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THANKFUL IN LITTLE THINGS By MARY EDWARDS POST OFFICE BOX 362 NIXA, MISSOURI 65714 E-Mail: marymac@cebridge.net
Ps 100:4-5 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Ro 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Exactly how thankful are we and for what are we really thankful? Maybe a solved health problem in us or a loved one, maybe a form of temporary prosperity, an item of desire obtained, a completed achieve- ment, etc. (Notice, all things for self.) How about the little things that only God has provided that are a natural or daily occurrence that we so often just take for granted. Have we let our hearts become too darkened to be thankful for incidentals – things that God has provided since the day of creation for our pleasure and enjoyment? Perhaps we all have been told from time to time, "stop and smell the roses." Sometimes it is some- one telling us we are too busy, that we need to change some priorities, or perhaps they are telling us in the nicest way they know how that we are too self-centered, we are too caught up in our own achievements, adversities, acquire- ments, etc. When we do manage to "stop and smell the roses," to whom are we thankful – the people who planted them, the caretakers of them or do we manage at least a small thankfulness to God for the beauty of roses? After all the Lord Jesus is the Rose of Sharon. So 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. When we see a lily, do we say a thankful prayer to the Lord? Even the beauty of Himself he gives us a glimpse of through the beauty of the flowers on earth. Or, do we only see the weeds that have to be removed? If not, they will choke out the beautiful flowers. Much like the weeds of sin in our lives that we allow to creep in and choke out the seed of the Word that we are to be giving out. Rom 12:1-2 I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. If we just stop and consider all the wonderful things God put on earth just simply for our pleasure in observing its beauty, it can enrich our lives so much just by being thankful in little things. Some years ago my husband and I were traveling through the State of Vermont at the time of the turning of the beautiful fall leaves. My whole being was so over- whelmed with the beauty of the colors. It was just breathtaking to me. Words began to flow through my mind and I knew the Lord was impressing me with these words and so I grabbed a pen and paper and started writing them down hastily because they were coming so fast I could hardly write fast enough, and riding along in a truck that was pulling a 40-ft. Fifth wheel trailer isn't exactly a smooth ride so writing at best was shaky anyway. But I am printing here the words that impressed me just from the beauty of the fall leaves. "LET THERE BE TREES" When we think of all the wonders That God has given man For even all the beauty Was woven in His plan. When man looks at the colors Of the beautiful turning fall leaves It was all in the mind of Jesus When He said, "Let there be trees." He also made the mountains Standing tall and so serene Where the air is almost ethereal So pure, so fresh and clean; Towering high above the desert With its constantly shifting sand Yes, God made all this beauty To be enjoyed by human man. And He made the rivers And the little babbling brooks Flowing through the forests O’er hills and rocks, through nooks; These are fed by rainfall From the clouds so high above But there we see a rainbow Which speaks of God’s pure love. He even made the garden That we call Gethsemane Though he knew that He would kneel there Praying in great agony. And yes He made Golgotha That dark and lonely hill God said "sin must be paid for" The Lord Jesus said, "I will." So when we see the beauty Of the beautiful turning fall leaves Jesus saw the Cross of Calvary When He said, "Let there be trees." Oh, how thankful we should be for all that God grants us the privilege of seeing and enjoying during our journey here on earth. The thoughts of what God gave us in just the things I mentioned in the above poem should keep us rejoicing until the rapture. What a great God we serve. Praise the Lord forever. U |
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