How Thankful Am I?
You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. (Galatians 4.13-15)
Paul had first preached the gospel to the Galatians “because of a bodily ailment.” We are not told what that ailment was, but a good guess would be that it had something to do with his eyes, for he wrote, “If possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me” (v. 15). How those new Christians must have loved Paul! So great was their appreciation for Paul having preached the life-changing message of Jesus to them, they would have given him their very eyes!
Do we today have that kind of appreciation for having heard the gospel and for those who preached the gospel to us? Recently, Dr. Nelson Perdue, evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene, preached a revival in our church in Bethel, Ohio. When Dr. Perdue came to be with us, my heart was filled with the memories of how he led me to the Lord, of how he preached Jesus to me, of how I was saved. Not only did I feel gratitude toward God, but I felt gratitude toward Dr. Perdue.
How grateful are you for the gospel and for those who led you to Jesus? How thankful are you that you have become a daughter or a son of God through Jesus Christ? The depth of your gratitude reveals the depth of your understanding of the gospel. If we truly understand the awfulness and penalty of sin, then we will certainly be filled with thankfulness.
Thank you, Jesus, for those who cared enough to tell me about you. In gratitude, Lord, I pledge to share your love with others that they, too, may know you. Amen.