“Gifts of the Heart”

      Two small things.  But they meant so much.

     "Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right" (Proverbs 16:8).

    I opened a door this morning for a young man as he and a friend left a store.  The young man looked at me, smiled, and said "Thank you" with a genuinely expressed note of gratitude.  Again, two small things, a smile and a thank you.  Something about them touched me, or rather, something about the young man's demeanor and obvious sincerity. The "something" was human, of course.  It's a pleasant thing when people express gratitude to one another.  While not mandatory, it is desired, and it does bind us to one another even when expressed in the briefest moment of contact.  

    More blessed, however, is the Divine to human, human to Divine truth represented.  God "giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  This provides us with opportunity to give back to Him in the only way possible, considering that everything already belongs to Him - the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1).  We bestow upon Him gifts of the heart, just as that with which the young man blessed me this morning.  "The prayer of the upright is His delight" (Proverbs 15:8).  Note the emotionally powerful word expressed by Solomon regarding God's response to our communication with Him.  "Delight" connotes much more than mere acknowledgement or even happiness.  I suspect that we would all be greatly surprised if we knew how much our smile and our thank you means to our Heavenly Father.  Indeed, most people on the planet never think to realize and acknowledge the Giver of "every good gift and every perfect gift" (James 1:17).

    I can give back to the young man, and by God's grace, I will.  I don't know his name, and I will likely never see him again (nor would I recognize him if I did).  However, I can pray for him to the One who knows his name, and who sees him perfectly.  I'll often smile as I do so, and I'll give thanks for a moment that reminded me of the blessedness of gratitude, both in our hearts, and in the heart of our Heavenly Father.

"It came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.  And when He saw them, He said unto them, God show yourselves unto the priests.  And it came to pass, that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice gloriifed God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?"

(Luke 17:11-17)

Weekly Memory Verse

    The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them."

(Proverbs 20:12)