This short piece was written by a dear friend of mine as a submission to the Air 1 Christian Radio Station, as a Thanksgiving short essay writing.  It sums up so much of what we believe in as Christians, and speaks volumes about his walk with Christ!

 Thankful

By Phillip Garner

Call me cliché, but I say I am most thankful for Redemption.  How humbling to know that while my wrongs, my selfish acts kept me from God, I can find peace and make things right in the arms of Grace.  Nothing I have done, no matter how messed up, need ever keep me from Him.  None of my mistakes has interrupted My Lord’s plan, nor will it ever.  That is the Sovereignty of God.  That is the gift of redemption, knowing that all is right between my God and me, and I had no hand in the matter other than to kneel and accept.

That awesome truth is why the second thing I am thankful for is the privilege to guide another into the very same Arms of Grace.  We would do good to remember that the Great Commission is not a duty; it is a privilege.  The God who revealed Himself in pillars of smoke and fire, in the morning dew and the still, small voice, is not dependent upon my service to Him.  Rather, I have the distinct honor of becoming part of His greatest plan, the rescuing of precious souls from Hell!  Despite my imperfections, He allows me to participate in the Reconciliation, the rebirth of man in Christ Jesus.  Surely, the one thing I should be most thankful for is the human soul redeemed to God, the very reason for the price paid on the cross of Christ.