How Thankful Am I?

Daily Reading: Galatians 4

You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. (Galatians 4.13-15)

Devotional Thought: Paul had first preached the gospel to the Galatians “because of a bodily ailment.”  We are not told what that ailment was, but a good guess would be that it had something to do with his eyes, for he wrote, “If possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me” (v. 15).  How those new Christians must have loved Paul!  So great was their appreciation for Paul having preached the life-changing message of Jesus to them, they would have given him their very eyes! 

Do we today have that kind of appreciation for having heard the gospel and for those who preached the gospel to us?  Recently, Dr. Nelson Perdue, evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene, preached a revival in our church in Bethel, Ohio.  When Dr. Perdue came to be with us, my heart was filled with the memories of how he led me to the Lord, of how he preached Jesus to me, of how I was saved.  Not only did I feel gratitude toward God, but I felt gratitude toward Dr. Perdue.

How grateful are you for the gospel and for those who led you to Jesus?  How thankful are you that you have become a daughter or a son of God through Jesus Christ?  The depth of your gratitude reveals the depth of your understanding of the gospel.  If we truly understand the awfulness and penalty of sin, then we will certainly be filled with thankfulness.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for those who cared enough to tell me about you.  In gratitude, Lord, I pledge to share your love with others that they, too, may know you.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 104.10-15

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. 11 They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. 13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. 14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: 15 wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.