1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! 4 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
Thankfulness is a powerful attitude of the heart. It's a great practice to think about what God has done in our lives, even within the past 24 hours, and to thank Him for His goodness and faithfulness. We can give God the glory that He loves us, that He has saved us, that we have a relationship with Jesus, that we have life and breath, and abundant and eternal life. Another Psalm - 103 - says to not forget ALL His benefits...and having that attitude of thankfulness will shape the way we view life and the way we approach and respond to the circumstances of our lives.
Colossians 3 underscores for us the importance of developing and possessing a thankful heart:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
The first medal for the United States in the 2012 Olympics in London was in archery. Only appropriate, I guess, since that sport has seen a resurgence, thanks to the portrayal of it in "The Hunger Games". And, one of the team members is someone who does not shy away from discussing how his life is more "on target" now.
His name is Brady Ellison. He's 23 years old, the No. 1-ranked archer in the world for 2011 and 2012, and won gold at both the Pan American Games and the World Archery Indoor Championships. This summer on ESPN's "Sport Science", Brady shot an arrow through the hole of a large, puffy, glazed doughnut 70 meters away -- on his first shot for the cameras, no less.
According to a piece in Yahoo! Sports, Brady is quoted as saying:
"I just step on the field and try to let how I shoot, how I behave and how I act in my life represent myself and God," he said. "If people like that, they do; if they don't, they don't."
Ellison speaks openly about his faith because he doesn't believe he'd be here without it. Not just in the competitive sense — he believes God spared his life two years ago when he was visiting a friend in Vermont. On his way back from a hunting trip, Ellison said his car was climbing over a hill on a road with a double-yellow line when he saw a car moving fast - in his lane.
Ellison believes the collision would have killed him. But the speeding vehicles didn't crash. "Looking back on that, I was already turning the wheel before I saw the car coming. The car pulled off into a ditch. I remember that car, through my blurred vision, missing me by inches," he said. "I know God saved my life."
The Yahoo! piece said:
It was an epiphany that reordered Ellison's existence: He began living for God, and in turn had faith that his path had been divinely chosen. "I wouldn't say I was the most angelic of a person. I've quit drinkin'. Just tried to be a better person, healthier and live for Him."According to Charisma magazine, we have a young man who, after accepting Christ as young child, has apparently re-dedicated his life to serving God, desiring for God to use him and other Christian Olympians as "vessels for his glory".
Brady is a great example for us as someone who is living a life of thankfulness. He recognizes that the Lord spared his life on that Vermont road two years ago. And, possessing an attitude of thanksgiving can shape the way we live our lives and respond to the circumstances of life. If our hearts are full of praise and our eyes are sensitive to the hand of God around us and what He wants to do through us, we can testify to the presence of Almighty God and reflect a refreshing sense of dependence on Him.
Brady's life was literally saved - and when you think about the dangers in this world, we can be thankful that God has chosen to leave us here. But, He has done so for a purpose. He has preserved us physically, and if you have accepted Christ as your Savior, He has saved your real, spiritual life, as well - give Him thanks for that and so much more!
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