It Is Good to Be Thankful: Appreciation makes the world a better place…
The world loves to keep score on how we are doing. Whether it’s the number of “likes” we get on social media or how much money we make in our careers, the world is keeping score. If we want to buy something substantial, the bank needs to check our credit score. Along with scores come records. Companies keep records on customers. Police keep records on suspected criminals. This is not necessarily a bad thing—just a part of society which unfortunately programs us for the numbers game.
When I was in school and got into trouble, the most frightening thing to hear from a teacher was that what I did was going on my permanent record. All those who looked at this record in the future would see it. It was daunting to think I would be marked for life because I chewed gum in history class.
Thoughts about permanent records and keeping score can creep into the Christian life.
Sometimes we like to keep score on how well we are doing as Christians. On good days, we dream about all the gold stars that will get us into heaven. On bad days, we are praying God looks to other way. This kind of philosophy makes us think we have to earn God’s love or salvation.
This is not true! Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “By grace you have been saved by faith, not of yourselves, for it is a gift, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
So God clearly tells us that nothing we do will ever earn us salvation because salvation is a gift from Him. Nothing we do will ever make God love us anymore than He already does. Christians who perform lists of do’s and don’ts trying to get God to love them do not understand God’s grace. God’s love is freely given to us!
When we are works oriented, we begin to focus on ourselves, our performance, and our works, instead of focusing on what God has done. Here’s the deal… God loves us! God loves us! God loves us! We do nothing to earn this love. We do nothing to earn salvation!
Psalm 130:3 says, “If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness…”
God is not the great Scorekeeper in the Sky—and for that, I am very thankful! Because if He kept score, we would all lose.
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“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord...” ~ Psalms 92:1 (KJV)
