A Renewal of Gratitude “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1–5 Prior to the Civil War, U. S. Grant had a mixed record. An indifferent student, he graduated near the bottom of his class at West Point and resigned from the army under a cloud in 1854. Called back to service when the fighting broke out, Grant established a reputation as a dogged commander who would grind opposing armies into surrender. His refusal to negotiate any terms with the defeated Confederate Army, earned him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. Yet after his victory at Fort Donelson, he treated the Confederate commander, Simon Bolivar Buckner, a former classmate of his at West Point, with great dignity and respect. Years before Buckner had helped Grant with a generous loan when Grant could not even afford to return home. Buckner later described their meeting this way: “Under these circumstances I surrendered to General Grant. I had at a previous time befriended him, and it has been justly said that he never forgot an act of kindness.” Grant repaid Buckner the money he had once been loaned so that the defeated general would not be in need. God expects us to be thankful people. We have been given much through God’s grace, and it is only right and proper that we frequently and joyfully express our gratitude for what He has done. The devil knows that if he can persuade us to take these things for granted, he has planted seeds that will destroy the harvest of thanksgiving in our lives. Today’s Renewal Principle: Because of God’s great blessings poured freely on our lives, we always have reason to be thankful.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 20:18:49 +0000
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