For He Is Good

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

— Hebrews 13:15

 

We can praise God in good times and we can praise God in bad times. And I don't know that we will fully understand what is good or bad for us on this side of heaven. When we are younger, we think certain things are good, such as success, while other things are bad, such as hardship.

But as we go through life, after awhile we look back and realize that success actually can be bad for some, while hardship actually can be good for others. So we begin to look at things differently. And sometimes the things we thought were really good things turn out to be bad things. On the other hand, the things we thought were bad things actually turn out to be really good things.

Be Narrow-Minded

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

— Matthew 7:13–14

 

If you are worried about fitting in and being cool and being culturally acceptable, you will have a hard time being a follower of Christ, because it means taking a narrow road. Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).

There are two gates and two ways we can take in life: the narrow or the broad. And when we read, "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life," it means we are to be-in a strict sense-narrow-minded.

Wear Your Helmet!

Paul tells us we are to take "the helmet of salvation" (Ephesians 6:17).

The two most sought-after and vulnerable targets on the ancient battlefield were the heart and the head. With our heart and other vital organs ably protected by the breastplate of righteousness, the enemy will try to strike the head. One well-placed blow to the head and the battle is over.

What does it mean to wear the helmet of salvation?

It would seem to me that the apostle is telling us to watch our thoughts in general. Most temptation comes through the gateway of the mind and imagination.

This is why Paul tells us, "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3 NIV).

When those "flaming arrows" of ungodly thoughts come, we need to have our guard up.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5–6:

Sacrificial Praise

Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name

— Psalm 63:3–4

 

A hospital chaplain kept a record of 2,000 patients who were apparently in a dying condition and showed signs of repentance. But he noted that of those who were restored to health, only two showed a marked change in their spiritual lives after their recovery. In other words, when people thought they were dying, they remembered God, but when they recovered, they forgot about Him.

Maybe you have had a crisis recently, and it got your attention. Remember to call upon God. Remember to put your trust in Him. Far too often we ask God for help, but we don't give Him anything in return. What would you think of a person who was always asking for resources and favors, but never took time to thank you?

It is one thing to give thanks when things are going well. But we can also give thanks when things are not going well. Psalm 63, one of my favorite psalms, was written at a time when David was in exile in the wilderness, running from his son, Absalom, who wanted to take over his throne. David was an elderly man at this point. Yet in the midst of his anguish and personal pain, he wrote, "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name" (verses 3–4).

Remember to Thank Him

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

— Luke 17:17–18

 

Luke 17 tells the story of some men who had a lot to give thanks for. Prior to being miraculously touched by Jesus, they were complete outcasts—the very scourge of society. These ten men had the worst disease of the time, leprosy, for which there was no cure. They couldn't get any lower in that particular time in history with this incurable disease.

Those found to have leprosy could have no contact with others. They had to leave their house and their friends and live apart from them. These men were living an isolated, miserable life. Their clothing would have been ripped from perpetual mourning. Their skeletal heads would have been uncovered. They had to cry out, "Unclean! Unclean!" wherever they went, in keeping with the Law of Moses. But they had heard about Jesus. And seeing Him in the distance, they cried out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (Luke 17:12–13).