Giving Thanks to the Father
When I was in school, Christmas was my favorite holiday for the obvious reasons of getting two weeks off from school, topped with a bunch of presents. However, over the past few years, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday of the year. The only thing I don’t like about Thanksgiving is that it only comes around once a year. But, by examining the Word of God, we find out that we can be—and, in fact, should be—thankful every single day. How much more fun is that?
God tells us to do all things with thanksgiving, He tells us when to give thanks, and He tells us why to give thanks. When you realize what God has done for you and what you have in Christ, it is just impossible not to be thankful.
God says to do all things giving thanks always to our Father, who has made us adequate to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians 3:17 says to do all things giving thanks:
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Ephesians 5:20 tells us when to give thanks:
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Colossians 1:12 gives us reasons why to give thanks:
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [adequate] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”
God has enabled you; He has equipped you; He has made you adequate (past tense— already been done for you) to partake of the inheritance of the saints in light.
If God made you adequate, then are you adequate in every situation? Even if you don’t feel like it? You Are Absolutely Adequate (YAAA!).
Romans 8:37 says that you are a super-conqueror through him; I John 4:4 says that “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” If we confess anything contrary to that fact, then we contradict the Word of God. You do not have a right to say that you are not adequate because God has made you so. Dare to say what the Word says.
The list goes on and on as to what God has done for you through Christ. Your job is to find out what that is and then think on those things. When I think on those things, I just can’t help but overflow with thanksgiving to God. Life is so much sweeter when we rise up and take God at His word.
You are the very best,
Victor
I Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption”
I John 3:2a “Beloved, now are we the sons of God”
II Corinthians 2: 14a “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ”
II Corinthians 9:8 “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye having
all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work”
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”
Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”
II Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift"
Victor Wierwille can be reached at victorpaul38@aol.com
11/5/08 God’s Will
Jane McMullan graduated from the Mississippi University for Women with a BA in English and Social Sciences and received her Master’s from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is a frequent contributor to the S.O.W.E.R.S. newsletter.
Greetings to the S.O.W.E.R.S., the movers of God’s Word, the respecters of God’s will:
I swiped my husband’s Corps notes to write this short novel based on a true story. All the truth revealed in his notes is still sketchy in my mind, but as I continue to stretch forth my hand, I’ll reach the great treasures to be found, guarded, and imparted in this walk of grace.
All I care about is motive. I don’t mean purpose; I mean motive. If I know someone’s specific motive in a situation, I don’t have to hazard a guess trying to predict the actions he or she will take because I know the motive, the beginning, or the origin of pursuant actions, actions pursuant of the motive that gave them birth. Under specific conditions, I know that an apple tree is going to produce apples. I’m not going to run out to the apple tree every other day looking for watermelons.
I trusted my father. I always sensed my dad’s specific motive toward me because I grew up in his house. I still believe the following: He was the strongest man on earth; he was the gentlest and most generous man on earth; he was the most dangerous but even-tempered man on earth; he was the most consistent and faithful man on earth; he was the shiest, most sacrificing man on earth; he was the boldest, most fearless man on earth. And, most importantly, besides my mother, I believed there was no one on earth who loved me more than he did. Looking back, I resolutely believe his motive was to preserve me toward lasting happiness within the stronghold of absolute security.
I don’t know why he loved me the way he did. I know it ties in with his particular “will.” It was his will or desire to love me and protect me. He willed. He chose to. Why? Other choices were available.
As near as I can tell, he made his choice out of instinct and impulse, instinct and impulse built-in by God. I know Dad’s motive tied in with “impulse” and “instinct.” God made man that way. It’s “fatherhood”, but I can’t explain it. I couldn’t fathom at times why Dad loved me like he did, but I knew that he did, indeed, love me. Because of that fact, I trusted him. Against this profound love, I creatively rebelled— to my detriment, yet I always believed he loved me. The love was a magnet; a surety; insurance against the darkness. Somehow he made sure I knew he was always there. I’m thinking my father’s motive to love me found its starting point instinctively and impulsively sometime just before or immediately after a particular day in 1953. I was blood of his blood. What a father.
But our motives for doing things can change. We can’t change blood, but we can change our minds and our motives.
God’s supreme, overall, unchangeable motive toward us was not initiated at a finite point in time. He has chosen us in Him from before the foundation of the world, from before the order of things. Track that one. He’s eternal. Explain “eternal.” Can’t do it. Can’t comprehend it. He is light. Explain “light.” Can’t do it. Can’t comprehend it. He is love. Explain “love.” Can’t do it. Can’t comprehend it. Explain “life.” Can’t do it. Can’t comprehend it. Explain “instinct.” Explain “impulse.” Explain why God has done what He has done.
Only God can give us a glimpse of the truth as we align our minds with the scriptures, seeing things His way, and trusting that He will work understanding in our hearts. God is eternal, unchanging, and His motive toward us has no “birth” or finite starting point. God’s motive toward us is untrackable, unsearchable. Can’t explain it. Can’t comprehend it because, unlike us, His motive is as eternal in love and light and life and omnipotence and magnitude as He is, again, a truth we can’t fully comprehend at this time.
Going in knowing that what God purposes, He performs, I’m trying to get a glimpse of God’s motive, what His will is toward us in that He would, in strong relationship, special partnership, and genuine fellowship with Jesus Christ, go to the length of all lengths to make available the new birth with the manifest power and eternal heritage that goes along with it.
My earthly father’s seed is in me. The life of the flesh is in the blood. I am my father’s daughter. Therefore, without having to study and analyze the situation, without giving it a second thought, my father instinctively and impulsively protected and sheltered me, fighting
for my joy. His will, his desire, his powerful impulse and immediate intent was that I be safe and joyful. That’s the natural pattern. That may not be the normal pattern, but that’s the natural pattern.
My heavenly Father’s seed is in Christ, who is alive in me (Luke 1:28-31, Romans 10:9, 10). Therefore, my heavenly Father instinctively and impulsively does so much more than protect, shelter, and calm me because He can do more than my earthly father—instinctively and impulsively. He is eternal love and light and almighty power. He is what He is. What He wills to do, with penultimate power and relentless intent, He will do. He will not be obstructed. His will trumps all wills.
If you think about it, you have to realize that nothing separate from God can motivate Him because nothing is greater than God; nothing has the ability to push Him. He is motive. He is His own Will. He is light. He is life. His Words are His expression of His Will, His Instinct, His Impulse. They are inseparable. He is eternal, no beginning, no end. If ever we could trust anyone…….
Hebrews 6:13: “For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself.”
Here’s a little of Dr. Wierwille’s research on “thelemos” [will]: “Thelemos is like the natural impulse which is generally obvious, basically axiomatic, AND [FOR] WHICH NO REASON NEED BE GIVEN . . .He energizes all that after the deliberate determination of His own will, which is SIMPLY BECAUSE HE JUST WANTS TO DO IT.”
It is instinctive and impulsive for a father to want fellowship and complete involvement in his children’s lives. It is natural, generally obvious, basically axiomatic, an instinct and impulse for which no reason need be given, simply because he just wants to do it.
Here’s one literal from notes I found in my Bible:
“[God], in love, marked us out, branded us, beforehand unto Himself, even placed us as His adopted sons [eternal-life seed] by the work of Jesus Christ, according to, [in conformance with] the good pleasure of HIS WILL.” Ephesians 1:5
“But God (who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins) hath raised us up together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2: 4-7
We can understand God’s motive about as well as we can understand God’s love about as well as we can understand God’s light about as well as we can understand God’s almighty power, His instinct, or His impulse toward us. It’s too great to understand. A lifetime of research barely scratches the surface, YET WE SEE RESULTS because we believe what we can understand from what we’ve been taught accurately, and, like a true father, God carries us the rest of the way. That’s grace if I ever saw it:
“The closest paradox of grace I know is that it is so extremely valuable that it can be nothing less than free.”
(Dr. V.P. Wierwille)
I can’t thoroughly understand God’s untrackable motive, but I can better understand His stated purpose:
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe according to the working of His mighty power.” Ephesians 1:18-20
We believe what we can read, hear taught, and understand. By the grace of God, He fixes the rest. He has performed this by the determination of His own will simply because He wants to do it.
Standing with you,
Jane
Jane McMullan can be reached at janemcmullan@hotmail.com