TGIF by Paula Roach

TGIF- Thank God it's Friday!

It's a nice concept and cliche little phrase that we all identify with but do we literally take time out to truly thank Him for the weekend? Better yet, do we stop to thank Him for His goodness, for His Glory and to simply recognize Him as God?

Did you know that when we do not stop to be thankful, we put ourselves in position to enter a downward spiral of sin? Now, I am no theologian, but God spoke this truth into my heart years ago while reading from Romans 1. In verses 22-30 I read this list of sins.

godless in their thinking
sexual impurity
dishonoring their bodies
vile affections
degrading passions
homosexuality
inventors of new forms of evil
loathsome acts

None of this is pretty! I mean MURDER, HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS, INVENTORS OF NEW FORMS OF EVIL, this is pretty bad stuff! But, what's that have to do with us. I mean, that's pretty obvious black and white, things we would never do... but let's not leave out the other shades of gray! Let's read further.

Verses 28 -31 go on to say, "until they were filled with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. They were full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and treacher, ill willl and cruel ways, secret backbiters and gossipers. Slanderers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance and boasting, inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents. Without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless and merciless.

So, boasting, arrogance, gossip, envy, backbiting... maybe we can identify with some of these a little more closely. These "lighter shades of gray" we tend to rationalize as "not as bad" but verse 32 says that "those who do such things (and approve and applaud others for them) deserve to die."

Thank God for Jesus and the cross, for His grace that saves us from such punishment. No, literally, STOP and thank Him Now. For sentiment alone is not enough! You see, they "knew and recognized" but did not take that next step to actually give thanks and glory. The crazy thing is, if you look back at verse 21 you see that the downward spiral of sin all started with this one simple thing. It says "because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks...and their senseless minds were darkened." (To all different Shades of gray from murder and homosexuality to deceit and gossip!)

In this passage we see that this recognition without honor lead to a downward spiral of spiritual rebellion and moral corruption. (It is as if when we neglect to give thanks we slowly forget who deserves the credit. We allow selfishness and pride to creep in to the point that it becomes "all about me", and the downward spiral begins.) Neglegence of this one simple act opened their hearts to all types of shameful, ungodly desires and sexual impurity.

You see, most of us "know and recognize Him as God" too. The scary part lies in the fact that in the busyness of our lives we neglect to stop and take time to glorify Him and thank Him for who He is and for what He has done in us, for us, and through us.

Today, as you Thank God it's Friday, take time to STOP. Take a time out and truly give Him thanks, not just for the weekend but for His goodness, glory, and provision in our lives. And, can we purpose in our hearts to do this NOT just on Fridays, but every day and all through out the day? May it be the anthem of our lives to give thanks and glory to God in action and in words!

He IS Worthy!

P.S. It is my prayer that from now on, every time we say or hear TGIF, it will be a nice little reminder to STOP and give God Glory and thanks! Happy Weekend!