There are numerous things in my life for which I never thought I would be thankful.  Many experiences that I imagined I would look back upon with remorse have turned into the doorway to a better today and a brighter future.  So I want to take a few lines to write “thank you” to all my unexpected friends on my faith journey. 

Thank you to pain for helping me appreciate the moments of joy.

Thank you to heartbreak for teaching me the value of love.

Thank you to trials for making me stronger.

Thank you to failures for keeping me humble.

Thank you to those who turned their back on me for making me value my real friends.

Thank you to sorrow for instructing me on how to express my emotions.

Thank you to other’s mistakes, which enable me to show compassion and mercy. 

Thank you to the wounds that make me wiser in the future.

Thank you to darkness for opening my eyes to the light.

Thank you to loss for allowing me to treasure the time I have left.

Thank you to sin for showing me God’s amazing grace.

The next time I want to complain, my goal is to stop and see what I am learning and how I am growing through the experience.  Perhaps you will join me in being more thankful, even for the things that are difficult to endure.

This Sunday, I am kicking off a two-week sermon series on love and marriage.  Whenever I preach this type of series, I begin to think of all the struggling marriages that I know.  I want to offer them hope and help. Here is one of the things I tell couples who wish to improve their marriage.

Your relationship with your spouse is the result of your actions.  If you invest time and energy into your relationship, it will always improve as you grow closer together.  If you neglect each other for whatever reason, you will grow apart, and your relationship will struggle. 

Here is the part that most people do not understand.  They immediately think that to save their marriage, they need to take some significant action to change everything.  They believe their spouse wants them to give up all their hobbies, friends, and personal pursuits so they can spend every minute together.  That is RARELY the case. 

What your relationship needs to grow and thrive is small things often.  Doing things like sharing a 10-minute conversation each day can bring you closer together.  There is a long list of little gestures you can do to help your marriage thrive.  You can send a text every day to say that you are thinking of them or that you love them.  A touch, a look, a word, and a little time are all actions that will improve your marriage. 

The old question is, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time.” And how do you improve your marriage?  The answer, “One small action at a time.”

Almost every day, I hear a new story about someone whose sin has been made public.  They were caught in a lie, exploded in anger, found to be having an affair, or discovered to be immoral in one of a thousand ways.  These stories make headline news and are fodder for conversation at Church prayer meetings. We all know the stories, and even a non-believer can tell you about the hypocrisy of people calling themselves followers of Jesus and then not acting like their leader. 

My question for today is, “What is your response when you hear stories like that?”

Do you respond with a sense of moral outrage?  How could someone with their knowledge and experience behave like that?  How shameful.  They are such a disgrace to believers everywhere. 

Do you respond with compassion?  I feel sorry for them trying to lead this double life and not know the freedom found in Christ.  They need grace now more than ever.  I hope this is the catalyst for change in their lives, and I want them to know the grace that gives them a second chance. 

Both of these reactions are logical:  Righteous indignation over sin and compassion over sin.  Either one of them are normal responses, BUT only one is helpful when people are hurting over their failures. 

That might be the exact thing you NEED to hear. 

Perhaps no one has told you the truth.  Your friends knew it would hurt your feelings.  Those closest to you are often the last ones to say anything about your struggles.  On the other hand, you would not listen to strangers. 

Painful words can often be the most helpful. 

If you will listen closely and recognize the truth being spoken to you.  Then take that nugget of information and apply it to your life. 

No one wants to hear that they are angry, overweight, selfish, mean spirited, negative, pessimistic, domineering, unorganized, unhelpful, or a variety of other issues.  But how will you know unless someone tells you?  You obviously cannot listen to every critical person, or you will be utterly discouraged all the time.  But you can see the grain of truth behind their words that you really need to hear. 

Every person has some area of their life that they need to improve for God.  Would you listen to someone if they told you that truth you need to hear – even if you don’t want to hear it?  Perhaps someone is already trying to say something to you, but you have chosen not to listen.  Today could be a painful day as you understand the truth about yourself.  It could also be the day that makes you more like Jesus.    

Every verse of scripture has one meaning. There is one thing the original writer meant to say as that passage was penned. This is called the Author’s Intended Meaning (AIM) by most people who study the Bible.

While every text in the scriptures has one meaning, there are often different ways of looking at it. One preacher taught me that the word of God is like a diamond. An expert jeweler can take that one stone and cut it in such a way as to make it sparkle in every direction. The light will be reflected in each way that you spin it – always revealing its true beauty no matter where you stand.

The Bible should be the same way. It is God’s solid and unchanging word with one true meaning, but each time you read it, it can sparkle in a new direction and shine a light on our lives. A good teacher can help to turn the passage for everyone to see it, but the beauty is there to see if we only look close enough.

One reason you read and reread the scriptures is that each time you will see something a little different. A word or phrase might stand out to you and be an encouragement. The lines of Jesus might inspire you with each new reading. There may be a sentence that you never noticed that could change your thinking. A story you have heard a hundred times suddenly means more in light of your current situation. Whenever you return to those familiar words of your youth, they can illuminate some truth you have missed or forgotten.

The next time you pick up your Bible to read. Take your time and look closely at those familiar tales. Pause and sit in quiet reflection with every passage. God might have something new to show you, even in the old, old stories.

I don’t know that this is true for every preacher. I’m convinced it is true for most of us with minor variations in routine.  (I am not looking for a pep talk, I just want you to know how my typical Sunday feels.)

5:00 am – Time to get up.  Start the day with prayer and optimism.  Today is going to be great.

6:12 am – Practice the sermon a couple of times to make sure I have it memorized and ready. 

7:32 am – Arrive at the Church building and get everything ready for the day. 

8:01 am – Other people arriving at the building and practicing worship.  Excitement is growing.  This is going to be a fantastic day.  The band is here and ready, and so am I. 

8:55 am – Very few people here for our first worship program.  Is anyone coming today?  This might be the day no one shows up.  Who can blame them after last week’s sermon?

9:12 am – People are here, a little late, but at least they came.

9:28 am – Game time.  Here we go, let’s change the world.  The sermon is going to be a home run; I can feel it. 

9:42 am – No one seems to be listening.  Every time those people get up and down, it distracts everyone else. Hopefully, someone is getting something useful.

9:58 am – It’s over.  I am pretty sure no one listened.  Another bomb.  This is so hard. I am sure I will do better next program. 

10:35 am – The second program is starting.  Is it possible I have forgotten the entire sermon in a half-hour?  Think, Matt, think! 

10:48 am – I cannot focus on these songs.  The sermon stinks.  Is it too late to write something new?  Are twelve minutes enough to make the changes?  Oh, forget it.

11:03 am  – Here we go again.  Is anyone going to listen to this one? 

11:11 am – Wow.  There are several people missing today.  Is something going on that I don’t know about, or is it just me? 

11:24 am – Almost done preaching. I am drained, and I don’t even care anymore.

11:31 am – It is finally over.  I hope no one talks to me.  I am very vulnerable right now. 

11:42 am – A few people said they liked the sermon, but they always say they like it.  Most people left without a word, so I am praying that one person was blessed today. 

11:50 am – I had high hopes for today.  Turned out average at best.  I cannot believe I failed again.  What does it take to reach people for Jesus?  Maybe I need a gimmick.  Some object lesson or cool video to make things better.  Too bad I don’t know video, and I am not creative. 

12:12 pm – I don’t know what to do anymore.  I have been preaching for almost 28 years, and I have almost nothing to show for it.  Maybe I should quit.

1:37 pm – Darkness. All is darkness. God, I am sorry I let you down again. 

3:19 pm – I am going to give myself one more week.  If nothing exciting happens next week, I quit.

6:15 pm – If I start working on next Sunday’s sermon now, maybe next week’s sermon will be better.  I will definitely pray more, study more and work harder this week. 

9:23 pm – Exhausted, got to get some rest and be ready to get to work tomorrow.  This week is going to be great. 

Yesterday I published my 2000^th post on this blog.

I started blogging many years ago when blogs were new.  The first one lasted over five years before I took a couple of years off.  At the time, I decided to dump my blog and delete all my original posts, and now I still wish I had a few of them.  

Then in January of 2013, I launched this blog intending to write a few times a week. Over the past three years, I have made a specific effort to post something five days a week.  It is now part of my regular morning routine, and I find it the perfect place to connect my enjoyment of writing, my goal to help others in faith, and a creative outlet for all the things that flow through my thoughts.

Yesterday, I knew it was a unique blog, so I want back to why I am here on the internet – because I want people to know about the grace of Jesus and the second chance he gives each one of us. 

Along the way, I have had days where only one person read what I wrote and other days where hundreds stopped by to read.  Whether it is one or a thousand, I just keep hammering away and hope to churn out a few posts that will bring people closer to Jesus.  Hopefully, with 2000 of them, at least a few were worth your time.  Thanks for reading and all praise to Jesus.     

One of my favorite lines in an old hymn is in the song “How Great Thou Art.” The chorus starts with, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee.”

I love the image of my praise coming not from my voice, mind, or heart, but rather from the very core of my being.  The essence of that song is about our creator God and his son Jesus. 

I am incredibly thankful for Jesus and the salvation he brings.  I am grateful every single day, but today I want to pause and focus on the remarkable gift of a second chance in Jesus.  January is almost over, and I am reminded how much I need his grace every new year, month, week, and day. 

The other line in a song I love is from the song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” The chorus finishes with, “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” 

Today the world seems dim as my soul sings out in thanksgiving to Jesus. 

It is an admirable goal to make a difference in this world. I believe the desire to change the world for the better is a God-given instinct that comes with being made in his image. We must also be very clear about one major issue surrounding our quest to change the world.

Good works will not get you into heaven.

The only thing allowed into the presence of God is perfection. You and I are not perfect. We make two fundamental errors in our thinking about the good we do. First, we can never do enough to become perfect. You cannot balance the scales of your failures with good works. Some believe that if they just put in enough effort to make the world better, then all their shortcomings are erased and forgotten. That is not how God’s justice works.

Our second flaw is that we will never do all the good that we could. Every single one of us, even the most concerned with social justice, occasionally pass the people with their cardboard signs. We are busy, have our kids with us, or do not have any bills small enough to give away. There are so many good things for us to do that when some of them cross our minds, and we dismiss them, revealing that we are not truly good all the time.

There are other issues with works-based salvation, and most people of faith recognize these problems. I fear that over time we have assumed people understood this truth when they have not. Believers have told people we are to love God and then love our neighbor. Over time the first part about loving God has been lost, and now we have people who are only concerned about doing good and have no time for Jesus. This exchange has taken the truth of the gospel and replaced it with social justice for salvation.

I hope and pray that Christians will be people who make a difference in this world. But I want to make sure you are a follower of Jesus first and doing good works second. Trust Jesus alone, and then make a difference. Love others because he first loved you.

I know what I will write will not apply to certain personality types, but it might help someone. 

If you are a person who longs to improve your life, either physically or spiritually or both, let me give you a piece of advice from my journey. 

The first thing to do is develop goals.  Decide where you want to go and who you want to be? Once you have goals, then you need to build a plan to achieve those desires.  How do you get from here to there?  My suggestion is that you create a system that works for you. 

For example, I wanted to lose weight last year.  So I set a system in place to achieve what I dreamed.  For me, that meant getting up at the same time every day.  I had to get up earlier than usual because it was the only way to find time to do it.  Going for a walk and eventually running during the exact same time frame every morning was the best system for me to do the exercise needed to change my body. 

The same type of routine is true for my spiritual life.  I started a habit 13 years ago in which I start at the same time and follow a regular plan of action, including praying for the same basic things each day.  I have a system for praying, reading the Bible, keeping a thankful journal, and having a few moments of meditation to start my days.    

You can apply this type of thinking to almost anything.  Do you want a better marriage? Develop a plan and systematize it to meet your needs.  Plan out mealtimes, no phone or tv times, date nights, and go to bed together.  Do you want to know God more?  Then develop a plan to make it happen and apply it to your life.  Do you want a better relationship with your parent or children?  Then there are steps you can take to make it happen.  The list is long of the things you can do to change your life for the better.  If your mind is anything like mine, then you can make a system to see it happen – the same actions day after day and week after week. 

My simple advice is to develop patterns and rituals that will help you improve.  Waiting for inspiration will never happen.  It is the routines that will make you a better follower of Jesus.