|
|
Thankful Living
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.”
Psalm 92:1–4
The story is told of a pastor in the Midwest during the Great Depression walking down the street of a small town and seeing a little boy with his nose pressed up against the window of a store. Inside were jars of candy, and the boy clearly was longing for what he could not afford. Remembering the joy of a piece of candy in his youth, the preacher took the boy inside the store and bought him a whole bag filled with candies. But when the preacher asked the boy to give him a piece, the boy clutched it to his chest. “It’s mine!” he exclaimed and dashed out of the store.
Every Christian has numerous reasons to be thankful every day. No matter how bad things seem to be going, we have received eternal gifts through no merit of our own that we did not deserve and can never lose. These blessings are not just one-time events, but an ongoing shower of God’s gracious love. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalm 68:19).
Though we often think of thanksgiving in terms of what we say, it is more powerfully expressed in our actions. The lives that we lead should be characterized by giving back to God from what He has given to us rather than selfishly trying to hoard every blessing for ourselves. Gratitude for what God has given us is better shown by our actions than by our words.
Psalm 92:1–4
The story is told of a pastor in the Midwest during the Great Depression walking down the street of a small town and seeing a little boy with his nose pressed up against the window of a store. Inside were jars of candy, and the boy clearly was longing for what he could not afford. Remembering the joy of a piece of candy in his youth, the preacher took the boy inside the store and bought him a whole bag filled with candies. But when the preacher asked the boy to give him a piece, the boy clutched it to his chest. “It’s mine!” he exclaimed and dashed out of the store.
Every Christian has numerous reasons to be thankful every day. No matter how bad things seem to be going, we have received eternal gifts through no merit of our own that we did not deserve and can never lose. These blessings are not just one-time events, but an ongoing shower of God’s gracious love. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalm 68:19).
Though we often think of thanksgiving in terms of what we say, it is more powerfully expressed in our actions. The lives that we lead should be characterized by giving back to God from what He has given to us rather than selfishly trying to hoard every blessing for ourselves. Gratitude for what God has given us is better shown by our actions than by our words.
Today’s Growth Principle:
It is impossible for selfishness and thanksgiving to exist side by side in our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment