We Are God's Handiwork

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Ephesians 2:1-10.  While we were dead in our sins, God reached down and made us alive in Jesus!  Only God could save us, and He did save us through the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus!  That is good news for you and for me.  That is good news that we should be overwhelmed by each and every day that we live.  God, who is rich in mercy and full of grace, loves us so much that He would send His one and only Son to live for us and die for us.  Paul goes on to tell us in Ephesians 2:8-10, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.  For WE ARE GOD'S HANDIWORK, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

I've been thinking about this passage of Scripture a lot lately, especially the words, "WE ARE GOD'S HANDIWORK."  My wife and I love our children; we thank God for our children.  However, there are many times that we forget a very simple truth: Our children are GOD'S HANDIWORK.  Think about this truth with me for just a moment.  If we are not careful, we can very easily begin to idolize our children and their accomplishments.  If we are not careful, we can very easily begin to use their lives and their accomplishments to glorify ourselves.  This is dangerous for parents, and this is dangerous for children.  Several years ago I wrote down a statement on a little piece of paper.  I found it this morning on my desk, and this is what I wrote: "We are not God's trophies that sin on shelves collecting rust and dust.  WE ARE GOD'S HANDIWORK, created to display His grace and express His kindness in a world that desperately needs to see Him and know Him intimately."  Neither I, my wife, nor my children are trophies.  We don't simply belong to each other; more importantly, we belong to God.  Trophies are inanimate objects; they don't have life; they don't have spirit.  Trophies lack movement and power.  God created us in His image, and He breathed life into us.  God created us for intimate relationship with Him, and He created us in Jesus to do good works that glorify Him.  

Parents, let's remember that the children God has blessed us with belong to Him.  Our children are GOD'S HANDIWORK and not our own.  Our children are created to glorify God and not ourselves or themselves.  And everyone, let's remember that all of us are GOD'S HANDIWORK.  We all belong to Him, and everything we say and do should be for His glory and not our own.  God loves us.  God loves us so much that He has saved us from our sins so that we might have life - full and eternal!  Never forget that WE ARE GOD'S HANDIWORK!

This Father's Day

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Back on May 29th, I thought about my dad more than any other day.  On May 29, 1989, my dad died of a massive heart attack.  He was coaching my little brother's baseball game.  About halfway through the game he started having the symptoms of a heart attack.  We called an ambulance, and my older brother and I began walking him to the parking lot.  He didn't make it far, collapsing right behind home plate.  I was a month away from my 16th birthday.  Those early years were tough, and I didn't make them any easier by feeling sorry for myself.  To be honest, there are still many days that are not easy.  I do wish my dad were still here, enjoying those Dodger games and living life with my mom and my brothers and all of his grandchildren.  However, God has been gracious to me and has helped me grow in my faith.  I don't sit around feeling sorry for myself any more; rather, I thank God for my dad.  I thank God for everything my dad showed me and did for me.  I thank God for the memories I have of my dad.

Back on June 10th, I thought about my daughter Hillary more than any other day.  On June 10, 1996, my daughter Hillary was born, and I became a father.  It was one of the most incredible moments in my life.  To see my wife become a mother and to see God's beautiful creation in her arms was something I still have not fully absorbed.  We were overwhelmed as new parents, crying and laughing and fearful and fun.  There are probably many more words I could use to describe us, but you get the point.  However, on November 6, 1989, our daughter Hillary passed away after complications from surgery due to a brain tumor.  To say it with few words and as delicately as possible, we were crushed and broken.  It was the most difficult circumstance we have ever endured in this life.  Much like the times after my dad died, those first few years after Hillary died were tough.  And once again, I didn't make it any easier by feeling sorry for myself.  And once again, to be honest, there are still many days that are not easy.  Hillary would have been twenty-five this year.  I envisioned her as a young woman, maybe married with her own child or children.  I envisioned her living life and working, chasing and catching her dreams.  But over these past few days and weeks, I find myself in a good place.  I thank God for my daughter Hillary.  I thank God for those days, weeks, and months we held Hillary in our arms.  She had big and beautiful brown eyes, and her smile is engraved on my heart and my mind.  Yes, I thank God for everything we experienced as parents of His beautiful creation. 

Another difficult circumstance in this life was watching my father-in-law suffer from cancer.  My father-in-law was a very good man, and he loved me deeply.  I learned so much from him, especially how to love our children.  He loved his daughters and sacrificed greatly for them.  When he died from cancer, we surrounded him and prayed over him.  It was hard for me to watch Marty as she said goodbye to her daddy.  It was hard for me to say goodbye, as well.  Over the years, Marty and I understand how incredibly blessed we were to be there with Mr. Dock and our family.  We are thankful for all of the blessings God gave us with her daddy, with my daddy who just happened to be my in-law.  Yes, I thank God for everything we experienced with Dock Hill and all of the memories that we hold in our hearts and minds.

God has been patient with me.  God has been gracious to me.  God has been good to me.  I am thankful.  I am thankful for Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.  I thank God for my wife and my children.  I am thankful for the full and the eternal life He has given me.  Are the circumstances always pleasant in this life?  Are the circumstances always easy in this life?  Am I always right and good with my thoughts and actions in this life?  The answer is the same on all of these questions for me: "No."  I thank God for His Word.  His Word is truth.  I love what Paul says to the Thessalonians.  He tells them to "rejoice always."  He tells them to "pray continually."  He tells them to "give thanks in all circumstances."  I love what Dr. David Jeremiah says in his commentary: "Give thanks in all circumstances does not mean giving thanks to God for bad things that happen but realizing God is at work to produce good, even in bad circumstances." And I also believe that as children of God, He is always with us and always for us.  I can look back and say without a doubt that God was with me and for me during the difficult circumstances I faced with my dad and my daughter.  I thank God for His overwhelming presence in my life, both then and now!  I am learning to rejoice always; I am learning to pray continuously; and I am learning to give thanks in all circumstances.  As Father's Day approaches, this Father's Day means even more to me.  This Father's Day is another day for me to choose thankfulness and to live thankfully for God, my Father, who loves me and is always with me and for me!  I love what David says in many of the Psalms, and I will say it today as a prayer and blessing: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Happy 13th Birthday, Jonah!

Happy 13th birthday, Jonah!  We love you so much, and we are so proud of the young man you are becoming!  Your big brown eyes and handsome smile melt our hearts continuously.  We thank God for you, and we are praying that you continue to grow up to be the man God created you to be.  Keep on loving God and loving people, Jonah Everett Thomas!

I Will Not Neglect Your Word!

Psalm 119 is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible.  It is, in fact, the longest chapter in the Bible.  What makes it extraordinary is that it is a celebration of the law of the Lord.  Psalm 119:1-2 begins, "Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.  Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart."  As Christ followers, the Bible is the source of light and life that we desperately need.  John tells us in his gospel, John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."  Throughout Psalm 119, we see words like "law," "statutes," "ways," and "decrees."  Dr. David Jeremiah tells us, "God's gracious revelation shows us the surest and safest way through life's twisted highways and byways."  As Christ followers, we recognize the value of God's Word to us.  We celebrate the law of the Lord!  The Psalmist goes on to say in Psalm 119:12-16, "Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees.  With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.  I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.  I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.  I delight in your decrees; I WILL NOT NEGLECT YOUR WORD."  

Do I truly love the Word of God?  Do I rejoice in following God's Word?  Do I celebrate daily God's Word?  I hope that we all can say an astounding, "YES!" to these questions.  I hope that we can all say to the Lord, "I WILL NOT NEGLECT YOUR WORD."  If God's Word is truly my light and my life, then I can't live without it.  If, as John says, "the Word is God," then I will recognize to celebrate the Word of God in my life is to actually celebrate God in my life.  If and when I neglect the Word, then I am truly neglecting God.  If and when I neglect the Word, then I am walking in darkness and death.  

Lord, help me to rejoice in Your Word.  Help me to celebrate Your Word.  Lord, help me to read Your Word so that I might have light and life in this world.  Teach me and give me understanding so that I might not only hear your laws and decrees but that I might also keep them.  Thank You, Lord, for revealing Yourself to me through Your Word.  You are good, and I trust in You.  I trust in Your Word.  I WILL NOT NEGLECT YOUR WORD!  Amen!

Happy 23rd Birthday, Francie!

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." - Psalm 16:11

Francie, you are a blessing from God!  Your smile is electric, lighting up every place you enter!  We have watched you grow into a beautiful creation of God, and we pray for you daily.  We pray like David did, for God's presence in your life and for God to make known the path of life for you.  We pray for God to fill you with joy and that you can rest knowing that He has your eternity in His hands.  We love you so much, and we hope you have a very happy 23rd birthday!