THANKSGIVERS

Philippines Trip Update: I have purchased my tickets to fly to Manila and back, and also to fly to Davao on the island of Mindanao from which we drive 3 hours to our teaching site. I have began to study my curriculum on Interpreting and Preaching the Gospel of Mark. Just over 50% of those who pledged funds to this trip have contacted me that they have sent in those pledges. Let me know if you have done this so I can update my files. At the end of April I will get a financial summary from Reach Beyond Canada. For information on how to send funds see last blog entry Decision Made.

I am slowly reading True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer, an old classic. I mean slowly in the sense of reading and rereading in order to follow Schaeffer's logic, savoring the biblical truths he presents like a tasty seasoned tender steak that melts in your mouth (I have not had any of those steaks but I have heard stories), letting the simple but profound truths sink deeply into my soul. Not that Schaeffer's logic is difficult to follow. Rather it is that he presents so clearly the essence of the Gospel - the depth of our sinful condition, the primary sin of coveting that is so deeply rooted in our being by the fall, and the fact that apart from a supernatural new birth the process of spiritual change cannot even begin. That spiritual change is rooted in the cross of Christ, not only because of what the cross allowed God to do in us, but how we are to allow the cross to change our coveting nature to a nature of love patterned on God's love.

Finally I rejoice afresh in how Schaeffer emphasizes one of my favorite themes, the thanksgiving of the Christian. Schaeffer shows how often thanksgiving is included in God's commands to us (Ephesians 5.20; Philippians 4.6; Colossians 2.7, 3.15, 17; 1 Thessalonians 5.18) culminating in Romans 1.21 were the reason for the wrath of God on mankind is that they did glorify God nor give thanks to God. He points out from Ephesians 5.3-4 how "but giving of thanks" at the end of the verse is a contrast to the list of sins mentioned there.
Genuine thanksgiving to God is not compatible with sin for genuine thanksgiving to God is nothing less than worship. God has called us as worshipers and workers until the day when our work will be fully eclipsed by worship.