Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
RECIPE FOR A THANKFUL HEART: ADD BLESSINGS
God mixes countless blessings into our lives. Like the baker who adds fruits or nuts to the bread, little "treasures" to be found.
The food that is set before us does not get there by accident. It comes from plants that grew because the LORD caused sunshine and rain, seed time and harvest to happen. He designed the potatoes, corn, and all the things we enjoy. The blessings He gives us for our bodies come to us daily. Martin Luther wrote:
"He has given and constantly preserves to me my body, soul, and life, members great and small, all my senses, reason, and understanding, and so on, food and drink, clothing and support, wife and children, house and home, etc. Besides, he causes all creatures to serve for the uses and necessities of life -- sun, moon, and stars in the firmament, day and night, air, fire, water, earth, and whatever it bears and produces, birds and fishes, beasts, grain, and all kinds of produce, and whatever else there is of bodily and temporal goods, good government, peace, and security" (Large Catechism, First Article).
The treasures He gives to us in our lives go beyond the Thanksgiving Day table. "In Him we live and move and have our being," the Apostle said. Without the God of heaven sustaining life, there can be no life. We cannot even take a breath apart from God's power and might, His preserving hand.
The gifts come to us so quickly and in such abundance we don't even notice them all, but when we do notice them, they might well cause us to stop and think. We cannot help but give thanks for the tremendous riches that He has showered upon us!
