April 28: SHOWING OUR GRATITUDE

I watched as the television camera passed over the crowd crossing the parking lot into the baseball stadium. All of the faces were smiling, people were giving “high-fives”. Everyone was walking with vigor and anticipation. Later, I saw both the newspaper and the television report of a coming basketball playoff game in a nearby city. People were lining up the night before to be sure they obtained tickets for the game. All were laughing and excited. Old friends and strangers alike were warmly conversing about the coming event.
Switch now to your local Church parking lot. Unsmiling faces heading toward the building because they are late. No high-fives here! No spontaneity! The walking seems slower. Where is the excitement? There seems to be more excitement exhibited about an event whose results will be forgotten in a week than there is about an event that will have a ripple effect all the way into Eternity.
Something has been lost. Where is the fire for God? Joshua feared this would happen to the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan River. Joshua 4:4ff (NIV) “So Joshua called together twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them ‘Go over before the Ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each one of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you “What do these stones mean?” tell them that the flow of Jordan was cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord’.”
Have you forgotten something? Joshua made a stone memorial so the people wouldn’t lose their excitement. Have you forgotten something? If you haven’t, go to Worship Sunday with a godly gratitude and show it. You will be blessed in doing it.

“Forgive us, O Lord, for forgetting so many benefits of our faith in
You. Help us to realize our spiritual poverty without Your love. Amen”