May Day

May Day began as a spring festival long ago.  People gathered together on the first day of May to celebrate the coming of summer.  A lot of different customs have been a part of May Day festivities.  For example, some people would gather flowers and put them by their doors and windows to keep out troublesome fairies.  Some would put out their old fireplace hearth fires and gather with people in their village to start a new fire to take home.  One custom included cutting down a tree and putting up a Maypole in the center of town.  Ribbons were attached to the pole and woven together by dancers.  One other custom included filling May Baskets with flowers and other goodies to give to friends and loved ones.

We may not participate in as many May Day festivities as people did years ago, but in the Bible the Apostle Paul challenges us to do good to other people.  He says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10).  This text seems to tell us three things:

1)    We should constantly look for ways we can support others and share God’s goodness with them.

2)    We should be open to do good to everyone.

3)    We should especially do good to those who are part of the family of God.

During this month you might ask yourself a question – “What have I done to show kindness and goodness to others?”  Maybe this would be a great time to identify at least five people that come to your mind.  Plan to do something special for them.  How about a telephone call to one or more individuals just to say “Hi” and see how they are doing?  What about sending a note or an email to someone to tell them what you appreciate about them?  How about talking to someone and let them know that you have been praying for them?  Maybe you could determine that you are going to smile and be friendly to other people more often this month.  Let’s use May Day as a prod to encourage us to do good to others.

Reason for Thanks

During the Thanksgiving season we are encouraged to give thanks.  That is important because we ought to be people who are thanks givers.  As we express our thankfulness to God we usually do so by rehearsing a list of material blessings that we enjoy such as food, health, clothes, church, friends, or family.  All these are important blessings for which we ought to be thankful.  However, our thanksgiving should be more than simply giving thanks for material items.  The psalmist says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1).

The motivation and focus of thanksgiving should be God Himself just because He is good.  Goodness is the very nature of God.  In order to explain this goodness the psalmist says, “His love endures forever.”  In other words, the goodness of God has to do with the outpouring of His grace, love, and mercy to you and me in our sin and our need.  In spite of the fact that we don’t deserve to be recipients of His goodness, we are.  “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Isn’t that amazing?  God’s goodness, through His grace and love, is available to each of us in abundant measure and it is there for us to personally receive.  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are Go’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2;8-10).  Let’s thank God for our material blessings, but let’s also thank Him for being good to us so we can possess and experience eternal life.  “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of god so that you may know that you have eternal life” (I John 5:11-13).

Have you received God’s goodness?  You can be a recipient of that wonderful goodness by praying a simple pray of faith to receive Jesus as your Savior.  Do it today and then make sure you give thanks to God because He is good.