Part 2 – Are You Game?

 

This post is the second part of musings from a sermon I gave last Thanksgiving. If you like, you can read part 1 HERE

There were some really awesome comments on Part 1 but alas I lost them when I accidently posted over  the first one…sorry about that!

Blessings, Jay

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.  ~W.T. Purkiser

Are You Game? Part 2

Remember the questions God asked me from yesterday’s post?

So God asks me…are you game? Are you ready?
Are you ready to be grateful?

I’m a bit confused, so I ask…I have to be ready…to be grateful?

His reply to me was to read Psalm 70, especially verses four and five.

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say without ending, Let God be magnified. (5) But I am poor and needy; make haste to me, O God; You are my help and my deliverer; O Jehovah, wait no longer!”

Thankfulness gives us a different perspective; it opens our eyes to see God’s heart. The point He was trying to teach me in all this was this…

Relationship is essential to thankfulness

God is all about relationships. Our greatest cause to celebrate…salvation…the forgiveness of our sins happened because Father God wanted a deep, loving relationship with us. There is something about seeking God first that brings out a thankful spirit. I believe that Psalm 70 is teaching us about is that thankfulness born from our need, not our needs but our need of Father God.

Yes, we need Him for provision, for help, to answer our prayers…but we need HIM more. Not just what He can do for us, but something much deeper.

Richard Foster in his awesome book on Prayer says this.

“True prayer is not gritting our teeth but falling in love.”

I think the same can be said of gratefulness, that it’s all about falling deeper in love with Father God. Our need of Him is a good thing. Total dependence on the Father is the answer for all our needs. Psalm 70 is first a declaration of who He is. Then it’s a shout of desperation, a cry for rescue and then declaring His ability to meet that desperation. In that order true thankfulness is born…it’s all about seeking HIM first. Relationship is the most important part of this journey with Christ.

In Matthew 6:33 we read….

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”

Jesus is reminding us that worry casts doubt about the goodness of God. Seeking God’s way first is not a denial of what we need, or the circumstances that trouble us. Seeking Him first is a pursuit of relationship, which benefits us in many, many ways. The Father is fully aware of what we need but He is not a vending machine, he’s not an online shopping network. It’s through relationship he meets our need.

I’m thankful for that…what do you think?

Did you know that…

To be ready to be grateful means you might have to let go of a few things.

Next Time in “Are You Game Part Three”

LiveJournal Tags: Thanksgiving 2010,grateful