“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth…. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:18,21, ESV)
At creation, God did amazing things. The book of Genesis proclaims a few of the awesome events. Light was created in the darkness (Genesis 1:3). Human beings were given life (Genesis 1-2). Water and sunlight to support life were set in perfect placement (Genesis 1:6,16). God formed into alignment from chaos everything that was needed to sustain life on earth; and bring you into this world!
In carving out life in the universe, God created something wonderful. In response, God desired human beings to be thankful for HIS handiwork. At creation, God took chaos and brought forth light and life; something beautiful. God still does that! God may take a time of chaos in your life and bring forth something beautiful, something that will hopefully result in thanksgiving for HIS action.
Have you ever misplaced your keys and spent fifteen frantic minutes looking for them? How would you feel if you suddenly found them in your coat pocket? Would you be thankful? Would you whisper a little “Thank you, Lord!”? In those moments of panic, we often forget to be grateful when we finally discover what we were missing. In Philippians 4:6, Paul reminds us not to be anxious, but to present our requests to God with thanksgiving. Sometimes, it takes a little chaos for us to appreciate the blessings already in our hands!
Sadly, too many people overlook the blessings of God! They forget to give thanks to the Creator. They ignore God’s little miracles every day. They do not acknowledge that without God’s direct intervention, they wouldn’t even be here!
The scripture for today is from Romans chapter 1. It was written by the Apostle Paul near the end of his life. Looking back over his own life, Paul noticed that people often forgot to give God the thanks and praise HE was due. Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to never forget that it is God who gives every reason for thanksgiving!
Romans 1 condemns people of the earth who have “suppressed the truth” that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe (Romans 1:18). They refuse to see God’s handiwork in the heavens (Romans 1:20). They do not “honor God”, nor “give thanks to HIM” (Romans 1:21). With these words, Paul explained that those who refuse to give thanks and honor to God are not only “foolish”, but they show great disrespect when they refuse to give thanks to God. One might even argue that a sure sign of a faithless person is one who refuses to offer thanksgiving and praise to God.
Thanksgiving and praise toward God should be common thoughts amongst humans. Words of thanksgiving and praise should be common themes in the conversation for every person. According to Romans 1:20, there is ample evidence of God’s acts of creation. And yet, people ignore God’s role in creation. They refuse to admit God’s handiwork. They believe human beings just fell to earth on their own. They are more liable to thank themselves and their ingenuity than thank the God who made life on earth.
Many years ago, a statistician was asked to compare the odds of life occurring on earth without the help of a Creator. The statistician went to work calculating the odds. I read his conclusion. He said that the odds of creation occurring without the assistance of God is the same as if a Cadillac from 1950 was blown up and all the parts would land after the explosion to form a perfectly working vehicle. Yeah, that about sums it up!
Why is it then that people often do not give thanks to God throughout the day and every day of the year? Jesus even pondered this! After healing ten people with leprosy, Jesus was surprised that only one of the ten returned to give thanks to Jesus (Luke 17:11-19). With incredulity, Jesus said, “Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17)! Jesus’ response is enough to make anyone wonder why people don’t offer thanks, even when miracles occur!
This week, temperatures are dropping into the teens at night. It is getting very chilly! The animals are even keeping themselves warm in nests and burrows rather than venturing out into the chill. As I feel cold seeping into my room this morning, I am reminded of a person I saw in June this past year. He was standing next to his boat at a beautiful lake. It was a gorgeous late spring day! While standing there, he remarked to the woman next to him, “It’s too hot! I hate this weather!” I could use some of that heat this morning! His complaint of the warmth that day just hit me wrong. I thought to myself that day how good the sun felt and immediately gave thanks to God for the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the lake vista before me.
Today’s scripture is a reminder to cultivate the habit of thankfulness as an effective cure for the cynical, sour habits of faultfinding among believers and non-believers alike. Giving thanks to God brings warmth to the soul. It is a sign of God’s grace within your heart. It is evidence of faithful joy. It is a characteristic of real Christians. A.W. Tozer once wrote that “Thanksgiving has great curative power. The heart that is constantly overflowing with gratitude will be safe from those attacks of resentfulness and gloom that bother so many people. A thankful heart cannot be cynical.” (Nov. 23, Evenings With Tozer)
God brought creation from chaos and expects thanksgiving in return. When moments of chaos occur in your life, find reasons to give thanks. Look for God’s little miracles to bring praise to your lips. Let thanksgiving cast out cynicism and gloominess from your life. There are so many reasons to give thanks to God this day. Find some! Acknowledge some! Don’t be a gloomy Gus! Be thankful for God’s ever-loving, steadfast, gracious, and forgiving gifts for you and all creation!
In carving out life in the universe, God created something wonderful. In response, God desired human beings to be thankful for HIS handiwork. At creation, God took chaos and brought forth light and life; something beautiful. God still does that! God may take a time of chaos in your life and bring forth something beautiful, something that will hopefully result in thanksgiving for HIS action.
Have you ever misplaced your keys and spent fifteen frantic minutes looking for them? How would you feel if you suddenly found them in your coat pocket? Would you be thankful? Would you whisper a little “Thank you, Lord!”? In those moments of panic, we often forget to be grateful when we finally discover what we were missing. In Philippians 4:6, Paul reminds us not to be anxious, but to present our requests to God with thanksgiving. Sometimes, it takes a little chaos for us to appreciate the blessings already in our hands!
Sadly, too many people overlook the blessings of God! They forget to give thanks to the Creator. They ignore God’s little miracles every day. They do not acknowledge that without God’s direct intervention, they wouldn’t even be here!
The scripture for today is from Romans chapter 1. It was written by the Apostle Paul near the end of his life. Looking back over his own life, Paul noticed that people often forgot to give God the thanks and praise HE was due. Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to never forget that it is God who gives every reason for thanksgiving!
Romans 1 condemns people of the earth who have “suppressed the truth” that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe (Romans 1:18). They refuse to see God’s handiwork in the heavens (Romans 1:20). They do not “honor God”, nor “give thanks to HIM” (Romans 1:21). With these words, Paul explained that those who refuse to give thanks and honor to God are not only “foolish”, but they show great disrespect when they refuse to give thanks to God. One might even argue that a sure sign of a faithless person is one who refuses to offer thanksgiving and praise to God.
Thanksgiving and praise toward God should be common thoughts amongst humans. Words of thanksgiving and praise should be common themes in the conversation for every person. According to Romans 1:20, there is ample evidence of God’s acts of creation. And yet, people ignore God’s role in creation. They refuse to admit God’s handiwork. They believe human beings just fell to earth on their own. They are more liable to thank themselves and their ingenuity than thank the God who made life on earth.
Many years ago, a statistician was asked to compare the odds of life occurring on earth without the help of a Creator. The statistician went to work calculating the odds. I read his conclusion. He said that the odds of creation occurring without the assistance of God is the same as if a Cadillac from 1950 was blown up and all the parts would land after the explosion to form a perfectly working vehicle. Yeah, that about sums it up!
Why is it then that people often do not give thanks to God throughout the day and every day of the year? Jesus even pondered this! After healing ten people with leprosy, Jesus was surprised that only one of the ten returned to give thanks to Jesus (Luke 17:11-19). With incredulity, Jesus said, “Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17)! Jesus’ response is enough to make anyone wonder why people don’t offer thanks, even when miracles occur!
This week, temperatures are dropping into the teens at night. It is getting very chilly! The animals are even keeping themselves warm in nests and burrows rather than venturing out into the chill. As I feel cold seeping into my room this morning, I am reminded of a person I saw in June this past year. He was standing next to his boat at a beautiful lake. It was a gorgeous late spring day! While standing there, he remarked to the woman next to him, “It’s too hot! I hate this weather!” I could use some of that heat this morning! His complaint of the warmth that day just hit me wrong. I thought to myself that day how good the sun felt and immediately gave thanks to God for the warmth of the sun and the beauty of the lake vista before me.
Today’s scripture is a reminder to cultivate the habit of thankfulness as an effective cure for the cynical, sour habits of faultfinding among believers and non-believers alike. Giving thanks to God brings warmth to the soul. It is a sign of God’s grace within your heart. It is evidence of faithful joy. It is a characteristic of real Christians. A.W. Tozer once wrote that “Thanksgiving has great curative power. The heart that is constantly overflowing with gratitude will be safe from those attacks of resentfulness and gloom that bother so many people. A thankful heart cannot be cynical.” (Nov. 23, Evenings With Tozer)
God brought creation from chaos and expects thanksgiving in return. When moments of chaos occur in your life, find reasons to give thanks. Look for God’s little miracles to bring praise to your lips. Let thanksgiving cast out cynicism and gloominess from your life. There are so many reasons to give thanks to God this day. Find some! Acknowledge some! Don’t be a gloomy Gus! Be thankful for God’s ever-loving, steadfast, gracious, and forgiving gifts for you and all creation!