#Bible #Lesson Expressions of Faith. A Vast Treasure
One temptation we face in life comes from comparisons. We are terrible about comparing ourselves to others. We compare what someone else has versus what we don’t have. Social media has only made this worse. It’s easy to compare your life, vacations, spouse, church, homes, perceived happiness, etc. to a hundred of your closest ‘friends.’
I don’t believe there is anything healthy about this practice. It does nothing but devalue what God has given you. Here’s an illustration from a book I recently read that might help:
"I once watched a child open her presents at a birthday party that all of her friends and their parents attended. She especially wanted a certain gift that she did not get. One by one she opened each package, and the child who gave it watched, smiling with anticipation, only to watch her snub her nose and push the package aside. It was painfully embarrassing to all of us, especially to the birthday girl’s parents. It was a startling example of ingratitude. She was given gift after gift, and all she could think about was the one gift she wanted. I later learned that the gift she wanted was neither precious nor valuable, but was inferior to many of the gifts she received.
"As I drove home, I thought about how awful that experience was, and how spoiled and ungrateful that little girl was. Then the Spirit whispered, 'Are you so different?' I thought about how often I focus on something I want God to do for me and neglect the ten thousand things–often better things–he has already done. I fuss about my little issues (not having enough money to do this or that, a problem at work, a strain in a relationship), and never once stop and thank God that I have eyes to see. If I lost my sight and had a million dollars, I would gladly pay it to get my eyesight back. My eyes are worth a million dollars. So is my heart. And my ears. And my wife. And my children. If I were wise, I would spend time each day thanking God for the 'vast treasure' he has given me. I could start, but I could never stop."
There is so much I like about this illustration, but the last line resonates with me, “I could start, but I could never stop.”
I grew up in a church filled with traditions. One of my favorite traditions was on Thanksgiving morning. Each Thanksgiving morning, the Fellowship Hall and gym would be filled with tables and one of the Sunday school classes would cook breakfast. They tasked the teenagers as the servers. It was a lot of work for the church, but it was all worth it for a special moment. The patriarch of the church, Hobson Byars, would get up and sing. As he aged, he seemed frailer, but the song he sang only got better. I can still hear him belt out, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.”
We have so much to be thankful for as we enter into fall. Take a moment to thank God for all that He has done for you.
Count your blessings- they are a testimony to God's provision, love, and faithfulness.
They are a vast treasure.
Special thanks for Pastor John Parrish of Gardendale Church of the Nazarene, Gardendale, Alabama.
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