Sunday, November 29, 1998
Sunday, November 29, 1998
Take care that you do not forget the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 8:11
NRSV)
Wouldn't it be awful to have all the bountiful blessings that you and I enjoy
and have no one to thank? This is no season for atheists.
Hal Olsen, veteran missionary from Kenya, told of a doctor who had come to
the field to use his skills to relieve suffering and pain. On one occasion he
performed a delicate operation that saved a woman's life. As the patient
recovered, she didn't express any appreciation, and the doctor was hurt.
Olsen said, "One of the first lessons a new missionary must learn is that the
people aren't waiting with open arms to applaud your work. Some tribal
languages have no words to express the idea of 'thank you.'" Imagine that:
no word by which to say thanks to God.
It is time to be thankful as the writer of Deuteronomy wrote, "You shall eat
your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given
you." We have been richly blessed, and the most important blessing we have
received is a savior named Jesus Christ. When we have Jesus Christ alive in
our hearts, there is a thanksgiving spirit that will always be a part of our
daily living.
Prayer: Loving God, may Jesus be made more real in my heart today, as I become a
better witness for him. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA