Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread":
It was only yesterday that we were discussing here what is that “unspeakable gift” for which our hearts cry out to the Father, “Thanks!”
We saw that the angels and the “twenty-four elders” who praise the Lord unendingly are not fanatics (Rev. 4:8-11); when we come to “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of “the love [agape] of Christ which passes knowledge,” we can’t help doing the same.
We even went so far yesterday as to suggest that there is salvation in comprehending, choosing, expressing, that “thanksgiving”! It’s the only appropriate response to the love Christ poured out on His cross. It’s exceedingly close to a true definition of what faith is.
Now today comes the Sacramento Bee with a front-page article saying “Thanks is Good Therapy.” A university psychologist, Robert A. Emmons, says that “even when the odds are against you, having gratitude can bring many emotional—and physical—benefits. Gratitude, he said, is not something to be kept tucked away until the holiday season.”
He tells of a 56 year old pharmacist undergoing treatment for lung cancer who has learned to be grateful for even one more day given him; the physician sees what he believes is renewed life given the sick man because of his gratitude for even a little life.
How much greater is the life-giving value of faith in Christ if such faith is understood as a mind-stretching, soul-stretching heart appreciation of what it cost Him to save us! Involved intimately in that heart experience is the conviction pressed upon us by the Holy Spirit that it was our heart “enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7) that brought Him to His cross. You will feel like telling Him “Thank You!” forever.
Do I dare say it—it’s better to tell Him that today than to wait to tell it to Him in the blessed hereafter. Why? Because telling Him now changes you and saves you for being happy in the blessed hereafter! It delivers you from Old to New Covenant living.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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