A Life of Thankfulness

Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road. - John Henry Jowett

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving I thought it would be fitting to write a blog about Thanksgiving. The quote above is one of my favorites. I want to strive to be a man whose life is lived in thankful gratitude for all that God has done and is doing. It is essential that our salvation and sanctification is a gift from God and not something we are entitled to. When we look at a world that is falling apart and lives that sin destroys we should get on our knees thanking our Lord and Savior for all that he has done.

When we are not living a life in thankfulness towards God and one another our love and passion fade. We become cold, self focused, and prideful. We start to think God and people owe us. Our passion starts to fade while depression and discontentment enters into our lives. I pray that this Thanksgiving you will be reminded to, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." - 1 Chronicles 16:34

The Mark of a Disciple

The human race was created to be relational. In Genesis 2:18 God said, "It is not good that man should be alone." We were made to be in community, to have fellowship with others, to be built up and encouraged by the people of God. In order to do this we must first have fellowship with God. 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Our call is to an intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Fellowship with Jesus marks the heart of a disciple's life, and this fellowship includes trusting him, confessing him, taking note of his conduct, following his teaching, and being shaped by a relationship to him. Is that what is marking your life?

Lets define two terms, fellowship & relationship. First we must understand that once we are in Christ our relationship as Sons and Daughters of God never changes even despite our sin. Just like you can't not be your parents son or daughter. However, our fellowship can drastic change because of sin. When we sin our natural tendency is to run. The last thing we naturally want to do is confess our sin. It makes us feel like a failure and worthless. The problem is in not confessing our sin and accepting forgiveness the feelings of worthlessness continue to build and our fellowship with God diminishes. The mark of a disciple is one who maintains intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be a people who purge sin from our lives, who are quick to confess sin and accept forgiveness so that we are filled with love for our Creator. The weight of carrying sin is too much for us, that is why Christ Jesus died on the cross, he paid the penalty and God validated his sacrifice at the Resurrection. I want to leave you with a few verses from 1 John that I pray God will use to speak to you today.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:7-9

Training Camp

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." - 1 Timothy 4:7-8

I love to workout. If I could I would work out, play basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, or some kind of sport everyday. I set my hope on being in good physical shape and living a healthy life and the drives many of my decisions and training (sometimes too much). The example in 1 Timothy 4 is essential for us to grasp as followers of Christ and relates to each one of our lives.

In verse 10 it says, "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God..." Paul shows us how our relationship with Christ is just like many things we strive for in our lives. Did you set the goal of winning that state championship? Did that drive you to train? To push through the hard times? To keep going when you felt like giving up? You knew the end goal and weren't satisfied till you reached it. What about a relationship or job? Maybe a promotion or work goal. Do you train and focus on reaching it? Does it consume you?

Take a step back and look at 1 Timothy 4:6-10. If you say you are a follower of Jesus Christ your hope needs to be set on the living God. When our hope is set on the living God the things of this world fade. Our training shifts from selfish motives to selfless motives. Our focus shifts from the temporal to the eternal. We take every advantage to grow ourselves in the image of Christ and gain wisdom and understanding. Where is your hope set? We as believers must understand it takes blood, sweat, and tears to train ourselves for godliness. We must not run from it but embrace it.

Speak Life

We often talk about three basic kinds of words. Good words, bad words, and God's words. Good words may encourage but last for a moment, bad words are destructive and tear down, and God's words bring life and are everlasting. If you had to do an inventory of the words you spoke on a daily basis how would the percentages play out? In Joshua chapter 1 verse 8 it says this:

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

I love how this verse says, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your MOUTH..." God's words should always be flowing out of our mouths in conversation. Think about it for a second. When someone brings up the name Jesus, Scripture, or even just talks about what God is doing in their life or community what goes on inside of you? Do you get excited? Does passion start to burst forth? When we speak God's words we are speaking life into people.

How then do we speak God's words you may be asking. Well the answer is found in the next part of the verse, "you shall MEDITATE on it day and night..." 1st Timothy 4:7b-8 says this,

"train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

If you thought following Jesus was easy I am here to inform you that you have been mistaken. Scripture lays out how hard it is to follow Christ and that it requires intense training, discipline, perseverance, endurance, and much more. Just as we train for sports, careers, hobbies, and other things in life that are temporal we must train even harder for the eternal. We must meditate constantly on the Word of God so that the Words of God will flow from our mouth. We must be people of God who speak life.

Alive to Shine

"And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." - Daniel 12:3

In Daniel 12:3 he uses the phrase "those who are wise." He is referring to those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. The ultimate outcome of "those who are wise" will be that they will shine brightly like stars forever and ever. God is not in the business of making bad people good but He is in the business of making dead people alive. God doesn't make us alive just to be alive...He makes us alive to shine! I want to you to know that once you place your faith in Christ he makes you alive to shine. Not only to shine in this present life but you will shine like stars forever and ever in eternity. What an amazing eternity that will be.

*On November 19, 20, & 21 our 2nd Fall High School Retreat will take place at Skyview Ranch. This year's theme is "Alive to Shine" and we will be taking a deeper look at this. For more information visit www.alivetoshine.com or feel free to email me at travis@offthewallministry.com.

The Lust for Security

"Once we have set ourselves to be pilgrims and strangers on the earth, which is what Christians are meant to be, it is incongruous for us to continue to insist upon the sort of security the world tries to guarantee. Our security lies not in protecting ourselves from suffering, but in putting ourselves fully into the hands of God. The desire for physical and material security makes us sly and hard. No. We must be like little children. The child in its father's arms is not worried. It lies quietly at rest because it trusts its father. We disobey sometimes because we say it is impossible to do what God asks. Impossible? Perhaps what we mean is that it is impossible to do that and keep our security, impossible to obey without tremendous cost, or at least tremendous risk. Where, then, will we find safety? Is it likely that we will find it elsewhere than in the arms of the Father?"

- Elisabeth Elliot

Do you ever view yourself as an alien? What about a sojourner or exile? If you are a follower of Jesus Christ Scripture is clear that we are aliens here on this earth. Our citizenship is in heaven and we are ambassadors while on earth. This mindset is vitally important to grasp, especially in our American culture. When we start to view earth as home and lose an eternal mindset we hold on to things as our security, we strive for comfort, and we stop trusting God. Do you desire physical and material security? Ask God to help you place your life totally in the hands of God. It is when we lose all control that we see God in total control.

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." - 1 Peter 2:11

Catalyst for Community

As I sit here this morning I am noticing the sleeve on my coffee cup. Written there are the words, "Kaladi Brother's Coffee, Catalyst for Community." After last night I am really seeing how a mission's trip like this one is such a catalyst for community. We all got together at Dennis & Celesta's house last night and just had some time of testimony and sharing. It was great to see how open and real everyone was about how God is working in them and what he is teaching them on this trip. We were also able to spend some time praying for the Richardson family and thank them for their 20+ years of service in Alaska. It is truly a remarkable and encouraging to be part of a group committed to serving the Lord and one another. I am blessed to have each and every person on this team here in Alaska with us.

Thanks for many of your continued prayers. We have had many close calls, PJ fell off a ladder, Dad almost cut a main power line, and many other minor situations God's hand has been over. We have had great opportunities to encourage and minister to many native people and kids. Today is our last day of work and ministry. Pray that we can wrap up all our projects at the house and church. We are also looking forward to handing out clothes to more people and will probably visit the homeless shelter again. We will also be wrapping up Kids For Christ Club tonight. We have built some great relationships with the kids and many of them have opened up to us. This has been such an awesome week and we are looking forward to a fun day tomorrow as we travel as a group to Whittier to do some sightseeing. I want to encourage you today to be a catalyst for community. We as brothers and sisters in Christ need each other to pray with, laugh with, cry with, minister with, share with, and just live life with.

Alaska 8/11

What a week it has been. I am not even sure what day it is, I think it is Wednesday. We have been working hard and not sleeping much but God is so good and we are having a blast. We have knocked out a lot of work at Dennis and Celesta's house and also at the Church.

Yesterday was a jam packed day. We all started the day by serving at the Church with their Food Pantry ministry. We were able to provide food for 71 families. Some of us helped them pick out their food and others carried food to their cars and homes. Many of these people were homeless. It was great to see them smile and just to talk to them.

We spent yesterday afternoon working hard. We made a lot of progress on our work projects. Last night we started the first of three nights of Kids for Christ club. The girl's did an awesome job putting together the night and we had around 25 kids come out. We look forward to the next two nights working with the kids.

I had a little scare last night. I lost my wallet and for about an hour the whole team was searching the church, parking lot, and yard. I had my driver's license, cash, and credit card all in it so we were praying that it would turn up. When we were about to give up and call and cancel my credit card Elizabeth found my wallet in a garbage bag full of bats and balls that we used when we were playing with the kids. We were all praying that we would find my wallet and praise be to God that I don't have to go through the process. Continue to keep us in prayer. Today and tomorrow we will be handing out clothes to the poor and homeless and continuing on in many of the work projects we are doing. Pray for strength as many of us are tired, pray that God would use us to impact those who come to pick up clothes and for the kids that come out in the evenings.

Alaska 8/9

"Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

- Psalm 90:2

Good morning from Anchorage, AK! It is currently 6:30am Monday morning. I have been up since 4am. Don, Dad, and I were up early and are spending the early morning at Kaladi Brothers Coffee shop. As I am looking out the window I am looking at the majesty of God, it is sometimes hard to drive because I find myself gazing at the mountains.

Yesterday was a great first day. Our team was able to serve at both Sunday services. Some of us led worship and sang, others helped prepare food, others were able to be greeters, and Don and I were able to preach. After church many of the people stuck around and I was able to hear many of their stories. It was amazing to hear the struggles and how God has worked in their lives. One truth that hit home was to never put your hope in what God has not promised.

After church when went back to Dennis & Celesta's to debrief with the team. In the afternoon we tried to recover from the jet lag. Many of us were able to see Moose and some of the team had a close encounter. Last night we all gathered at Wendell and Judy's house for the church's prayer meeting which was actually a surprise birthday party for Celesta. It was a great night of fellowship and we were able to continue to build relationships with the people from Mt. View Baptist Church.

Continue to keep us in your prayers this week. Today we have a lot of work to do. Part of the team will be working hard today at Dennis and Celesta's new house while others will be sorting clothes in preparation for the God's Closet ministry Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. Keep the food pantry, God's Closet, and Kids for Christ Club ministries in your prayers as we have the opportunity to share Christ with those who come. Keep the team in prayer as we are still adjusting to the time change and our schedule constantly changes. I have not slept much and have been running on some of the best coffee in the world (Kaladi Brothers). Flexibility is our key word this week as we are serving wherever we are needed.

"May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us,

that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations."

- Psalm 67:1-2

Charlotte Airport

After a quick flight from Akron-Canton to Charlotte I am now sitting here waiting to catch a flight to Phoenix which will then take me to Anchorage. Charlotte has free wi-fi so I thought I would take a minute to share with you. On my first flight I really started diving into the book "Let the Nations be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions" by John Piper. I spent an hour just trying to digest the forward which is about 30 pages. I love the heart for God that you see come out in Piper's writing. This book is all about the worship and supremacy of our God. Here are a few highlights from the book, hope they inspire and encourage you today.

• Methods change. But worship, prayer, suffering, unreached peoples, the gospel, faith, heaven, and hell remain.
• Is there a distinct God-magnifying, Christ-exalting mindset in your life?

"All the earth-shaking awesome forces unleashed on the world are released by the Lord Jesus Christ. He reigns today. He is in the control room of the universe. He is the only Ultimate Cause; all the sins of man and machinations of Satan ultimately have to enhance the glory and kingdom of our Saviour. This is true of our world today - in wars, famines, earthquakes, or the evil that apparently has the ascendancy. All God's actions are just and loving. We have become too enemy-conscious, and can over-do the spiritual warfare aspect of intercession. We need to be more God conscious, so that we can laugh the laugh of faith knowing that we have power over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:9). He has already lost control because of Calvary where the Lamb was slain. What confidence and rest of heart this gives us as we face a world in turmoil and such spiritual need." - Patrick Johnstone

machinations: crafty schemes, plots, intrigues

ascendancy: governing or controlling influence

• Worship has always been and will always be the ultimate purpose of God in the universe.
• Suffering is the normal cost of godliness. (2 Tim. 3:12)
• You can't commend what you don't cherish.
• When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God's true worth, the light of missions will shine to the darkest peoples on earth.

I want to leave you with the opening paragraph from chapter 1. This statement is profound and is a truth that we must grasp and live out. May worship be your fuel and your goal!

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever." - John Piper