Thanks for All Your Gifts!

Last night as we reflected on an entire read-through of Ecclesiastes, we considered the fact that "there is a time for everything" and how that may bring us to joy and thankfulness. If we can remember this, perhaps in times of great struggle we can remember times of joy. We can remember to thank God for past and present blessings... which will bring us to joy in the Lord. And we really have so much to be thankful for- the gifts God has given to the world and the gifts He has given to us personally.

For: The World

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.

⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.

⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.

⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.

⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1-9)

This morning as I was on my run, I was thinking... what a beautiful morning. A simple thought, but a very lovely one nonetheless. For me, in order to enjoy Tucson, I have to be up early... most mornings this means waking up at 5am. Before the exhausting heat hits, I get a chance to look around and enjoy it... the hummingbirds surrounding the aloe plants, the bright orange flowers, the palo verde (one of my new favorite trees), and most of all... the coolness. "A cool breeze in the desert is a welcome friend." Ok, so I did just make up that proverb, but to me it is true.

This Psalm also goes on to mention God's protection and bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. This reminds me of what we did in Bible study last night. Everyone offered a sentence prayer of thanks, praising God for a blessing He had given them. We remember that "His love endures forever" when we remind ourselves of the good and perfect gifts He has given to us. He is always faithful, always loving, always blessing us in the most perfect time and perfect way. We have only to trust.

And... every time we look at the beauty God has given to us... we can say... "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. He made Mount Lemmon to cool us by day, His love endures forever, And the darkness to cool us by night, His Love endures forever, The river to fill with water during the monsoons, His love endures forever, And the saguaros to keep watch by night, His love endures forever." Thank you, Lord, for all of this that you have given to us and so much more. This weekend I have the opportunity to go on a short retreat with our Graduate Christian Fellowship group. And there we will certainly take some time to look around us and notice the beauty of all the gifts the Lord has given to us. Thank You, Lord for this time to appreciate Your gifts, and thank You for the gifts that You give to all of us in the amazing creation You have made.

For: You

⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^{a]" style=" line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]}and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^{b]" style=" line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

This part of 1 Corinthians is familiar to most. There are many parts, but one body. We each have certain gifts.. a different type of gift this time. These are spiritual gifts (talents, abilities) that we can use to serve the Lord. "All different spiritual gifts, but the same God works in all of them and in all men." This is evident in everything we do. Imagine a soccer team. You don't have 20 amazing goalies, 20 amazing forwards, 20 amazing half-backs. No... each one has their nitch, and the coach makes it his job to figure out who would be best at what position.

For us, in our Christian community, it is very similar. Let's take our Bible study as a microcosm of this. Not everyone is a talker... but even though Michelle doesn't speak up as much, her sweet and peaceful presence and inviting smile are a welcome part of the study. Jason and Kimberly though new to the group have already shown their dedication and very generous spirit, bringing ice cream to share and offering to make something for next week as well. Arkadiy has proved to be passionate, grateful and admirable in his attitude. Brad is much better at thinking of how to 'get to know one another' in inviting people to share a bit. Many others in the group share gifts of incredible insight into the scriptures, authenticity, openness to sharing, friendliness, prayers. What a beautiful group with so many beautiful gifts. Lord, thank you for the gifts that you give to each one of us... and I thank You for using those gifts to bring all the honor and glory to Your name.... for the building up of Your kingdom.