Rumination Journal

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — Ephesians 5:18-20     Gratitude is sometimes something we must intentionally remember to practice. At other times, it seems to arise naturally from within us. We recognize God's goodness, experience His presence, or witness an act of compassion, and thanksgiving becomes our immediate response. The apostle Paul helps us understand how gratitude can become a more consistent part of our spiritual lives. Writing to the Christians in Ephesus, Paul encourages them to “be filled with the Spirit.” He then describes a community characterized by worship, encouragement, and thanksgiving. These are not unrelated activities. They are expressions of a life increasingly shaped by God's prese...

“It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High, to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning and Your faithfulness at night with the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre. For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!” — Psalm 92:1-5   There are many reasons to give thanks to God, but Psalm 92 begins with a simple declaration that deserves our attention: “It is good to praise the LORD.” Thanksgiving is not only an appropriate response to God's blessings. It is itself something good for us to practice. When we give thanks, we direct our attention toward God's goodness and allow gratitude to shape our understanding of life. Psalm 92 is identified as a song for the Sabbath day. In ancient Israel, the Sabbath provided a regular opportunity to step away from ordinary labor and remember God's goodness. Worship and thanksgiving helpe...

“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, He traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered one of the villages, He was met by ten lepers. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, shouting, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When Jesus saw them, He said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they were going, they were cleansed.   When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving to Him—and he was a Samaritan.   ‘Were not all ten cleansed?’ Jesus asked. ‘Where then are the other nine? Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well!’” — Luke 17:11-19     Ten men stood at a distance from Jesus, united by a condition that had separated them from much of ordinary life. Their disease affected more than their physical health. Under the religious and social practice...

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7     Worry has a way of occupying our thoughts. We may find ourselves thinking repeatedly about a problem we cannot solve, a decision we must make, or someone we love who is facing difficulty. Even when we recognize that worrying accomplishes little, it can be difficult to release the concerns that weigh upon us. The apostle Paul offers a different response: bring those concerns to God in prayer. Writing to the Christians in Philippi, Paul encourages them to present their requests to God “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.” These words are especially meaningful when we remember that Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned. His encouragement did not arise from a life free of uncertainty or hardship. He knew what it meant to f...

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” — Colossians 3:15-17     Gratitude is sometimes understood as a feeling that arises when something good happens. We receive an unexpected kindness, experience an answered prayer, or enjoy a meaningful moment, and thanksgiving naturally follows. But the apostle Paul describes gratitude as something much more enduring. It is a quality that can shape our relationships, worship, decisions, and daily conduct. In these three verses, Paul refers to thankfulness repeatedly. He tells the Colossians to be thankful, to sing with gratitude in their hearts, and to gi...

We live in a world where fear travels quickly. A troubling headline appears, a disturbing video circulates, or someone makes an alarming claim, and before long, we find ourselves wondering whom we can trust. Sometimes our fears are grounded in genuine dangers. Sometimes they are shaped by incomplete information. And sometimes they grow because we have come to believe something about an entire group of people whom we have never really known. One of the questions being raised in our society concerns people of the Muslim faith. We hear claims that Islam is inherently violent, that Muslims are commanded to hate Christians and Jews, or that every Muslim secretly desires the destruction of those who do not share their religion.   These are serious accusations. And because they are serious, Christians have a responsibility to examine them carefully. We cannot simply accept what someone tells us because it confirms what we already fear. Nor should we dismiss legitimate concerns about relig...