I did devotionals again a few weeks ago, but the internet wasn't working that week so I'm just putting them up. If you have any comments or critiques, feel free to share.
Psalm 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
One of the first things we teach children to say is “Thank You.” As a child grows up, parents often prompt them by saying “Now, what do you say?” after they received a piece of candy, a compliment, a birthday present. As children grow, they tend to become more enthusiastic the better they perceive their gift to be.
One of our few home videos of when I was a child was from my brother’s fifth birthday party. He, of course say the obligatory “thank you”s after opening each gift. But nothing could have prepared us for what came after he open his gift from Patrick. Upon unveiling the dinosaur puzzle, Keith’s face lit up and began something like a mixture of yelling and singing “Thank you, Patrick! Thank you!” My family always bursts into laughter when we hear his little voice exclaim such great thanks over that dinosaur puzzle.
If only we could keep this intensely thankful spirit about us. But, as we all know, we become less and less impressed with the dinosaur puzzle before long. Perhaps our tastes have changed, perhaps we’re bored with the things that we used to love, or perhaps we no longer put so much importance on material things. Often, with age comes an understanding that it’s not the newest gadget that will evoke true thankfulness, rather it is the hug from a dear friend during a difficult time, quality time spent with family, or just the presence of a loved one.
Hopefully this is also true in our relationship with God. Hopefully we mature with age and, while we never stop thanking God for all the wonderful things God does for us, we move to a deeper thanksgiving. We thank God not for how God benefits us, but simply for being Himself. Because God is good. God is loving. And God’s goodness and love will never end.
Let us take today to not simply be thankful for what God has done for us, but for who God is.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Psalm 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
One of the first things we teach children to say is “Thank You.” As a child grows up, parents often prompt them by saying “Now, what do you say?” after they received a piece of candy, a compliment, a birthday present. As children grow, they tend to become more enthusiastic the better they perceive their gift to be.
One of our few home videos of when I was a child was from my brother’s fifth birthday party. He, of course say the obligatory “thank you”s after opening each gift. But nothing could have prepared us for what came after he open his gift from Patrick. Upon unveiling the dinosaur puzzle, Keith’s face lit up and began something like a mixture of yelling and singing “Thank you, Patrick! Thank you!” My family always bursts into laughter when we hear his little voice exclaim such great thanks over that dinosaur puzzle.
If only we could keep this intensely thankful spirit about us. But, as we all know, we become less and less impressed with the dinosaur puzzle before long. Perhaps our tastes have changed, perhaps we’re bored with the things that we used to love, or perhaps we no longer put so much importance on material things. Often, with age comes an understanding that it’s not the newest gadget that will evoke true thankfulness, rather it is the hug from a dear friend during a difficult time, quality time spent with family, or just the presence of a loved one.
Hopefully this is also true in our relationship with God. Hopefully we mature with age and, while we never stop thanking God for all the wonderful things God does for us, we move to a deeper thanksgiving. We thank God not for how God benefits us, but simply for being Himself. Because God is good. God is loving. And God’s goodness and love will never end.
Let us take today to not simply be thankful for what God has done for us, but for who God is.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
