Thoughts for the Day

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High....

But the Lord sits enthroned for ever,
he has established his throne for judgement.
He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

How do you thank someone? The bigger the gift or the larger the act of generosity, the harder it is to say "Thank you!" For instance how on earth do you say thank you to someone who has saved your life? Somehow sending a card or some flowers doesn't seem sufficient despite feeling deep gratitude for their actions.

Anyone who watches television programmes about people being saved from an accident on top of a mountain, or rescued from a car crash, will see the problem that people have. Ultimately, what is needed is a real deep-seated acknowledgement of the generosity of the act, that someone else gave everything for you, and because of this the rest of your life will be different. The way you give to others, or help others from tomorrow will be measured by the gift you received.

Psalm 9 reminds us that God gave us life - He designed and brought into existence the amazing world in which we live; He sent His Son to rescue us when we strayed; He offers us forgiveness and eternal life. Our response can only be to acknowledge all that He has given to us with deep gratitude, and then to offer that same generosity to all those with whom we come into contact from now on.

Generous God,
You give and give again to Your children.
From the moment of our existence
we have been recipients of Your gifts.
Help us never to forget
all that we owe You,
and to make sure that we
act in a similar way
to all those we meet today
and in the future.
Amen.