To Whom Be the Glory?

It is God who arms me with strength. Psalm 18:32 NIV

When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. Philemon 4,6

We were standing in line for dinner at a pastors conference. My colleague and his wife, and Diane and I were talking about life with all its challenges and hopes. He invited us  to their home in north Utah. We accepted.

When we got there his wife had made lentil soup. It was delicious. Their kindness and hospitality made a deep impression on us both. He had a way of getting to the heart of things and touched Diane deeply with his loving pastoral insights.

“Thank you,” we said as we were leaving. “This has been a real blessing to us. Can we have the recipe for the lentil soup? And how about the pizza sauce and dough. It was all so good!”

“Sure,” they said. “But don’t thank us. Thank God.”

Those words made an impression on me. And while I love to thank people for their kindness, gifts, and hospitality, I try to express my thanks to God – in their presence – when I thank them. After all, it is God who works in us to will and to do every good work (cf . Philippians 2:13).

Perhaps there is someone who is owed a thank you. You might need to write a note to him. You might want to express it personally to her. As you do, you might actually bolster his or her spirits by adding, “And I thank God for you!”