May 18, 2012 - Friday      

By: Walt Seale

Psalm 96:2-3

Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.  

Every day we have the opportunity to proclaim the salvation of the Lord. These opportunities come in the mundane and the spectacular. Feeling better after a bout of sickness? Thank the Lord. Heard from an old friend? Thank God for the love of good friends. Enjoyed a good meal? Thank God for his remarkable providence. Visited the kids or the grandkids? Give thanks for the blessing of family. Been inspired by scripture? Thank God for his word. 

The Lord is continually blessing us and if we have the presence of mind to notice his blessing then we have a great deal to share with a hurting world. It takes a bit of persistence but "counting your blessings" is a great first step in sharing the love of Jesus with others. The world is filled with people who don't know that our Father loves them and cares for them personally. They see in their hardships and sufferings the judgment of God rather than his loving concern. It's easy to point out to others how their human failings have left them in less-than-desirable situations but it is an act of mercy to let them know that God is still with them no matter how many mistakes they have made. Our hope is their hope too. Our faith can be lent to them as readily as a twenty dollar bill.

Recently a man I know faced a challenging situation. It was the kind of situation that had caused him difficulty and failure in the past. He was not looking forward to facing the same old challenge with the same old poor result but I saw it differently. We talked it over and I discovered that I had confidence in his ability to turn this situation for the better. He had little faith but I had much faith. Without much confidence but with just enough hope, he ended up with a great victory. The victory did far more than get him over a rough spot; it gave him greater faith and confidence to face new challenges.

Somewhere I heard the prayer, "Lord, may we never be found without gratitude," and that prayer has helped me see just how much God is loving his world gone so wrong. He is working day-in and day-out to redeem us. Like Jesus who labored tirelessly until his death, our Father goes on laboring for all of us. We can, with a strong dose of gratitude, recognize how much more we can do to join him in his redeeming work.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE: End every day by recounting God's many blessings and so cultivate a heart filled with gratitude and hope that you might have plenty left over to share with those around you.