Godliness and Thankfulness… (November 2024 Update)
Godliness and Thankfulness go together. A godly person sees that he needs the Lord in every situation and learns to depend upon Him for everything. The ungodly live as though God does not exist – even if they believe that He does exist! The truly thankful person is not just grateful for the good things God gives. He recognizes that God is in every situation (godliness) and therefore he is able to be thankful (thankfulness) even when things do not go according to his plans and wishes. A godly man is truly a thankful man.
Thomas Watson, in his book, The Godly Man’s Picture Drawn with a Scripture Pencil, reminds us that godliness and thanksgiving must go together and that we cannot really be godly without being a thankful too. Here are some insights from Thomas Watson to meditate on this Thanksgiving.
1. Praise and Thanksgiving is a saint-like work. We find in Scripture that the godly are still called upon to praise God: “ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord” (Psa. 135:20). “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let the high praises of God be in their mouth” (Psa. 149:5,6). Praise is a work proper to a saint…. Praise and thanksgiving is the work of heaven and he begins that work here which he will always be doing in heaven. The Jews have a saying – the world subsists by three things: the law, the worship of God and thankfulness. As if where thankfulness was missing, one of the pillars of the world had been taken away and it was ready to fall. The Hebrew word for “praise” comes from a root that signifies “to shoot up.” The godly man sends up his praises like a volley of shots towards heaven. David was modeled after God’s heart and how melodiously he warbled out God’s praises! Therefore, he was called “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1). Take a Christian at his worst, yet he is thankful.
2. Thanksgiving is a more noble part of God’s worship. Our wants may send us to prayer, but it takes a truly honest heart to bless God. The raven cries; the lark sings. In petition, we act like men; in thanksgiving, we act like angels.
3. Thanksgiving is a God-exalting work. “Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalm 50:23). Though nothing can add the least mite to God’s essential glory, yet praise exalts him in the eyes of others. Praise is a setting forth of God’s honor, a lifting up of his name, a displaying of the trophy of his goodness, a proclaiming of his excellence, a spreading of his renown, a breaking open of the box of ointment, whereby the sweet savor and perfume of God’s name is sent abroad into the world.
4. Praise as a more distinguishing work. By this, a Christian excels all [other] spirits. Do you talk of God? So can the devil; he brought Scripture to Christ. Do you profess religion? So can the devil; he transforms himself into an angel of light. Do you fast? He never eats. Do you believe? The devils have a faith of assent; they believe, and tremble (James 2:19). But as Moses worked such a miracle as none of the magicians could reproduce, so here is a work Christians may be doing, which none of the devils can do, and that is the work of thanksgiving.
Question: How may we know whether we are rightly thankful?
Answer 1: When we are careful to register [remember] God’s mercy: Physicians say that the memory is the first thing that decays. It is true in spiritual matters: “They soon forgot his works” (Psalm 106:13). A godly man enters his mercies, as a physician does his remedies, in a book, so that they may not be lost. Mercies are jewels that should be locked up. A child of God keeps two books always by him: one to write his sins in, so that he may be humble; the other to write his mercies in, so that he may be thankful.
Answer 2: We are rightly thankful when our hearts are the chief instrument in the music of praise: “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart” (Psalm 111:1). David would tune not only his violin [harp], but also his heart. If the heart does not join with the tongue, there can be no comfort. Where the heart is not engaged, the parrot is as good a chorister as the Christian. [We need to be sure that our thanksgiving is not just from our lips but really from our hearts!].
Answer 3: We are rightly thankful when the favors which we receive endear our love to God the more. David’s miraculous preservation from death drew forth his love to God: “I love the Lord” (Psalm 116:1). It is one thing to love our mercies; it is another thing to love the Lord. Many love their deliverance but not their deliverer. God is to be loved more than his mercies.
Answer 4: We are rightly thankful when, in giving our praise to God, we take all worthiness from ourselves: Jacob said: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies thou hast showed unto thy servant” (Genesis 32:10) …. Mephibosheth bowed himself and said, “What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” (2 Sam. 9:8). So, when a thankful Christian makes a survey of his blessings and [he] sees how much he enjoys that others better than he lack, he says, “Lord, what am I, a dead dog, that free grace should look upon me, and that thou shouldest crown me with such loving kindness?”
Answer 5: We are rightly thankful when we put God’s mercy to good use. We repay God’s blessings with service. The Lord gives us health, and we spend and are spent for Christ (2 Cor. 12:15). He gives us an estate, and we honor the Lord with our substance (Prov. 3:9). He gives us children, and we dedicate them to God and educate them for God. We do not bury our talents but trade them. This is to put our mercies to good use. A gracious heart is like a piece of good ground that, having received the seed of mercy, produces a crop of obedience.
Answer 6: We are rightly thankful when we can have our hearts more enlarged for spiritual than for temporal mercies: “Blessed be God, who bath blessed us with all spiritual blessings” (Eph. 1:3). A godly man blesses God more for a fruitful heart than a full crop. He is more thankful for Christ than for a kingdom. Socrates was wont to say that he loved the king’s smile more than his gold. A pious heart is more thankful for a smile of God’s face than he would be for the gold of the Indies.
Answer 7: We are rightly thankful when mercy is a spur to duty. It causes a spirit of activity for God. Mercy is not like the sun to the fire, to dull it, but like oil to the wheel, to make it run faster. David wisely argues from mercy to duty: “Thou have delivered my soul from death. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 116:8,9). It was a dying of Bernard, “Lord, I have two mites, a soul and a body, and I give them both to thee.”
Answer 8: We are rightly thankful when we motivate others to this angelic work of praise. David does not only wish to bless God himself but calls upon others to do so: “Praise ye the Lord” (Psalm 111:1). The sweetest music is that which is in unison. When many saints join together in unison, then they make heaven ring with their praises….
Answer 9: We are rightly thankful when we not only speak God’s praise but also live his praise. It is called an expression of gratitude. We give thanks when we live thanks. Such as are mirrors of mercy should be patterns of piety. “Upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness” (Obad. 17). To give God oral praise and dishonor him in our lives is to commit a barbarism in religion and is to be like those Jews who bowed the knee to Christ and then spat on him (Mark 15:19).
Answer 10: We are rightly thankful when we propagate God’s praises to posterity. We tell our children what God has done for us; in such a want, he supplied us; from such a sickness, he raised us up; in such a temptation, he helped us. “O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old” (Psalm 44:1). By transmitting our experiences to our children, God’s name is eternalized, and his mercies will bring forth a plentiful crop of praise when we have gone.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time each year to reflect on all that the Lord has done for us. But as you celebrate this season, ask yourself if you are godly and thankful. Because the two go together. A godly man is a thankful man. And a thankful man recognizes the hand of God even in the most difficult of situations. That’s why Job was able to say, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” He was a godly man who was thankful for the Lord’s presence in every situation – even in the worst of circumstances. That’s real thanksgiving! And that’s real godliness!
Teaching Ministry …
I am nearly finished grading papers and reports for the Evangelism class I taught last month for students at Kyiv Theological Seminary. I had 6 students in the class and each day was really good as we discussed various topics and struggles in our personal evangelism. We also discussed various ways that we can help to involve our churches in evangelism. I am grateful for the students in this class – for their hearts for the gospel as well as for their perseverance in spite of Russian missiles almost every night. Please remember to pray for these students as they continue to share the good news about Jesus in the midst of the on-going war.
After teaching this class at the end of September, we boarded a plane for a trip to visit Shepaug Valley Bible Church in Connecticut. While there, we had a great time visiting with friends and seeing a number of historical sites in New England (pictures under family section). Also, Jim was able to preach at the church on Sunday. The church in the picture is not Shepaug but a very historical church – Litchfield Congregational Church where Lyman Beecher was pastor and where Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin) grew up.
When we returned, Katya and I participated in NWA for the Nations Conference again this year. Over 750 students and others interested in missions came to the conference this year. Katya and I helped at the GSI (GlobalServe International) table talking with students about missions. Also, I taught a session on the Theology of Suffering. This must have been a much-needed topic because we were overwhelmed with the number of people who came to our session. First, they had to move us to a bigger room and then they even brought in extra chairs. Even with all that, about 30 more students had to sit on the floor to listen.
I continue to be involved with the nursing home ministry in Fayetteville whenever I have time. These people are a real special blessing for me, and I enjoy being able to help with the ministry there at the nursing home.
Finally, I have been asked by the dean at Ukrainian Baptist Seminary in Lviv to help with Doctor of Ministry (DMin) students and their papers there. I will be working with some in the coming year as they work on their dissertations. I have done this with several PhD students here in the US, but this will be my first time working with DMin students. Pray that I can help them as they work on their dissertations.
Family and House …
At the end of October, we went with Meredith and her kids to a park with some apple trees. Most of the apples were already long gone but we were still able to find enough on the ground to make a few jars of apple jelly – delicious! But, most of all, the kids had a blast running around and collecting the apples!
Also, at the end of October, Katya’s mom arrived to live with us. There are a lot of adjustments ahead, but we hope it will be a better environment for her than where she was in California. We are busy working through all the complicated documents and requirements for immigrants since the Arkansas system is much different from California. Also, I am taking her to English lessons Monday-Thursday. In Sacramento, there were many Russian speakers. But, here in Arkansas, she will need English to communicate with anyone. She is already enjoying being here, especially being able to be with grandchildren daily. She loves baking, and Haven and Kristina are enjoying learning from her.
We also enjoy having Joy come up to visit with us. She comes up to help Meredith with her kids when Sean is out of town, and she even gets to come and stay with us some too. We are looking forward to her and her children staying with us over Thanksgiving this year.
Our girls also got to be involved in their 3rd Halloween (there is no Halloween in Ukraine). They love dressing up and getting free candy. We are careful to keep the costumes “non-spooky” and they have been creating their own costumes. They trick-r-treated in a neighborhood with Haven and Harlie and then we had a bonfire and s’mores back at our house. Afterwards, Haven and Harlie stayed the night, and the girls had a great time together.
The girls are back to taking swimming lessons and they are on the Swim Force Swim Team. After we returned from Connecticut, they had a swim meet. Unfortunately, Nadia was sick and could not participate. But Kristina did great and got a first, second and third place in her meet.
With everything else happening, we haven’t had a lot of time to work on the house. But we were able to get our fence up and we planted about 20 fruit trees. Hopefully, they will all survive, and we will have fruit from them in 3-5 years. Most of all, we have enjoyed beautiful morning sunrises and evening sunsets and some especially comfortable fall temperatures.
Homeschooling continues to be very enjoyable and exciting as we are learning about American History. When we traveled to Connecticut, we were also able to visit several historical sites, including Sturbridge, Plimoth Plantation, and Mayflower II. They loved each place, especially since they got to “see” the living history that we are studying about.
The best part of our trip was seeing dear friends in Connecticut. We especially enjoyed being able to spend time with Harry and Rosie! Unfortunately, we don’t have pictures of everyone we saw.
Pray for Ukraine …
Please continue praying for Ukraine. Russia has again increased missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities hoping to freeze Ukraine into submission. (Russia has also recently canceled gas for many European countries, but most have been preparing for this since the 2022 invasion began). Pray for Ukraine to be able to repair and protect its energy facilities from Russian attacks.
Also, pray for our students and friends ministering in Ukraine. So many have died during this war, and this has opened many conversations about life and death and opportunities for sharing the gospel. Pray for their protection and for their opportunities to tell others about the Lord during this time of war.
Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers for us. We know that our ministry would not be possible without you!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia
If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .
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