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

The Promises of God If God makes a promise, can you depend on it? Does He have the power to carry out what He says He will do? Is His word trustworthy? Those of us who know God will quickly answer yes. We know that God is not only powerful, He is also faithful. So what about that cold that we’ve been battling for the past two weeks, or what about the glaucoma, the cancer, the emotional issues, the mental hangups? The anxiety. Doesn’t God promise that He will heal all of our diseases? I know of Christians that have been healed, but I also know of those who have gone to their grave with their disease, and even at times, because of it. Why the disconnect? Has God forgotten some while healing others? Why does tragedy strike some who have faith in God while skirting around others? Before I answer that question (it’s really one question), let’s look at the Scripture to see what it has to say about the promises of God. Here are three things we can say about His promises - The promises of God
Read more
Image
Sometimes dreams must die. Dreams never realized can be heartbreaking, but there's nothing that leads to that craggy road called discouragement more directly than dreams realized and then lost. The hope of marriage broken on the rocks of disappointment and conflict. Booming investments in the market tail spinning into oblivion on the comment of a high political official. God's promises realized seemingly put to bed for good.  Seemingly.  I want to give you hope. She is just sleeping. The young vibrant female we call hope is not dead. She is just sleeping. But she needed to lay her head down into a lifeless slumber, lest, we come to trust in her instead of Someone greater. There's a story of a rich woman, a childless woman. Her lifelong and dormant dream was to give birth to a child. It was a hope for her, a dream; a good dream. Many of us are like her. We hope, but never get our hopes too high, lest they be disappointed; lest we be let down into the overwhelming mir
Read more
In the Hands of a Hungry Pilgrim Its cover is worn with bent edges Its pages yellowed with passing time It smells of age and cellar Its years beyond mine In it though a treasure resides Words of hope and strength and life From page to page and word to word Come truths to help and remind Its resting place seemed its forever home Until seeking eyes upon it fell And the thirsty heart felt strength arise Its page's words a restoring supply Discarded not, nor left behind From elder hearts come treasures prized Not set aside but dearly held In the hands of a hungry pilgrim We carry in us, in these earthen vessels, treasure of great worth and value, deposited by the Lord. Like an old book, some of us are wearing with the years and feeling the cricks and cracks of an aging body. But still, the treasure remains.  We may feel, like an old book, threadbare and tattered, but that does not mean we are not useful in the Master's hands. Our pages may be yellowed and st
Read more