Dear Crosswalkers,
The great Christian writer from a previous generation, G.K. Chesterton, wrote this:
"The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank! The converse of this proposition is also true … . The great saint may be said to mix all his thoughts with thanks. All goods look better when they look like gifts … . It is the highest and holiest of the paradoxes that the man who really knows he cannot pay his debt will be forever paying it … . He will be always throwing things away into a bottomless pit of unfathomable thanks."
In the Bible, we see that a distinguishing hallmark of those who love the Lord is that they have grateful, glad and generous hearts. For example, in Romans 1 we read about those who have decided to say NO to God. In fact, this is a description of those who the Bible says are wicked people, who intentionally suppress the truth about God:
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. - Romans 1:21
Some people, instead of being grateful that God created them in his image, have decided to create for themselves a god in their own image. This is what we see in our world all the time. In fact there was an interesting interview done with a well known Christian evangelist who says that people in today’s world, for the most part, don’t disbelieve in God. They just think the God of the Bible is morally inferior to themselves. This blows my mind! In other words, many people are aware of passages in the OT where God commands Israel to wipe some people out, or they misunderstand the Bible’s teaching on hell, and they conclude that they are morally superior to the God who made them! In 2 Tim. 3:2 we read this about what people will be like in the end times:
For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. - 2 Timothy 3:2
Widespread ungratefulness is a mark of the moral decay which will be prominent during the last days. By sharp contrast, throughout the Bible we are told that God's people are to be known for their thankful hearts. A hallmark of biblical people, a core value and central characteristic of followers of Jesus is this: We are grateful people! The psalmist says,
I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. - Psalms 69:30 (NRSV)
This Sunday we will look at Hebrews 12:1-3. As a result of our series, "Heroes By Faith" that we concluded last Sunday, this passage shows us some great things to be thankful for!
May the Lord bless you and your family with a wonderful and happy Thankgiving celebration! I am grateful for putting you in my life, and I hope to see you Sunday!
Love in Jesus,
Pastor John Christie
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