"Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but
as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do
not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk
on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the
Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:15-20
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign, which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote, "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
This simple story Illustrates the power of thankfulness.
A simple focus on thankfulness added a new force to his life and changed his fortunes.
Never underestimate the power of thankfulness.
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign, which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote, "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it." Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
This simple story Illustrates the power of thankfulness.
A simple focus on thankfulness added a new force to his life and changed his fortunes.
Never underestimate the power of thankfulness.
Cicero once said, "Gratitude
is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
The Puritan preacher John Edwards wrote, “The gracious stirrings of grateful affection
to God," in which love flows from the heart as a response to the Divine,
is one of the surest ways to discern the presence of the Holy Spirit in a
person's life.”
Thankfulness acknowledges God is the giver of all gifts and the ultimate foundation for thankfulness. There is a feeling of indebtedness to the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. God's generosity provides the model for how Christians are to deal with their own children and with each other.
What message is written on your sign?
Have you made thankfulness the focus of your life?
Thankfulness acknowledges God is the giver of all gifts and the ultimate foundation for thankfulness. There is a feeling of indebtedness to the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. God's generosity provides the model for how Christians are to deal with their own children and with each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment