Strength for Today
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23
Interested in getting rich quick? A sign in front of a church tells you how. It reads, “Get rich quick: Count your blessings!” In the West we put value on things; in the East it is upon relationships – people, friends and family. There, I’ve been in numerous homes where my host would find a photo album, filled with ragged, sometimes tattered photos, and share them with me, telling me who is in the picture and what was the occasion. At times I’ve thought, Why are they showing me these pictures? I’ve never met the individuals in the photo and never will. Then I am reminded that they share their treasured photographs because the individuals in the pictures are meaningful and important to them and, as a new friend, they want to share their friends with me.
One of our greatest sins today is the failure to recognize the blessings which come from the hand of God. We are much like those of whom the psalmist wrote, “They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt” (Psalm 106:21). Jeremiah, a man who had seen much heartache and pain, wrote, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
A generation ago Johnson Oatman Jr. wrote a song, the chorus of which goes, “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God has done…” Remembering what God has given us is medicine for the soul, and it will do more to lift you from your doldrums than winning the lottery or hitting the jackpot, because the blessings of the Almighty remain when everything else fades. Focus on family, friends, relationships and blessings. Get rich quick. Count your blessings!
Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to info@guidelines.org. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.