THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THEODORE by Rev. dr. Theodore rust

 Psalm 126:3 says: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.”

Your life is a journey with God and the people God loves. God’s will is for you is to love others and treat them with kindness and respect. Today, as you go about your activities are you aware of God’s blessings?  People that receive great blessings from God usually respond with great gladness and thanksgiving. Psalm 126:2 describes this as “mouths filled with laughter and tongues with shouts of joy.” Is your mouth filled with laughter and your tongue with shouts of joy because of what God has done for you and what God will do for you in the future? Maybe you are thankful that God loves you and forgives you for all your sins and mistakes or maybe you are not. Perhaps you are grateful for your blessings from God or maybe you are not. Jesus one time healed 10 sick lepers, but only one of them returned to Jesus to give thanks. Are you like the thankful one in this story of Jesus?

•  God has given us our life.
•  God has given us precious family members or friends who care about us.
• ·God has given us plenty of time to use as we wish.
• ·God has given us opportunities for travel, recreation, reading, etc.
•  God has given us his loving Word (The Holy Bible) to guide and support us.
•  God has given most of us food to eat and a roof over our heads.
• God loves us and has given us his Son Jesus both as a sacrifice for our sin and a model of the godly life. Are we living a godly life? Do we receive this Christ with thanksgiving? Do we conform our lives to the life of Christ.
• God has given us 2 great commandments to love God and love neighbor.
• God blesses us each day with new and unique blessings and opportunities, defends us from evil and promises to bring us to everlasting life when our earthly journey is over. 
• The Psalmist is right: “The Lord has done great things for us.”

You may want to consider writing a mission statement for your life which is only one or two lines: This is mine: “It’s going to be a wonderful day because with God I cannot fail. I can only learn, grow, and serve.