October 8, 2023 - How to Experience Life to Its Fullest - Pastor Paul Vallee

Psalm 96:1-13 One of the most striking, shocking, and enlightening texts of Scripture that should cause us pause is found in Romans 1:21. It speaks of the heart turning away from God.  Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor thanked him, but their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Those are haunting words, '...they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him.' The sin of ingratitude is a deadly trap that the enemy of our souls uses to destroy us. Ingratitude is a monstrous sin that leads toward a downward path. It affects the soul like a growing, deadly cancer spreading and infecting and affecting not only the patient but the lives of others.  How often we become angry and embittered toward God for life's difficulties, yet in that Shakespearean play so true to life, we discover that the good is growing better through suffering and all the bad is worsening through success. Ernest Howse states: "In King Lear, Shakespeare turned the admiration upon those characters who through trial and tribulation developed inner integrity, humility of mind, compassion for the poor." 11    The great issue is the condition of our heart: Is it filled with gratitude and thanksgiving, or has it grown hard and callous so that we resist God's word and workings in our lives? Is our heart tender or tough? We can determine this by our attitude toward God. This weekend, we celebrate a day called Thanksgiving. It is a day to express our appreciation for all God has done for us this past year. It is a day to declare the faithfulness of God to us as a people. So, how should we respond to God when He comes to us? In Psalm 96, we discover three responses to God when He reveals Himself and comes to us, allowing us to live life to its fullest. It is amazing what happens to a person when we move from a self-centred and earthly vantage point to a God-centered, heavenly perspective. We immediately see things differently.  Our attitude swiftly shifts from frustration, despair, doubt, and discouragement to hope, delight and joyful expectation. We can cultivate a deeper appreciation for what God has truly done for us and how we should express that.