Thank You Very Much

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  I Thessalonians 5:18

Folks need to put some gratitude in their attitude.  Somewhere we got off track with our thankfulness.  There is this “entitlement mentality” that is permeating society which results in some folks thinking that the world owes them something.  They believe that they are entitled to goods, services, and privileges as if they are deserving of those things without working for them.  Even our U.S. Declaration of Independence re-enforces that idea to a point by stating that “all men…are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (can’t be taken away) rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  That is why our government was formed–to protect these “rights”.

However, I can find nowhere in scripture where God issued these “rights” to mankind.  He created life at His prerogative, gave man free will, and gave him a choice to either go his own way or to follow and glorify the Lord.  Each day that a person lives is a gift from God.  The Apostle Paul remind us in I Corinthians 6:20 that we “are bought with a price”, thus we do not belong to ourselves, but to our Creator.  I think the right to life listed in the Declaration of Independence means that no one has a “right” to take another’s life.  Of course, there are exceptions, as in the death penalty for a person convicted of a capital crime or in wartime when our soldiers are seeking out the enemies of our nation.  The right to life is the right to protect oneself and family from those who would do them harm.  That’s why we have the Second Amendment of the Constitution, the right to bear arms.  If that is ever taken away from us, then our right to life and liberty will be gone.  We will be like “sitting ducks” to our enemies.

The right to liberty is the right to be free from unlawful imprisonment and to live lives as we see fit as long as we abide by the nation’s laws and by local laws.  We are free to pursue what makes us happy as long as others aren’t affected negatively.  While our government guarantees these “rights”, we are limited to a certain degree.  Rather than calling these things rights, I prefer to call them “privileges”.  I think if more folks saw all the wonderful opportunities in America as privileges instead of rights, they possibly would understand what a blessing it is to be in the greatest nation on earth.  Yes, we have our problems, but I had rather live here than anywhere else.

Everything that we have comes from God.  We are to be thankful and acknowledge that without God, we have nothing.  Paul also reminds us and encourages us to be thankful IN everything.  There are some things for which we are not thankful, but we can have joy that God will see us through trying times.  Do you ever stop and thank God for the things you take for granted:  a hot shower, a baby’s laugh, the companionship of friends, the ability to get out of bed in the morning, an ability to earn a living, etc.?  Real life, liberty and happiness can only be found in a right relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.  What the world considers “the good life” does not even compare to a life lived in freedom from the guilt of sin and lived in the joy of the Lord.  I wish all people would take Christ up on His most generous offer.