The Gift of Gifts

The Puritan book of Prayers, The Valley of Vision contains a devotional about the Gift of Gifts. At Christmas we celebrate the gift God gave us. Every day signifies Christmas, the peace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

According to the Puritan’s prayer, “O source of all good, what shall I give back to you for you gave me the incomprehensible gift of your love….your son my Saviour Jesus Christ. Herein is the wonder of wonders. He was born like me so that I may become like him. This is the meaning of love. Though I could not approach him, he drew close to me so that I may be embraced in the comfort of his love and grace. He came below to raise me above through wings of grace unto himself.“

Luke 2 verse 7 and following is the story of Christmas.
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field…..
The angel said unto them, fear not for behold I bring to you glad tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people. For unto you is born this day in the he city David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you……
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Herein is the power of God made manifest when the uncreated God brought life into created men so that he could create his spirit of life within them. For he sent his son so that through his death he might pay the ransom for my captivity in sin… To satisfy the balance of God’s righteous standard by the shedding of his innocent blood in exchange for my guilty blood.

The angels brought glad tidings of great joy… for unto you is born this day a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.

O God take me into spirt to the watchful shepherds…. lead me to watch, praise, rejoice and adore him. Let me find my joy in thee O Lord. He has redeemed me through the perfect payment of his innocent blood on my behalf. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on my behalf that I might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

There is no joy in the fleeting passing things of this world. There is no promise of life in this world. Our surety is in our life in Christ. As Missionary Jim Elliot said, He is no fool who loses that which he cannot keep to keep that which he cannot lose. The things of this world will soon be passed, only that which is done in Christ shall last.

Enlarge my mind to bathe my heart in an ocean of rest in thee. My eyes lifted up to a reconciled Father through my Lord Jesus Christ. That I might look upon my Saviour through the eyes of the spirit of Christ in me.

To look at my self, I’ll be depressed. To look at those around me, I’ll be distressed. To look at Christ I’ll always be blessed. Let me with Simeon clasp the newborn Christ to my heart…that I may exalt that am his and he is mine.

May we ever be mindful that every day is Christos-mas….more of thee and less of me…that we may be to the praise of the glory of His grace,
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

The Christmas Message

If someone from another culture who didn’t know anything about Christmas asked you, what’s the meaning of Christmas, what would you tell them? The angels heralded the advent of the Son of God. If you know John 3:16, then you know the meaning of Christmas. God surrendered his only begotten son, For God so loved the world tha he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

At Christmas, we wonder what gifts we should give our loved ones. God so loved that he gave a gift. The greatest Christmas present is the presence of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The angels declared, Joy to the World, the Lord is come. Good tidings of great joy was the message of the first Christmas announcement to the Shepherds by the angels on that Judean hillside.

Jesus came to give us peace: Peace on earth good will toward men. The prince of peace has come. Peace is the absolute end of all strife and contention between God and men. For their is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Jesus Christ is the perfect lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Christmas is the announcement of great joy which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. Joy to the world is not the absence of pain, rather Joy is the presence of the Lord.

Though we have lost loved ones this past year, we grieve not as others who have no hope. We have the hope of the resurrection and the hope of eternal life. Jesus was God’s plan of redemption. He is our salvation, our joy and our hope of life.

God has revealed the light of his son in our hearts. The light of Christ will break through the darkness of this world. The celebration of Christmas is to celebrate the life of the spirit of Christ in us the hope of glory. It’s not about us, it’s about Him. The message of Christmas is “Christos mas”…….more of thee and less of me.

May we be ever be mindful of the gift of Christmas Presence…the presence of God in Christ in us!
That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Men want to accomplish something in their lives. They want to make a difference and see their projects through to completion. Men love to look back on a day’s work and see what they’ve accomplished.

What does it mean to be useful for God? Why don’t men want God to use them? In Luke 10, Jesus sent out the seventy on a faith trip. He said not to take any provisions with them but to rely on the hospitality of those they met.

When the Navigators were training people for ministry, their training assignment was to go knock on doors in neighborhoods in downtown Orlando. One girl in training who was a new Christian said, I knocked on one door and the woman who answered the door said, “You’re an answer to my prayer. I asked God for someone to come talk to me about salvation.”

The seventy that Jesus sent out came back rejoicing. Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Jesus had given them power through his name. He said, you’ll tread on serpents and scorpions and you shall have power over them. The powers of the darkness of the world will have no dominion over you. Behold I have given you authority. For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind. The name of Jesus Christ has power over demons. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Jesus said, If you ask anything in my name, it shall be given to you.

What if we pray and God doesn’t give us what we pray for? When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked his father, if there be any other way, let this cup of death sin, and wrath of righteous judgement pass from me. Nevertheless not my will but thine be done.

Oswald Chambers said, the snare of the Christian work is to rejoice in successful service. Beware of men who make success their ground of appeal. It’s not our work for him that counts. It’s only his work when God works in us and though to will and to do of His good pleasure that counts. It’s not the results that indicate success in God’s sight. Jesus said to the seventy when they returned from their mission trip, “rejoice not because you saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

The success is that we’re used for God’s will. The answer to prayer is, “not my will but thine be done.” You can never realize what God will do through you until you’re rightly related to Jesus Christ. When you have a right relationship with God through his son, then you’ll be fulfilling God’s purpose as long as you’re in the light as He is in the light.

Abiding in Christ is the way to be useful according to the purpose to which he’s called us. Colossians 2:7 says, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

We can be used by God or we can be used up. When God calls us he calls us with two purposes. The first is to preach Jesus Christ and then let the chips fall where they may. The second is to abide with him and within him. Only then can God balance our priorities to will and to do of His good pleasure.

God has given us his gift of Holy Spirit. We’re to use His gift not ours. God will teach us to use his gift if we take time to get to know him. Unless he works within us to will and to do of His good pleasure, we’ll be used up.

Therefore, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding. When we delight ourselves also in the Lord, he will give us the desires of our heart. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens those who lack power. Practicing the presence of God is to plant ourselves by his river of living water. He saved and sanctified us to be exhausted in our own power so that he can empower us. As the Apostle Paul concluded, thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me.

When we delight in the Lord with all our heart we will taste and see that the Lord is good. We have to cultivate a taste for His word. The Word of God is an acquired taste. As we feed on the bread of life, we’ll come to crave our necessary food. As Jeremiah said, I found thy words and I did eat them and they were unto me the joy and rejoicing of my life.

Be careful where we get our supplies. We’re called to become broken bread to feed those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. God will allow us to be broken bread to serve those whom he has called.

We need to die to self in order to live for him. When we give up the right to ourselves, then we can present our bodies a living sacrifice holy and wholly acceptable unto him which our reasonable act of worship. For I was crucified with Christ, yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

For what were we called? What is the good purpose of his will? The conclusion is in Ephesians 1, that we should be to the praise of the glory of His grace who has made us acceptable in the beloved.

This Christmas season and in every season of life, His will is that we live exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to his power that worketh in us.

Your brother in Christ,
Michael

God bless y’all and thank you for the opportunity to speak this morning.

I’m Michael Low.  The Bible says, “condescend to men of low estate.”  So thank you for condescending to my level.  Some of you know me from Influencers’ retreats and Journey groups. Most of you know me because I take notes and post them on Influencers West web site.  

How may of you were at October’s Influencers retreat?  As you recall we have a tradition at our influencers retreats to toss an orange to someone who has particularly blessed us.  Pete threw me an orange and said that I was a blessing for taking notes of the messages.  Pete said to me after reading the first notes I published, “I don’t remember saying that.  Then I thought to myself, I wish I had said that.”  Pete said to Bill Kauble after reading my notes, “I didn’t know I was that good.”  Bill always having a heart to keep Pete humble said, “You’re really not that good.”  

I went to a church conference and the preacher said, “After the sermon, I went to greet the people as they were leaving.  They would say, “I loved it when you said….and then they would tell me what they heard.”  I remember saying to myself, “I never said that.”  About the 50th time someone came up to me and said “I loved it when you said…., God prompted me to reply “I didn’t say that.  The Holy Spirit said that.  You need to write down not what the preacher says but what the Holy Spirit says.”  That’s what I do when I publish the notes and thoughts from influencers messages.

When Pete threw me the orange I was thinking of whom to thank.  I said, “I’d like to throw an orange to all y’all.”  Pete said, “It’s good to hear from a fellow southerner.”  People notice two things about me when they first meet me.  The first is that I’m Asian.  The second is that I speak with a slight southern twang.  In response to Pete’s comment I said, “most of y’all don’t know it, but I hail from North Carolina….that’s in Southern China.”  

I’d like to thank all y’all for our fellowship, our band of brothers here in Fullerton.  After our retreat Bill Kauble asked the table leaders what they thought about our table group discussions.  Justin from our Irvine group said, “you remember the story about Daniel in the lions’ den?  Well, I felt like a lion in the midst of Daniels.”  That’s the way I feel when I’m here with y’all.  

Bill Kauble often asks deep questions.  One question is, “why are you here?”   I’m here because you’re here.  When I’m here I see God’s word and his love reflected in all y’all.  We’re the only bible some people will ever read.  Paul said, we’re living epistles known and read of all men.  According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”  Someone gave me some good advice.  He said if the reproof fits, wear it.  To correct means to restore to an upright position.

When Bill asked me to speak this morning I asked him if he had a topic for me or if I should allow the Holy Spirit to inspire me.  He said the latter.  

Did you realize we’re half way between Thanksgiving and Christmas?  How do you tie together Thanksgiving and Christmas?  There are three women’s names that will help us:  The three names are Carissa, Irene, and Agatha.  

The first name is Carissa.  “Charis” is the Greek word for grace.  As y’all know I’m from the South.  We do things a little differently in the South.  In California we say the blessing before a meal or we just give thanks.  In the south, we say grace. I had to look up the word grace in my bible dictionary.  The Greek word for Grace, “Charis” is the same root word for the words Gift and Thanksgiving.  Gift is Charisma and Thanksgiving is the Greek word eucharista.  

Grace is divine favor.  Grace is God’s divine favor given by the one who didn’t need to give it to the ones who didn’t deserve to receive it.  God’s gifts are given by grace.  Grace allows access to God through his son our Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest gift of all is salvation through Jesus’s sacrifice for sin on out behalf.  For he who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.  

I hope you’re planning to celebrate Christmas with your family and that would include your young children or grand children.  Children are excited to unwrap their Christmas presents.  But the greatest present of all is the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.  The greatest present of all is the presence of Christ in us the hope of glory.  Therefore Psalm 100 says,  ”Be thankful unto him and bless his name….for the lord is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations.”

The name Carissa reminds us that because of God’s grace, we give thanks for the gracious gift of his son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The second and third women’s names that connect Thanksgiving with Christmas are Irene and Agatha.  The name Irene is the Greek word for Peace and the name Agatha is the Greek word for Good.  The angel’s announcement of Jesus’ birth contained both of these women’s names.  The heavenly host’s announcement of Jesus’ birth to the Shepherds on a Judean hillside concluded with their praise, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” 

Peace is the Greek word Irene.  Peace is the absolute end of all strife and contention between God and men.  You can’t have peace without the Prince of Peace.  Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give unto you.  Not as the world giveth give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  Peace is the result of reconciliation. To reconcile means to bring together that which has been separated.  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.  

Ephesians 2:13-17 is about peace through Christ’s reconciliation:  “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.  14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;  15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;  16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:  17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.” 

The other woman’s name in Jesus’ birth announcement is Agatha.  This old English name Agatha is the Greek word for Good. The rich young ruler approached Jesus and said, “Good master what shall I do to inherit eternal life.”  Jesus said, “why calleth thou me good?”  What does it mean to do good or to be good?  I was brought up Southern Baptist.  When you ask most people, ”what does it mean to be a Christian,” most people think that it has something to do with being good and doing good.  This is what the Pharisees thought.  

However Jesus said, “there is none good no not one.”  The Greek word for Good, Agatha, means “Fit for the particular purpose for which God intended.”  Goods are items of value that are purchased for a price.  if I buy a pen that doesn’t write, then it’s no good.  It’s only good if it functions for the purpose intended.  Otherwise it’s no good because it doesn’t work.  Likewise, we were bought with a price.  For Jesus Christ who was without sin was made the perfect payment for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness (goodness) of God in Him.  When we accepted Jesus as Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead, we received God’s gift of Holy Spirit.  When Jesus said “there is none good,” he meant that there is none good in the flesh that we inherited from Adam.  However, when we were born again of God’s spirit, our goodness was in God’s gracious gift of the spirit.  When we were born again, the purpose for which were purchased was so that we could be to the praise of the glory of His Grace.

Because of Carissa God’s gift of grace, in everything we can give thanks.   Because of Jesus’ birth, we can rejoice and praise God with the angels:  Grace, peace and goodness.  Carissa, Irene, and Agatha.  They are the reasons for the season.  This is why Christ our Saviour is born!

Because we have God’s gracious gift of his son, Christ in us the hope of Glory we can rejoice with the heavenly hosts:  Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth Peace, Good Will toward men!

Your brother in Christ, 

Michael

Straight Paths for a Crooked World

In the news media, if it bleeds it leads.  The world is full of bad news.  However, we’re in the middle of a spiritual battle and the world is in the dark and unaware.  They are blind to the spiritual reality.  It’s like in Germany during the Nazi regime when Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, The church is sleepwalking toward a precipice.

According to Proverbs 3:5-6, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path..He shall make thy path straight.  Crooked means that there are curves and bends in the wrong direction.  However, when we trust in the Lord, he will direct us in the right direction.  We’re called to be consistent everyday.  A professional athlete walks the talk and talks the walk.  A professional practices what he preaches.  A professional is a practitioner of his discipline.  Profession in English is from the Greek word, “homologeo.”  It means same word.  We’re called to make God’s word our word and his will our will.  When an athlete loses confidence in his “muscle memory” it’s because he forgot what 

What is the purpose for which has God called us?  According Proverbs, trust in the Lord.  He will make your way straight.  He will clear the obstacles in your path.  When we trust in him he will make our way productive according to his glory to show us that he is faithful to His word.  He’ll test our character.  God allowed the devil to test Job.  God allowed the devil to test Job but God would not allow the devil to take his life.  The devil caused a storm to devastate the house where Job’s children were gathered together.  They all perished in the storm.  Job remained faithful to God and did not curse God.  

When circumstances are aligned against us.  When our children fall into sin and our loved ones are faced with disease and death, will we trust in the Lord with all our heart?  The first of the Ten Commandments says, thou shalt have no other Gods between your face and my face.

Suzan taught Pete that there was no competition in her heart.  One morning she said to Pete, “I’m so disappointed this morning.”  Pete asked her why.  She said, “I thought I’d wake up in Jesus’ arms this morning, but here I am with you.”  Pete understood that her heart was with her Lord.  Therefore, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace that passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Through the trials of life God will teach us, what seems as a wind of destruction, I will deepen you in the fire of affliction and purify your soul through the crucible of the trial. As David prayed, try me and test me and see if there is any wicked way in me.  Through the crucible of pain, He will purify our heart.  When we trust in Him to bring us through the trial, he’ll purify us to trust in him with all our heart and to lean not unto our own understanding.  

The sheep know the shepherd’s voice by spending time in his presence.  Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they know me and I give unto them eternal life.  When we trust him by following him, we’ll come to know his voice.  He will keep us on track.  God will allow wounds, hurts, pains and crooked ways to test us.  Through the trials of life we will come to the point that we understand that he’s in control, not me.  

If we allow God to determine our faith, then he will direct our paths.  In the midst of the trials of life, we’ll learn to dance in the storm.  He will strengthen and uphold us with his righteous right hand.  What seems to be a wind of destruction, he’ll bring us through to new victories.  

The devil will say, what good is God if he allows me to suffer?  What good is he if he allows me to lose my job.  What good is he if he allows my child to suffer?  In the midst of the trials of life, when we trust in the Lord with all our heart, our response will be Jesus’ response.  When they nailed him to the cross, he said, “father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  

We have to allow God to come help himself to our lives.  He will purify our souls in the crucible of pain and affliction.  To trust in the Lord means we need to trust him in all things…our finances, what we watch for entertainment, where and with whom we spend our time.  God will teach us that he doesn’t need our gifts.  Sometimes he’ll call us to sit on the bench when we want to be an all star. On the bench we’ll learn quiet grace and character.  On the bench we’ll learn to support our team mate who’s up to bat.  We’ll learn to cheer for him to make the play that wins the game.  

God will work on us so that we can see what we’re preaching.  It’s easy to talk the talk. However, life is lived in shoe leather.  He’ll teach us to walk the talk.  He’ll teach us to love our wives with the love of God.  He’ll teach us to ask the right questions.  It’s not the right question to question God’s “Justice and fairness.”  If we think we deserve our just desserts, he’ll remind us that the wages of sin is death.  Questioning God’s word and his will will lead us to the path’s of unrighteousness.  If we’re in it for the blessing, we’re in it for the wrong reasons.  

We don’t need to know the answers before we take a step of faith.  Faith means to trust in the Lord and not our circumstances and situations.  When we trust in him we will come to know his voice and understand his word and his will.   Then when the crisis comes and courage is required, we will have such confidence in him that we will be the reliable ones.  Therefore, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path…he shall make thy path straight.

And as we walk the path that He’s foreordained that we should walk, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ,

Michael

Holy People

Why is God’s Sovereignty important?  His sovereignty is important because God is important.  From God’s perspective, even the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket.  The Kurds used to be prominent in the recent history of the Middle East.  Then when the US left Iraq this left a void for Russia to assert political power over the Kurds. Despite wars and rumors of wars, God is still sovereign overall.  According to Acts 17:26, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation…” From God’s eternal perspective, Jesus Christ will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness…”

The question is, ”why are we here?”    We’re here to be holy people.  What does it mean to be a holy person?  Holy means to separate according to the purpose designed by the Designer.  Our purpose according to Ephesians 1 is, “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:  5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (sonship by new birth) by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,  6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Men struggle with their sense of worth.  It’s easy to buy into the world’s accusation that we’re no good….that we’re guilty as charged.  However, He made me worthy and now by his grace his mercy has made me his own.  We’re worthy because He made us worthy, for he who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Romans 8 says that his gift of the spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.  According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  Against such there is no law. 

The heart of our Journey Groups is abiding.  John 15 it talks about what it means to abide in Christ:  “I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

He is the vine and we are the branches.  If we aabide in him and his word abides in us, the result will be much fruit.  1 Peter 2 says that we are called as a royal priesthood.  A priest is one who speaks to God on behalf of the people.  What does God want us to do as priests within our own homes?  Throughout the Christmas season we will have plenty of divine appointments.  When we live with Christ’s feet behind our feet, his hands behind our hands and his heart behind our heart, they will see the love of God manifest in us and through us.

God gives each of us a personal message.  The message is to us and also for us to share with others.  According to Matthew 24, no one knows the day and hour of Christ’s return.  As in the days of Noah before the flood, the people did not know until the flood came and took them away, so also shall no one know when the Son of Man comes.  If the master of the house had known when the thief would come he would have been prepared and not have let his house be ransacked.

The most important thing we can do for our families is to have a relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.  When we abide with him and within him, we will reflect his love, mercy and grace to those around us.  We’re the lights of the world as His light shines through us.  1 Peter 2:9 says, “…ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

In this season when we celebrate the birth of or Lord Jesus Christ,

May we as a royal priesthood offer the sacrifice of praise…that we should be to. The praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ,

Michael

Thanksgiving

God loves when we thank him for what he did through his son on our behalf. According to Luke 17:12 = 18, “And as he (Jesus) entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger?”

Only the Samaritan came back to thank Jesus. The others who must have been Judeans went to see the high priest to declare them healed according to the Old Testament Levitical law. The Samaritan rejoicing, returned to thank Jesus who himself is God’s true high priest according to the New Testament law of the spirit of life in Christ.

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to his Heavenly Father, If there be any other way, let this cup of suffering, sin, death and wrath of judgement pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. His prayer was to align his heart with his Father’s heart. Trough suffering, pain, tribulation and trials, our Father will teach us what really matters…to glorify God. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

God will teach us the meaning of thankfulness through the trials of life. Pete and his wife Suzan learned this difficult lesson many years ago. It was just another an ordinary day. Pete’s wife Suzan wife was nine months pregnant and he was shooting hoops with some friends. Pete received a call that said, “your wife’s in labor.” He rushed home and took her to the hospital. His job was to help her breath to focus her attention on her breathing instead of the labor pains. The doctors looking at the monitors said to Pete, “you need to go to the Father’s waiting room. We’re losing the baby’s heartbeat and need to go in and take the baby by C-section.”

Pete went into the closet in the father’s waiting room and prayed, “Lord, please save my wife and my baby.” God answered audibly, “Pete, how much control do you have over this situation?” Pete answered, “I have no control. You have all control. You’re the Sovreign God.” God said, “If I’m Sovreign, will you purpose in your heart to serve, honor, trust, and praise me no matter what happens to Suzan and your baby?” Pete asked himself, what if they died? He had pondered this question before: why would anyone praise God if they lost their wife and child? Pete had been studying the depth of God’s call. He said to himself, this is deep water Christianity. Is God Sovreign? Is God good? Does he have a good plan and a purpose for me? Can I praise him in all things? In times of trial, we are lifted from the things of this world into the things of the spirit of life in Christ. What good am I if I only praise him and thank him when He cleanses me from leprosy and heals me from all my diseases? Am I thankful for all his decisions with my best interest in mind regardless of my feelings? Can I trust him in the things that are most precious to me?

Are you the kind of man to whom God can help himself? Only one of ten lepers came back to thank Jesus for healing him. What if he had not been healed. Would he still have been thankful that God could use him through his pain and suffering?

As soon as they performed the C-section, a team of doctors rushed into the delivery room to intervene to save the baby’s life. Pete and his wife were sent to a hospital room to await the news about their new baby. Thirty minutes later, one doctor came into the hospital room and said, “I’m sorry but we lost your baby son.”

As they mourned the loss of their newborn son, Pete read to Suzan from a devotional called “Come Away My Beloved” by Francis Roberts, He read a passage about comfort and affliction. It was as if Jesus himself were sitting on the hospital bed holding their hands to comfort them… as though Jesus himself were ministering to a young couple whose baby he had allowed to die: “How often have I promised you and not kept my word? I deepen you in the furnace of affliction and I purify your soul in the crucible of pain.” To grow into maturity, God will try us to deepen our resolve to serve him no matter what. To be Lord of all he must be Lord in all…especially through the crucible of affliction. Therefore, trust in the Lord with all thing heart and lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. To make his way our way and his heart our heart is to praise God through tribulation, pain and affliction. “I’ll bring you to new victories through what seems as a wind of destruction. I am your purpose and your hope when you relinquish yourself to me.”

People and worldly relationships will end in pain and suffering. There is only one who is faithful. Therefore trust in the Lord with all thine heart. When we have no control, then we can relinquish our will to his will. The Lord will say, “Hold fast to my hand and rest in my love. I have you in my own intensive care. Of this you can be very certain.”

God said, ”your own power is an empty well. Draw from the well of my abundant grace and mercy. You will be equipped to communicate confidence through this trial. Heaven rejoices when you go through trials with a singing spirit.”

Through the trials of life, God will teach us what really matters. For tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. In Oswald Chamber’s devotional for November 1, Chambers writes, “God will break up our lives and make us a thoroughfare for himself and for others to walk upon. No human can stand that unless he’s sanctified by our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot bear up through the suffering in our own power. If we depend on ourselves, we’ll be a clog to God’s purpose. He’ll try us and temper us so that we’re emptied of ourselves. Through the doorway of heartbreak we will come to understand the fellowship of His suffering. God will rescue us through the grip of his son’s nail pierced hands. If God can teach us his purpose through the trial, then thank God for breaking our heart.”

The trials are the opportunities to let his mercy and grace shine through us. This is the purpose of our life…that we should be to the praise fo the glory of his grace. The trial will teach us what really matters. Therefore in everything give thanks. For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.

May we ever give thanks for his loving kindness and tender mercy that we should live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael