Still Thankful

Thanksgiving is past but our thanks-giving shouldn't stop now. We may feel we are all "prayed up" as far as giving thanks to God goes, but we are so far behind that I doubt we can ever catch up or be even. Everything in our lives is from God, created by God, and/or because of God alone.

In every moment we could give thanks for the blessings that fill our lives: for the breath of air that fills our lungs, for the beating of our heart that moves blood through our veins, for the powerful tool of our brain that tells us to move and thinks somewhere between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day (this is highly debated on the Internet so choose your own number), for the recognition of sounds, and the ability to see the words on this computer or phone screen. And that just scratches the surface of what our physical bodies do for us! Think about it.

"We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds," (Psalm 75:1 NIV).

(First, apologies to my Catholic friends, I do not intend to offend you.) Yesterday our pastor completed a sermon series on the Five Solas of the Reformation, corresponding with the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's 1517 nailing of the 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Church door. The five issues that are considered nonnegotiable in the reformed church are: "sola Scripture: Scripture alone; sola gratis: grace alone, sola fide: faith alone; solus Christus: Christ alone; and soli Deo gloria: to the glory of God alone. On this we stake our lives and our eternity," (Rescuing The Gospel, last paragraph of Chapter 16 by Erwin W. Lutzer.

Pastor Adam showed a picture of a musical score by Johann Bach that revealed Bach signed each piece of music with the letters: SDG - soli Deo gloria - to the glory of God. Isn't that how we, too, should sign everything that we do in life? Should not every cookie we make be the best it can be; every sales call we make be as good as we can do it; every moment we spend with our children be filled with love and understanding; every leaf we rake be to the glory of God?

Truly it is to be our goal in all of life, to strive for perfection - or as close as we individually can get. Not all of us can achieve the perfection that Johann Bach reached in writing music; or that Michelangelo did in art; or Bill Gates reached in software architecture; or Albert Einstein achieved in physics; or whomever you consider the top of any category. However, we have our own gifts that we (me and God) polish and shine each day that we work at or use the gift.

I am still thankful, each day, for the blessings God places in my life. I'm thankful for the gift of writing; it is what God is molding and shaping me each day. I'm thankful I enjoy writing and I'm thankful I have the desire to grow and learn and be better and bring glory to God with each message I pen or type.

You can also read Psalm 136 whenever you seek to give thanks to the Lord God Almighty.

"Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen," (Psalms 72:18-19 NIV).

SDG soi Deo gloria - Glory of God alone!