2 Corinthians 6:16-18   “What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (NIV)

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
“Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God’s holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way: “I’ll live in them, move into them; I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people. So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself. I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be sons and daughters to me.” The Word of the Master, God.” (MSG)

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What are God’s intentions toward us? 

What does he want from us? 

What does he want for us? 

I listened to a forty-five-minute sermon one day that was supposed to be a message regarding the urgency of our missionary task. It turned into a harangue about God’s wrath. I’m still trying to make sense of that message all these years later. 

The Apostle Paul here reminds us of God’s plan for us. It’s better by far than a missionary message about how much God wants to rip our heads off. That may not be exactly what the guy said, but that was kind of the tone. Since it’s the morning after Halloween, it’s somehow appropriate? Then again, maybe not. 

Back to the good news as stated in The Message: God himself put it this way: “I’ll live in them, move into them; I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people. So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself. I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be sons and daughters to me.” The Word of the Master, God.”

If we’re to celebrate November as 30 Days of Thanksgiving, what is there to give thanks for in these verses? Here’s at least a partial list:

1. God calls us his own.
2. He chooses to live in us today.
3. He calls us his people. 
4. He says he wants us all for himself. 
5. He says he will be a father to us. 
6. He says we are his sons and daughters. 

I read an article about making email more effective some years ago. It said the email subject line should capture people’s attention. Write subject lines like newspaper headlines, maybe even tabloid headlines. 

Then, in the body of the email, say something immediately that captures people’s attention. So, I begin my emails with “Howdy!” A woman recently called to ask if I am a real cowboy. I was a little confused by the question until she explained how much she enjoyed reading my emails because they begin with the word “Howdy!” 

Mission accomplished. 

That article also said you need to conclude in a way that keeps people’s attention. It should make them think beyond the email’s topic. I considered closings like “many blessings,” before settling on “with gratitude.” 

Even when there’s not much to get excited about, gratitude is almost always appropriate. Gratitude should be a lifestyle, and not an occasional invocation or benediction. When I explained this with a couple more sentences to my new friend who called to see if I’m a real cowboy, she calmly responded, “I like that.” 

The list of six things to be grateful for in these verses provides us with one a day for the rest of this week. We really can turn this month into 30 days of Thanksgiving without trying that hard. You might want to start working on your own list right now. It could be something biblical, somebody you live with, somebody you love, or somebody you work with who is consistently excellent. It could be having a job, a home, or a nice car. 

Gratitude puts everything in proper perspective. 

Starting with God’s love for us, His plans for us, and His deepest desires for us helps us gain the perspective we need for everything. There is way more than thirty days’ worth of thanksgiving can contain.

Let’s thank God together this month. Let’s build a life-giving habit that helps us focus on what matters most. 

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I will live with gratitude. 

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Our Father, thank you for loving us so completely. You call us your own. You choose to make your home within our hearts. You call us your people. You tell us that you want us all for yourself. You tell us that you are our Father in heaven. We are your sons and daughters. You are perfect in every way. You’re never early, never late. You’re always on time. You are better to us than we would be to ourselves. Thank you that you are our Father in heaven, and that we belong to you. Amen.