The Pastor's Corner For October, 2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Remember the old hymn “Count Your Blessings?” The refrain reads:

Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God has done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

As I read those words, I thought, “Where do I begin to count the many blessings in my life?' In not any particular order, I began to count my blessings. I soon discovered the list has no end because each day brings new blessings. 

The truth is when we take the time to stop and think about the many blessings in our lives, we  realize they are countless. And granted, for all of us, there are times we don't feel particularly blessed, times when there isn’t enough money to pay the bills, times of illness, troubled relationships, losses, various trials. Yet, even during difficult times, God continues to bless us with his love, strength, and courage. 

Psalm 24:1 reads, “The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” In other words, all we have and all we are come from God. All the blessings in our lives are gifts from God. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father and the heavenly lights” (James 1:17). 

We are taught from an early age to say “thank you” upon receiving a gift. So how do we say 'Thank you” to God for the many, many gifts He has given to us?

One way we say “thank you” is to set aside a portion of our earnings and offer them back to God in praise and thanksgiving for the blessings we have been given. 

One of my most favorite scriptures about giving is found in the Second Book of Corinthians:
“Each one should give then, as he has decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause. As the Scripture says, ‘He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever.’ And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-10)

May we be generous in our giving to God just as God is generous to us.

And All God's Children Said,

“Amen.”

In Christ's Love,
Pastor Karen