Day 164 from “All to Jesus: A Year of Devotions” Robert J Morgan Psalm 138
“I will give you thanks with ALL my heart; I will sing your praise.” 138:1
A cholera epidemic swept through Asia following WW I, but experts noticed that it did not penetrate China. The reason? The cholera germ cannot survive boiling water, and the Chinese drink tea almost exclusively.
When the epidemic threatened to wrack the Philippines, doctors ordered people to boil their water. But the cholera continued. Investigating, the doctors found that the population has misunderstood their instructions. Every day Filipinos would boil some water and take two or three teaspoons like medicine, then drink their ordinary water as usual. Oh, the perils of effective communication! And, especially so, within our congregations/fellowships.
Perhaps that is the way we think of thanksgiving. We take a spoonful every now and then, sometimes at meals, or especially, annually on Thanksgiving Day. But a thankful spirit isn’t a matter of spoonfuls; it’s a constant state of mind.
Remember the story of the ten lepers Jesus healed? Afterward only one returned to thank Him. I have a theory the one leper had a life – orientation toward thanksgiving; and had you him seen the day before his healing, you have found a thankful person. He would have told you, “Well, it’s true I have this disease, but praise God any way. Let me tell you about all these blessings.” Having a mind-set of thanksgiving already, it was only natural for him to thank Christ for healing him. The other nine were grouches before they were healed, and remained still soaking and souring afterwards.
One in ten! Are the same proportions true today? Ninety per cent of us negative? Let’s give thanks with all our hearts, not merely by the spoonful! Limit your use of spoonfuls when sharing a small bowl of ice cream!