Man, This Is Good

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. [Psalm 50.14]

It would seem this verse in Psalm 50 is speaking directly to me today.

Thankfulness is the first thing to go when hard times come. The fact that I would even make this statement indicts me. I do plenty of moaning and groaning in my hard times but find thankfulness a ridiculous effort. This condition is one of worldly self-centeredness and arrogance, and, before God, it is wrong.

I find a remedy on further down in Psalm 50:

Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” [Psalm 50.22-23]

I have grown to understand in the last few years that repentance is an unpopular and therefore much-overlooked practice among those who would "serve God." But here today it is clear that repentance, necessary as it is, is only partially complete without the accompanying response of thankfulness. Both repentance and thankfulness are acts of purest faith, and therefore, please God enormously.

The depth of the implications of thankfulness is as deep as God Himself. As we realize that God has given us people in our lives (I won't even discuss here the shallowness of being thankful only for things), we must necessarily realize that with the gift of people comes responsibility of caring for them. We are ambassadors of Christ:

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. [2 Corinthians 5:17-21]

Paul said it - God has given us the task of reconciling people unto Him. This task is a gift by virtue of the fact that it was given. What does that mean? First, it means that everything we see in the life of Jesus Christ is what reconciling people unto God looks like. Furthermore it means:

If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.23]

Unless we live in a remote cave with absolutely no contact with other humans, we have people in our lives. Every person in our life is a gift from God, whether we like them or not, and is therefore our responsibility for imparting the forgiveness of God to. Remember, every blessing of God is made possible through forgiveness. This is why Jesus would stand up and quote Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]

This is also why Jesus made our role clear:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]

Here is how it is: God has given us people as a gift for which to be thankful. But why? Because it is the "gift of people" that allows us to fulfill our Kingdom purpose on earth. It is the "gift of people" that allows us to forgive just as Jesus said we should. Is is the "gift of people" that allows us to heal the sick just as Jesus did. Is is the "gift of people" that allows us to restore people just as Jesus did. It is the "gift of people" that allows us to see Christ manifest in and through our lives. It is the "gift of people" that allows us to have faith for all this happen. It is the "gift of people" then that allows us to truly please God.

It is not ironic today that Psalm 50 also has an important rebuke related to unforgiveness:

You sit around and slander your brother—your own mother’s son. [Psalm 50.20]

Until we are resolute in our thankfulness for all, we do not fully understand forgiveness, and we do not fully grasp the forgiveness of God.

However, when we begin to grasp and exercise the fullness of thanksgiving, we can better understand Jesus' instruction for us to pray, "May Your Kingdom come... May Your Will be done..." The "gift of people" allows us to do the works of Almighty God on His behalf (in the Name of Jesus) here on earth.

Man, this is good, if I do say so.

Father, I regret that I have been so hard-hearted for so long regarding repentance and thankfulness. Forgive me for being this way. And, thank You for being so very very good to me. May my efforts to serve You be founded upon humility and gratitude. May Your Kingdom then come  - May You will then be done... and may my life touch the lives of others with You.