Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
Giving thanks becomes so easy and natural when you look at the world rightly. Often beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In fact, our attitude about life in general is shaped by what we believe about truth, and the nature of God. Many Christian philosophers say as a culture we have lost our Biblical world view. We see things as relative and not absolute. The point is we need to see things from God’s perspective. I believe we are happier people when we see the glass half full and not half empty.
By The Way I remember hearing the story of a fellow moving to a new town. On his way into town he stopped and introduced himself to a stranger on the sidewalk. He asks the stranger, “You live in this town?” “Yes I do” he replied. Then the fellow asked, “What kind of people lives here?” To which the stranger ask, “What kind of people lived in the place you left?” “Oh!” said the fellow, “where I came from there were some of the meanest, orneriest, worst people you would ever want to meet.” “Well,” said stranger, “those are the kind of folks that live here.”
Later that day another fellow from out of town was planning to move and entering the town he stopped and got out of his car. He introduced himself to the same stranger the first fellow had talked to. He asked the same question. “What kind of people lives in your town?” The stranger asked, “What kind of people lived in town from which you are moving?” The fellow replied, "Oh, some of the best and friendliest people in the world. To which the stranger said, “Those are the same kind of people that live here.”
I guess you really see what you are looking for. What you look for is changed when you have a right relationship with the God of this world. Several years ago while I was pastoring in Oregon I had a unique experience with a little girl who had just accepted the Lord as her Savior. Her mother was late picking her up after church. She had knelt beside the flower bed that ran along side the sanctuary. I joint her there while we waited for her mother. She said to me, “Pastor, you know, before I was saved I would look at the honey bees flying from flower to flower and all I wanted to do was to squash them. Now I just want to look at them and see how beautiful they are.”
Jesus responded to the praise of Children. And you and I need to be like the children in the following passage. It is easy to give thanks when we see things like these children saw things.
Matt 21:15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.
16"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" (NIV)
Giving thanks becomes so easy and natural when you look at the world rightly. Often beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In fact, our attitude about life in general is shaped by what we believe about truth, and the nature of God. Many Christian philosophers say as a culture we have lost our Biblical world view. We see things as relative and not absolute. The point is we need to see things from God’s perspective. I believe we are happier people when we see the glass half full and not half empty.
By The Way I remember hearing the story of a fellow moving to a new town. On his way into town he stopped and introduced himself to a stranger on the sidewalk. He asks the stranger, “You live in this town?” “Yes I do” he replied. Then the fellow asked, “What kind of people lives here?” To which the stranger ask, “What kind of people lived in the place you left?” “Oh!” said the fellow, “where I came from there were some of the meanest, orneriest, worst people you would ever want to meet.” “Well,” said stranger, “those are the kind of folks that live here.”
Later that day another fellow from out of town was planning to move and entering the town he stopped and got out of his car. He introduced himself to the same stranger the first fellow had talked to. He asked the same question. “What kind of people lives in your town?” The stranger asked, “What kind of people lived in town from which you are moving?” The fellow replied, "Oh, some of the best and friendliest people in the world. To which the stranger said, “Those are the same kind of people that live here.”
I guess you really see what you are looking for. What you look for is changed when you have a right relationship with the God of this world. Several years ago while I was pastoring in Oregon I had a unique experience with a little girl who had just accepted the Lord as her Savior. Her mother was late picking her up after church. She had knelt beside the flower bed that ran along side the sanctuary. I joint her there while we waited for her mother. She said to me, “Pastor, you know, before I was saved I would look at the honey bees flying from flower to flower and all I wanted to do was to squash them. Now I just want to look at them and see how beautiful they are.”
Jesus responded to the praise of Children. And you and I need to be like the children in the following passage. It is easy to give thanks when we see things like these children saw things.
Matt 21:15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.
16"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" (NIV)
Happy Thanksgiving
No comments:
Post a Comment