Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

November 10, 2011

Remembering Thanksgiving
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." – Colossians 3:16

Thanksgiving has got to be one of the most underrated holidays in America. Once Halloween has finished and the Jack-O-Lanterns are all put away, the Christmas frenzy takes over. Holiday specials start playing on TV, stores decorate their aisle with snowflakes and mistletoes, and people take the chance to hang Christmas lights while there's no snow. It's not all that surprising really; the Christmas spirit can be pretty infectious, it's also a lot harder to profit off a holiday that emphasizes thankfulness.     

I feel like this is how many people, even Christians, treat the idea of thankfulness in general. I don't know about you, but I'm much faster at coming up with a list of things I want for Christmas than a list of things I'm grateful for. It's also pretty easy for our prayers to become filled with phrases like "God, please give me...", "God, please help me...", or "God, I need...". We get so tied up in what God can do for us, how Christ can impact our lives, that we forget how to be thankful for what we have. Luckily, God is good at reminding us what's important.   

A few months ago, I was leaving for work in the morning when I was greeted by my apartment's cleaning lady.

"Good morning," she said, "How you doin?" I thought about the question for a second and, trying to sound funny, said,

"Well, it's a Wednesday."

"Now, now," she said, "It's a good day. Do you know why? Because you're walking, and you're breathing." You can't really argue with that, can you?                       

So, this Thanksgiving, amidst the mayhem of football games and turkey dinners, I encourage you to take a moment to pray and simply thank Christ for the things in your life. Whether is for home, family, or a hot meal, remember to give thanks, for God is good.                 

Intersecting Faith and Life

During this fall season, remember to give thanks for your blessings

Further Reading

Psalm 69:30

[Judy Harder]

November 11, 2011

Those Who Serve
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13, NIV

Today, on Veterans Day, we honor all of those who serve in the United States Armed Forces.

This morning, at the Arlington National Cemetery, a Veterans Day National Ceremony will take place where a wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknowns by a color guard made up of members from each of the military services.

While those who have passed away are certainly remembered on this day, Veterans Day is primarily intended to thank those Veterans who are still living for their time in service to America. In fact, it is said that today there are over 24 million Veterans who have served and reintegrated back into society. And I hope for both of us, if we know one of these men or women, that we will thank them today.

Veterans are probably some of the first people we think of when considering those who serve others or have jobs that cause them to sacrifice in some way in their lives. I also think many of us would agree that you could count firefighters, teachers and missionaries in that category as well.

But perhaps we should also consider others who serve today—the ones behind the scenes and the unsung heroes of our lives, if you will.

I'm sure you know of someone in your life who has greatly impacted you with his or her selfless acts of kindness and service. Perhaps it's a parent or a friend, a neighbor or someone at your workplace. Whoever they are, they stand out to you because they don't call attention to themselves. Their actions are what speak loudest, because they are living for something—and for Someone—greater than themselves.

Two women in Scripture who exemplify these kind of "undercover" people who serve are Lois and Eunice, who were Timothy's grandmother and mother respectively. Paul acknowledges them for their significant work in Timothy's life in his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5:

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

And then later on in chapter 3, verses 14 and 15 he also says to Timothy:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

We don't often call out Lois and Eunice as great heroes of the faith when we talk about examples from Scripture, do we? But these few verses point to the very important sacrifices they made in their lives to make sure that Timothy was taught the Word. They were faithful in service to God, as they gave what had been entrusted to them—the gift of God's Word—to Timothy, so he would, in turn, be equipped to share the Truth in service to God and others.

On the surface, this sounds like an easy way to serve. But when was the last time you sat down with someone, day after day, month after month, year after year and worked with them in their spiritual growth and development? It's a sobering thought. Because it requires the sacrifice of our time, our desires and our very lives.

Veterans or not, those who serve are all around us today. So let's give thanks for them all and for the difference God has made in our lives through those who he has led to serve. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As you give thanks for those who have served America today, take inventory of how you are serving others. What sacrifices is God asking you to make so that you can demonstrate his love and make an eternal difference in the life of someone else?

Further Reading:

John 21:15-17, NIV

Romans 12:10-13, NIV

1 John 4:19, NIV

[Judy Harder]

November 14, 2011



Merciful Redeemer
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  1 Timothy 1:16 NIV

Paul is one of the most beloved Saints of all time. His love for the Lord, preserved in the canon of Scripture, inspires many to this day. Yet, even this extraordinary man was a sinner -- according to his own words "the worst of sinners." How can this be? Surely he is just exaggerating for effect? Or taking humility a little too far?

But I like to take Paul at his word here. After all, this man had persecuted Christians before his conversion. He had done horrible things in the name of righteousness. Surely, he knew his shortcomings more intimately than you or I. So, let's say Paul truly was the worst of sinners -- and yet we see God did not withhold His mercy.

One of the most moving stories in the Bible is that of another terrible sinner - the woman with the alabaster jar. Interrupting a dinner party at a Pharisee's house, this woman (in what I think would be a very socially awkward moment) wept over Jesus' feet, wiped them dry with her hair and applied perfume from the jar.

Simon, the hosting Pharisee, was disgusted at this public display of humility, especially by a woman known to be a sinner. Jesus replied to his indignation with this story as recorded in Luke 7: 41- 43:

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

Jesus went on to say, "I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (v. 47)

So often, when we think of our sins and shortcomings we feel ashamed. We want to hide from God like Adam and Eve hid after eating the forbidden fruit. We think God, in His divine perfection, could never want us back or look on us again with the same love as before. Perhaps you've even experienced this kind of rejection in a tangible way -- through the abandonment of a family member or loved one.

But this isn't the way God works.

The amazing thing about God's mercy is its accessibility. The bigger the sin, the more anxious God is to pour out His mercy at the first hint of repentance. The Bible tells us that when one sinner repents, heaven rejoices (Luke 15:10). And through Paul's testimony, we can know without a doubt of Christ's unlimited patience and unfailing love. God seeks the love of sinners -- no matter how many times you've sinned or how dark the sin, He desires to shower you with His mercy if you are willing to receive it.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Matthew 5: 7 says Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. We are called to show mercy just as Christ shows us mercy. Is there someone in your life in need of your mercy and forgiveness? Give it.

Further Reading

Hebrews 4: 16
Proverbs 28: 13

[Judy Harder]

November 15, 2011


Anything and Everything
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32

My children, aged almost-five and almost-three, know my weakness.

They know it's not ice cream, baseball, or their mom's chili... or even a hug or puppy-dog eyes from them.

See, none of the above make me cry (although the chili almost did once). Yes, my children have seen their father cry. It's not something I wanted, or intended. I'm a man, after all. I go to work, show my strength. I coach, help, show, point, and guide. I communicate, discipline, and lead. I pray. I do not cry.

...Except when I read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, that is.

And like I said, my children know this. And oh, do they twist that knife, the little devils. We must own a couple hundred children's books, but if it's a night where Daddy is doing the bedtime reading rather than Mommy, what do they invariangly pick (while smirking)? Of course! The Giving Tree!

I've been reading this book, first published in 1964, since I myself was a child, and no matter how many times I do, I am unable to de-sensitize. I mean, when I watch the movie Field of Dreams and Ray has a catch with his ghost-dad, that gets me. But if I see the scene over and over within a certain time frame? Nah. No sweat, no tears. But this blasted children's book... well... what's going on here?

First of all, you're probably wondering that very thing if you aren't familiar with the story. A tree and a boy are the best of friends during an idyllic childhood for the young man where he eats apples from the tree, climbs her trunk, swings from her branches, and rests in her shade. Then things change, as things do, and we see the boy approach the tree at all the various stages of his life, caught up - understandably, even - more in wanting and needing than in just being. Every time he has a "need," the tree obliges... and is happy for having done so. She doesn't have much, but gives all she has until eventually, she is nothing but a stump. At the end of all things, however, it turns out a stump is just what the old man needs - a quiet place to sit down and rest and reflect. "And the tree was happy. The end."

And I am undone... again.

Is it because I am reading the story to my children, and I know our stories will be very much like that of the tree and the boy, where they are my delight but eventually I must simply become provider as they go out into the world? Yes and no.

Is it because our family copy of the book - the one I read to the kids - carries an inscription from my wife on our first Christmas as husband and wife that says, "With God's help, may I love you like this"? Yes and no.

Is it because I once read the book aloud at at emotional family Thanksgiving, illustrating how we too infrequently practice the "giving" half of the word? Yes and no.

Is it because as my father lay dying seven years ago that I told him of the story (he wasn't familiar with it), and how he had been that tree for me? That's definitely part of it. My mother, I remember, commented that she didn't recall it being a "Christian" book. I didn't really have an answer to that, only to what I saw in it. Which is...

Complete love to the point of emptying. Unquestioning sacrifice, even for someone who isn't appreciating or understanding what they've been given. A desire only to have communion. An entering into final rest. In other words, a perfect example of the immensity of what Jesus did for me, desired from me, provides for me, and will carry me to.

That is why I always cry.

So every time I finish the story, eyes full of tears, my kids look at me as if to say, "Are you okay?" My little one asks, "Why you cry, Dad?" And every time I explain, I think she understands just the tiniest bit more. These are tears of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the giver and the gift. I only pray these children will open their hearts and receive it, and that they won't miss the other lesson: all our Giver really wants in return is our time, for us to come to Him as we did as children.

Intersecting Faith & Life: But can any of us actually hope to become more like the tree in the story? Parents know what it means to give every last ounce of everything they are to the betterment of their children. We have reason for doing so. Do you know anyone who empties themselves this way for those they don't have a familial reason to love? What steps can you take to emulate their Christ-like, unconditional love?

Further Reading

Giving is What Living is All About
2 Corinthians 8:3-12

[Judy Harder]

Authentic Christianity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...be filled with the Spirit...
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV

Months ago, I began a journey through the works of Francis Schaeffer beginning with the book True Spirituality. I've been writing about that here at Crosswalk the Devotional and am now in chapter seven. There is still time to catch up if you want to join the journey, and I hope you will. 

As C.S. Lewis once said: "First-hand knowledge [of great authors] is not only more worth acquiring than second-hand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire." (Quoted from his introduction in Athanasius', On the Incarnation, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press: Crestwood, New York, 1993, p. 3).

In other words, you'll probably enjoy Francis Schaeffer much more than reading my devotionals on Francis Schaeffer. But it is not just your delight in reading a great man that is at stake. No. Schaeffer's message is a much-needed remedy for the low condition of joy and genuine faith that seems to plague this generation.

And Schaeffer knows something about that. He was once a joyless Christian himself. 

In 1971, Schaeffer published True Spirituality to help people experience the reality of Christ in daily life.  Not just at the moment of salvation. At first, his book was a series of Bible lessons. He taught them to his family and students who gathered regularly in their home in the Swiss Alps. But before they ever became that set of lessons to others, Schaeffer taught them to his own heart.

Before Schaeffer ever became the famous author and Christian leader that he eventually became (and prior to the time that L'Abri began), Francis went through a dark period lasting several months. He was troubled by the disproportion that he saw in himself between the large amount of Bible data he knew and claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.

Over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis rethought his reasons for being a Christian and, at last he...

"...saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.

"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.

"Gradually the sun came out and the song came. ...and although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me."  (from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).

Francis Schaeffer saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's daily life. He grew deeply convinced that the Christian life is not just about conversion, but about moment-by-moment living out of the grace of God today, in the present by the power of the Holy Spirit.

While what I've been writing at Crosswalk the Devotional faithfully summarizes Schaeffer' message, I suspect that my writing carries only a fraction of the impact that reading True Spirituality would have upon you. God has used this book to shed light and build faith in the hearts of many for years. And as C.S. Lewis said, there really is something special about reading the greats for yourself. Only then can you experience the transforming progression of Schaeffer's argument, the clarity of his thought, and his wise use of Scripture and illustrations throughout his book.

Think about it: If it suddenly became possible for you to be personally mentored by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, would you take the opportunity? In a way, you can. Pick up True Spirituality, then follow with us on the trail of his thought.

Intersecting Faith and Life: 
Imagine that a friend or family member is called upon to testify of the presence of spiritual reality in your life. What evidence would they give?

Think through the reasons why you became a Christian. Reflect on what it means to have an authentic relationship with the infinite-personal God who is there.

Further Reading
Psalm 16
John 6:68
Ephesians 5:1-21

[Judy Harder]

November 17, 2011


Idols and iPods
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. – Matthew 22:37-38

Recently, my pastor encouraged our small group to pray and ask God to "break us" so that we would become fully reliant on him. Now, I don't know about you, but that statement gave me pause. Anyone who has read the book of Job knows that inviting God to "break you" isn't something you do lightly. Eventually, I decided it was worth the risk, and prayed that God would make me more reliant on him. At first nothing happened, and then my iPod broke.

I was running on a treadmill when it slipped through my fingers and hit the conveyer belt, which shot it straight into a brick wall. Immediately, my world stopped. I quit my workout and started hunting for a new one. My entire Sunday was spent driving from store to store looking for a replacement, and when I discovered my particular model was no longer available, I paid around $150 dollars to get an upgrade. I then used the rest of my night getting it synchronized, creating new playlists, and making sure everything was in good condition.

Looking back, I don't think I've ever shown the same amount of devotion to my Christian faith as I did to that iPod. It was a sobering realization. I had asked God to break me, but instead he broke the thing I was actually devoted to. We like to think idols are a thing of the past, and that the modern age is more rational than the ancient world but the truth is, they're still around. They can be big things like money, a car or a job, or they can be smaller like an iPod, a computer or a smartphone.

As Christians, our faith should rest in Christ and him alone. This can be pretty difficult, especially when living in a country like America, where comfort and security are advertised on every television. Machines will always break though, money will come and go, even people can end up disappointing you, but through all things, God remains. So take a moment and ask yourself, "Are there any idols in my life?"       

Intersecting Faith and Life

Take some time and consider whether you need to rely on God more.

Further reading   

Ezekiel 43:9     

[Judy Harder]

November 18, 2011

Available and Vulnerable
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. . . . When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide who and when we will serve. We become available and vulnerable. —Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

When I first read the words "available and vulnerable" in the above quote, my mind immediately went to what a personal ad might say.  But in this case, it would be a "personal servant ad" in the fictitious Ministry Daily News . . .

AVAILABLE AND VULNERABLE . . .

SWF seeks 24/7 ministry opportunities. Creative, outgoing, loves serving the King of Kings. Leadership skills in abundance, but also comfortable as a team player in group settings. Local projects a plus, but will consider long-distance. No task too menial or small. Money, time and personal agenda not a problem. Ready to sacrifice and serve at a moment's notice. Acclaim and reward not required. 

If only that were accurate, right? What seems to stand in the way of me living a life of true service and being "available and vulnerable" like this is me. I'm not unlike James and John who also struggled with what it means to serve Christ:

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory" (Mark 10:35-37).

They wanted the acclaim and the visibility. But what they didn't get at this point is what is required in Christian service: sacrifice.

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared" (Mark 10:38-40).

Only Christ could bear the wrath of God's judgment and die in our place on the cross. Only his blood could atone for our sins. As Christ followers, James and John shared in his sufferings (as do we all). But their places of honor would be determined by God.

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:43-45).

Some of us might say, "Oh, but I love to serve!" and "I have a servant's heart!" or "I serve whenever I can!" And perhaps we truly do. Or, perhaps we only serve when it feels right, when the popular people are asking us to or when it works out with our schedule or when it is for a cause that is "big" or involves traveling to an exciting destination. See how we can easily place these perimeters and try to control when and how and whom we serve? I do it, too. If I'm serving, then it's going to be on my terms.

But that's not true service . . .

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:14-17).

Washing someone's feet. Think about it. That is truly making yourself available and vulnerable—especially if the condition of the feet are rank and unpleasant to behold. To me, foot washing represents the task that I don't want to do. It's the ministry opportunity for the person who drives me nuts. It's the service project that cuts into my "more important" appointments. It's the mission of mercy that will cause my finances to be stretched beyond my comfort zone or will require me to give up some of my belongings to someone else. By and large, it's something that in my flesh I just don't want to do.

True service is not a feeling, but an act of submission . . . a way of life that is patterned after Jesus Christ. Will you give of yourself and make yourself available and vulnerable today? Let's learn to serve our Savior as he has served us.   

Intersecting Faith & Life:

If you are ready to serve like this—if you are ready to let go and quit gripping so tightly to your life—then ask God to present an opportunity to you right now. Ask him to open your ears, eyes and heart so that you will recognize and accept however he is calling you to be available and vulnerable.

Further Reading:

"Rise" by Robbie Seay Band
Slow down, be still
Let go, we will
Be here, be now
Slow down, be still
Breathe in, refill
Be here, be now
If you choose to love
To know that the call
Is to give all you are
To give love away, away
Rise, rise, people of love rise
People of love rise, give yourself away
Rise, rise, people of love rise
People of love rise, give yourself away
Give yourself away, give yourself away

Slow down, just breathe
Be still, believe
Be here, be now
Slow down and see
It's all you need
Be loved and free

And to hear the call, is to give your love away
And to hear the call, is to give your love away
And to hear the call, is to give your life away
Is to give your life away

We're not safe, we're not safe
But we will rise

[Judy Harder]

November 21, 2011

The Gift of Family
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12: 4-6

Holidays – how we would love for them to be simple. But they rarely are. My mom and I recently realized, through tearful laughter, that we can identify our holiday get-togethers by the key awkward moment that occurred that year.

Don't get me wrong – our family overflows with love and fond memories. But it's a rare family that can gather into one room without bumping into an issue.

One long-term challenge in my family involves comparisons. If you have siblings, you know what I mean. A sister might have been the "favored child" growing up. Or a brother has achieved remarkable career success while you struggle to find your niche. There are as many ways to compare one another as there are people in the world. And, adding to the fun, there's often one family member who feels a driving need to vocalize the perceived discrepancies among individuals. There may be big family events where you leave wondering, "God, what were you thinking when you threw us all into the same family pot?"

Not only do comparisons hinder our ability to love one another, they are a waste of energy because they are based on surface perceptions which can be inaccurate.

In recent years, I've come to find freedom from the comparison game by lining up my way of thinking to be more like the opening verse. Paul's words to the Romans reveal God's design for His spiritual family, but these words could apply to our biological families, too. They remind me that while each person is valuable in the eyes of God, no one person can achieve it all – no matter how perfect he or she may appear. Furthermore, each one of us has special gifts, and we depend on each other to fill in the gaps for the areas we lack.

For better or for worse, each member "belongs to all the others." Pondering God's gifts revealed in my family members helps me focus on the true heart of Thanksgiving – As a day set aside for gratitude

Intersecting Faith & Life: What are your gifts? This Thanksgiving, see if you can identify the various gifts each member of your family possesses, especially for that one family member you find difficult to love.

Further Reading

Mark 9:33-35
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Of Comparisons and Rulers, by Awnali Mills
Comparison or Contentment? Find Joy in Your Marriage, by Whitney Hopler

[Judy Harder]

November 22, 2011

The Hunger: Is It in Y'all?

by Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...like newborn babies, [you all] long for the pure milk of the Word,
so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation..."
1 Peter 2:2, NAS

A recent Crosswalk Devotional ("The Hunger: Is It in You?") highlighted the passage above and encouraged us to take an honest look at our personal degree of hunger for God's Word. The command in 1 Peter 2:2 seems simple and clear enough: "Long for the pure milk of the Word." But not so simple and clear in the text is the fact that the command is a second-person plural. So it actually reads: "You all long for the pure milk of the Word..."

If it seems like I'm dwelling on the tiniest detail of grammar, hang in there. Remember that Jesus affirmed every detail of Scripture is significant. So, let's take a closer look at this.

At first glance, we see 1 Peter 2:2 as directed toward the individual, as if to say, I cannot grow and I cannot have a healthy appetite for God's Word as long as I harbor any of the sins mentioned in the text (i.e., malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander). And while that's certainly not a false idea, such an emphasis on the individual leads us away from applying the passage to its intended place—the whole church community.

Since the "you" pronouns in 1 Peter 2:1-3 are all plural, the Scripture is actually emphasizing the church's collective experience of growth. In other words, healthy growth ought to be the normal course of life together. The Christian life is not a solo journey, but about being involved in each others' lives. It's about each believer being nourished by the truth of God's Word and ministering that Word to others. My friend, Jonathan Leeman, puts it well when he says that the Word ought to reverberate throughout the body.

While regular corporate times of teaching and worship are important, a church isn't to be merely a "Sunday service machine." That kind of thinking can produce an unhealthy assembly of strangers. First Peter 2 says that wherever we find an unhealthy church there must exist some degree of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander. These are relational sins, and they quench the collective body's craving for spiritual nourishment. There can be a lot of well-crafted speech, fine music, and maybe even increasing numbers; but if there is no community of healthy relationships there will be no real growth.

Idealistic? Maybe. But it certainly seems to be affirmed by Scripture. Churches really do work, thrive, grow, and reproduce when they collectively put away relational sins, collectively long for the pure milk of the Word and collectively see it reverberate throughout the entire body.

The place of restoration in all of this is the gospel, not a "do more, do better, try harder" works attitude. If you've led or have been part of an unhealthy, machine-like congregation, draw encouragement from this week's reading in Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality. He discusses the path to healing at the close of chapter eight:

"Most Christians find that the first step in the substantial healing that they can have in the present life is the substantial healing of the separation from themselves that is a result of the Fall and of sin. Man is first of all separated from God, then from himself, and finally from his fellow men and from nature. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ will give an absolute and perfect restoration of all these things when Jesus comes.

But in the present life, there is to be substantial healing. If we call our sin sin, and bring it under the blood of Christ, it is forgiven. This is the reality of restored relationship. Reality is not meant to be only creedal, though creeds are important. Reality is to be experienced on the basis of a restored relationship with God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross."

Intersecting Faith & Life: 
Do you see your own spiritual health as something that either helps or hinders your fellow believers? Or do you tend to see it as something that affects primarily you?

What receives more attention at your local church: healthy relationships or "the Sunday machine?"

Further Reading

1 Cor. 12:14-27

[Judy Harder]

November 23, 2011

Living Your Thanksgiving
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Make a glad sound to the Lord, all the earth. Give worship to the Lord with joy; come before him with a song. Be certain that the Lord is God; it is he who has made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep to whom he gives food. Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise; give him honour, blessing his name. For the Lord is good, and his mercy is never-ending; his faith is unchanging through all generations. Psalm 100, The Bible in Basic English

When I was younger, Thanksgiving was pretty much just another holiday—a day when I got to eat a whole lot of good food and nibble on all the sugary stuff I wanted.

In fact, one year it only took me, my sister, two forks and about 30 minutes to finish off the rest of the pecan pie, while everyone else was either glued to the football game or snoring in a recliner. We had no regrets, and I'm pretty sure we'd do it again.

But besides being a holiday when I had permission to indulge, Thanksgiving was also a word my grandfather always incorporated at the end of his prayers: "And with thanksgiving, in Jesus' name, Amen." I always wondered why he used a word that made me think of cornucopias and construction-paper turkeys; but he had the Th.D. in our family, and I did not. So I knew he must have had a good reason.

Years later, I think I now understand. In that one word, he was saying "Thank You for giving."  You, being God. From my grandfather's example, I see that thanksgiving was more than a one-day family gathering. It was and is a way of living, a daily act of expressing gratitude to our Maker who first gave to us.

At this time of year, I sit and think about when I last thanked God for giving me anything—let alone his son, Jesus Christ. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember. But I know that I want to make such gratefulness as prominent as the giant turkey on the table and see thanksgiving become a way of life.

There's no better thanksgiving wisdom than that found in God's Word, specifically The Old One-Hundredth (Psalm 100). If you open your Bible and take a look at this passage, you'll see a notation under the heading: "A psalm. For giving thanks."

Following that, there are many directives listed that can help us live our Thanksgiving . . .

Make a glad sound to the Lord
Give worship to the Lord with joy
Come before him with a song
Be certain that the Lord is God
Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise
[Remember] for the Lord is good . . . his mercy is never-ending . . . his faith is unchanging
Reflect on Psalm 100 today, and ask the Lord how he can help you really live out Thanksgiving each day of the year.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Your celebration with friends or loved ones is probably already planned by this point. But here is your Thanksgiving Day challenge: take time to "live your Thanksgiving" and call or visit someone who is alone or having a hard time (for whatever reason) on this holiday.

Further Reading:

Psalm 107:1, NIV

Psalm 150, NIV

Ephesians 2:8, NIV