Giving thanks is a gift God has given to us. It could be argued that it is also an exclusive gift, in that there is no other example in all of creation that any other creature gives thanks for anything. But, in order for us to give thanks we must first acknowledge that there is something to give thanks for. This acknowledgement is also a gift of grace, especially for the people of God.
Today we will discover that the fruit of receiving God's blessings should be thanksgiving. For Israel, the process of thanks was outlined in the system of temple worship, the thank offerings. Yet in Israel’s case, thanks for blessings had been sadly replaced with self aggrandizing. They forgot God and expressed thanks toward themselves and the gods they made. As a result, their near-destruction would not be the direct result of God’s actions against them, but their actions against God. When one is removed from the protection of God, the result is no protection at all. The question: has God left us, or have we left Him?
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June 23, 2013 | John Bayles | The Terrible, Swift Sword (Hosea 13:4-16)
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