A HEART OF GRATITUDE

A HEART OF GRATITUDE

READ:
Psalm 19:1-6

The heavens declare the glory of
God; and the firmament shows His
handiwork.  -Psalm 19:1

My boyhood hero was American frontiersman Davy Crockett.  In the book David Crockett:  His Life and Adventures, Davy encounters a beautiful sight that causes him to launch into praise to the Creator.  The writer describes it this way:  "Just beyond the grove there was another expanse of treeless prairie, so rich, so beautiful, so brilliant with flowers, that even Colonel Crockett, all unaccustomed as he was to the devotional mood, reined in his horse, and gazing entranced upon the landscape, exclaimed, 'O God, what a world of beauty hast Thou made for man!  And yet how poorly does he requite Thee for it!  He does not even repay Thee with gratitude.'"  Crockett recognized that the Creator's handiwork demands a response of thankfulness-a response that is often neglected or ignored.

The psalmist wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).  God's handiwork is a spectacle that, rightly understood, should not only take our breath away but should inspire us to worship and praise our God as it did the psalmist.

Davy Crockett was right-encountering the wonders of God's creation should inspire, at the least, a heart of gratitude.  Are we grateful? - Bill Crowder

Across the expanse God stretched out His creation-
Established the stars, gave the earth its foundation;
His strength claims our worship, His power our fear;
Yet Calvary's cross sets us free to draw near. - Gustafson
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God's glory shines through His creation.

INSIGHT
Psalm 19:1-14 describes ways God can speak to us.  First, God speaks in the skies (vv.1-6).  The stars and moon in the night sky point to a Creator.  Paul tells us that His eternal power and Godhead are clearly seen by the things that are made (Romans 1:18-25).  Second, God also speaks through Scripture (Psalm 19:7-14).  The Bible-written by 40 different authors over 1,500 years in 3 different languages-tells us of our sin and God's plan of redemption.  Third, God also speaks to us in our souls (vv.12-14).  Because of the fall, each of us has a heart prone to wander (Jeremiah 17:9).  Yet the believer has experienced regeneration and can be enlightened by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14-16.

Have a blessed day.
God Our Creator's Love Always
Unity & Peace