Probably one of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the ability to appreciate. He not only gives us beauty, he also gives us the ability to admire that beauty. What a good God.

 Gratitude is a gift as well; to be able to see the value in something while setting aside the obvious negative. Gratitude is an awareness of beauty expressing itself through a smile, a word of simple thanks, or lifted hands. Gratitude runs in short supply these days. But it doesn't have to; for we have a choice. Being grateful is a choice.

 Consider this, God provides food for our bodies; sustenance that is necessary to our survival. And yet, because he is good and kind, he causes food to be enjoyable. Could you imagine having to painfully devour a juicy steak with a side of fries? Think of the misery of life if each meal required bite after sorrowful bite to supply our bodies with necessary daily fuel. Food is not a practical necessity, it is a joyous part of life. Grateful? 

 Consider the survival of the human race. The procreation of humanity is not an arduous and labor-some task, but rather, a God-designed, wonderful and enjoyable, intimate (you add the adjective you want here) experience. "Be fruitful and multiply." Has ever a command been so desirable to obey? God is good.

 In this world we see suffering, but not from the hand of God. No, this world’s downfall is at the hand of man. People hurt people. Yet even in this, if we will look, we can see the goodness of God’s gift of free will. God never forces us to love, He simply calls us to it. 
Thank God He didn’t create robots. He has created free will agents with the ability to receive and love him. Choice is one of the greatest gifts as well. A man without a choice is a bound man indeed. 

 Yet lack of gratitude takes this treasure and mars, perverts and poisons it. "I want" steals from "thank you" and murders it. 

 And so we have choice, the choice to worship him, to honor him, to call him good when the world around us is not good. When circumstances are contrary to our desires, he is still good and wise and faithful. When enters pain, his goodness remains; it never leaves our room. And he invites us to cast our cares upon him, even the cares that arise from our own doing. Because he is good. And he is God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Fixer-Upper I have a soft spot for houses that have potential, or as some people like to call them, fixer uppers. So does my daughter Kaity. She inherited that part of me. I look at a shack and see a mansion. I walk through overgrowth and see a beautiful garden. The viewed as hopeless thrills me; makes my what-could-be senses tingle.   Not everyone looks at a blank canvas and sees a masterpiece. Thank God. I'm grateful for those of us endowed with the gift of planning and practicality; those not afraid to ask the tough questions. This world needs not only dreamers, but anchors as well.  My wife and I recently went to look at a house that Kaity and her husband Paul were considering buying. We drove up the slight hill to the house, turned left (eyeing the neighbor's do not trespass sign) and parked on the property. I think my wife's heart may have sunk a little. My heart soared. She saw the work, the investment required, the dirty kitchen stove. I saw a brand new yard,...
Read more
Image
No More We walk into a store, heading straight for the sale item, holding our coupon; excited to get such a good deal on something we've been wanting for at least a month or more. But when we get there, the item is gone - no more left. It happens often. No more cappuccino muffins at the bakery. No more fresh coffee; it's too close to closing time. No more money to pay the bills. No more, no more, no more. But what if I told you that the two most beautiful words I heard today were "No More"? What if I told you that those words actually bring hope and not disappointment? Freedom and not frustration. Joy and not sadness. Today especially I look to those words. Today they've taken on special meaning and provided strength. Today has caused me to look to those words for hope, freedom, and joy. No more. What did He say? Do you remember? No more sorrow. No more tears. No more loss. No more broken, no more ... For those of us who are the forerunners, who ha...
Read more
An underlying culture exists in America today, a pattern of thought that says, "At all costs, avoid pain." And we, as the church, must take care to not let our understanding of scripture be shaped or influenced by such a world view. For from this culture we have seen such pseudo-spiritual doctrines as "name it and claim it" spring up to entice the body of Christ. We’ve incorrectly divided scriptures such as "By His wounds we are healed" to wrongly mean that we shall never suffer disease of any kind. Yet it was the disease of sin that was defeated on the cross.  Comfort is king in our "now" society and we must take care that we don't adopt that attitude in ourselves. I'm going through a dark night of my soul. Right now in my life. It's uncomfortable, and I want it to end. And I suppose that my desire for comfort, release, and escape goes beyond just the cultural norm of today. Our human nature doesn't embrace suffering. Understan...
Read more