One Hundred Reasons

Why I'm Thankful to Be a Child of God

In my Sunday School class one Sunday in Maine, I made an off-hand remark that I thought I could probably come up with 100 reasons why I am glad I am a Christian. One of my students said, “Then why don’t you?” I counter-challenged my class of fifth and sixth graders to each come up with a list of twenty reasons why it is good to be a Christian. I made one qualifier. Only ten percent of the reasons could be about heaven. I wanted them to see that the joys of being a Christian are for today, not just for the distant future when they die, as important as that is. While this is by no means exhaustive, this is my list.

1. The One to whom I give thanks during this season is not some mysterious “higher power” but a friend who is closer than a brother.
2. I can be at peace. (Rom. 5:1)
3. I have everlasting comfort. (II Thess. 2:16)
4. I can always have hope. (Heb. 6:18-19, I Pet. 1:3)
5. The Almighty God loves me. (John 3:16 and many others)
6. I can be content with little because I have God. (Heb. 13:5)
7. Nothing can separate me from God’s love. (Rom. 8:35-39)
8. He gives me a reason (many reasons, actually) to sing. (Psalm 146:2)
9. No one can take God’s joy from me. (John 16:22)
10. I am a joint heir together with Jesus. (Rom. 8:17)
11. I am receiving an inheritance which will never lose its value. (I Peter 1:4)
12. God will provide for all of my needs. (Phil. 4:19)
13. He will not withhold anything from me that is good for me. (Psalm 84:11)
14. I cannot out-give God.  (Luke 6:38)
15. God can take the little we have and make it last for as long as we need it.  (I Kings 17)
16. Jesus is preparing a home for me in heaven (John 14:2)
17. I have a mansion (well, at least a perfect dwelling place) awaiting me.  (John 14:1)
18. I can endure any trial on this earth because they are so small compared to the glories that await us in heaven. (Romans 8:18)
19. Some day I will be part of a great multitude from every tribe and nation who worship our Savior together. (Rev. 7:9-10)
20. The things of this earth that seem so valuable now will be the construction materials of heaven.  So if my jewelry is fake, it doesn’t matter.  Either way, it won’t be worth anything to me then.
21. I do not have to worry about being rich in this life because our riches in heaven will far exceed anything we imagine here. (John 14:1-3; Revelation 21)
22. I get to begin my eternal life with God now.  (John 17:3)
23. I will get to spend the rest of eternity with Jesus.
24. There is nothing that can separate me from God’s love.  (Romans 8:38-39)
25. I am accepted because of Jesus. (Ephesians 1:6)
26. God knew me before anyone even knew my great-great-grandparents (II Timothy 1:9)
27. God chose me before the world was formed to be holy and blameless in His sight (Eph. 1:4)
28. I have been adopted into God’s family (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:5)
29. Jesus is my older brother (Rom. 8:29)
30. I have been created to do good works.  (Ephesians 2:10)
31. I belong to a huge international family that has been brought together under God through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.  (Ephesians 3:15)
32. In Jesus, I have a perfect example to follow.  I do not need to worry that one day I will find out that my example was not worth following. (Ephesians 5:1-2)
33. I have been given a new nature.  (II Corinthians 5:17)
34. God is my Keeper. (Psalm 121:5)Therefore, I am His keepsake. (Ps. 121:5)
35. I belong to a huge family that is made up of others who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 3:14-15)
36. I am secure in God’s hands. (John 10:28)
37. Jesus gives me abundant life.  (John 10:10)
38. The Lord will carry me, even into my old age. (Isaiah 46:4)
39. I should have been cursed because of my sin, but Jesus became accursed and died for me in my stead. (Galatians 3:13)
40. Since God gave up his only Son in order to redeem me, I can be positive that He will not withhold anything good from me.  (Romans 8:32)
41. God’s truth has made me free. (John 8:32)
42. God has let me in on the mystery of His will (Eph. 1:7)
43. God has opened my understanding so that I can know the hope and the riches to which He has called me. (Eph. 1:18)
44. I have access to all the truth I need through God’s Word. 
45. I may boldly appear at the throne of grace at any time (Hebrews 4:16)
46. My prayers will be answered. (Matt. 7:7-8)
47. When I cannot put my heart’s needs into prayer, the Holy Spirit takes what I offer and turns it into genuine prayer to God.  (Romans 8:26)
48. God is always ready to help me. (Ps. 145:18)
49. I do not have to go through a priest to have my prayer heard. 
50. Because of Jesus, I have access to the Holy of Holies. (Hebrews 10:19)
51. God has outlined the good works I am to do and directs me toward them (Eph. 2:10)
52. God is on my side. (Psalm 118:8)
53. God will never leave me. (Heb. 13:5)
54. God even gave me the heart I needed to have in order to seek Him.  (Jeremiah 24:7)
55. He is my hiding place. (Psalm 32:7)
56. God will keep working on me. (Phil. 1:6, I Peter 5:10)
57. We are on the winning side. (Rom. 8:31; I Cor. 15:5)
58. God is my refuge in every trial. (Ps. 46:1)
59. The Holy Spirit is there to comfort me in every trial. (II Corinthians 1:4)
60. In every trial, I can be sure that God is bringing good into my life. (Rom. 8:28)
61. I am like a sweet perfume to God. (II Corinthians 2:15)
62. God’s grace saved me. (Ephesians 2:8)
63. God does not deal with me as my sins deserve.  (Ps. 103:10)
64. God’s grace is available to me for every trial.
65. God is rich in mercy toward me. (Ephesians 2:4)
66. God’s mercies are new to me every single morning. (Lamentations3:22-23)
67. God is faithful to keep all of His promises. ( II Corinthians 1:20)
68. God is my light. He makes the way clear when all seems dark. (Psalm 27:1)
69. God gives us wisdom and the revelation of Himself through the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:17)
70. I am, even now, seated in heavenly places with Jesus. (Eph. 2:6)
71. I have the Holy Spirit with me to convict me when I sin. (John 16:8)
72. Sin no longer has the same power over me (Rom. 6:14)
73. I have been forgiven of all my sin (I John 1:9)
74. God has removed my sins from me as far as the east is from the west.  (Psalm 103:12)  Another analogy for the same thought:  He has sunk my sins into the deepest sea.  (Micah 7:19)  Corrie TenBoom was known to say, “And then he posted a sign that said, “No fishing.”
75. God will not allow me to be tempted or tested beyond what I can bear. (II Corinthians 10:13)
76. God is much stronger than the devil or his minions. (I John 4:4)
77. God gives me a song to sing, even in times of darkness.  (Job 35:10, Psalm 42:8)
78. I do not have to fear the powers of darkness.  When I resist them, they will flee.  (James 4:7)
79. God gives me everything I need to fight the powers of darkness.  (Ephesians 6:11)
80. God is able to keep me from falling. (Jude 1:24)
81. God preserves me from the guilt and consequences of sins by keeping me from the sin itself.
82. God will forgive when I repent. (I John 1:9)
83. There is never an end to God’s unfailing love.  
84. With God’s help, I can do anything He asks of me. (John 15:4, Philippians 4:13)
85. God will not stop working on me. (Philippians 1:6)
86. God is working in me to want and to do His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)
87. I can do the will of God just by being thankful. (I Thess. 5:18)
88. I do not have to worry about what God’s will is for my life because He has told me what it is: sanctification. (I Thessalonians 4:3)
89. He has made me truly alive (Eph. 2:1)
90. The Almighty God is going to get glory from His work in my life. (II Cor. 4:15)
91. God restores my soul. (Psalm 23:3)
92. My God is slow to anger.  (Psalm 145:8)  When he does get angry, he does not keep his anger forever.  (Ps. 103:9)
93. By faith, I can please God.  (Hebrews 11:6)
94. With God, all things are possible.  (Mark 10:27)  Therefore, anything God asks me to do is possible.
95. The Lord is my help.  (Ps. 54:4)
96. Whenever I draw near to God, He draws near to me.  (James 4:8)
97. Because of God’s grace, I understand that all the beauty of nature around me is a gift from Him.
98. All of my sins were put to death on the cross. 
99. Because of God’s grace at work in me, I can make a list like this that comes with gratitude from the heart.
100. I know how it’s all going to end.  Even so, come Lord Jesus.

I went on a walk this afternoon and was thinking about this list.  Half a dozen more ideas came to mind.  So if you see a couple you think should have been combined into one, don’t worry.  I still have more.

A Virginia Welcome

As we say goodbye to our week in Virginia, we take our leave with hearts of gratitude for the great things God did for us through the good people of Lighthouse.  I will list just a few of them.
1.  Our hosts agreed to take us in early so that we could avoid Sandy, the “storm of the century.”  An apartment in their basement provided luxurious accommodations.  They also graciously allowed us to fend for ourselves for lunch so that we would not be tempted to overeat at every meal.
2.  The church showered us with gifts.  When we arrived, a gift bag was presented to each of the ladies.  The next day, the third and fourth-grade children at the Academy presented us with a goodie box that was loaded with practical items.  We found note cards, sanitizers, lotions, band aids, gift cards, tissues, gum, snacks and other special things. They also included a check that was the accumulation of a year-long collection.  When we opened the envelope, we were stunned by the generosity of these children.
3.  Several people opened up their homes to us for dinners.  Those dinners were great opportunities to get to know them, enjoy good home cooking, and spend some time with some of the other missionaries.  I love being in people’s homes.  You get to know them in a way you could never know them otherwise.  At one home, I got to spend time with three gorgeous little girls.  At another, I said to the hostess when I looked around, “You must love candles as much as I do.” 
4.  The preaching all week was superb.  Dr. Earl Jessup, who helps churches plant churches had many good things to say.  These are some favorite quotes from the week:

• They were ready to attack hell with squirt guns because they had seen what God could do.
• Always keep something supernatural in your ministry.  Always have something only God can do.
• We still have a God who will show Himself strong today.
• You need to get a good return on your missionary dollar.
• The church is good for the Christian the way a home is good for a child.  If a child is in a home that is not good for them, he will not turn out right.  If a Christian is not part of a good church, he will not turn out right either.
• You need to start something only God can finish.

5.  The Lord has been working in my heart through the preaching, the fellowship and the study of His Word.  I still have a long way to go to be a good reflection of Jesus, but my heart has been stirred and my faith strengthened through this week.
6.  I always love beautiful scenery, and this was the view out our window all week long.  Unfortunately, the photo just does not do the scene justice.

Dancing with a Hurricane

On October 29 my wife and I drove from York, ME to Winchester, VA; right into the face of "Superstorm" Sandy. You may ask what urgent need would compel me to drive nearly 600 miles through "the storm of the century".

What could be placed on the scales to overcome the possible damage to our car, my safety, and my dear wife's safety?

I did have a few counters to start with:

Modern weather forecasting is very accurate, and Sandy was following the predictions closely.

Cell phone technology allowed me to access these forecasts as we traveled.

My time in the Navy gave me a good understanding of how hurricanes work over water, especially the dangerous and less dangerous halves of the hurricane. (NY City was in the dangerous half!)

My car is faster than a hurricane, I could turn and run!

So I had a plan: I would race the storm to get far enough inland and through the dangerous semi-circle to get to the less dangerous semi-circle, based on the predicted track, and hunker down with our generous hosts.

But why risk it at all? Why not stay in Maine where there was little danger and good fellowship?

The answer - A Missions Revival, call it a missions conference, if you will. But still you may say "Certainly the love offering was not worth the risk!" That would be true, I would never risk my wife's safety, and possibly life, for mere money. There is something more important at work here. The will of the Lord!

God made a divine appointment for Joan and me when Pastor Martin invited us. We claim to follow God's will in our ministry. Should I not trust God to give us the resources to do His will? He had already given us many resources. Some are listed above, others are more mundane. The car, our driving record, the Interstate Highway system, hotels all along the way in case of emergency, a robust emergency services system.

The most important resource however, is trust in Him. We have faith He is worthy of our trust. If God assigns us a task, He will provide the means to accomplish that task. We have but to trust and do. If we cannot trust the Lord to get us 600 miles through some of the easiest and safest roads on earth, how can we trust Him for thousands of miles in a dozen countries?

The overall story of our trip is not very exciting. Maine to Massachusetts was light rain and little wind, Connecticut to NY was a little windy and little or no rain. Pennsylvania to Virginia was interesting, quite windy and moderate rain. But it was never worse than a good summer rainstorm. The whole way we saw evidence of only three accidents; a spin out in West Hartford, CT that was a "normal" rush hour event; a car with a badly damaged front end and no sign of what was hit, likely a deer; and a tractor trailer under tow that appeared to have jackknifed. Not an unusual accident count for a 600 mile trip through some of the busier roads in the US.

Other than crossing the Susquehanna River, where the winds were strong and the construction narrowed the lanes, I never felt in any real danger. I drove from Scranton, PA to Winchester, VA at 50-60 MPH because of the rain, but that was overly cautious to be honest.

After we arrived and had eaten a sumptuous dinner we retired with our hosts to watch The Weather Channel. Sandy had merged with the winter front to become a "Post-Tropical Storm". TWC and the sensationalist media insist on calling her a "Superstorm". The storm rapidly dissipated and the prediction models collapsed. There was no history for the computer programmers to model on. Sandy was truly a "storm of the century", actually two centuries. But Joan and I were safe in a stout house in Winchester, VA where the Lord wanted us!