With the race season coming to a close, we look toward closing out the calendar year. What comes to mind? I read that gratitude helps us appreciate and enjoy the life we already have. Are we aware of what we have and how fragile the balance of life is? What are we grateful for? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Last week I had the opportunity to come alongside my wife Lynda and other volunteers in their efforts with Samaritan’s Purse to help those affected by the recent storms in the southeast. As I drove a volunteer from Perry FL to Valdosta GA I was overwhelmed with the destruction. The entire 60-mile journey revealed the devastation people are facing. They are piecing their lives back together, grateful for having survived.
From Florida to Tennessee many have watched everything they have washed away. That is hard to handle, yet life goes on. We empathize with them as long as the news is in the headlines, but what happens when the camera’s are gone and the groundswell of help fades? We need to remember what we have been blessed with and be grateful.
Life comes at us and there are many times we forget to appreciate the things we have. We forget to embrace it. We look at tomorrow and all the things we want to attain and enjoy. I was reminded of this simple fact on the sign by the Ace Hardware in Perry FL; “Happiness is a toilet that flushes.” Indoor plumbing is something to be grateful for.
We spend many hours of our life preoccupied by things. Thoughts fill our mind and we dwell on them. We worry, get anxious, and stress out. When we take the time to really analyze them we find that most times we are worrying about nothing. Remember the standard I suggested a few weeks back? If it is going to matter in 5 years worry about it, if not don’t sweat it.
In life we pursue our agenda. The problem is sometimes our agenda doesn’t fit with what is truly important. Our priorities are not in line with God’s priorities. Our lives will be so much fuller and satisfying when we surrender our agenda and submit to letting God guide and direct us. We need to follow the Holy Spirit in our heart.
I received an email that reminded me of that, it went something like this. “Good Morning, This is God. I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help. So relax and have a good day.”
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just do that? There is so much freedom in sitting back and letting God have control. We have visited this verse from Jeremiah several times, but it is an important verse to commit to memory.
Jeremiah 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
God’s plan for our lives requires only that we surrender to him and let him lead. He has good things for us, things to give us hope and a future, things to prosper us. I encourage you to seek Him with gratitude in your heart.
In life things come and go too fast. The season ends just as we are getting a handle on it. Life, too, is short. We are here for only a short time. No one knows the day or hour when we will be called before God. We must not waste time being anxious about things that really don’t matter. We need to adjust our priorities.
How can we adjust our focus and not allow ourselves to get caught up in the rat race this holiday season? Loving and caring for others is the right agenda. Putting others’ needs ahead of ours is the right way to live. Listen to how God cares for us.
John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
If we take the time to shift our focus from ourselves to others we will feel true joy and have the peace that passes understanding. That is the greatest gift we can receive. Imagine a holiday season when we beam with joy and have peace in our hearts. To accomplish this we need God’s unconditional love in our heart. His unconditional love for us will change our perspective.
Paul shares with us how this unconditional love is evident in our daily life;
1Corinthians 13:4-8a: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
God cares for us and loves us. God has plans for our life. Plans to prosper us, give us hope and a future. We also need to demonstrate that love to others. A relationship with God will enable us to do that. We need to follow through and give God control. We need to relinquish our agenda and appreciate what we have. We need an attitude of gratitude.
Blessings,
Pastor Don