show appreciation and thanks

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

1 Thes. 3:12 “And may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you.”

This past weekend as I was driving my car home, I thought, “This car is dirtier than I usually let it get. I have to clean it up.” My car is about a year old. When I first got it, I always kept it clean. Now I am not washing my car as often. Consequently, it looks a little dirty – inside and out. That is not me. I like my cars clean. Familiarity with my car has set in.

Throughout life we experience new and fresh and exciting things. A guy gets a new car, a new recliner chair, a new rifle or fishing pole, or some new toy. He loves the smell, the touch or feel of it. I am sure that women on some level do the same thing. We love the newness of our new thing. We work to keep it’s newness by pampering and cherishing it – for a while. Can you relate to that?

Over time, new things become familiar. Relationships and things lose some of their newness and familiarity sets in. There is nothing abnormal about this except that in some areas of life, especially in the area of relationships, this becomes dangerous. We start to unappreciate blessings, taking friends and loved ones for granted and letting familiarity set in. There are some things in life that we can not afford to let familiarity touch. That is most true in priority relationships.

Speaking from a man’s perspective concerning his wife, it would be easy for me to take Renee for granted. She is sweet and kind to me and goes a long time before complaining when I treat her more as a roommate than my wife. The other morning as we were getting ready, I suddenly had this feeling that I was treating her with familiarity more than cherishing her and treating her as the jewel she is to me. I simply began to dream about how much I love her and what a blessing she is. I then began to show her a heightened tenderness and love throughout the day. In a very short time I could see how it was affecting her. She was instinctively responding back with tenderness and love. No words had been spoken about this. It was just heart and action.

I felt led this morning to say that familiarity unchecked leads to the erosion of good things God has brought into our lives to be a blessing. Familiarity is a curse. Appreciation is golden. Whether it’s your spouse, your children, or precious friends or loved ones, don’t take them for granted. Keep them shiny! Clean them up and shine them with words and actions of appreciation and love!

1 Thes. 3:12 “And may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt