Yes, Jesus was Born…

“I’m Glad He Was Born, But . . .”

We are at that time of the year when much of the world is focusing on the events surrounding the birth of a child in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago. The Catholic church created the celebration of Jesus’ birth and linked it to a Christ-Mass. The very name is evidence that it was not a celebration known by the early church, but it originated hundreds of years later and was tied to the mass of Catholicism.

Jesus was born

Glad Jesus was Born, but…

Many are so glad He was born because it is so easy to love baby Jesus. The events surrounding the birth of a child are fascinating, but none are more fascinating than the events of Jesus’ birth. The baby in the manger and the visit of the shepherds and the wise men are well known, even by those who do not have any faith in Jesus. Baby Jesus is so easy to love.

Many are so glad He was born because babies make no demand of them. It is so easy to love those who do not demand our time or attention. All babies are cute, and others, except their parents or care givers, can enjoy being around them because they can just walk away from infants whenever they like. Baby Jesus is like that. The shepherds and the wise men came to where He was and simply walked away anytime they liked. Baby Jesus is great and so lovable as long as we are in control.

Many are so glad He was born, but that all changes when He gets older. Do you recall how amazed the religious leaders were when young Jesus talked to them in the temple? It was these same leaders who loved young Jesus who later put Him to death. It is rather fascinating that so many today have this same relationship to Jesus. They love talking about Him when He was little, but really have trouble when He is old enough to talk back to them!

Many are so glad He was born, but lose sight of the real reason He came. The early church did not focus on the birth of Jesus, but on His death and resurrection. Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Lord and the Christ (Acts 2:36). Because Jesus is Lord, Peter commanded his listeners to repent/change in the name of Jesus. Baby Jesus is one thing, but Lord Jesus is another. The only hope this world has is not found in a baby in a manger, but in a Savior on the cross. He left the manger to go to the cross, but He left the cross to go to a throne where He rules the world.

Many are so glad He was born and focus on it, but the early church focused on His cross. They assembled every Sunday to remember Him—not as a helpless, undemanding infant but as an Almighty Savior. Imagine how Christendom would change dramatically if we focused on Him as Lord instead of as a baby!

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Avoid Assumptions

Have You Been Making Assumptions?

Grape cough medicine sounded like a good idea to try for my children when they had a cold, however, once was enough. The officially let me know they would rather die than ever try the grape flavor again. Satan is like Children’s Grape flavored cough medicine. The things he offers sound good on the surface, but when you accept them they are just nasty (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). The Pharisees are also another like comparison in that they appeared one way, but were another (Matthew 23:27-28). Things are not always as they seem to be.

assumption

If it’s an assumption, don’t pass it as truth.

Man often makes assumptions about something he has heard or seen without closer examination. In part, this is done because there is so much information in life to process that quick judgments are often the rule rather than the exception. However, such judgment does not always guarantee accurate assessments. Men make assumptions about others all the time. They do so based on where a man works, how he looks, who he is seen around, how he behaves, the color of his skin, how tall he is, and more. Assumptions are recorded throughout the Bible. Job’s 3 friends held the belief: “Whoever perished being innocent?” (Job 4:7). Samuel when he went to choose a king in I Samuel 16:1-7 made assumption based on appearance. Paul indirectly spoke on assumptions in I Corinthians 2:1-5, 6-8, and 9-11 in regard to himself, the rulers of the time, and one man to another. Below are three common assumptions which Biblically cannot be confirmed.

Assumption Regarding Mary Magdalene
In 591 AD, Pope Gregory made a number of assumptions about Mary Magdalene. The result of his assumption caused many to identify Mary as a prostitute. Some even go further and say she married Jesus. What do we know about Mary Magdalene from scripture? Luke 8:1-2 establishes Mary had 7 demons which were cast from her. Matthew 27:55-56 shows she was present at the cross of Jesus. The later verses of 59-61 shows she was present at his burial. Later, she witnessed the empty tomb from which Jesus had arisen (Matthew 28:1-2). It was that same morning Mary became the first person to whom Jesus appeared (Mark 16:9). From this point she proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus (Mark 16:10). Though there are other minor details given, anything representing the claims of Pope Gregory is preposterous. The assumptions were made upon established relationships, environment, and false teachings. These types of assumptions cloud who Mary really was and her devotion to our Savior.

Assumption Regarding Zaccheus
“Zaccheus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he…” Many a child has sung the words of this “Sunday school song”. Luke 19:1-10 tells his story and how was to meet Jesus at his home. Was Zaccheus a bad man? Was he corrupt? Was he a sinner? Many preachers will tell you he was. However, is this an assumption? Looking closely at Luke 19:1-2, we gain only two characteristics of Zaccheus. First, he was the head of tax collectors. Second, he was rich. How did he become rich? Some will say he stole or skimmed prophets. Prove it through scripture! It cannot be done. Maybe his mother and father were bakers and their cookies were so good Zaccheus inherited a fortune. This has the same foundation as saying Zaccheus was dishonest at this point.

Verses 3-4, establish that Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was. There is no indication that Zaccheus had ever met Jesus before. Verse 5 shows Jesus calling Zaccheus by name. How did Jesus know his name? This is not an indicator that they had met at all. Perhaps someone in the crowed mentioned Zaccheus’ name. It is very possible someone said, “Hey look! Zaccheus is up in the tree! What a crazy guy!” This is as much an assumption as someone saying Jesus had previously met Zaccheus. Could Jesus have possible read his heart and mind? Matthew 9:4, 22:18, Mark 2:8, 5:30, Luke 5:22, Luke 6:8, Luke 9:47, and others point to the affirmative. Yet to state one way or another is assumption.

Verse 6 sees Zaccheus responding and receiving Jesus joyfully. However, verse 7 sees the crowd, the majority, saying Zaccheus was a sinner. Layman’s Bible Commentary gives the following statement by Donald G. Miller: “According to Judaism at that time tax collectors would not be included in the benefits from Christ’s coming.” From the first century, likely before, straight through till today, no one likes the IRS. There are few individuals who take as much grief. Are there and have there been corrupt folks working for the IRS? Most definitely this is the case. However, the discussion surrounds one man – Zaccheus. The crowd says he is a sinner. Are they speaking factually or with assumption? Romans 3:23 states “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Appropriately, this identifies all men as those who have sinned. However, in this circumstance, Zaccheus would be no different from the crowd. They were intimating something else.

From verse 8, we see Zaccheus’ statement from which many people make assumption he was a corrupt individual. Many translations read “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four time as much.” From these words, it is assumed Zaccheus is saying he will straighten up his life. Unfortunately, this is a mistranslation. The word will is nowhere within the text. The Greek tense is the present tense. Zaccheus is justifying his life saying, “I give”, “I restore”. His life was one already of doing right, not of corruption, deceit, or fraud. Despite the assumptions of the crowd, Jesus established this tax gatherer was as welcome to the kingdom of God as any upright man.

Assumptions Regarding Onesimus
The letter to Philemon from Paul discusses a servant by the name of Onesimus. It is widely taught and preached Onesimus was a runaway slave who had stolen from his master Philemon. He then coincidently comes into contact with the apostle Paul who was under guard as a prisoner in Rome. This relationship converts Onesimus to Christianity. There are at least three problems with this understanding:

First – Biblical text never tells us Onesimus is a runaway slave.
Second – Biblical text never tells us he is a thief.
Third – Biblical text never tells us the meeting is by chance.

There are certain Roman laws regarding slavery are important to our study of Philemon. Roman law gave a slave no right of asylum. They were beaten to death in the presence of other slaves. They were also crucified for offenses far lighter. If Paul were aware Onesimus was a runaway slave, he neither by law or conscience could conceal the matter. Remember: Paul was a prisoner in Rome! The last place a runaway slave was going to be by choice is near Roman guards each day.

Paul in the letter returns Onesimus as a personal matter, not as a legal matter. In Philemon 9 Paul appeals to Philemon based love, age, and state of imprisonment to let Onesimus return to him. It is true from verse 11, there was a point in which Onesimus was useless to Philemon. We are not told why. Perhaps Onesimus was lazy or a host of other issues. Is it not far more likely to consider Onesimus was sent to Paul as perhaps a person who could bring about a change in Onesimus, rather than believing he was a runaway slave who by chance ended up in the midst of a heavily guarded prison where he would likely meet a sentence of death? Yet, assumption has long been taught as fact in regard to Onesimus.

Concluding Remarks
Though assumption is part of the lives of men, one must be careful to the conclusions they come to without facts. Mary Magdalene, Zaccheus, and Onesimus are individuals of which many false assumptions have been made. Proverbs 18:13 and James 2:1-4 give warnings about assumptions. One would be wise to heed these. Be as the Bereans (Acts 17:11) and search the scriptures when faced with the possibility of making assumption. As I Thessalonians 5:21 states: “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.”

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The Lord’s Supper Weekly

Why Does the church of Christ Observe the Lord’s Supper Weekly?

We in the church of Christ strive diligently to follow the pattern of worship of the first century Christians.  Scripture teaches us that the doctrines and commandments of men render our worship “vain” and worthless (Matthew 15:9).  In addition to this Paul taught by inspiration that the Jews being “ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness“, had “not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).  So with this thought in mind we recognize that in order to be assured our worship is according to God’s righteousness and not men’s, we look to the pattern of worship practiced by the first Christians as recorded by inspiration of God and follow only that pattern adding nothing nor subtracting anything from it.

Lord's Supper

The Lord’s Supper Should Be Observed Weekly.

On Pentecost when the church was established as recorded in Acts chapter 2 we see these words:  “They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added (unto them) in that day about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:41-42).  It is significant that Pentecost being 50 days after the Passover Sabbath day fell on the first day of the week, therefore Christ’s church was established on the first day of the week.  Notice the words “continued stedfastly” in “the breaking of bread“.  The words “breaking of bread” is used here in reference to the Lord’s supper.  The definite article “the” sets this apart from the “breaking bread at home” in the sharing of their common meals seen later in verse 46.  Of significance here is the word “continued“.  One cannot continue something that has not already begun so we can rightfully infer from this that the three thousand souls baptized on Pentecost partook of the Lord’s supper that day.  The fact that they continued to observe it stedfastly indicates that this is not a one time occurrence for a new Christian, rather an event that was observed habitually with some frequency on a regular basis.

 

What follows is to determine from scripture precisely when the Christians observed the Lord’s supper and follow their example.  In Acts 20 we read of Paul worshipping with the Christians in Troas.  Paul arrived in Troas where it is written that he, Luke and his other traveling companions stayed seven days (Acts 20:6).  This would have been on a Monday.  It is significant here to note that Paul waited seven days in order to meet with the entire congregation.  Notice what verse 7 says, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”  Notice carefully the words “when the disciples came together“.  The word “when” is an adverb that associates and limits a recurring event to a specific time, in this case, a day.  This weekly event was understood in the minds of Paul’s readership to refer to a specific day when an assembly took place.  Knowledge of this event was commonly known, therefore expected in the minds of the readers.  Keeping in mind that Acts 2 teaches us there is a frequency of “breaking the break”.  Acts 20:7 teaches us that the first day of the week was “when” this event routinely took place.

Acts 20:7 teaches us more than when the Christians came together to break bread. It also teaches us when they did not. We know for a fact that the breaking of bread in this context is the observance of the Lord’s supper and not a common meal because the common meal was not eaten only on the first day of the week.  If this were a common meal, certainly Paul and company did not wait seven days to eat.  The breaking of bread in Acts 20:7 was done only on the first day of the week. If this “breaking of Bread” were done any day other than the first day of the week then the first day of the week would not have been “when” it was done.

 

Moreover, if it were acceptable to observe the Lord’s Supper on any day of the week other than the first day of the week, Paul would not have been constrained to wait seven days to observe it with his brethren in Troas.  Saturday would have been a much more convenient time than Sunday.  In the first century, Sunday was a workday just like all the rest of the workdays in the week.  That is likely why the Christians met in the evening with Paul’s sermon continuing on past midnight.  They all assembled after a hard days work.  The earliest Christians never considered Sunday to be a rest day.  The first mention of Sunday being a day of rest was in 220AD by Origen.  Some sources say that emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire declared Sunday to be the official day of worship for the Christians sometime in the 3rd century.  Until then, Christians had to make do, sometimes meeting early in the mornings before work or late in the evenings afterwards but always on the first day of the week to worship and to break the bread.

 

Critics of the Lord’s Day only participation of the Lord’s supper frequently refer to Acts 2:46 to support their beliefs.  It is a known fact that the phrase “breaking bread” meant either eating a common meal or partaking of the Lord’s supper.  This phrase is what is known as an idiom.  An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not derived from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, such as “kick the bucket” or “hang one’s head”.  In this case the phrase “breaking bread” was understood to refer to both the common meal or the Lord’s supper.  The only way to determine which use in view is by the immediate context surrounding the phrase.  In Acts 2:46-47, we read, “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart“.  The context of Acts 2:46-47 is in the context of eating food.  This usage of the idiom, “breaking bread” is therefore understood as referring to a common meal and not the observance of the Lord’s supper.
The first century Christians partook of the Lord’s Supper when they assembled on the first day of the week and they assembled every first day of the week.  Notice in 1 Corinthians 11:20,33 Paul chastises the Christians for unbecoming behavior concerning the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  Verse 20 reads, “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper“.  This is similar to a school teacher telling her pupils, “When you come to class, you are not here to study“.   What is meant here is that they should have come to class for the purpose of studying, but because of their misbehavior, such was not the case.  Similarly, Paul told the Corinthian Christians they should have come to the assembly for the purpose of observing the Lord’s Supper but it was obvious from their misbehavior that they were not there to properly observe the Lord’s communion service any more than the misbehaving school children came to study.  Verse 33 reads, “Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another”.  Notice again the words “when ye come together“.  The Corinthian Christians were observing the Lord’s supper every time they assembled, albeit improperly but every time nonetheless.

 

1 Corinthians 16, 1-2 tells us exactly when they assembled and the frequency of their meetings.  The New American Standard Bible renders this passage thus:  “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come“.  So also does the NIV, TEV, RSV, NRSV and the NASU in like fashion render this passage as being the first day of every week.  In the Greek the words for every first day are “kata mian sabbatou”.  Noticing the word “kata” is translated “every” in Acts 14:23 (“every church“), and again “every” in Titus 1:5 (“every city”).  “Kata” means the same thing in connection with the first day of the week in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.  Taking notice of verse 1 in particular we see that the churches of Galatia were likewise instructed, so we know this is universally applicable to the whole church in general.

In addition we must acknowledge that not only was the church established on the first day of the week and that the first Christians assembled to partake of the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week, by the time of the writing of the Revelation, John made a reference to the “Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10).  This can be no other day but the first day of the week.  The New Testament gives much prominence to the first day of the week.

 

The psalmist wrote, “the stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner…this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:22-23).  Jesus applied this verse to his rejection by the Jews and then his subsequent exaltation and their destruction as written in Matthew 21:42.  But Peter applied it more specifically to Christ’s resurrection in Acts 4:10-11. There are occasions in scripture where “day” refers to a dispensation of time, especially, in a messianic context such as Zechariah 13:1. While it is certainly proper to view “the day that the Lord hath made” in Psalm 118:22-23 as the dispensation of an age, Peter connected Psalm 118:22-23 specifically to the resurrection of Jesus which occurred on the first day of the week (Mark 16:9).  Jesus made the first day of the week special when He overcame death and was resurrected from the grave.  John acknowledged that fact when he made a reference specifically to the Lord’s Day in Revelation 1:10.  This Lord’s day has been assigned as a day belonging to the Lord by inspiration, and can be no other day but the first day of the week; The day the Lord hath made.

 

In addition to Acts 20:7 being when the disciples came together to break bread, as seen earlier, the first day of every week was when Paul instructed the saints in Corinth to lay by in store as God had prospered them (1 Corinthians 16:2).  It was upon this day that the first century Christians congregated and who were also commanded not to forsake their assemblies (Hebrews 10:25).  Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week (Mark 16:9), Christ appeared after His resurrection on the first day of the week (John 20:26), Pentecost occurred (Acts 2), with the Holy Ghost descending (Acts 2:1-5), on the first day of the week.  And 3000 souls were baptized and added to the Lord’s church on Sunday and they partook of the Lord’s supper on that day and then continuing afterwards stedfastly.

 

And finally, evidence of a weekly observation of the Lord’s supper from uninspired writers:

  1. Augustus Neander said, “As we have already remarked, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was still held to constitute an essential part of divine worship on every Sunday, as appears from Justin Martyr (A.D. 150.) (History of the Christian Religion and the Church, Vol. 1, page 332).
  2. The Didache, (an early uninspired document from about 120 AD) says, “That every Lord’s day do ye gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanksgiving.” (Chapter 14).
  3. Pliney (Epistles Book 10), Justin Martyr (Second Apology for the Christians) and Tertullian (De Ora, page 135) all three affirm that it was the universal practice of the Christians to assemble on the first day of the week to sing, pray and partake of the Lord’s Supper together.

The evidence for the regular observance of the Lord’s supper on, and only on, the first day of the week is overwhelming and compelling.  Since those in the church of Christ today seek to pattern their worship in every way after the examples given in the New Testament it is for this reason we hold to that pattern of worship today, continuing stedfastly in the Apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers just like they did in (Acts 2:41-42).

And we know that if we believe what they believed, live how they lived, teach what they taught and worship how they worshipped, we will be assured of being today just what they were then.  They offered acceptable to worship to God in the first century and left their pattern for us by inspiration through the scriptures.  We can follow that pattern precisely and be today what they were then.  Faithful Christians, worshipping and serving God in spirit and in truth.

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Right with God?

Is Thy Heart Right With God?

The beloved hymn for which this article is en­titled was written by Elisha Albright Hoffman in 1899—one of many lovely hymns that he wrote. In examining the answer to this important question today, we will do so by noting the section of Psalm 119:129-136, which gives us some wonderful insight into what the heart of a child of God should be. Notice with me some proper characteristics for your consideration and application.

Is your heart submissive? “Thy testimonies are won­derful: therefore doth my soul keep them” (119:129). The psalmist submits to the testimonies of God. What does that mean? It means that I will obey without ques­tion (cf. Eve questioned with Satan about what God said concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil and Naaman questioning the Jordan River). It means that I will obey whether I see any apparent connection of the action and the desired results (cf. no connection between blood on the doorposts and the salvation of the firstborn in Egypt and no connection between baptism and salva­tion). It means that I will obey no matter what the cost (cf. Abraham offering his son Isaac; Luke 9:23; Gal. 2:20).

Does your heart hunger and thirst after righteousness? “I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments” (119:131). Jesus would say in the Ser­mon on the Mount, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). As such, the Bible describes God and His righteousness with such terms of necessity as food and water (cf. Isa. 55:1; John 4:14; 6:35; 7:37).

Does your heart love God? “Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name” (119:132). When one questioned Jesus about the greatest commandment, Jesus did not bat an eye, but immediately quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37). In fact, the book of Deuteronomy stresses the need for God’s children to love God (Deut. 10:12; 11:1).

Is your heart dependant upon God? “Order my steps in thy word” (119:133a). The psalmist earlier wrote, “My steps have held fast to thy paths, my feet have not slipped” (Ps. 17:5 ASV). He also underscored our dependency upon God when he wrote,

Keep back thy servant also from presumptu­ous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. (Ps. 19:13)

Does your heart want to do right? “…and let not any iniquity have dominion over me” (119:133b). As servants of righteousness, we are seeking to please our Master by obeying his will: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Rom. 6:12).

Does your heart desire divine approval? “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant” (119:135a). The psalmist wrote earlier, “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us” (Ps. 4:6). Moses prayed for the Israelites, “The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Num. 6:26). Paul closes his second epistle to the Thessalonians by stating: “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thess. 3:16).

Is your heart such that yearns to learn? “…and teach me thy statutes” (119:135b). This attitude is essential toward God’s word, as he earlier stated in this very psalm (119:12, 26). We should not be surprised that we find this same essential quality in the New Testament:

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. (John 6:45)

The great invitation of our Lord says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me” (Matt. 11:29).

Does your heart care? “Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law” (119:136). He later said, “I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word” (119:158). Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet for displaying this very attitude of heart:

Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! (Jer. 9:1)

Is thy heart right with God?

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Expressing Thankfulness in Song

Giving Thanks in Song

Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

The older I get, the more I appreciate the simple act of thanksgiving.  No other verbal act has the power of a timely and appropriate word of thanks.  It is an act that can move us to the highest realms of praise and at the same time an act that can bring us to the lowest depths of humility.  It is an act that helps us appreciate what we have and an act that helps us recognize the want of others.  It is an act that can convict us of the tiniest hypocrisy and an act that can bring us massive amounts of joy and contentment.  It is an act that spits in the face of Satan and an act that embraces the wonders of God.

There are many ways in which we can be thankful.  Let us consider in this brief study being thankful in our singing.  Out of all of the acts of worship, in a lot of ways, singing can be the most emotionally satisfying.  God certainly knew what He was doing when he incorporated singing into His worship.  One may experience great sadness while singing or one may ride soaring waves of joy.  Given the great range of emotion possible in song and the great range of attitudes engendered through thankfulness, singing is the perfect act of worship to couple with the attitude of thankfulness.

We have some great songs of thanksgiving in our hymnals.  The song “For the Beauty of the Earth” is a song of thanksgiving.  It poetically states in the chorus, “Lord of all to thee we raise, this our sacrifice of praise.”  The sacrifice of praise as recorded in Hebrews 13:15 is thankfulness.

“Count your blessings” is another song of thankfulness.  It is very difficult to look at all of the blessings that surround us on a daily basis and not be thankful.  Naming those blessings one by one calls us to thankfulness for each and every one.  It moves us to consider the magnitude of detail for which we may be thankful.

A more recent song of thankfulness simply states: “Thank you Lord for loving me / and thank you Lord for blessing me. / Thank you Lord for making me whole / and saving my soul. / Thank you Lord for loving me. / Thank you Lord for saving my soul.”  These very simple lyrics could not be more profound for they convey in few words the essence of what thankfulness entails: the expression of the creature’s total and complete dependence upon the Creator.

And we need to cultivate this attitude of thankfulness as we sing praises to God whether we are saying the words “Thank you” or not.  One may experience the thankful attitude—the attitude of realizing our dependence upon God—in every song we sing.  Whether we sing “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Kneel at the cross,” “Whate’er You Do in Word or Deed” or “‘Tis Midnight and On Olive’s Brow” we are acknowledging dependence upon God.  One cannot truly realize this dependence and not offer a word of thanksgiving.

The individual Christian does not have it within his capacity to solve the problems of the nearly seven billion people who live on the earth.  Some are dying even as we consider these words.  Where we can act, we must, but what can we do beyond our ability to assuage the guilt and pain of those suffering both physically and spiritually?  Brethren, let us be thankful (Colossians 3:15).

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