OCR Text |
Show 5W I King unto tho Lord with thanksgiving, -t'nulni 117:7. fHANKSOIVINO Is ono of our highest and holiest dutlos. There nro In tho Scriptures moro commands com-mands and calls to pralso than to prnyor. Yet few j duties nro moro frequent ly neglected than this. Thero aro many people who are always coming to God with requests but who do not como to hi in with thanksgiving nftcr their roquests hnvo been granted. Ten lepers onco cried to Jesus for cleansing, cleans-ing, as ho wbb passing thorn nt a distance. dis-tance. Ho graciously heard thorn and granted their plea. Whon thoy had been healed, oao of tho ten returned to thank tlio heuler, but tho othor nlno enmo not again with nny word of recognition rec-ognition of tho great favor thoy had received. So It ls continually many nro blessed nnd helped, but few show gratitude Our Lord folt keenly tho Ingratltudo of the lepers who returned re-turned not. ' Whero nro tho nlno?" wns his pained question. God pours out his gifts and blessings overy day upon his children; and whenever no volco I of thanksgiving is heard In return ho j misses It. If ono bird of tho forest , Is silent in tho glad spring day, ho misses Its song. If ono human heart falls to uttor Its pralBo amid life's countless blessings, ho , Is disappointed. disap-pointed. Many thero nro who think that if certain doflnlto days aro sot apart for-praise for-praise it is enough. For oxnmplo, thoy will be gratoful for a wholo day onco In a year, touching then every chord of pralso in their being, thinking think-ing that this ls tho way God wants them to show their gratitude But the annual Thanksgiving day Is not Intended In-tended to gather Into Itself tho thanksgiving thanks-giving for a wholo year; rather it is Intended to give tho koynoto ror all tho year's life. Life's true concert pitch Is praise. If wo Hnd that wo aro bolow tho right pitch, we should take advantage of tho particular thanksgiving seasons to get koyed up. 'When tho strings of life begin to grow discordant thanksgiving will put us In tune. The Idoul llfo Is ono of gladness, Unthankfulness and rretfulncss aro discords In tho song. Wo havo no right to live gloomily or sadly. Go whore wo may, wo hear tho music of Joy, unless our ears havo become tone-deaf. tone-deaf. Tho world Is full or beauty nnd full of music. Yot It Is strnugo how I many peoplo scorn nolthor to seo tho loveliness nor hear tho music. It wero well If many of us would train ourselves to seo tho glory and goodness good-ness of God, as rovealed In nature. It , will ho sad to leavo this world, after j staying In It throo-scoro or four-scoro i yours without having soon nny of the j ton thousand beauties with which God I hod adorned It. "Consider tho lilies," I said Jesus. Every sweot flower has a 1 message of Joy to him who can read 1 tho writing. Ono who loves God's . flowers and birds and trees and moun-, moun-, tains and rlvors and seas, and has , learned to hood tho voices which evory-' evory-' whoro whlspor their secrots to him who understands, can never be sad or 1 lonely. Tho power to hear what nature's voices have to say is in our hearts, not merely In tho ear. Wo must have the beauty In our souls be-! be-! foro wo can seo beauty anywhero. Hence thore aro ninny who are really i blind to tho loveliness which God 1ms strewn everywhere, with most lavish hand, In his works. So wo must hnvo tho music in our linnrt before wo can hear tho music which sings ovory-whoro ovory-whoro for him who has ears to hear. If we have thanksgiving within us, wo will havo no trouble In finding gladness glad-ness wherever we go. It Is a sad nnd cheerless heart that makes tho world seem dreary to certain people; if only they will lot Joy cr'ev to dwell within, a now world would bo created for them. If wo allow our heart to chor-, Ish unlovlngncss, bitterness, evil thoughts or reelings, we cannot hear tho music of lovo which breathes ovcrywhorc, pouring out from tho heart of God. Hut It wo koop our heart gentle, patient, lowly, and kind, on our ohrs will rail, wherever wo go, ' sweot strains of dl vino music straight from heaven. A great man has said that the hah-. it or cheerfulness Is worth a" fortune a year. This Is trim not only in a ) financial way, It Is true of ono's own enjoyment of llfo and also or the ' worth of ono's llfo to others. A glad heart gets Immeasurably moro out of llfo than ouo thnt Is gloomy. Every dny brings Us benedictions. If It Is raining, rain. Is a blessing. If troublo conies', God draws nearer than before, ) for "Ah your days, so shall your strength bo." Then, In tho trouble, benedictions nro folded up. If thoro Is sorrow, comfort Is rovoaled In tho sorrow, a bright light In tho cloud. If tho day brings difficulties, hardships, heavy burdens, sharp struggles, life's best things como In Just this kind of cxporlcnca and not In tho easy ways. Tho thanksgiving heart finds treasure and good evorywhoro. Then a. glad llfo makes a llfo of gladness wherever It goes. It leaves an unbroken lano of sunbenms behind It. Everybody Is hotter as well as hap-pier hap-pier for mooting ono whoso Christian llfo radiates gladness and choor. Wo can do nothing hotter either for our-selves our-selves or for tho world in which wo llvo than to learn the lesson of praise and of thanksgiving. "Let us learn to sing unto the Lord with thanksglv-lng." thanksglv-lng." Thore are troubles In every life, but thero aro n thousand good things for ono trial. Somotlmcs wa havo disappointments but oven these nro roally God's appointments, as somo day we shall And out. If people aro unkind to us, we must go on lov-lngJust lov-lngJust as before, our hearts full of uncouquorublo kindness, nnd It will Anally win. The most dcop-soatcd ten- dency to sadness can bo ovorcome and jH roplnced by happy cheerfulness. The gospel of Christ comes to us nud tolls us that wo must bo born again, born from above, born or God, nnd our very naturo will bo recreated. Then dl- vino grnco assures uu that it is not Impossible oven for tho most unholy HI llfo to bo transformed into holiness. The being that is saturated with sin jR may bo whiter than biiow. Thoro Is no 9H naturo, therefore, howovor unhappy SH it may bo because of its original qual- rid Ity or Its early training, which cannot lifSp through divine help learn tho losson wP at happiness and thnnksglvlng. Tho f.yijt secret of Christian Joy Is tho peaco of Christ In the heart. Then ono Is not dependent upon circumstances or con-dltlons. con-dltlons. St. Paul said he hod loarnod f F j In whatsoever state ho was thoreln to ; be content. Wo know well that his ' Wv, circumstances woro not always con- r.i gonial nor easy, but ho sang Bongs In . his' prison with as chcorful a heart as Jj'tl when ho wns enjoying tho hospitality j' . of a loving frlond. Thero might ba Jc' j' hardships, sufferings, and want; but f, if.' In himself ho had the peaco of Christ; "WJ and this sustained him. St. Paul's 'V'" secrot of contentment Is tho Chris- 'Vv tlan's true secret of a happy llfo. |