On this 29th day of September, I hereby proclaim the upcoming month of October worthy of a full month of thanks.
Yes, I know ….
Thanksgiving isn’t until November – but gratitude needn’t wait for it. What I’m talking about is getting started early with this thankful business and keeping it going.
So, what has got me launching this early season of gratitude, even before the leaves turn colors? Sunday morning’s sermon: “A Blessing with Four S’s.”
Oh, I know that thankfulness should always be in style – for all of humanity and especially for Christians. But Sunday’s sermon was built around one small verse in the letter of Paul to the Philippians: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:19.
So much food for thought in just 17 words. Here are four S’s to ponder in this blessing:
– The source. It says “my God” will supply the blessing. It also says “your (or ‘my’) needs.” Paul reminds us that we can have a personal relationship with God. Our connection with Jesus makes him our God. He’s attached to us. How wonderful is that?
– The service. If we examine ourselves, we can see that, yes, we desire for God to provide something for us, and we want that something to be good. Thankfully, it will be. Listen to Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Every spiritual blessing: Righteousness. Justification. Sanctification. Every single one.
Hebrews 13:5 says God will never leave or abandon us. He will stay right with us. With me. With you. God has never failed or messed up.
-The substance. God will supply not only spiritual blessings; he will also supply physical blessings. Matthew 6:33 speaks to that: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll have every want met or avoid every season of need. Jesus knows our worries well – food, clothing, the basics of life – and he spoke to them tenderly just before this verse.
– The standard. God’s blessings are top quality. Think back to our verse in Philippians: “his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Truly, because so many blessings come, we often don’t even recognize them – and, therefore, aren’t even grateful.
One of my new favorite verses is Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
Being a word person, I sometimes try to figure out how much is “exceedingly abundantly.” It has to be a whole lot. If I had been grading Paul’s epistle in my feature writing class, I might have encouraged him to mark out one of those words. But, no, that is the exact truth, and my eyes get misty thinking about it.
And how much is “above all that we ask or think”? There’s just no way to get my mind totally around that concept. It’s staggering. It’s stupendous. And we who are God’s children are the recipients of all of this.
So as my minister said, “Start believing. Watch and be thankful.” The power Paul describes is God’s; he doesn’t need Superman to help him. God blesses us according to his grace – and not our merit. Thank heaven for that. We’re not trading for grace; we’re not earning it; it’s a gift.
The sermon closed with this invitation: Let this verse be our prayer and our expectation. Start looking for things to be thankful for tomorrow. Or better yet, start today.
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Sallie Rose Hollis lives in Ruston and retired from Louisiana Tech as an associate professor of journalism and the assistant director of the News Bureau. She can be contacted at sallierose@mail.com.
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