Quit Being Thankful for Stuff

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Having just finished the Thanksgiving weekend, I'm hoping having a thankful heart is still on your mind. We are often thankful for the things of life. We say things like, "Thank You Lord for all the many material blessings You have bestowed on us." Now, I would be the first to say that we need to be thankful for all those things. Whether it is dinner on the table or a roof over our head, we should pause and thank our Lord for giving us the material blessings we have.

With that said, i need to ask myself, would I be near as thankful if I had none of that? You see, those things can change in a moment. The dust bowl of the 1930's was a time in recent U.S. history when people, good, God-fearing people, suffered incredibly as the dust storms covered everything they owned, had worked for, and lived off of. This wasn't an anomaly of a few months. The dust bowl went on for years. People were without the basics of life for years. Yet, as I listened to their stories on the documentary I was watching, over and over they insisted that there was always someone worse off than they were, and they should be thankful. No income for 5 years and they are thankful? Really? I'm sure your mind thinks as mind did..."What's there to be thankful for?" Truth be told, many deepened their faith in God during that most horrible of times.

I know this because my grandparents, Fred and Charlotte Scott, were directly affected by the dust bowl. Although, it wasn't a direct result of their move to the east coast, they moved from Texas to South Carolina in the late 1930's. And, will you allow me to brag on Fred and Charlotte a little? They rarely complained about the "first world" problems we moan and groan about. You see, they always had faith that God would get them through whatever they faced.

So I have to ask again, would I be more of less thankful if I no longer had all the stuff? Would I be more or less thankful if my stomach growled because i had no where to get any more food for that day? Would I be more of less thankful if I had to hitch a ride everywhere I went? I believe that I would be more thankful. Why? Because I would concentrate on the things that really matter. The things that can't be taken away from me. I'm talking about...

• God's love and grace that is not only without end, but more than I'll ever need.
• Salvation I found in Jesus Christ (or should I say found me?).
• The Holy Spirit that leads, corrects, and helps me everyday.
• Brothers and sisters in Christ who love and care for me daily.
• A clear conscience found in Christ that gives me peace every single day.
• Power in Christ to serve Him, serve others, and live daily for Him.

These spiritual blessings listed above are just a few of all the promises God has given us throughout the Bible. So, when you go to give thanks tonight at the dinner table, pray for the food, then think of all that we have in Christ. After all it is "our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens." (Ephesians 1:3 HCSB).

Choose this week to be thankful for that which matters most. That which is immutable. Our relationship with God and all the blessings that result. He has made all things new for each one of His children.

Pastor Trey Rhodes

Coming Up at Oceanside Church

New Sermon Series begins this Week on Sunday Morning - 2012: the End of the World as We Know it. As people are thinking about the end of the world, ask them to be in church with you. Christians have the answers to the questions they are asking.

Adult Christmas party on Saturday night, December 8 at 7 p.m. Bring a gift that costs no more than $10. Dinner served. Come and enjoy the Christmas season together.

Have you tried the New Giving Kiosk? It's at the entryway of the church. It's simple to use, and you never have to worry as to whether you have your checkbook or cash ever again. Accepts all debit and credit cards.

Christmas Offering Begins This Week. We want to give to international missions as well as local ministry. Please pray about giving this Christmas. Give throughout the month of December.

 

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The Importance of Being Earn... err... Appreciative

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In the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, written by Oscar Wilde, Jack Worthing has been living a lie. He attempted to live a showy life of moral character, when He has become anything but that; his life was a facade. By the end of the play, we find out that for all of Jack's pretending, he was actually born into a family of wealth and importance. Jack's closing line now emphasizes his new-found appreciation for being born into the right family and no longer having to pretend. Only now, it seems, could He truly appreciate the "importance of being earnest."

In the same way, appreciation for our life's situation should be real and not a facade. There is nothing worse than finding out you received empty thanks for something you gave or did for someone. Pretending to be thankful can be worse than someone simply telling you upfront that they didn't like whatever it was you did for them or gave them. Once you find out what they really thought, you words were probably something like this, "You should have told me your feelings. We would have worked it out." Honesty is not the best policy; it is the only policy.

So what do we do if we get something we don't like? What if someone does something for us we never asked for? What is our response? This can tell a lot about who you are. The bottom line is we should appreciate the thought, the reason, the person, or the sacrifice that was made for us. Was it exactly what we wanted? Maybe not. Was it something that should have been done? Quite possibly not. But should be appreciative?  Absolutely!

I received this video clip from a friend of mine who knew our church was participating in Operation Christmas Child this year, as we have for many years. You can watch this young boy in Africa who gets a package from someone in the western world. This is done all over the world every year in order to demonstrate the love of our heavenly Father who sent His only Son as the most indescribable gift ever. Watch this, and you will see excessive and glorious appreciation for the gift he was given.

I watch that and tears well up in my eyes no matter how many times I see it. Oh, to be that appreciative to my God who has given me so much. Oh, to be that appreciative, even when I haven't even opened the gift (did you notice his exuberant joy BEFORE he even opened the box to see what was in it?) Oh, to be a part of a young child's life who will be that appreciative.

Are you truly thankful? Then give to someone else who will truly appreciate your gift. Maybe you'll have to cut back a little this Christmas, but it will be worth it to have a child experience that kind of joy as he or she is introduced to the love of our heavenly Father through your generosity. It's not too late. Bring your gift to Oceanside Church or another participating church this Sunday and give a gift that will give you a new found appreciation for what this season is about...God's indescribable gift, Jesus Christ.