Thank you, Jesus!

Manners are a good thing! Saying 'Please' and 'Thank you' and 'You're welcome' and 'Excuse me' are all good things. Yes, Martha, yes Emily, good things.

Sometimes we repeat those phrases to make a point, to emphasize our gratitude, to acknowledge another's consideration. And maybe sometimes it is a habit. A good habit, perhaps but a habit nonetheless. Manners should be deliberate and on purpose. They should be conscious and sincere.

I hear a lot of thank you, Jesus. I say it a lot, too. We have so much for which to be thankful to Jesus. But I want to make it a conscious deliberate acknowledgment of what He did for me, for all of us. Sometimes I find myself thanking a store clerk for a refund with more emotion than I thank Jesus for saving me from eternal damnation. I say excuse me or I'm sorry when someone bumps into me in a line, but what I really need to do is ask Jesus for forgiveness, with at least the same degree of remorse!

He suffered and died a horrible death, a lonely life. He was often misunderstood, often ill-treated. He was betrayed, denied, and tortured. No matter what we do, or did, or will do, He asks His Father to forgive us. And He is able and just to forgive us of our sins.

He is everything. He is all. Without Him, we can do nothing.
Thank you, Jesus!