?  But look closer at Paul’s statement.

Paul does not say: “Be thankful for all circumstances…”  Some things are evil, tragic, or heartbreaking.  God does not expect you to be thankful for evil or injustice or loss.

However, Paul does say: “Be thankful in all circumstances…” because God is working in all things for the good of those who love Him.  

We can give thanks in everything because God is with us in every circumstance, Christ redeems all suffering, nothing is wasted in God’s hands, and our hope is eternal, not temporary.  Remember, gratitude isn’t a reaction to blessings.  Gratitude is an acknowledgment of God’s faithfulness in all circumstances—even when life is hard.

“…for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Now Paul tell us why we should live in these challenge ways.  It is God's will for you.  

Understand this:  God’s will for you is not primarily about where you work, where you live, or  who you marry.  God cares about all these things in your life, but they are not the main focus.  

God’s will is for you about who you are deep down inside. God wants you to have a joyful spirit, a prayerful heart, and a grateful lifestyle.  These characteristics will last forever and change everything about how you see the world, your circumstances, and your purpose.

The Thanksgiving Lifestyle
If we want to shift our attitude about thanksgiving from a holiday we celebrate once a year to a lifestyle where we give thanks every day, it requires at least three changes.

The first change is from occasional gratitude to daily gratitude.   Thank God for small things—sunrise, breath, warm home, friendship.

The second change is from focusing on our circumstances to focusing on Christ. Circumstances change; Christ never does.  Don’t let what’s happening around you control your attitude. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus and trust Him no matter what’s going on.”

The third change is from reactive thanks to intentional thanks.  Don’t let your thankfulness depend on your mood or the moment. Choose to be grateful on purpose, not just when life goes your way.

This shift doesn’t happen overnight.  But with practice we can live out Paul’s instruction to live a thankful lifestyle.  Here’s some ways to practice thankful living this week.

1. Wake up every day with a prayer of gratitude. Before your feet hit the floor, say, “Thank You, Lord, for this new day.”

2. Keep a list of things you’re thankful for. Write them down throughout the day.

3. Turn complaints into prayers. When you want to complain, pause and thank God instead.

4. Express gratitude to one person daily. Send a note, a text, or say a simple thank-you.

5. End your day with a prayer of thanks. Review your blessings and say, “Thank You, Lord.”

Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank You for Your goodness to us. Help us stretch our Thanksgiving Day into a Thanksgiving lifestyle—365 days a year. Teach us to be thankful in every circumstance, because our gratitude is anchored not in our circumstances but in You, whose faithful love endures forever. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Bless the Lord, O My Soul | A Sermon on Psalm 103:1-5

Introduction
My daughter, Abigail, always says Thanksgiving is here favorite holiday.  The others—especially Christmas, she says—have so much buildup and hype and commercialism.  But then they fail to deliver all they’ve overpromised.  But Thanksgiving is simple:  food, family, and giving thanks.  Abigail has always been wise beyond her years.

As we lead up to Thanksgiving, I want to spend a few weeks considering what it means to give thanks. How can we live a life of gratitude, so that thanks is part of our daily life, not just one day a year?

Gratitude begins when we take time to remember the goodness of God and bless Him for all His benefits. Forgetfulness leads to grumbling; remembrance leads to praise.

Psalm 103:1-5
¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
² Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    may I never forget the good things he does for me.
³ He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases.
⁴ He redeems me from death
    and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
⁵ He fills my life with good things.
    My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

Tuning Your Soul to God
Psalm 103 is attributed to David.  Now David was king of Israel, but it was a long road to get there.  Remember, David started out as the youngest of a set of brothers.  And when the prophet Samuel came to inspect Jesse's sons to see which one of them would be the next king of Israel, David wasn't even invited to the party.  He was left out in the field to watch the sheep.  Even his own family didn't respect him.

And after David defeated the giant, Goliath, and won battles on behalf of King Saul, Saul was jealous.  David ended up unjustly accused of treason and chased all around the land with Saul trying to kill him.  He slept in caves, suffered deprivation, and had his reputation questioned.  But through it all, David reminded his soul to praise the Lord and not forget all the good things.  That's how David lived his whole life and it kept him so in tune with God that the Scripture says David was a man after God's own heart.  

We must tune our souls to God through gratitude.  Do you remember the old radio with the analogue dial tuners?  You would tune it to a station, but you couldn't just go by the number on the dial.  That would get you close, but you had to listen until the static faded and the signal became clear.  

Gratitude is how we tune in our soul to God.  Remind your soul to give thanks to God.

Beware of Spiritual Amnesia
We all suffer from spiritual amnesia.  Forgetfulness is one of humanity’s spiritual diseases.  The Israelites constantly forgot God’s deliverance.  Even after he miraculously parted the Red Sea so they could escape the Egyptian army on dry ground, and God fed them with mana from heaven and quenched their thirst in the desert with water from a rock, the Israelites stilled complained.  They forgot so quickly.

And it wasn't just in the Old Testament.  Even the 12 Disciples who walked with Jesus in the New Testament and saw His miracles, constantly forgot, doubted, worried, and were afraid.

We forget too.  So we have to make ourselves remember what God has done.  Make a habit of remembering and giving thanks. Some practical things you can do to help:

• Keep a gratitude journal - write down things for which you are thankful throughout your day.  Then go back and read it from time to time--especially when you are feeling down or overwhelmed by your problems.
• Share testimonies - tell people about the good things God has done for you.
• Tell your children or grandchildren what God has done for you.  If you don't have children, share it with other young people in your life.  It will encourage them and you.
• Share daily gratitude post on social media.  A lot of people have been doing this during the month of November, leading up to Thanksgiving.  It is a wonderful, useful, uplifting habit.

Throughout Psalm 103, David lists so many of the things God has done.  We read the beginning of His list in verses 3-5 and these are all things for which we can be thankful too. 

We can be thankful God forgives all our sins.
Remember, you do not deserve God’s mercy. You do not deserve good things. You are a sinner.  You turned away from God and rejected His rightful authority over your life.  You didn't care that He made you for a purpose.  You chose to chase after your own desires.  Some may have even done specific things they know they shouldn't do.  But God, through Christ, has mercy and forgives all our sins.  Be thankful. 

He heals all our diseases.
All healing—whether physical, emotional, of spiritual—comes from God.  We often pray for physical healing.  And often it comes.  Do not forget or take for granted every healing that comes from God--even the small moments of healing.  

Sometimes healing does not come in the way we expect.  But we can still be thankful.  Because, if we are in Christ, God is still working to heal us--even if it doesn't come until the next life.  Keep in mind that all physical healing in this life is only temporary.  Even if you are healed from some terrible disease (like cancer) today, your body will still eventually wear out and die.  So our ultimate hope is in the ultimate healing that comes when we rise from death.  Then our bodies will be made completely whole.  And so, we can be thankful...

He redeem us from death.
Ultimate healing comes when we die and are resurrected with Christ.  Through Christ, we have eternal life with God forever.  And there will be no more sin or sickness or suffering or death (Revelation 21).  So no matter what happens to us or those we love, we can be thankful because Jesus conquered death.  We are victorious when we trust in Christ.  Even death can be cause for thanksgiving for Christians who trust in Jesus Christ.

He crowns us with love and tender mercies.
Though we were sinners, rebels, betrayers, failures, God puts a crown on our heads and calls us His royal sons and daughters.  He loves us like He loves His own Son, Jesus.  He rewards us as though we had followed Him faithfully.  What incredible tender mercies! "God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."  (Romans 5:8) Praise be to God!  

He fills our lives with good things.
Each of us have so many good things in our lives to be thankful for.  We often forget, because we focus on our struggles instead of our blessings.  We may say, “Why do so many ‘bad things’ happening to me?”  We ought, instead, to ask, “Why does God allow anything good to happen to me at all? Sinful wretch that I am!”

But God fills our lives with so many good things!  Let us train ourselves to be thankful.  For in doing so, we tune our hearts to the Lord’s.

Psalm 103:1-2
¹ Let all that we are praise the Lord; with our whole hearts, we will praise His holy name.
² Let all that we are praise the Lord; may we never forget the good things He does for us.

Building a Life of Gratitude
As we head toward Thanksgiving, it’s easy to think of gratitude as a moment—just a day on the calendar with turkey and family and a quick prayer before the meal.  But Psalm 103 reminds us that gratitude is not a moment; it’s a lifestyle.

When David said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” he wasn’t waiting for everything in life to be perfect. He was training his heart to remember that, no matter what happens, God is still good.

Gratitude isn’t automatic—it’s a spiritual discipline. It takes practice.
But when we practice gratitude, amazing things happens:

• The things that once weighed us become lighter
• The noise of worry fades
• And the voice of God becomes clear again.

That’s why Thanksgiving shouldn’t just be a holiday—it should be a holy habit.  A life of gratitude is a life that stays tuned to God.

So this week—and in the weeks ahead—let’s do more than count our blessings.  Let’s build our lives around them.  I challenge your to think how you could practice gratitude.  Perhaps you could:

• Begin every day with a simple prayer: “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”
• When you feel overwhelmed, stop and remember one good thing God has done.
• Maybe you want to keep a list or journal of all the things you are thankful for each day.
• Before you fall asleep, whisper a thank-you for His mercy that met you again today.

If we train our hearts to remember—then every day can become a day of thanksgiving.

Closing Prayer
Lord, You have filled our lives with good things—
forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, and mercy.
Teach us to remember.
Teach us to bless Your name not only when life feels full,
but when it feels empty.
Let gratitude shape our words, our homes, and our worship,
so that this Thanksgiving and every day after,
we might live as people whose souls continually say:
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Amen.

 

The Song od the Savior | A Message from Luke 2:8-14

Introduction
We’ll have a short sermon today, because the main message is in the music the choir sings though our cantata.  Music is a divine gift that touches the soul in ways nothing else can. It reaches beyond words, stirring emotions and memories buried deep within us. I have a friend here in Dalton whose mother has Alzheimer’s.  She cannot remember much, but whenever my friend visits her in the nursing home, he brings a guitar and she plays and they sing together.  Somehow the music resets her memory and she remembers the songs they used to sing together when my friend was a boy.  Music is a language of the heart, bridging the gap between the seen and the unseen, the known and the mysterious.  Truly, music reflects the beauty and creativity of our Creator. 

I want to read a passage from Luke 2:8-14 about the heavenly music that announced the Savior’s birth.

Luke 2:8-14
⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

The Message in the Music
Did you know, this is the only time recorded in Scripture where angels sang music to humans on earth?  There are several places where the Bible records heavenly being singing or playing music in heaven, but this is the only time the angels sang to people on earth.

And as they sang, they proclaimed glory to God and peace on earth.  The birth of Christ was a unique moment in history when Heaven broke through to shower God’s glory on earth as the angels announced the Son of God’s birth.  God became a human and was born as a baby.

The angels' song highlights Jesus as the bringer of peace and reconciliation.  True peace comes not from circumstances, but through the Savior’s presence in our lives.  The Holy Family’s circumstances were not the best.  A pregnant mother in painful labor. 

A worried husband unable to provide for his wife and newborn child. 
A stable filled with sounds and smells farm animals. 
And only a manger full of straw for the baby’s bed.
These are not peaceful circumstances.
Yet the angels sang:  “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Jesus is the Prince of Peace and peace comes when we walk with Him through the storms of life. 

Joining the Angelic Song
Just as the angels worshipped, we are invited to lift our voices in praise.  Our choir’s cantata is a way to echo this angelic celebration, glorifying God together.  You may notice, all the songs today focus on the baby.  May our music help you focus on this miraculous child who was conceived by the Holy, born of a virgin, suffered under Pontious Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried and who rose again on the third day, who will come again one day to judge the living and the dead.  Let the message of Christ’s birth inspire joy and peace in your heart beyond today.  How can we bring the song of hope and peace to others this Christmas season and all year long?

The Glory of the Temple | A Sermon on 1 Kings 6

Introduction
Last week, we learned about the Tabernacle—the place the ancient Hebrews worshiped God.  Since the Hebrew slaves who left Egypt lived in tents as they wandered through the wilderness, God chose to live in a tent too.  He Instructed the Israelites to build the Tabernacle Tent.  The Israelites worshipped God in the Tabernacle for 480 years.

However, after the Israelites established their kingdom in Israel and were all living in homes, God instructed King Solomon to build a house of worship, the Temple, in Jerusalem.  Today, I hope to express to you the glory of Solomon’s Temple, not to exalt the Temple, but to show how the glory of the Temple exalts the glory and holiness of God.  I want us to remember that the God we worship is the same holy and glorious God.  And I want us to reflect on how we honor God in our own worship space here at Pleasant Grove.

Have you ever had construction work done in your home or where you work?  A few years ago, we had a waterline break in our kitchen while we were out of town for Thanksgiving weekend.  We returned to a home in need of serious repair.  Our homeowner's insurance covered most of the cost.  However, it took several months to renovate all the damage.  In the meantime, our normally quite home was inundated with the sounds of dehumidifiers, hammers, drills, and all kinds of construction.  It was a very noisy affair.

You might imagine the construction of God’s Temple in Jerusalem was a noisy affair too.  But the Israelites revered God so much they even took care to build His Temple in a holy manner.  1 Kings 6:7 says, “The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.”  This gives us a sense of how sacred the ancient Israelites treated the building of God’s Temple.

The Temple
Based on 1 Kings 6:1-10. it took 7 years for Solomon to build the Temple for the Lord.  The inner proportions were 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high—about the size of a modern basketball court and as tall as a 9 story building.  It featured an entry room across the front, narrow recessed windows, and a three-story complex of rooms along the sides and rear.  The structure was built with finished stones and cedar beams and planks were used for the ceiling.

1 Kings 6:11-13
¹¹ Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: ¹² “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David.  ¹³ I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.”

The Interior
Based on 1 Kings 6:14-38, the interior of Solomon's Temple was a magnificent testament to divine glory and unparalleled expense, akin to a multi-billion-dollar construction today.  23 tons of gold were used in the Temple, (a cube of solid gold 4.5’x4.5’x4.5’), worth about $63 million.  The Temple was entirely paneled with the finest cedar wood, symbolizing life and vitality, while the floors were made of high-quality cypress, equivalent to using premium hardwood flooring throughout.  The Most Holy Place, a perfect cube 30 feet in each dimension, was overlaid with solid gold—comparable to millions of dollars in gold leaf—emphasizing the pure holiness of God’s presence.  The walls were adorned with intricate carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, all gilded with gold, evoking the lush imagery of the Garden of Eden, where God’s presence first dwelled in harmony with creation.  Inside the sanctuary, massive cherubim, each 15 feet tall with wings spanning 15 feet across, were covered in gold, reminiscent of the cherubim guarding Eden.  The lavish use of gold and symbols from the Garden of Eden underscored not only the Temple’s sacredness but also its role as a new Eden, a place where heaven and earth converged in divine splendor.  And of course, the Ark of the Covenant, gilded in gold and symbolizing the throne of God on earth, now resided in the Holy of Holies in the inner Temple.

The Holiness of God
The extravagance and detailed craftsmanship of the Temple furnishings reflect the holiness and majesty of God, who is worthy of the highest honor and reverence.  This is beautifully echoed in 1 Chronicles 29:11, where King David declares, "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours."  The gold, precious stones, and intricate designs of the Temple were not merely for show; they were physical expressions of worship, meant to honor a God who is infinitely glorious.  Just as the Temple was adorned with the finest materials, so too are we called to offer our best—whether in our actions, our worship, or our devotion—recognizing that God is deserving of all we can give and more.  Is the way you worship God really your best? 

Dedication and Worship
The effort and resources dedicated to building and adorning the Temple demonstrate the importance of worshiping God with our best, symbolizing our deep respect and adoration for Him.  This principle is reflected in Malachi 1:8, where God reproves the Israelites for offering blemished sacrifices, asking, "When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?  When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong?  Try offering them to your governor!  Would he be pleased with you?  Would he accept you?"  Just as the Israelites were called to offer their best to God in their sacrifices, the lavish care and resources poured into the Temple’s construction highlight that worship should be marked by excellence and reverence.  Our offerings to God—whether in time, resources, or devotion—should reflect the highest honor, as they symbolize our profound respect and love for Him.  Are you really giving God your best?

Christian Believers Are Now God's Temple
Transitioning to the New Testament, passages like 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 1 Peter 2:4-5 emphasize that believers are now the temple of God, housing His Spirit and called to live holy lives.  In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Paul writes, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."  Similarly, 1 Peter 2:4-5 calls believers "living stones" being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  These passages reveal the profound truth that, as the New Testament Temple, our lives must reflect the holiness and purity worthy of God's indwelling presence, with our actions and character being offerings of worship to Him.  Is the way you live for God really your best?

Worshipping God with a Shoestring Budget
The extravagant way the ancient Israelites built their Temple and then worshipped God convicts me, because I don’t feel like we honor God that way today.  We don’t really give God our best.
This is something that’s really convicted me lately. 
Today, we worship God on shoestring budget.

Let me tell you something about the way I grew up and how it molded my personality.  I grew up poor.  We didn’t have much and had to make do with what we had.  After my father left my mom alone to raise 4 kids on her own, things got even tighter.  There was a time my mom sent me into our backyard with an ax to chop up old furniture to use for firewood to heat our home, because that’s all the heat we had that winter.  And if something broke—like my bicycle—I would scrabble together parts from other old bikes that were laying around just to fix mine.  I knew my mom couldn’t but me a new bike or even buy parts to fix my broken bike.  So, all my upbringing, I learned to make do with what I had.  I learned to do things as cheap as possible and operate on a shoestring budget and to do all the work myself.

And that has served me well as a pastor in our world, because churches in our modern world always struggle to be fully and properly funded.  Churches don’t have what they really need.  So, for example, when the TV display unit hanging high up on our sanctuary wall stopped working back in 2017, we didn’t pay someone to come install a new one.  No, instead, I rented a scissor lift, and I borrowed a trailer from Tom Sosebee to go pick it up.  Then I enlisted my 18-year-old son, Gavin, to help me install a new TV.  By doing it all ourselves, we probably saved a few hundred bucks.  But I’ll be honest, it scared the crap out of me.  After finishing the job, TW said, “Chris, why didn’t you just pay someone to do it?”  To be honest, the thought never even crossed my mind.  This is the church.  We don’t have money to just “pay someone” to do stuff.  We always have to figure out what’s the absolute cheapest way we can do something.  At least that’s the way I’ve always thought about it.  And I suspect that’s the way most people in the church think about it.  And it effects everything about the way we do ministry.

When it comes to the staff of our church, we always say, “We can’t pay our staff what they’re worth, only what we can afford.”  That's just the reality of our situation with the budget we have.  And so we ask our staff to work for less than what they deserve to be paid.  And I’ve come to believe it’s a sin what we are doing.  Because it’s a lie.  We can afford to pay our staff a proper wage, but it would require everyone in our church to change and be fully committed to worship God with our very best, give God our very best, and live for God with our very best.

A Call to Honor God with Our Very Best
Brothers and sisters, we've walked through the history of the Temple, understanding the immense effort, resources, and reverence that went into its construction.  The ancient Israelites spared no expense, offering their very best to God because they understood that God is worthy of nothing less.  The Temple wasn't just a building; it was a symbol of their deep devotion, a reflection of their understanding that worshiping God required the utmost excellence and reverence.

But here’s the question we need to ask ourselves: Are we offering our very best to God today?

It’s easy to fall into the mindset that we must operate on a shoestring budget, that we must scrimp and save and do things as cheaply as possible.  But when we do that, we risk losing sight of something crucial: that our God is not a God of the leftovers.  He is a God of glory, majesty, and holiness, deserving of the highest honor.

In Malachi 1:8, God challenges the Israelites, saying, "When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?  When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong?”  This scripture hits home for us today.  Are we giving God the blind and the lame of our resources, our time, and our talents, or are we giving Him our very best?

Our church, this house of worship, is not just a building.  It’s the place where we come together as a community to honor God, to worship Him, to be in His presence.  It’s a reflection of our devotion, our love, and our respect for Him.  And if we truly believe that God is as holy and glorious as we say He is, then our actions, our service, and our giving should reflect that belief.

So, I challenge you to change today:  Let’s change our attitude about how we support the work of the church.  Let’s stop thinking of it in terms of what we can afford or what’s the cheapest way to get by.  Instead, let’s start thinking about what honors God the most.  Let’s commit to offering our very best in every aspect of our lives—our time, our talents, our resources.

Imagine what could happen if each of us gave God our best.  Imagine how our church could thrive, how our ministry could expand, how we could reach more people for Christ if we all committed to worshiping God with excellence.  It’s not just about money; it’s about the attitude of our hearts.  It’s about recognizing that everything we have comes from God and that He is worthy of our best.  Let’s honor God the way the ancient Israelites did—with reverence, with excellence, and with our very best.

Invitation
As we move toward rededicating our church as Holy Ground on August 25th, let this be a time of personal rededication as well.  Reflect on how you can give God your best—whether it's through your service, your giving, or your devotion.  If you’ve been holding back, now is the time to fully commit.  If you’ve been giving out of convenience rather than sacrifice, now is the time to change that.  Let’s pray together, asking God to help us honor Him with all that we are and all that we have.  And if you feel led to take a step of faith—whether it’s committing your life to Christ, dedicating your talents to His service, or simply choosing to live more fully for Him, I invite you to pray to God about it today and then talk to someone:  a pastor, a spiritual advisor, or a trust Christian friend.

Christians Practice Spiritual Disciplines. Amen!

Introduction
The Bible is the Word of God and contains everything necessary and sufficient for our salvation.  The Bible teaches that Jesus Saves us from sin when we have faith.  The Bible also teaches that faith without good deeds is dead. Today, I want to explain some of the spiritual disciplines the Bible teaches Christians to practice.

1 Timothy 4:7-8
⁷ Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. ⁸ “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

Explanation
First of all, this Scripture warns Christians: “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales.”  The Bible is a fascinating book full of intriguing stories.  There are a lot of things that are hard to understand.  There are even many things that have caused people to scratch their head and speculate what the original writers meant.  There are stories about giants and even angels having intercourse with the daughters of the earth.  We wonder:  How did Noah fit all those animals on the Ark? Could Jonah really survive living in the stomach of a giant fish for three days?  These are interesting ideas that capture our imaginations and people love to speculate on them.

However, a quote often attributed to Mark Twain says, “It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”  It may be “fun” to speculate about the intriguing parts of the Bible, but Paul writes to Timothy (and us), “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales.  Instead, train yourself to be godly.”

Living a godly life takes work.  It’s hard enough work that we don’t need to waste our time on unfruitful speculations.  Paul writes:  “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

We all know the benefits of exercise.  In our comfortable and prosperous world, we eat too much and don’t exercise enough.  This leads to all kinds of health problems.  People who exercise regularly, tend to be healthier, happier, more energetic, and productive.  We know the physical benefits of exercise.

But Paul says, “training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”  No matter how much we exercise, our physical bodies are eventually going to wear out and die.  This Ash Wednesday we remembered how our physical bodies will be buried and return to dust: “Remember, you came from dust and to dust you shall return.  Repent and believe in the Gospel!”  We will be given new and perfect bodies for eternal life.   The gains of physical exercise are for this temporary lifetime, but the gains of spiritual exercise are for eternity.

Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines are spiritual exercises found in Scripture that promote spiritual growth and health.  Just as physical exercise develops your body and muscles, spiritual disciplines develop your spirit so you become more like Christ.  Spiritual disciplines nurture the growth God wants to give us. 

It is not enough to know about the spiritual disciplines.  We must actually practice them in order to experience the benefits God wants us to have.  There are many spiritual disciplines, but I want to mention just seven for your today, and challenge you to practice them between now and Easter.

First, there is prayer.  Prayer the most basic element of Christian living.  Prayer is like breathing for the Christian.  Some people say, praying is talking to God, but it is even more basic than that.  Last night, Kelly and I went to see the movie “The Jesus Revolution.” It’s a wonderful movie.  Of course, we didn’t talk during the movie.  That would be rude.  We sat and held hands and watched the movie together.  Even though no words were spoken, we chose to be together.

Prayer can be like that. Prayer is spending time with God.  There are many different ways to pray.  You can ask God for help for yourself or people you care about.  Other times, prayer is just sitting quietly with God on purpose.  Sometimes prayer is listening to God while you read Scripture.  Sometimes prayer is writing a prayer or reading someone else’s prayer or even reciting a prayer you have memorized—like the Lord’s Prayer.  Whatever way you pray, you should pray.  It is the most important Spiritual Exercise for Christians.  Prayer is an essential part of all the other spiritual disciplines.

Another spiritual discipline is fasting.  Fasting is voluntarily giving up food (or something else) for a time as a way to humble yourself before God. Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life. Most often, fasting is associated with going without food.  (Jesus fasted for 40 days before he officially began his earthly ministry.)  Many Christians give up something for Lent—like chocolate or coffee.  Fasting could also be giving up TV or social media or something else for a time.  Anything you give up is meant to help you focus more on God and less on yourself.  Fasting and prayer go together.  Fasting amplifies your prayers.  It turns every fiber of your being into a prayer.  As you long for the thing you are without, your longing becomes an unconscious prayer of longing for God.

Next to prayer, study is one of the most essential ways the Holy Spirit changes us.  Our mind is the center of our thoughts and our thoughts lead to our actions.  When we study the Holy Bible, we allow God to transform our minds.  The Bible is the Living Word of God.  If you want to hear God’s voice—the Voice that gives Life—you must study the Bible.  Study can also include reading other books, attending classes, or other forms of study.  All these can be beneficial.  However, studying the Bible is the most essential form of study.

Human beings were designed to worship.  Worship means to show reverence and adoration for God.  It centers on God, not ourselves or our feelings or our own particular preferences.  When we worship God, we point our spirit toward God in worship, we begin to see, hear, feel, and experience God at a deeper level.  We must worship in spirit (heartfelt, intimate closeness, and submission to God) and in truth (based on right understanding).  Worship works best when we prepare properly.  If you expect to get the most out of Sunday morning worship, be sure to get enough seep the night before and prepare for worship on Sunday morning by praying on Sunday morning before worship for God to make worship meaningful.  Come hungry for the Lord and with the expectation that something important will happen.

Christian meditation is listening for God’s voice so we can obey His Word.  In meditation, we use our imagination to spend time with God in the Scripture.  We look for God to come to us and fill our minds with His feelings, His ideas, and His insights and welcome Him to transform our wills.  We are not so much searching for God as letting Him find us as we watch, listen, and wait patiently.  Often it is helpful to read a passage from the Bible, pray for God to speak to you through it, and then just meditate on the passage for a time, letting God speak to you.

One of my favorite spiritual disciplines is solitude.  To practice solitude is to step away from the world for a little while to focus on interacting only with God.  You silence the inner turmoil of your anxious mind and cease striving to control people and situations by your own force of will.  You learn to trust God to work things out according to His plan and His timing.  For introverts like me, it doesn't take much convincing to get us to seek alone time.  We need it!  But when you are alone, make sure to intentionally focus on God's presence with your.  If you are an extrovert who loves to be with people, being alone can be way out of your comfort zone.  But I encourage you to try it regularly.  It may be even more important for you to get away from people occasionally and to only rely on God's presence to to fill you.

Service is helping others.  Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, “The greatest among you must be a servant.”  Service is a spiritual discipline that is good for both you and for others.  Service is really about recognizing we are servants.  We let go of our right to choose who and how we will serve.  Instead, we learn humility as we shift our focus from ourselves and onto others.   This is the main way Jesus taught his Disciples in the Bible.  Instead of sending them off to Bible college to get trained, Jesus gave them on the job training.  And He wants to do the same for you.  You may not feel qualified to serve.  But Jesus may invite you to serve anyway.  He will teach and equip you to serve as you serve.  You have to trust Him and answer the call when He asks you to serve--even if you don't feel ready.

I Challenge You to Practice Spiritual Disciplines
I’ve been giving you challenges throughout this series.  First, I challenged you to read Genesis and Matthew before Easter arrives.  Then, I said focus on one category of good deeds (see the list here).  Today, I challenge you to practice these 7 spiritual disciplines.  There are 42 days until Easter. Let’s get busy.