On Being Thankful ...
November 22, 2006, 01:00 PM | Quotations
Thanksgiving
"The life of thankfulness — biblically speaking — is lived in view of the hard things of existence. As the life of thanksgiving deepens, we discover that the more mature prayers of thanksgiving are not those offered for the obvious blessings, but those spoken in gratitude for obstacles overcome, for insights gained, for lessons learned, for increased humility, for help received in time of need, for strength to persevere, for opportunities to serve others."

Fleming Rutledge, The Bible and The New York Times (Eerdmans, 1999)

I believe that the real difference in the American church is not between conservatives and liberals, fundamentalists and charismatics, nor between Republicans and Democrats. The real difference is between the aware and the unaware.

When somebody is aware of that love—the same love that the Father has for Jesus — that person is just spontaneously grateful. Cries of thankfulness become the dominant characteristic of the interior life, and the byproduct of gratitude is joy. We're not joyful and then become grateful — we're grateful, and that makes us joyful.

Brennan Manning, author of the Ragamuffin Gospel

podcast_icon

Listen to the podcast
itunes_icon

Free download on iTunes
|