Thankful Till We Look Elsewhere

I've noticed gratefulness is often skewed by observation. We are thankful with what we have till we see what someone else has. The workers in the vineyard loved their pay till they saw someone else getting get the same amount but for less time served. Then it wasn’t enough. The older brother was happy living with his father until the prodigal came home to a party and then he felt as if he had been mistreated. He wanted his own party. It seems often we are happy with our portion till another gets more, then we grumble and complain.

In Galatians 6 4 we read, “But
each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.” This passage in its context is telling us to not judge our work by someone else’s. No matter how good or bad they do, it should not change our actions. I think this principle should also apply to our gratefulness.

Be thankful for what you have been given. Be content with what God sends you. Your blessings are not another’s and another’s blessing shouldn’t warp the view of what you have.

Thankfulness should have us looking up not around.

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Until Midnight

In Acts 20, there is the tragicomic event surrounding a young man by the name of Eutychus. He did what a lot of folks before and after him did, he fell asleep during a sermon. Unfortunately, he was setting in in the third story window at the time. So instead of nodding off and hitting the pew in front of him, he fell to his death. The good news was the apostle Paul was delivering the sermon and had the ability to bring him back. I don’t know, however, if we can judge Eutychus too harshly. The sermon had gone on till midnight. Paul wouldn’t finish it up till daybreak. That’s a long lesson. I know some folks that might want to jump out of a window if I had a lesson that long, yet these Christians wanted to be there to hear Paul. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pushing for all night sermons but I think we might need to adopt these folks' dedication. They knew that Paul was only in town for a limited time only and they were determined to ...

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Ecclesiastes 12:10

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