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Written by Bruce Applegate
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Wednesday, 21 November 2007 |
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As a child growing up, I learned a lot of life lessons from my parents. Granted, I probably haven’t applied them all (sorry, mom and dad), but I believe most have stuck with me. One thing they taught me at an early age was to say, “thank you.”
Two simple words that we often take for granted….two simple words that we don’t seem to hear as often anymore. Saying “thank you” taught me various lessons, but probably the biggest one had to do with attitude. When we don’t say thank you to others we can begin to have this attitude that we somehow we deserved what we got from them. Psalm 107: 1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” As we approach Thanksgiving 2007, we must remember to thank God for his goodness. We must never slip into the attitude that somehow we deserve God’s goodness. “Wow, God really blessed me today…of course, I really deserved that!” The truth falls more in line with Roman 5: 5-8… “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Did God give us what we deserved? No! We deserved death and yet, God showed his love to us through Jesus. All I can think of at the moment is two words, “Thank you!” Thank you God for not giving me what I deserved. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, be mindful of what God has done for you in Christ. And then take that thankful attitude and share it with others. Someone may do something very simple for you…say “thank you.” It may be the only thanks they have heard in a long time…and who knows, it might help them think of something they need to be thankful for. Be an agent of thanks this Thanksgiving by remembering what God has done for you! And oh yeah, thanks mom and dad! With Love, Pastor Bruce |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 November 2007 )
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