*********Annual SINGLES PRE-SUPERBOWL PARTY Friday February 4, 2011***********
10225 Bardstown Bluff Road 40291 (Hoagland Home) 7:00 - 10:00pm
Bring favorite dish or snack (casserole, dip/chips, veg/fruit tray, dessert, etc...)
RSVP to this email
FOOD, FUN, GAMES, SINGING, DEVOTIONAL, PRAYER
Mark your calendars now...bring a friend.
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We meet at 6:15pm each Thursday in Minors Lane foyer for our small group study. Please join us.
9th and Final character Trait: GRATITUDE
read pages 139-144 Character Matters by Dr. Mark Rutland
Gratitude: Character In Celebration
Interesting story about Evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman....She faced a life changing situation in 1948 as her husband filed for divorce. In 1948, a divorced, single female evangelist was not possible. The sheriff who served her the papers, however was sent by God. He said, "My office ordinarily releases the names of all divorce suits to the local newspaper, but I have been attending your services and am convinced God sent you to this crime-riddled county for a special purpose. There is no need for anyone but the two of us to know what has happened. God bless you and your ministry among us. I am at your service." Every year, until the day of his death, nearly 25 years later, that burly sheriff received an expensive flower arrangement on his birthday. The card always said the same thing: "with gratitude from Kathryn Kuhlman."
Homer Smith wrote a series of famous books. "The Lilies of the Field" was made into a movie in 1963. Mr. Smith was not a particularly educated man, but he was a Christian man with a great deal of wisdom. Near the end of this story, by the use of an English lesson, Homer Smith tricked the old nun into saying "thank you" for building her church. She had refused to express gratitude her entire life, but when she finally did, she found it to be a jolting experience.
Gratitude is not only among the very highest virtues; it is synonymous with the deepest, most profound elements of scriptural holiness. Gratitude is diametrically opposed to pride.
We should spend the rest of our lives saying "thank you." That is what real life is, an expression of gratitude to God. Paul said: "I consider myself to be in debt, both to the Greek and to the non-Greek. I am indebted to the whole world. I am in debt to GOD!" Rom. 1:14.
Our author states: "When I consider my own life, I must ask, 'who am I to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ?' These are the same feet that hurried to do sin. These hands were covered with blood. Single-handedly I very nearly destroyed my family and myself. Yet God scooped me up out of the gutter of the universe, hosed me down and filled me with the Holy Spirit. He gave me back my soul and my sanity. He gave me another chance with my family and allowed me the privilege to preach the Word of His kingdom. Amazing! Yes. Yes, the rest of my life IS a 'thank you.' "
The reason we resist the life of unending gratitude is fear that "thank you" implies responsibility. We want to be free from the responsibility to "pay some of it back." It is a great tragedy that many affluent think that somehow or other they deserve it all.
A sin of the Rich:
Ingratitude is, in general, not a sin of the poor, but of the rich, and we are rich! Take a look...A kid who has never had anything and has no hope of having anything, who wakes up cold every morning of his life in a tar paper shack, is likely to be grateful for the apple he gets at Christmas. How totally rich are we in comparison!!!??? Our author was staying in Ghana with missionaries for Christmas in 1980 when there was nothing there. Borders were closed, store shelves were empty and the people were hungry. Rutland wanted to give the pastor's son a gift but he had nothing to give. He washed a used T-shirt and wrapped a $10 bill inside. Rutland says: "At supper, I handed the boy his one modest gift, and if I live to be one hundred, I will never forget that college student weeping with gratitude over a used T-shirt and a ten-dollar bill."
Personal note: It has been a life-changing journey during this time of fasting to read through the book "Always Enough" by Rolland and Heidi Baker. They minister to the poorest children on earth in Mozambique. Here is an excerpt from their journal March 2001:
"They hadn't come for food (even though they were starving). We were only able to bring two 45-kilogram bags of beans in our Cessna. The shops were bare, as the few supply roads were under water. Thousands had lost everything in the flood and hadn't eaten in days or weeks. Many couldn't find the rest of their families. But everyone here understood one thing: They needed Jesus! Everyone responded for prayer; everyone wanted Him, His forgiveness, His life, His salvation. No one had any answers apart from Him. We prayed with them into the night. Jesus completely healed a lady who had gone totally blind and deaf--her husband had left her because she was no good anymore. She and her family were so thrilled they didn't know what to do. That testimony went out, and for the next 3 days people kept coming to Marromeu to find Jesus."
Perspective: Shouldn't we live in perpetual gratefulness for Jesus' salvation???!!!!
With a Grateful Heart,
Becky
