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A Thankful Life
I remember when I was a child, around Thanksgiving, we would have a familiar assignment in Children’s Church. The teacher would give us some construction paper and tell us to make a list of things for which we were thankful. That is not a bad exercise for adults either, as we contemplate the goodness of God not just in this season, but in every season. And at Clough Pike, there is indeed much for which to give thanks.
We always have lists of things for which we can be thankful, but I can’t help but wonder: Does our manner of living prove the reality of our thankfulness to God for all He has done for us? Does your life “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light?” (1 Peter 2.9). The Bible teaches us that a changed heart will always show forth in a changed life. When Paul speaks to the believers at Philippi, he tells them, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil 1.27). Some of his greatest concerns were that this group of believers learn that they were walking testaments to the gospel of Christ, and making sure that their lives reflected the change that had taken place within them.
During this time of Thanksgiving, it might be a good idea to examine your life through the lens of such passages as Galatians 5 and Ephesians 4, which show us how growing, thriving believers should (and should not) live their lives. Because the more important question to ask at Thanksgiving is this: If God made a list of things for which He was thankful, would you be on His list? |
