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Do you remember when you made the decision to be a Christ follower? I was very young, and remember my heart was pounding as I walked down the aisle to the front of the church. Adults were there to greet anyone who wanted to get saved. I do not remember how many people were there to say “I do” to a life with Christ, but we went into another room where it was explained to each person what they were saying yes to, answered questions and to pray with us. I knew it was right, even at 8 years old, and I know that is right to this very day. I still rejoice!

The Word has many examples of rejoicing in the Bible: In Luke 15 a women loses a silver coin and lights a lamp to find it. When she finds the coin, she rejoices. Another example from the same passage, “But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours is dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.”

However, there are times when life presses in that I have failed to rejoice over being found. It is very easy to take what we have for granted. We become benefit minded. “Well I am saved. I am good. No commitment required.” It is like a one-sided relationship – Jesus paid for everything, and we can just sit back and coast through life.

Philippians 2:5-8 reminds us: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”

As Christ followers it is true that we benefit from the price that Jesus paid at Calvary. Even truer that we are able to express the gratitude for what has been lavished on us. “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)

As Christ followers let us show our gratitude this week!

Yvette Perrin is a columnist for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at theword2yvette@gmail.com.