Pastor Larry Sundin
The first line of Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” This is a great description of the goodness of God towards us. As our shepherd He satisfies our needs. He gives contentment. He restores life. He keeps us from wandering. He drives away our fears, He prepares a table for us, and He pursues us with His goodness. As David said, “Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”
In other words, there are no limits to God’s goodness to you. Imagine that. God exists to give you what you do not deserve, and He does so every day. He gives you air to breathe, the sun to warm you, sleep to restore you. He gives you family to love you, food to sustain you, and laughter to bless you. He gives you hope, joy, and even faith to uphold you. His unlimited goodness to you means there will never be a time when He will not love you or do good for you. He is simply committed to you for your good. That’s why God will never force you to do His will and why He will never shame you or guilt you. That’s why you can always count on Him to forgive you when you sin, lead you when you’re lost, comfort you when you’re hurting, and restore you when you’re broken. You see, God doesn’t always spare you from life’s difficulties but provides His goodness to help you through life’s troubling times. And all He asks of us is to thank Him.
Think of all the benefits of being thankful. In a world that is always telling you to surround yourself with more stuff, giving thanks can reduce feelings of envy and dissatisfaction and can increase your contentment. In a world where you’re always being told to look out for yourself, giving thanks can cultivate a humility in you that frees you to actually be yourself. In a world that is often quite stressful, giving thanks not only reduces stress but can even help you sleep better. And in a world that often tries to squeeze God out of our lives, giving thanks to God actually draws you closer to Him and creates a sense of well-being, security, and joy in your life that you didn’t know was possible.
So, let me encourage you to be thankful for the next few days and see what happens. Thank God for the good things in your life and see if that doesn’t just make God a little more real. Then look for ways to express thanks to the people around you. You might be surprised at how far a word of thanks can make a difference. We never know what they might be going through, but if you tell them how grateful you are for them, you might just find that your thanks will do more than brighten their day, it may just brighten yours. And when you start to think about it, our world could use a few more thankful people. So, I for one am thankful for this place called Robson Ranch and all the people who make it such a wonderful place to call home. And I am especially thankful for our Rock Springs Family. They’re truly some of the kindest, generous, and most welcoming people I’ve ever had the privilege to pastor. Thank you for your love and faithfulness. And may you all have a Happy Thanksgiving.