Thesis 48 We must remember from whence we came, giving thanks for God’s grace in our lives.
It is our perennial weakness that we are prone to forget. We are creatures of the now. We do not often think of where we are going. Even less frequently do we remember from whence we came. Wherever we are becomes our default position, what is normal for us. But we have come a long way.
Or better still, we have been led a long way. We are growing in grace because of the grace of God in our lives. Even if we have been blessed with an unremembered and undramatic conversion experience, we were all once by nature children of wrath. We once all walked in darkness. We were all conceived in iniquity. If, however, we are in Christ, then we have been born twice. We have been given a new nature. We are now bearing fruit.
To be sure, none of us are where we want to be. We long for the day when sin will be behind us, when we will walk with God unashamed. That shame, however, must never cause us this greater shame, that we would forget to give thanks for how we’ve progressed. The right response to God’s grace in our lives is ever and always thanksgiving, gratitude. We were, after all, dead in our trespasses and sins, but He made us alive. We were once His enemies, but now we are His friends. We were once the children of our father the devil. Now see how much our heavenly Father loves us, that He allows us to be called His children. It is all too easy to forget these blessings, to take His grace for granted.
We must learn, as well, to look for the grace of God in our lives. We should, of course, be alert for our failures. We are called to confess our sins. Being aware of our failures will remind us of His forgiving grace. But we ought also to be on the lookout for our improvements. We ought to expect the Spirit to be at work in us, and we ought to be able to discern the fruit which He is bringing forth from us. And when we see this, we ought to respond with joy and grateful hearts. Remember, this is His work in us. He has promised us not only to forgive us our sins, but to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It is His grace.
When we have given thanks, we ought to again give thanks. For even this is His work. As we remember from whence we came, as we respond to His grace with gratitude, we do so because of His grace. Even our gratitude is a gift, one worth giving thanks for. God is at work in us. He is at work in the lives of our brothers and sisters in the pews. He is making us into a spotless bride. The gleaming smile upon that bride is one of gratitude. Give thanks, and give thanks again. He is at work in us. Aslan, to borrow a metaphor, is on the prowl.