Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12
Set Six Meeting
Three Encouraging Younger Brothers and Sisters
Stories:
Joseph
Hudson
Taylor http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biotaylor5.html
Share some
things you appreciate about your brothers and sisters and how God has used them
in your life.
Share a time
when a word of encouragement was a special help to you….
Prayer:
That the
girls would purpose to become encouragers and servants in their homes.
That the
Lord would bless each of these girls’ siblings and use their familes as teams
working for His kingdom.
Scripture:
Prov. 15:1
Eph. 4:29
1 Thess.
5:11
1 John 3:
11-18
1 John
4:20-21
Main
Concepts:
Our homes
are the best places to practice serving the Lord. It is often easy to do what is right and to
be a bright light when you are in public and you know that other people are
watching you…but the real test comes when you are at home with your family.
It is
important to realize the influence that we have with our brothers and sisters
and the responsibility that we have to set a good example for them to follow.
The Lord
gave us our brothers and sisters to help accomplish His purpose for our lives,
but many girls view their siblings only as trouble or irritations. Instead, we should learn to see the blessing
that they truly are and purpose to develop close relationships with them.
“And
whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water
only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose
his reward.” Matthew 10:42
Look for
ways to be extra encouraging to your siblings this week. Consider what a privilege it is that Jesus
would call us His brothers and sisters!
(Matt. 12:50)
The second meeting in Set Six was on Orderliness...not the most glamorous of topics, but very necessary!
We started the meeting off with a skit the girls and I had been working on...me pretending that I didn't have my notes together and cleaning up a big mess on the floor (disorderly with time) , Miss J. pretending she didn't have her meeting materials together and looking for them all over the living room (disorderly with things), and Miss D. coming into the room dressed in really sloppy getup looking like she just got out of bed (disorderly in appearance)! It was funny watching the girls' reactions to all this disorderliness, but they pretty quickly caught on that it was part of the meeting :)
Set Six Meeting Two
– Orderliness
Worship
Listen to CD
Personal
Testimonies
Prayer
Scripture:
Psalm
119:133
Isaiah 55:8
Jeremiah
31:35
Mark 6:
35-44
1 Cor. 14:33
1 Cor. 14:40
Colossians
2:5
Main Concepts:
God values orderliness and demonstrates it in His
creation. As representatives of the
Lord, we should follow His example of orderliness.
It may not seem like orderliness is very important, but it
really affects many areas of our lives.
A lack of orderliness can hinder our effectiveness in accomplishing what
God has called us to do.
A lack of orderliness is often a symptom of slothfulness.
Showing orderliness now can be a tremendous encouragement to
our mothers, and is a very important habit to develop in preparation for the
future.
Things naturally go from order to disorder unless there is
outside intervention.
“For God is
not the author of confusion, but of peace…Let all things be done decently and
in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:33a, 40
Welcome back Bright Lights! Our Fall kickoff meeting this past Sunday went so well, and while we miss a few faces from last year, we had a wonderful group of 9 young ladies! We started right into Set 6 materials, which concerns Homemaking.
I asked a simple question at the beginning of the meeting..."How many of you are already thinking about and preparing for college and a career?" Almost every girl raised her hand. Next I asked..."How many of you are preparing for the fact that one day you'll more than likely be a wife and a mother?" One hand was raised.
This was my story too! I knew from the age of 7 that I was going to college...it was talked about by my family as an accepted fact. I had chores to do around the home, but never lessons in running a home. I was an only child until I was 17, and rarely did babysitting...so I had no real experience with nurturing or caring for a baby or child. I had learned to wash dishes and keep a kitchen tidy, but basically entered marriage completely lacking in cooking skills. (In fact, my husband did most of the cooking because his food tasted so much better!)
I was prepared for success in a career...but not a home. By the Lord's grace, I learned on the fly.
Maybe you can relate to my story...and understand the need for preparing our girls for the most fulfilling calling of all, the calling of being a wife and a mother.
In the spirit of Homemaking, the activities for the day centered around setting up a table for entertaining. The girls baked and decorated their own cupcakes, completely decorated and set the tea table, learned a neat way to fold a napkin to look like a rose, and made seating cards.
I wanted to show this little YouTube clip during our meeting, but didn't have time. Susanna Wesley is an amazing example of the power of a godly wife and mother...please watch this with your daughter if you get a chance!
On a different note, I'm so thankful one of the older girls has stepped up to take a leadership role in several areas...leading worship, planning and leading activities, and coordinating group ministry opportunities. We'd like to serve together twice this year, once in the Fall and again in the Spring.
I'm excited to be starting our 4th year of Bellevue Bright Lights! I really appreciate your prayers for our little discipleship group :)
Bright Lights Set
Six Meeting One - Preparing to Be a Wife and Mother
Worship
Scriptures:
Genesis 3
Proverbs 31:
10-31
Ephesians 5:
21-33
1 Timothy 2:
9-10
Titus 2: 3-5
James 1:27
1 Peter 3:
1-6
Main
Concepts:
1.) We will find our greatest fulfillment in
life when we understand and embrace God’s design for us as ladies. Scripture reveals to us God’s design for
women: that we love our husbands, love
our children, be keepers at home and adorn ourselves with good works. (Titus 2: 4-5 ; 1 Tim. 2: 9-10)
2.) God’s design for women is different than
His calling for men. Our role is not
less important – it is just different! (Roles vs. Essence)
3.) The decisions that we make every day are
based on our goals for the future. We
need to purpose to pursue God’s goals for our lives and seek His will for our
future.
4.) Now is the time to prepare for the future!
5.) Be very sensitive to those whose mothers
may work outside the homes. While
emphasizing the beauty and fulfillment of embracing your call as wife and
mother, we must guard against judging those who, whether by choice, or necessity, work full time outside of the home.
“That they
may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own
husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2: 4-5
We had a great ending to our year, before summer break, this past Sunday...finishing up Set 5 materials with the topic of Honoring Your Parents. The weather was beautiful, so for a special treat, I handed out Popsicles and the girls and I walked around the neighborhood discussing our topic...fun! Have a safe and blessed summer break everyone and hope to see you all back again in September :)
Set 5 Meeting 6 – Honoring Your
Parents
Stories:
Jesus going
to the temple when He was 12 (Luke 2:
41-52)
Samson’s
failure in this area and the results (Judges 14)
Personal
testimonies of when you chose to honor your parents, even though you didn’t
want to, and the ways you saw the Lord bless your decision
What does
“To Honor” look like?
We should
honor not only parents, but also grandparents and others in authority.
How do
Gratefulness, Complaining and Murmuring, Gossip, Disrespect, Disputing and
Arguing relate to honoring our parents?
Scripture:
Ex. 20:12
Deut. 5:16
Prov. 1: 8-9
Prov. 15:5
Prov. 15:20
Prov.
15:31-33
Jer. 35
Mal. 4:6
Matt. 15:3-9
Lk. 2:41-52
Rom. 13
Eph. 6:1-3
Col. 3:20
Main
Concepts
We are
commanded in both the OT and the NT to honor our parents…and it doesn’t say to
honor them when they are right, when we agree with them, or when it is easy –
it just says to honor them!
The
commandment to honor our parents is so important to God that He has an exciting
promise attached to it (Eph. 6:3 “That it may be well with you, and that you
may live long on the earth.”) Honoring
our parents may be difficult, but the rewards far outweigh the struggles. There will be huge blessings for us, both now
and for the rest of our lives, as we purpose to honor our parents in everything
and respond to them in a godly way.
Ultimately, we are not just honoring our parents – we are honoring the
Lord!
Almost every
parent desires to have a close relationship with their daughters. We should do everything we can to seek a
close relationship with them in return.
In fact, our relationship with our parents is to be a picture of our
relationship with our Heavenly Father. (1 John 3:1)
I've been so incredibly blessed with this group of girls this year! They really are a great group of gals :) Our last meeting before summer break will be on June 8th...are you looking forward to summer as much as I am? Our topic this past week was Disputing and Arguing, and here are a couple shots of the girls playing a really fun game that focuses on working together...
Bright Lights Set 5
Meeting 5 Disputing and Arguing
Listen to BL
CD
Story of
Joseph in Gen. 37
Personal
Testimonies
Sword
Drills:
Prov. 18:19
Prov. 17:14
Prov. 25:8 –
12
Rom. 14:19
Eph. 4:2
Read
together…Phil.2:1 – 15 and Col. 3:12 – 25
Main
Concepts:
In this set
we keep seeing over and over how our words are so important. This meeting is just another example of how
hurtful or healing our words can be.
Each of us
is going to face irritations and conflicts in our relationships with
others. The key is learning how to
handle these conflicts in a godly way.
To do this, we must first of all learn to overcome our natural, human
reactions, and secondly, learn to replace them with Chirst-like responses –
such as humility, meekness, and overcoming evil with good.
When it
comes to winning or losing an argument, we need to understand that the “loser”
is actually the “winner”. The one who is
willing to give in and humbly “esteem others better than themselves” is the
true winner in God’s eyes. Once again,
God’s thinking is exactly opposite to our own natural inclinations.
This is
hard. We need help – we can’t do it on
our own. Well, God has promised that He
will give some very special help to some specific people – those who humble
themselves (1 Pet. 5:5)! If we look for
ways to humble ourselves every day, we can expect God to work on our behalf in
a mighty way.
“Blessed are
the peacemakers: for they shall be
called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9
After not having a meeting in over a month, a review was in order for this past Sunday's meeting, so we took another look at the topics covered in Set 5...Gratefulness, Complaining and Murmuring, Gossip, and Disrespect.
We also got to read our letters from a new pen pal group that is right here in our state! A big hello to the Cle Elum Bright Lights group :)
Gratefulness
-An
attitude of gratefulness is only possible if we are willing to trust that God
knows best in every detail of our lives.
God deserves our thanks and gratitude not only when we are happy with
our circumstances, but also when we are suffering, disappointed, or when we do
not understand why a difficult situation is happening.
-Remember
that rejoicing is a decision – primarily an act of the will, not of the
emotions. Do not give into the enemy’s
attacks of discouragement.
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God
above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom
you appear as lights in the world,”
Philippians 2: 14 – 15
Complaining
and Murmuring
-Whenever
we complain, we are actually complaining against the Lord. Complaining demonstrates that we are not
fully trusting God.
-The
Lord’s command is not simply that we do not complain, but that we actually
rejoice in suffering! Think about our
Lord’s suffering on the cross and consider what is written in scripture:
“Therefore,
since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay
aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. For consider Him who has endured
such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and
lose heart.” Hebrews 12: 1 – 3
-Jesus
was made perfect through suffering.
“It was
fitting that God . . . should make the author of their salvation perfect
through suffering" (Hebrews 2:10).
The whole
earthly life of Jesus is summed up in one phrase. He was made “perfect through
suffering.” But wasn’t Jesus perfect when he was born in the manger? And didn’t
he live a sinless life? Wasn’t his death the death of an innocent man?
Yes. He
was morally perfect. That is one kind of perfection or completion. But there is
another kind of perfection or completion that comes only by experience. Jesus
entered fully into the sufferings of this world and emerged victorious over
them. He was completed in his experience on the earth by the things he
suffered. That is why he may be called the “author” of our salvation.
Christ came
to blaze the trail so we might follow him on to glory. But the trail is marked
with suffering, with tears, with rejection, and it ultimately leads to the
cross. Anyone who follows Jesus will end up where he ended up–outside Jerusalem
on a hill shaped like a skull. He is not just leading us to heaven. He is
leading us to glory. There is glory at the end of the Christian life. Jesus
came from heaven so we might follow him in suffering and like him be made
complete through suffering.
That
explains so much that happens to us. What is God doing in your life and in
mine? He is putting us through the Curriculum of Grace in the School of
Suffering. School starts the moment we trust Christ and ends the day we die.
How will we ever pass the test and win the degree? By keeping our eyes on
Jesus. He’s the valedictorian of the class. He never failed a test. He blazed
the trail through the School of Suffering that we might follow in his path. He
is leading us to glory one step at a time.
Choose
joy in the midst of suffering.
“Consider it
all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the
testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.” James: 2
– 4
It
is possible to see problems as exciting opportunities. As we purpose to give thanks in everything,
we can then wait in expectation to see God’s plan unfold.
“And we know
that God causes all things (His choices, your choices, the choices of others…)
to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose.” Romans 8: 28
-Be
prepared for the tests God may bring into your life this week. Purpose to give thanks, not complain.
It is easy to fall into the habit of speaking
disrespectfully to your parents. Often
you will get so used to talking in a disrespectful way that you hardly even
realize the wrong attitudes you allow.
Disrespect is a sign of rebellion, an outward
evidence of an inner attitude.
Disrespect can be very subtle and thus seem like a small thing, but the
Bible makes it clear just how serious the sin of rebellion is – even equating
it with the sin of witchcraft (1 Sam. 15:23)
We should
be on our guard against even the smallest manifestations of disrespect
or rebellion, knowing how serious it is in God’s eyes, and knowing that it will
only get worse.
Attitude is key – if you have the right attitude
there will be no disrespect. If you have
a wrong attitude it will be almost impossible to avoid disrespect.
“A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.” Prov. 15:20
Making it Personal
List of ways to show respect to parents.
What are the consequences of disrespect.
How can our attitude affect those around us,
especially younger siblings or girls who look up to us and are following our
example.
Dangers and symptoms of various kinds of wrong
attitudes – self focused, critical,
ungrateful, lazy, stubborn, etc.
Gossip is
passing on unnecessary information to an individual that is not part of the
solution.
Slander is
passing on negative information with the intent of hurting or destroying the
reputation of another.
Gossip may not be spoken out of malicious motives, as slander
is – yet it can be just as harmful.
Stories…
Listen to
supplemental CD
Stories of
great Christian men from history who have been falsely accused: David, Joseph, Moses, Hudson Taylor (see story down below...), and of
course, Jesus.
Analogies of
enemies which work in ways similar to gossip by attacking and corrupting from
the inside – such as decay, germs, or termites.
Personal
testimonies of when you spoke negatively about someone else and the damage
which resulted, or a time when you were hurt by others who gossiped about you.
Gossip is very serious in God’s eyes. We shouldn’t take it lightly. In several places in the Bible, gossip is
listed along with other very serious sins, giving us a clue about just how
serious gossip is in the sight of God.
Gossip is extremely damaging in families,
churches, and all other relationships.
It may seem small, but the hurts, misunderstanding, anger, and divisions
it causes often have disasterous consequences.
One of the reasons that gossip is so
dangerous is because it can be so subtle and can happen very easily. Often we gossip without even realizing what
we are saying. Therefore we need to show
much discernment and guard against it with vigilance!
“He that
covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter
separateth intimate friends.” Prov. 17:9
Making it Personal…
How should
you respond when other gossip about you?
Before You Meet Prince Charming
Activity…
Telephone
charades
Hudson Taylor
His radical
ideas set a new precedent in missions.
His vision for the lost souls of China inspired hundreds of Englishmen
and caused the founding of a new missionary organization. His persuasive preaching against the evils of
opium and the coolie slave trade changed Chinese society. He was J. Hudson Taylor—founder of the China
Inland Mission. A study of this
bicultural missionary reveals his amazing impact on culture, religion, economy,
and politics.
Hudson
Taylor, an Englishman by birth, revolutionized English thinking by fully
adopting the Chinese culture. The
English and Chinese cultures are polar opposites. Clothing, food, utensils, greetings, customs,
language, housing—all combined to create tension between the English living in
China and the local natives. Taylor
overcame these obstacles by announcing one day that he would adopt the Chinese
dress in order to reach more souls for Christ.
He promptly shaved his head, except for a pigtail, and put on
traditional Chinese clothes. While the
Chinese readily appreciated his efforts, the English community in China and his
supporters back in England ridiculed him (Cromarty, 128-129). He lived as the Chinese lived. Instead of being called a “black foreign
devil” by unruly crowds, Taylor was able to openly preach the gospel. This cultural shock was so successful that
missionaries under the new China Inland Mission were commanded to adopt the
Chinese dress as a requirement for service (Cromarty, 189). Not only did Taylor change dress, but he also
stepped across social classes to reach lost souls. His ministry filled with people from the
working classes and women; both groups were normally considered unworthy by
society.
Through his
biculturalism, Taylor initiated a different prerequisite for religious
ministry. After founding the China
Inland Mission, Taylor returned to England to recruit new missionaries. Although Baptist in his theology and
background, he readily accepted people from all Protestant backgrounds, as long
as they agreed to the basic fundamentals of the faith (Cromarty, 189). Taylor also followed the example of Paul when
it came to preaching: Paul went to the
synagogues and Taylor went to the temples.
Taylor, on one occasion in the city of Chongming, climbed a large incense
vase in order to preach to over five hundred people (Cromarty, 122). While his temple preaching shocked some
English supporters, Taylor won hundreds of souls to Christ.
Economics
also played a role in Hudson Taylor’s biculturalism. English propriety advertised church offerings
and monthly support for missionaries.
According to the English, no money meant no ministry. Taylor could not justify such an excuse to
quit his work in China. His example of
the “faith promise” is still upheld in Christian circles today. Taylor prayed for his daily bread, but never
solicited funds. Missionaries were not
to raise monthly support but were rather to pray that God would supply every
need (Steffen, 92). His generosity
endeared him to the Chinese. In many
ways, Hudson Taylor embarked upon an economic enterprise by attempting the
untried method of “living by faith” (Steffen, 91-92).
Perhaps the
greatest effect of Taylor’s biculturalism lies in the sphere of politics. Taylor proved that peace could exist between
the Chinese and English through his dealings with the political authorities and
his handling of political issues. When
thieves stole his possessions or mobs threatened his life, Taylor always went
to the local officials and pled humbly for justice. On one occasion, when the prefect refused to
see Taylor, his fellow missionary threatened to write the British consul. The prefect promptly arrived and Taylor
followed the appropriate customs of bowing and graciously made his case heard
through the traditional customs. The
prefect honored his request (Cromarty, 222).
If the city rulers were hostile, Taylor remained persistent in
ministry. When a city gate was closed to
him, he merely walked around to another one in order to preach inside the city
walls. God rewarded his efforts and the
city ruler accepted some of his gospel literature (Cromarty, 119). Everywhere Taylor went he advocated peace
between the English and the Chinese.
Taylor kept
the vast majority of his preaching to the truths of the Gospel. However, on a few occasions, he spoke out
avidly against the coolie slave trade and the opium trade. His lectures against opium not only angered
the Chinese addicts but also the British suppliers. Taylor’s eyes had been opened to the evils of
opium in the very beginning when his ship landed at Shanghai after the first
Opium War (Christian History). Every
time Taylor entered port, the slave ships carrying coolies reminded him that
men were being shanghaied. Some of his
political ideas caused such a stir that the Englishmen in China accused him of
wanting to start a war. After the
mission was looted, an English gunboat came to the protection of the
missionaries. The Chinese accused Taylor
of summoning the boat, but he declared his innocence and sent the soldiers away
(Cromarty, 259-260). Towards the end of
Taylor’s missionary career, the Boxer Rebellion broke out with the support of
the Empress Dowager Ci Xi. Dozens of
missionaries were slaughtered by Chinese radicals, including the majority of
Taylor’s friends and associates. Each
missionary humbly walked to his or her death preaching the gospel and singing
praises to God (Cromarty, 484-485). They
submitted to the political authority, even to death.
Hudson
Taylor used his English background and his Chinese adopted culture to his
advantage. While in China, he was
Chinese; although he continued to wear Chinese dress in England, he still
gained support for missions and used his English upbringing to argue for
British tolerance in China. Hudson
Taylor is the perfect example of biculturalism:
he used culture to gain hundreds of souls for Christ and what peace he
could for China.
Our meeting Sunday before last, was on the subject of Complaining and Murmuring. We had 2 visitors join our group, which we're always happy about! Please keep promoting our group to your friends as we're always accepting new girls who are interested in joining a discipleship group!
Finally, before I get into the meeting notes, please take the time to watch this 4 minute video with your girls that Sarah and Grace Mally (founder of Bright Lights) put together on the validity of Scripture in response to the recent debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye, in which Mr. Nye questioned the authenticity and reliability of Scripture, likening it to messages being passed on in a game of Telephone.
(For those of you not familiar with this game, one person whispers a message into another person's ear, that person does the same to the next person in the circle, and so on, until the message gets to the last person and they have to say it outloud...usually by this point the message has gotten very confused and mixed up compared to the original message. It's a fun game to play at a party, sure to get a lot of laughs...but is in no way representative of how God's Word has been passed down to us.)
Our girls need to have a ready answer when someone asks them, "How do you know the Bible is true?"...
Whenever we complain, we are actually
complaining against the Lord.Complaining demonstrates that we are not fully trusting God.
Most
people are so used to complaining that they do not even realize they are doing
it. In a normal home, various forms of
grumbling are usually heard every few minutes.
How often do you murmur or speak words of discontentment?
The
Lord’s command is not simply that we do not complain, but that we actually
rejoice in suffering! See upcoming
“problems” as exciting opportunities to purpose to give thanks in
everything…then we can wait in expectation to see God’s plans unfold.
Additional
material Why
might God allow suffering in our lives, why is it necessary, and how does He
desire us to respond? Establish
the habit of giving thanks to God for every problem, big or little…be willing
to give thanks first and understand why later. Make
a list of the many rewards and benefits which Scripture explains will result
from suffering.
We have officially started the new set of materials, and are now on the back half of the entire program! Set Five Meeting One was on the topic of Gratefulness...here's a quick little video I had planned on showing the girls, but ran out of time. That's the great thing about this blog, I can always add things in that get missed at the meeting :)
SET FIVE / MEETING ONE - GRATEFULNESS
Introduction
to the Set
Set 5
“Children of God without Fault” is based upon Philippians 2: 14-15 “Do all
things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in
the world.”
This verse
brings our attention to the fact that in order to be lights in the world, we
need to make it through each circumstance of life with no murmurings or
disputings. This set expands on that
idea encouraging young ladies to examine their words. Complaining, arguing, teasing, gossip, and
disrespect will be discussed in detail.
The reason that we start with the topic of graftefulness is because it
is an underlying trait required to apply to our next meeting (complaining), and
it is an important character trait to be working on through this entire set.
Rejoicing is
a decision – primarily an act of the will, not of emotions. Do not give into the enemy’s attacks of
discouragement. Stop and consider the
amazing privilege it is to be a servant of the Most High God. May His joy be yours all the day (Ps. 5:11) “But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad,
let them every sing for joy; and mayest Thou shelter them, that those who love
Thy name may exult in Thee.”
Stories
The
story of the ten lepers (Luke 17: 11-19)
Personal
testimony of a time when you complained, instead of showing gratefulness, or
when the Lord reminded you to show gratitude in the midst of difficulty. Explain any consequences or blessings
resulting from your attitude.
Personal
testimony of a time when someone else expressed gratefulness to you (or failed
to be grateful) and how this affected you.
1 Chr.
16:8 Col. 3:15 1 Thess. 5:18 1 Tim. 1:12 Heb. 13:15
1 Peter 2:9 Col. 1: 11-12
Main
Concepts to Stress:
An
attitude of gratefulness is only possible if we are willing trust that God
knows best in every detail of our lives.
God deserves our thanks and gratitude not only when we are happy with
our circumstances, but also when we are suffering, disappointed, or when we do
not understand why a difficult situation is happening.
Everything
we have has actually been given to us by God.
True gratefulness is understanding that we deserve nothing at all.
Gratefulness
is not only saying, “thank you,” for the benefits we receive from others; it is
expressing to others how God has used them to work in our lives.
Activities
Tea Time
Handout
for Parents for further discussion at home:
Gratitude or
self-pity: your choice!.
There are
lots of reasons to feel ungrateful. Of course these reasons are all bad ones,
but that never seems to matter when self-pity comes calling. In contrast,
Thessalonians tells us that it is God’s will that we be thankful. So, Christian
you have a choice to make – trust God or your own assessment of your
circumstances. Gratitude is to identify you as a person. For this to occur, at
least three truths must frame your understanding of gratitude:
First
truth: gratitude is based upon
unchanging truth, not changing circumstances.
God’s
goodness to you is never in doubt. Ephesians 1:7-8 says God has lavished his
riches upon you. This blessing is certain. Redemption belongs to you as God’s
child and you will never lose it. No circumstance can change this certain
reality – so no circumstance should diminish your gratitude for God’s grace. Do
not allow uncertain and changing circumstances to diminish the joy of God’s
faithfulness to you.
Second truth:
gratitude is based upon commitment, not the performance of others.
The gospel
is all about God’s commitment to you. God works all things for the good of
those who love him. The Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance
(Eph. 1:14). By implication, the gospel means that you don’t have to evaluate
the performance of others to determine whether or not you can be thankful.
Think about it. How often does discouragement come from what you view as the
failed performances of others; If only my wife were not so demanding, if only
my husband were not so thick-headed, if only my kids were not so selfish, if
only, if only…
God’s will
for you is gratitude. The more you focus on the performance of others, the less
you will be dominated by gratitude.
Third
truth: gratitude is based upon mercy,
not expectations.
The story of
the ungrateful servant in Matthew 18:23-35 demonstrates what happens when you
lose sight of the mercy of God. When this happens you will be more critical
when those around you do not meet your expectations. You will be dominated by
discouragement and even bitterness, instead of mercy and compassion. God
extends mercy and compassion to you even when you fall far short of his commands.
Mercy is not something you extend because someone has pleased you. Mercy is
unmerited favor. Yet, when your expectations are not met, there is the natural
drive of the flesh to be hurt and to withdraw, then gratitude is nowhere to be
found. Gratitude should flow from the mercy extended to you when others
struggle and fail.
The
struggles of those closest to you are God-given opportunities to show kindness,
compassion and mercy.
Gratitude is
God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. You can be thankful for all that God has
given you, including the struggles of those you love most.
Self-pity
anticipates discouragement. Gratitude anticipates eternity. Your choice.
Jay Younts
is the Shepherd Press blogger. He is the author of Everyday Talk and other
materials on parenting. He has been teaching and speaking on parenting issues
for 30 years. Jay and his wife, Ruth, live in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. He
serves as a ruling elder at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Moore, South
Carolina. He and Ruth have five adult children.
