You have probably heard someone say, or may have said yourself, “Thanks in advance,” when asking someone for something that you know they can and will do.

I believe that one of the pieces to a truly joyful and peaceful life is having a thankful perspective. It is nearly impossible to be negative, angry, and bitter when we are approaching life with thankfulness.

Taking the thankful perspective to another level, is not only being thankful for the blessings we have today, it is being thankful for the futures God has established for us. It is an expression of trust and faith in Him.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Dear Lord, We thank you that you have truly blessed us with salvation through Jesus Christ. We thank you also that you answer our prayers so we need not worry. We can thank you in advance, because we know you have us in your care. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

We often talk about faith, Faith in God’s goodness, Faith that our prayers will be answered, Faith in salvation through Jesus Christ, but how do we know we have faith?

I think we know when we have faith, because we feel peace.

In Luke 7, Jesus was invited to have dinner at the home of a Pharisee. A woman described as having lived a sinful life learns about this and comes to the home, weeps tears on Jesus feet, and pours perfume on them. Jesus tell’s her in Luke 7:50, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Paul writes in Philipians 4:6,7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Dear Lord, Help us grow our faith in your love for us. Then we can have peace, truly believing you will provide for our needs and answer our prayers in ways that are best for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Sometimes the whole process of witnessing and explaining Salvation gets complicated by long sermons, books, and discussions, but Peter makes it clear in Acts 2 speaking to a crowd who gathered after the disciples received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

The crowd asks, what are we to do? In Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

We often use the expression “blocking and tackling” to describe the basics of an activity. What Peter is describing is the “blocking and tackling” of Christianity, that we all need to practice; repent of our sins, turn to God, and trust in Jesus Christ for our forgiveness.

Dear Lord, your plan is an amazing mystery in many ways that we cannot understand, but at the same time it is simple when we focus on the basics. Help us follow the basics, and send us your Spirit so that we may become closer to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Do you know people who always have something positive to say about everyone. While they are bringing up the most favorable things about everyone, they are making themselves look good at the same time.

In Romans 14:19 Paul says, “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”

Of course everyone has areas that can be improved, but why bring this up to others.

The 8th commandment says, “Thou shall not bear false witness (lie) about thy neighbor.” I like Martin Luther’s words in the Small Catechism explanation of this Commandment. Regarding our neighbor, we should, “defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.”

Wouldn’t it be great if we treated each other in this manner regularly.

Dear Lord, you tell us that after loving you, the second greatest command is to love our neighbor. Help us remember that speaking well of others is part of this love for them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

As we grow in our faith it becomes easy to start building our pride in what a good person we are. Beware! The devil uses this good thing, our good deeds, and tempts us to turn it into pride in our selves or judgment of those not “as good as we are.”

Paul says in Romans 3:20 “therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works” verse 23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” So no matter how “good” we are, it doesn’t make us any better to God. Faith in Jesus, who saved us, is the only thing that makes a difference.

I like to look at it as a sequence of 1) apologize (repent) for ourselves 2) accept the forgiveness and Salvation from Jesus 3) Do good as a response to the love from God.

Our righteousness doesn’t come from being good, it comes from being forgiven.

Dear Lord, we are sorry for doing wrong. We know that without your forgiveness we are doomed. Thank you for seeing us as righteous because of Jesus our Savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen.