Cactus Christian Fellowship
  • About Us
    • Mission Statement
    • Staff
    • Elders
    • Weekly Newsletter >
      • Offering & Attendance
    • Church Directory
    • Bible Reading Plans
    • Contact Us
  • Ministries
    • Cactus Care
    • Pastoral Care
    • Prayer Ministry
    • Missions
    • Men's Ministry
    • Women's Ministry
    • Teens
    • Small Groups >
      • Tuesday
      • Wednesday
      • Thursday
    • Service Opportunities
  • 9am Bible Classes
    • Adults
    • Teens
    • K - 6th grade
    • Nursery
  • Sermons
  • Calendar

                    Blessed Are The Grateful

11/3/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
One of the recurring themes of the New Testament is found in the command to “Be Thankful.”  Over and over it is found throughout the letters to churches and individuals. We stumble upon it so often we are apt to overlook it. But I can’t think of a quality more deeply needed in our march toward Christian maturity. We teach our children to say “Thank You” and sometimes they learn to adopt the phrase as a regular part of their everyday speech. As gratifying as that is, that is still a long way from observing a “grateful spirit” at work within them.
Several years ago there was a PEANUTS cartoon in which Schroeder, that piano-loving intellectual, was interrupted as he often was by his infatuated admirer, Lucy. Lucy asked him, “Schroeder, do you know what love is?”  Schroeder abruptly stopped his playing, stood to his feet and said precisely, “Love: noun, to be fond of, a strong affection for or attachment or devotion to a person or persons.”  Then he sat back down and resumed playing his piano. Lucy sat there stunned and then murmured sarcastically, “On paper, he’s great!”
I’m afraid that is where many of us specialize in gratitude—on paper. To possess a spirit of gratitude is priceless for it is built upon a giant dose of true humility. To always consider yourself as living on the positive side of life is a wonderful thing. Every good act that people do and every kind word is genuinely appreciated. Every possession you have is looked upon as a gift from God. You now know how and why to praise God. The door of heaven is open to you because “God inhabits the praises of His people.”  Your spirit is freed from the chains of “want” because you are conscious of what you have already been given and who has given it. The only thing more delightful than witnessing the spirit of gratitude abiding in another person is to experience its presence within yourself. If you possess it, praise God for your blessed condition and do everything you can to enlarge its borders. If you lack it, all Is not lost. Develop your awareness of and dependence upon God and it will grow. Just remember the words of David: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
 


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Bud Downs

    Senior Pastor of Cactus Christian Fellowship

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

2401 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032  
  • About Us
    • Mission Statement
    • Staff
    • Elders
    • Weekly Newsletter >
      • Offering & Attendance
    • Church Directory
    • Bible Reading Plans
    • Contact Us
  • Ministries
    • Cactus Care
    • Pastoral Care
    • Prayer Ministry
    • Missions
    • Men's Ministry
    • Women's Ministry
    • Teens
    • Small Groups >
      • Tuesday
      • Wednesday
      • Thursday
    • Service Opportunities
  • 9am Bible Classes
    • Adults
    • Teens
    • K - 6th grade
    • Nursery
  • Sermons
  • Calendar