I was thinking this morning, as I read 1 Chronicles 16:34...
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Two things hit me about that verse. First...the fact that his love endures forever. Do you realize the power of that statement? I think sometimes we hear it over and over, in songs and such...but do you ever just let that sink in? His love endures forever. As in...there never has been and never will be a day that His love for you, for me, has been/will be any less fervent. No matter what happens in heaven or on earth, EVER...the one everlasting truth I can depend on is His love. Wow...what a God we serve! He totally could have been this legalistic, power-gripping, authoritative God and made us his robotic little puppets, bowing down to him and doing everything He pleases. But no...He's the type of God who chose to make the law of Love reign above any other law. A person's priorities says a lot about him. So the fact that God says the greatest commandment is to love Him and love one another...mm. What a loving God.
The other thing that hits me about this verse is that it says to give thanks to the Lord...why? Because He is good. Period. Even if I perceived that I had absolutely nothing good going for me in this life on earth...if everything seemed to be working against me...I would still HAVE to give thanks to Him...because of the simple fact that He is good. I'm not saying "have to" to imply that God would pull out a laser gun and zap me if I didn't...but it's just what's naturally supposed to happen. No one has to force me...it just overflows from my soul. If I truly think about and realize His inherent pure and simple goodness...how can I keep from bursting forth with thanksgiving just for who He is? I think we overuse and cheapen the word "good" these days. Back at the beginning when God was creating the universe...He stepped back each day, looked at what He had made...and called it good. Imagine...creating and enjoying the very first sunrise, with colors bursting forth every which way...and the word "good" being sufficient to embody all of the beauty and magnificence of the moment. That's a pretty powerful word, if you ask me.
So enjoy today, friends...eat turkey, laugh with family, chase your little cousins around...but most importantly, take time to stop in the midst of it all...and truly give thanks to the Lord...for He really is good. And His love endures forever.
Amen.