Levi Sisemore, Texas Normal Singing School
If you call someone an “ingrate,” it’s a pretty serious verbal slap across the face. It’s usually used in a long laundry list of insulting names, so it’s not like we ever pause to hear that one particular insult. Have you ever thought of the meaning of that word? An ingrate is one who is not full of thanks (think “ingrateful”). And no one wants to be thought of as ingrateful (ungrateful? thankfulnessless?).
Christians should be a people of thanksgiving, not only to God – and not only in November – but to everyone and at every time.
We should stand in awe at God’s creation and thank him for the magnificence of the universe. Often time there is such a thin line between thanks-giving and praise-giving that there is great overlap.
In Christ we should be thankful for God delivering us from our enemies. This does not mean that we pray for vengeance, but we take a heavenly perspective and we realize that when we are in Christ, none of humanity’s enemies (like death) can harm us any longer.
In Christ we should be thankful for the forgiveness of our sins. With our sins removed, there is no longer any occasion for death to keep its hold on us or for there to be any separation or barrier between ourselves and God.
In Christ we should be thankful when we see the hand of God moving in response to our prayers. At our best moments we are thankful when he answers the way we wanted him to. I wish that we would also be thankful when he gives another answer – be thankful that the God of the heavens listened to us and considered our request at all.
In Christ we should be thankful for the ways God works to care for the widow, orphan, and other “helpless” members of society. And then, in Christ, we must be ready to serve those groups, and those like them, as God’s instruments of mercy.
In Christ we should be thankful for our church family. Jesus himself was so involved with spiritual matters that he was out of tune with his own biological family. He cultivated the tangible love and support of spiritually-minded people and he was thankful for their presence and lives.
Give thanks today.
The 2021 session of the Texas Normal Singing Schoo...
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