Trust & Obey, Week 3: Luke 6, Preview
Around the tables at your Thanksgiving gatherings this coming week, will you take time to share with your family and friends what you are thankful for? One of the worship songs we recently sang at Faith Church is perfect for Thanksgiving, “Count Your Blessings.” There is something powerful about thinking about how we have been blessed. The act of reflecting gratefully shapes us.
The Apostle Paul gets at the transformative nature of gratitude when he writes in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Notice the word “thanksgiving” in the center of the passage. Paul’s teaching about gratitude, thanksgiving, of counting our blessings amid anxiety, is what is so radical about this passage, in my opinion. Paul is suggesting that there is a uniquely Christian way to view blessing. When we view blessing in that uniquely Christian way, it can help us encounter the peace of God in the middle of difficult circumstances.
Paul’s idea sounds amazing: gratitude that leads to peace. Who doesn’t want peace? Paul’s idea also seems easy. Just be grateful, and you’ll have God’s miraculous peace in your life. But is it that easy? Not so much. Many people find it difficult to count their blessings when struggling.
Furthermore, what if we don’t have the right understanding of blessings? Have you ever considered that? Is it possible that what many people consider blessings are not actually blessings? It is possible. In fact, in this final week of our Trust & Obey series, we’ll take a look at time Jesus turned the idea of blessing upside-down. When he preached this teaching, I bet most everyone in the crowd was squinting their eyes in disbelief at his ideas.
What passage? What did Jesus say about blessing? This week on the blog we find out.
Engaging Scripture 