Discipleship

Giving Thanks — November 1
by

Giving Thanks — November 1

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! “
2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

I think I would be rather amiss if I began a series on giving thanks without an umbrella focus of being thankful for God.  The gifting I receive from God is so multi-faceted that it would be impossible to list all of it without missing something.  Yet most of the list would be things I could describe once I recognized I had received it.  The one gift that I’ll never be able to fully describe (at least not until I see Him face to face, and then there would be no point in describing it) is the gift God has given of Himself.  There is so much wrapped up in this indescribable gift that I’m sure elements of it will be present in most of this series of giving thanks posts.  And while there is an element of God giving and me receiving because God has given Himself, I will still use this as a reminder to simply be thankful for God.

For me, God is at the very center of my ability to be thankful.  Yes, I know people who don’t believe in God yet live with varying degrees of thankfulness.  But even without their recognition of it, He is generally the source of that for which they are thankful.  Being thankful for God, and the gift of Himself through Jesus, helps me to acknowledge His goodness as the provider of every “good and perfect gift”.  Beginning each day with a genuine thankfulness to God for Jesus helps me to have a thankful attitude when the day doesn’t go as I would wish or plan.  When I am truly thankful for God’s grace extended to me each day, I find it is much easier to remain thankful when I need to extend that same grace to others.

As I spend this month thinking, and writing, about being more thankful, I pray that you and I would always begin by being thankful for God’s indescribable gift!

In prayer,
Tom  

Giving Thanks — October 31
by

Giving Thanks — October 31

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ASV)

It is that time of year again, at least here where I live, that people begin to think about being thankful.  Actually, I don’t know if there is a real increase in the level of gratitude or just in the expression of it; but either way, thankfulness becomes more visible and that’s a good thing.

So, what better way to start a series on giving thanks than with the above verses from First Thessalonians where we find it is God’s will that we give thanks in all circumstances.  You’ve likely heard time and time again that one of the keys to this command is the simple word, “in”.  With that one little word, we find instruction to be thankful even in the midst of things that no one would be particularly thankful for.  One of the benefits of a national Thanksgiving Holiday is that it tends to lead many to consider the things for which they are thankful regardless of their current circumstances.

Also key to being able to give thanks in everything is the command to rejoice always.  Our level of gratitude is usually tightly connected to our attitude.  Choosing to live with a joyful heart will lead each of us to a greater recognition of the many things for which we ought to be thankful . . . even in the midst of difficult circumstances.  As a Christian there are many things that should lead to greater rejoicing, but at the top of that list should be the knowledge that our name is written in the Book of Life.  When we choose to “rejoice in the Lord”, it will be in that act of rejoicing that we find much to be thankful for.

But even more important than rejoicing, I believe the command to pray without ceasing may be the greatest key in learning to give thanks in all circumstances.  You see, all of these (rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks) are God’s will for us and prayer is the communication tool that connects us with the heart and will of God regardless of the circumstances of life surrounding us.  When we pray about the good things of life, we will find we are more thankful to the One who provides them all.  When we pray about the difficult things of life, we discover One in whom we can be thankful as He has the understanding, power, ability, and desire to hold us and carry us through all things.

It is my prayer that each of us would take to heart the message of God’s Word and continually grow in our practice of giving thanks in all circumstances — not just in a season of Thanksgiving, but every day God gives us life here on earth.

In prayer,
Tom  

One Wish
by

One Wish

If I had one wish
that I knew would come true.
Would I spend it on me,
or give it to you?
If I had one wish
that could ease someone’s pain.
Would I wish for more sunshine,
or maybe more rain?
If I had one wish
that could right something wrong.
Would I cast someone out,
or help them belong?
If I had one wish
that could fill someone’s cup.
Would I worry about mine,
or fill theirs right up?

If I had one wish
that I knew would come true.
I don’t have to guess
about what I would do.
Far more than a wish,
God has called me to pray.
And my heart is revealed,
in what I do say.
As I pray for my brothers
and those in great need.
Do I pray with compassion,
or words filled with greed?
My prayers have more power
than any wish could.
So I look out for others,
when I pray like I should.
© 2019 by Tom Lemler

I’m not sure if there will be more to these rhyming lines eventually, or not, but here’s what fell out of my head this afternoon.

In prayer,

Tom

Living As ONE! (Sermon Audio)
by

Living As ONE! (Sermon Audio)

 

This is the audio from the October 6, 2019 sermon, “Living As ONE!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Here are the main points from the sermon:

Being one in Christ means we learn to live as:

  • Obedient:
    • 1 Corinthians 12:15-16, 2 Corinthians 10:5 —  Living as one with Christ and with one another will require a steadfast pursuit of an obedient life.  One key to bringing our actions into obedience to the will of God is learning to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.”  Our obedience to Christ will lead us to do the work that God uniquely created us to do.  Not only do we grow in obedience to Christ, our living as one should lead us to a greater obedience or submission to one another.  .
  • Necessary: 
    • 1 Corinthians 12:17-21, Ephesians 4:11-16 — Living as one with Christ will also require a recognition of how necessary we are as a part of His body.  Our culture seems to have trained us in the very bad habit of evaluating a person’s usefulness based on a standard that doesn’t take into account what each person was created to do.  When we come to understand that we are vital to the well-being of the body as a whole, we are more likely to live as one with those who bring different gifts and abilities to the body.
  • Enough:
    • 1 Corinthians 12:22-25, Romans 15:5-14 — Living as one with Christ will also require that we accept that we are enough just as Christ made us.  To be fair and honest, this isn’t an excuse to quit growing and improving.  God’s desire is that we would always give Him our best and be our best in our interactions with others.  What it does mean, however, is that when we offer ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, what we offer is enough.  We don’t have to become what someone else is or what they want us to be — in fact, doing so would often lessen the effectiveness of the body as it would be missing the part we were created to be!  

Choosing to live as ONE will always have to begin with me.  I must live as Obedient, Necessary, and Enough before I can expect that from others.  Because we are part of one body, the body of Christ, after applying these lessons to ourselves we then begin to see how each attribute benefits the body.  Our obedience prospers when it is built on the Word of God and grows out of submission to one another.  Our sense of belonging grows when we realize just how necessary we are and how equally necessary all of the other members of the body are.  Our value is measured accurately when we no longer have to measure up to the standards and expectations of another person whose task is different than ours.  When the body functions as one and each part of the body lives as Obedient, Necessary, and Enough, we will make great strides in being the disciples God has called us to be and the witnesses for Jesus that He needs us to be.

Praying For the BEST! (Sermon Audio)
by

Praying For the BEST! (Sermon Audio)

 

This is the audio from the September 29, 2019 sermon, “Praying For the BEST!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Philippians 1:9-11

Here are the main points from the sermon:

When it comes to praying for the best, ask God to give you His:

  • Benefits:
    • Psalms 103:2-5, Romans 6:22 —  While our culture has gradually changed the concept of employee benefits to being something that is earned or deserved, it hasn’t always been this way.  For many generations, the “benefit package” was something a company gave to benefit their employees in ways that were above and beyond what they earned.  I believe it is in that former context that we pray for, and receive, the best benefits a person could ever obtain.  These benefits are completely unearned and belong to all who come into relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.  When we pray for the best benefits, we find that God is generous in supplying so much more than we could think or imagine because what He supplies will last for eternity.
  • Equipment: 
    • Ephesians 6:10-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 — At least in my life, and I suspect the same is true for many of you, much has been accomplished with whatever tools happened to be available when the work needed done.  What I’ve learned over the years, as better tools became available to me, is that using the best equipment generally yields a result that is far superior to most of my “make do” efforts.  As we live the Christian life, God has offered to equip us with the absolute best tools possible if we would only go to Him in prayer.  In fact, prayer itself is at the top of the list of the best equipment we can have in living a life of victory over the temptations of the evil one.  When we pray for the best equipment, God clothes us with His armor so that on the day of evil we may stand.
  • Strategy:
    • Isaiah 55:8-9, Psalms 119:1 — Growing up in a culture that has taught us that we not only can have it our way, but we deserve it our way, makes it difficult to accept that our way isn’t the best way.  Growing up on a farm I learned that it was possible to accomplish just about anything given enough time and determination.  Looking back I realize there were many things accomplished that took much more time and effort than they would have had to simply because I didn’t know the best way to do them.  Too often we settle for mediocrity, or worse, because we insist our ways and plans are somehow superior to anything else.  We will only experience the best when we realize and accept that God’s ways are so much better in every aspect than ours.  When we pray for the best strategy, we must begin from a position of listening with a blank slate rather than asking God to bless a strategy we have come up with either on our own or through observing others.
  • Testimony:
    • 1 John 5:9-12, John 4:39-42 — How people respond to what you say has a lot to do with how they perceive the authenticity of your testimony.  I suspect we have all received unsolicited advice throughout our life that we simply ignored because there was no evidence that the advice being given had in any way benefited the person giving it.  Our prayers for the best testimony begin to be answered when we accept the testimony of God about His Son, Jesus.  It is then through living out an authentic relationship with Jesus that we find our testimony about His working in our life is a powerful tool in helping others even have a desire to know Him.  When we pray for the best testimony God doesn’t make it more dramatic, He simply shows us how even the small details of our life have a purpose when we use them to share with others how we are a witness of God’s love and power.

Praying for the best will mean we truly want the best. When we pray for the Benefits, Equipment, Strategy, and Testimony that only God can give, we discover He has answered our prayer and filled us with the very best He has — His Son.

Praying For the Church: Witness (Session Four)
by

Praying For the Church: Witness (Session Four)

 

This is the audio of session four from the September 7, 2019 Praying For the Church Prayer Event held at Michiana Christian Camp.

This final session focused on praying for the church’s witness as we considered how to live in such a way that the truth of Jesus is evident in our life.

Praying For the Church: Worship (Session Three)
by

Praying For the Church: Worship (Session Three)

 

This is the audio of session three from the September 7, 2019 Praying For the Church Prayer Event held at Michiana Christian Camp.

This third session focused on praying for the church in worship as we considered how our personal worship of God each day ought to impact the worship that is expressed when we gather with other believers.

Praying For the Church: Work (Session Two)
by

Praying For the Church: Work (Session Two)

 

This is the audio of session two from the September 7, 2019 Praying For the Church Prayer Event held at Michiana Christian Camp.

This second session focused on praying for the church at work as we considered how our relationship with Jesus ought to make a difference in everything we do.