by Melissa Sharp
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,” Psalm 107:1-2
As I was singing and worshiping in church, the Holy Spirit overwhelmed me with thankfulness for the simple things. We were singing…
“I was a wretch, I remember who I was
I was lost, I was blind, I was running out of time
Sin separated, the breach was far too wide
But from the far side of the chasm
You held me in Your sight…
So You made a way, across the great divide
Left behind, Heaven’s throne, to build it here inside.
And there at the cross You paid the debt I owe.
Broke my chains, freed my soul, for the first time I had hope…
Thank You Jesus, for the blood applied
Thank You Jesus, it has washed me white
Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light…”
As I raised my hands in praise and sang those words alongside my church family, I was overwhelmed with gratitude at the goodness of God in my life. I thought to myself as the tears began to flow…
“Not only has the Lord granted you the gift of eternal life by the death of His Son Jesus Christ that reconciled you back to Him (something He did while you were still a sinner), but He gave you all that you have… the ability to run, a husband who loves the Lord with all his heart and absolutely adores you, two amazing children (and three bonus daughters), a home, a car, a full refrigerator, and a great job that allows you to serve your community. And that’s just a small list of the things God has blessed you with. You truly have a lot to be thankful for today and every day.”
My friend, if you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, you too, have a lot to be thankful for today. Right now, begin by counting your blessings—no really, stop and count them. Begin with your salvation because you have been “redeemed from the hand of the enemy” and have reason to “give thanks to the Lord!” He is good and his mercy endures forever!
God is not good sometimes, but all the time (even when it might not appear so). We know that God is working all things for our good. God’s love isn’t conditional or earned, it’s freely poured out on us day after day! The Psalmist clearly understood this and went on to list even more reasons God should be praised, adding that the redeemed of the Lord should regularly and unashamedly tell their story in response to this knowledge. You see, while all believers share a common story of salvation, individually, each one of us has a unique one-of-a-kind story that displays the goodness of God.
Our story necessarily involves telling others of God’s goodness in our own life, so don’t keep the goodness of God to yourself, my friend.
If God has been good to you, then tell your story of how the Gospel has given you new life! It’s the very thing that has the power to lead others to the foot of the Cross where they can discover for themselves that God is good and worthy of our thanksgiving and praise. Our stories have that much power!
Heavenly Father, thank You for being good all the time and for loving us unconditionally. Help us to be so filled with gratitude in light of your goodness God that we are compelled to share our story with all those we meet in hopes that they will choose to follow You. It’s in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.
