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Jesus gave gratitude and we should too

silhouette of a man in meditative pose with dramatic lighting

The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the few stories that are recorded in all 4 of the Gospels. Usually there is a slight variation of the same stories, and this one is no different. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, and said a blessing. In John’s account, “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated” (John 6:11). Blessing and thanks are very similar. Blessing literally means “good word” and means to speak well of, to bless, or praise. The word for thanks literally means “good grace,” and is an appreciation for the grace given us by God. It can be translated “thanks” or “gratitude.”

The word that John uses is the same word that Jesus used when he gave thanks “good grace” at the Last Supper. God’s good grace reflects His kindness, goodwill, and favor towards His people. Jesus often gave gratitude. When he raised Lazarus from the dead, he said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41-42). Jesus’ gratitude was evident throughout his ministry, and he even gave it so that people would believe he was sent by the Father.

Gratitude changes everything–from our position towards God to our position towards each other. When we give thanks to God in all things, we acknowledge that our faith is in Him and Him alone. Let’s begin and end each day with gratitude.

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Bringing healing to the sick

crop psychologist supporting patient during counseling indoors

The story of Paul’s shipwreck on Malta is quite incredible. It’s one of those stories that sounds exaggerated because so many bad things happened all at once, but the story is very much real. Paul was on a ship with hundreds of other men, some of which were other prisoners. There were bad winds and storms and Paul urged the centurion not to continue on or else there would be loss of life. The centurion instead listened to the pilot and owner of the ship and continued on. A very bad northeaster storm hit and they began dumping cargo and tying the ship together so it wouldn’t break apart.

Paul told them that they should have listened to him but also urged them to eat because they had been fourteen days without food. He also said that he had a vision from God that everyone would be safe and that they would land on an island. After striking a reef, the boat began to fall apart and they were about to kill the prisoners, but because the centurion wanted to save Paul he kept them from carrying out the plan. Had Paul not been likable and vocal about God’s plan, this would have turned out very differently.

The people of the island were unusually kind to them and Paul ended up healing the chief of the island’s father: “It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him” (Acts 28:8). After that, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases came and were healed by Paul. This story is a reminder that we need to be the hands and feet of Jesus wherever we go. In the most extreme and bizarre circumstances, Paul remained faithful to God and he blessed many people in the process!

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Why laziness is a sin

woman lying on sofa

Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” Paul says, when serving, to serve as if we are serving the Lord himself (Colossians 3:23-24). Christian apologist Cliffe Knechtle says that laziness is a sin because “laziness is essentially saying, ‘God, you have given me nothing of significance and importance. Therefore, I can fritter my life away being lazy, not developing my physical talents, or my intellectual talents, or my my spiritual talents because guess what? It really doesn’t matter.'”

Proverbs has lots to say about laziness. For example, it says that “whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys” (Proverbs 18:9. Proverbs 26:13 says that lazy people make up excuses: “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!'” They refuse to work: “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor” (21:25). And they are wise in their own eyes: “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly” (26:16).

Finally, we know that laziness leads to poverty, but “whoever gathers little by little will increase it (wealth)” (13:11). So Cliffe is exactly right–laziness is a sin. It’s a sin because we take the talents God has given us and we refuse to put them to use. When we put the talents to use, we increase little-by-little, piece-by-piece, and we are able to help many, many people in need.

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Be the Salt and Light

mason jar filled with salt

One of the first things Jesus told his disciples during his sermon on the mount was, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13). The next thing he said is, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house” (vs. 14-15).

Both salt and light are important. They didn’t have refrigerators in the first century. The only way to preserve meat was to heavily salt it. Salt has been used since the beginning of time to preserve things, ferment them, and to add taste. If salt “loses its saltiness” it is thrown out. Salt is cheap. We have no problem throwing it out if it’s bad. Jesus’ point is for us to be good salt for others, to be appealing. Likewise, light is essential for productivity. It’s necessary to see. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (vs. 16).

If we simply do these two things within our community, lives will be radically changed for the good. It doesn’t take a detailed plan, a committee, or truck loads of volunteers. The way for the church to build a bridge between the church and community is to be appealing–to do the work of Christ and to point people to God. More and more people are combining a Christian model of living into their business plans and it’s experiencing wild success. People buy products and use services that they know are benefitting a good cause. We need to constantly be the salt and light of the world.

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Be the change for good

man and woman carrying medicine and food labelled cardboard boxes behind a white van

There’s an old expression in the church that was used to sniff out supposed heretics. That term was “change agent.” Change agents refer to individuals who advocate for significant alterations in the church’s practices, beliefs, or structure and were accused of deviating from the church’s “norms” or traditions. The problem is that this term is incredibly subjective and many were over-labeling people as change agents when they simply were trying to do good for the kingdom.

There is nothing inherently wrong with change or doing new things, so long as they are in step with God’s commandments. God himself said, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19 ESV). Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

Renewal. Transformation. Change. These are all good things when they align with God’s good and perfect will. It’s our duty to seek and follow the will of God. Oftentimes even well-intentioned people follow their own desires, thinking it is God’s will when it is not. Following God’s will requires discipline and a vast amount of scripture reading and prayer. As Christians, we can be change agents for good! We can be transformed to become more like Christ. This is the change we should be after!

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Obedience to God brings blessing

a woman with gray veil holding a bible

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says, “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” God established his covenant with the people of Israel but the conditions of that covenant were that Israel obey God. As long as they obeyed, God promised to bless them and give them peace.

We know, however, that obedience wasn’t their forte. Even when Moses was on the mountain receiving the ten commandments, the Israelites were making gods out of their golden jewelry. The conditions for blessing, prosperity, and peace were simple yet the Israelites rebelled and brought destruction on their own heads.

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. When Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples, he told them to go into all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). The commandments came with a promise: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (vs. 21). Blessing is followed by obedience. As Christians, we are required to be obedient to God. When we are, blessing follows.

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Jesus heals the blind man

portrait of a senior man sitting outdoors in bangladesh

John records a blind beggar whose eyes were healed by Jesus. The disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). Their question is reminiscent of Job’s friends, who kept asking him what sin he committed that caused trouble to find him. Jesus’ answer is clear: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (vs. 3). Jesus said that they must all work the works of God while it is still day because night is coming when the work can’t be done. Then he concluded: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (vs. 5).

Jesus then anointed his eyes with spit and mud then had him wash in the pool of Siloam. The Pharisees called the man and relentlessly questioned him, insisting that he tell them where Jesus was and how he was able to heal him. The Pharisees argued with each other; some said that a sinner can’t heal others and others thought that he must be from God. Then they questioned the man again, asking what he thought about Jesus. He simply replied, “He is a prophet” (vs. 17). Unsatisfied with his answer, they called his parents to question them.

They called the man back and insisted that he label Jesus a sinner. His response was brilliant: “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (vs. 25). After questioning him more they cast him out of their presence in a fit of rage. When Jesus heard he was cast out, he went and found the man and asked him if he believes in the Son of Man. The man asked Jesus to show him who he is so he can believe in him and Jesus said the he was the Son of Man. The man replied, “Lord, I believe,” and worshiped Jesus. Sometimes bad things happen to us so the works of God can be revealed. How many times has this happened in our lives?

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