Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something

Saturday, November 18, 2017

This week we have looked at several terms that have to do with appreciation for others. 

• Gratitude
• Thanksgiving 
• Respect
• Chivalry
• Honor

As nouns, these words just sit on the couch doing nothing. But as verbs they require action. So what are we going to do to get them busy? 

First we have to recognize that God loves us. In spite of our shortcomings and inconsistencies, He longs to have a relationship with us. That’s why He made us. Seriously. And He loves us so much that He gave His beloved Son to die on the cross in our place so that we could have eternal life with Him. If you think about it, 

• God is grateful for us. 
• He is thankful for us. 
• He respects our right to make our own decisions — He doesn’t make them for us. 
• He is the ultimate gentleman toward us — not pushing Himself on us or demanding that He get His way. 
• And He reserves a place of honor for us when we join Him in heaven. 

The second thing we need to do is to look internally to find the blessings that God has placed there. 

• Be grateful for how God has taught us and has caused us to grow. Recognize these areas and express our gratitude to Him. 
• Be thankful for all the many blessings God has poured out on us. Thank Him specifically for each of them. 
• Respect ourselves as God’s special creations. Recognize our strengths and give God credit for giving them to us. 
• Cut ourselves some slack. That’s the advice we’ve probably given our friends on countless occasions. So we should do the same for ourselves. God did. 
• Stand up proudly in honor of whom God has made us to be. 

The rubber really meets the road with this last thing. Look all around at people and circumstances and hunt for ways to exercise these words of appreciation — to heap affirmation on people everywhere. 

I think we would be surprised at what would  happen if we would take these three steps.