The Bible is my favorite book. I love to read it and hear it read. It is filled with compelling stories. One in particular is about a man who had been
born with a disability and was unable to walk.
Friends would carry him from home to the entrance of a local religious
temple where he would spend the day begging.
In a single moment though, his whole life changed when he met two men
walking into the temple. He asked them
for money, like everyone else. But these
two, Peter and John, responded differently.
Peter stared deep into the eyes of this beggar, seemingly looking right
through him, then boldly spoke, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have
I give to you, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!’”
(Acts 3:6) And so he did! For the first time he stood up on his own
power. He was so excited he not only
walked but jumped, hopped, skipped and ran all over the place.
That story has impacted millions of
lives. Notice the part which described
his reaction. He was “walking and
leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). In
a word the man was “thankful.” More like
two words, “extremely thankful.”
Notice how he acknowledged the true
source of his miraculous healing. Was it
the two men, Peter and John? No. It does not seem as if he was much of a
religious man, but he knew enough to realize God was behind it all.
It is normal to thank a person who
does something nice for us, because we can see them. But do we ever pause to honor the one who is
truly behind it all? We may attribute
the positive report of cancer going into remission to early detection and
excellent treatment. We may consider it
good timing that the 12-point buck finished crossing the road just as we zoomed
by. But our conscience knew there was
the unseen, humble presence of a divine being behind it all. Our conscience knew it was God’s
kindness.
What happens when we sing the
praises of medicine, technology, skill, education, determination, or good
karma, instead of acknowledging the invisible hand of Almighty God? When we give thanks to another source and
dismiss our Creator it has a very real effect.
It is plain to all who God is,
because He has revealed Himself to everyone.
And because of that, people are without excuse. As a result, not honoring Him has a negative
impact. When a person forgets God, the
Scriptures say they become “futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts
[become] darkened” (Romans 1:21).
A refusal to see and praise the King
of the Universe is dangerous. It adversely
affects our lives in practical ways.
Thanksgiving toward God is not about an American holiday. It is necessary for the sake of our eternal
soul. Jesus came from heaven to earth,
died and rose again to reveal His Father to the world, that all might know and
worship Him. If you do not praise Him
now, then on judgment day you will be forced to. You know it is the right thing to do. Praise Him today! See Jesus in laughter and in sorrow. See Him in the gains and losses. See Him in the times of peace and chaos.
A prayer for you - “Lord
God, I pray you will open our eyes to see your invisible hand in our
lives. Let us see we are mere mortals at
your mercy. Humble us. For we are not as wise and able as we
think. We turn from our independent and
selfish ways. Forgive us. Cleanse us by the work of Jesus on His
cross. Draw us close that we might know
you afresh and anew this hour. In Jesus’
name. Amen."
