One of the most appealing characteristics a person can have is GRATITUDE.
Just this morning I read an essay written by an earth sciences profesor at Rice University. He wrote a lengthy diatribe about how he was so badly underpaid. I was almost in tears [;)] as I thought about how this poor professor slaves away for 8 months of the year, with the stress of having to remember to zip his pants before a lecture. Yes, it's hard to pay someone enough to do this tough a job when he could be doing something easier and more fulfilling like mining coal, or building tires, or selling something with quotas, deadlines and uncooperative clients.
In truth, anyone reading a blog has likely got MUCH for which to be immensely grateful. We have opportunities, and resources that are the envy of the world. Many of us think that we "earned" all of this through hard work, and I don't mean to diminish the value of hard work, but we are all immensely blessed.
In truth, I don't want to spend any more time on jobs and education, and opportunities. I want us all to focus on what G^d has done for us, through Jesus, The Christ. We did NOT study, work, or do anything but accept what G^d has done for us at great cost, and paying us ENORMOUS eternal benefits. We all ought to be grateful, extremely grateful.
Some wise person once observed, "One of the most frustrating feelings for atheists must be when they are truly grateful for something, and have no one to whom to be grateful." We Christians don't have that problem.
Soooo, if we are grateful, beyond a simple prayer of thanks, is there anything we can do to more fully express our gratitude? I'm asking, because it is a key question for us all.
Just this morning I read an essay written by an earth sciences profesor at Rice University. He wrote a lengthy diatribe about how he was so badly underpaid. I was almost in tears [;)] as I thought about how this poor professor slaves away for 8 months of the year, with the stress of having to remember to zip his pants before a lecture. Yes, it's hard to pay someone enough to do this tough a job when he could be doing something easier and more fulfilling like mining coal, or building tires, or selling something with quotas, deadlines and uncooperative clients.
In truth, anyone reading a blog has likely got MUCH for which to be immensely grateful. We have opportunities, and resources that are the envy of the world. Many of us think that we "earned" all of this through hard work, and I don't mean to diminish the value of hard work, but we are all immensely blessed.
In truth, I don't want to spend any more time on jobs and education, and opportunities. I want us all to focus on what G^d has done for us, through Jesus, The Christ. We did NOT study, work, or do anything but accept what G^d has done for us at great cost, and paying us ENORMOUS eternal benefits. We all ought to be grateful, extremely grateful.
Some wise person once observed, "One of the most frustrating feelings for atheists must be when they are truly grateful for something, and have no one to whom to be grateful." We Christians don't have that problem.
Soooo, if we are grateful, beyond a simple prayer of thanks, is there anything we can do to more fully express our gratitude? I'm asking, because it is a key question for us all.
I think the biggest thing (besides prayer) we can do to show gratitude is to live it. Let people see Christ in us, let Him live through us.
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