GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD

There are so many confusing things in religion--not just the religions of the world, but even within the teaching and life of Christianity. Subtle inroads are made to interject ourselves into the salvation process. Even in those Reformation Christians, it sneaks in to equal faith and works. We may come to believe that God saves, but is it sort of a general “salvation made available” thing, and in order for it to be ours or to be maintained, it really is up to us and our actions? Some push this so far that our performance justifies God, believing that, in some warped sense, by our obedience we become God’s savior before the universe and justify his work. The psalmist is clear, and so should we be: “I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.”

Maybe the most repeated phrase in the entire book of Psalms is “his love endures forever.” What are the implications for our well-being mentally, psychologically, and spiritually when we really buy into the idea that God’s love endures forever? How does knowing you are loved with a perfect love that is also without end affect how you live your life and what you tell others about how to best live?

According to the dictionary, “Righteousness” is the quality of being morally right or justifiable. Today, we live in a culture that has moved away from absolutes (absolutely). For many people, what is right has become what is right in their eyes. But beyond our human perceptions, ideas, and projections, when best understood, we believe there is God, who is right and whose actions, decisions, and choices are justifiable because they match what is right and true. We will look at some of the misconceptions and what we gain and lose when we believe in, and are thankful for, God being righteous.

The angel declared “great joy” for everyone. If we read through the Old Testament, and especially the Psalms, we find a repeated call to sing and especially “shout” for joy to the Lord. Somewhere and somehow the joy has been tamed. Great joy calls for shouting and singing while some lesser joy can remain quiet. How do we recover a sense of joy? How might we followers of Jesus become an increasingly joy-filled people? There’s something attractive about a place filled with joy. Could that be CHURCH??