One daughter was trying to find a unique gift for her mother who already had everything. So the daughter asked thirty of her friends to write out on a strip of paper what each appreciated about her mother. She put all of these strips of paper in jar, wrapped it up, and gave it to her mother. Her mom was so elated that 10 years later, she still had on display these expressions of appreciation. We read in Leviticus 2 that when people came to worship God they were told to bring a gift to show appreciation to God for his blessings upon them. It was to be a choice gift of the best ingredients they produced. We find in the book of Romans chapter 12, that after the Apostle Paul had explained how God’s love and grace had planned and implemented salvation so we humans could have our sins forgiven and our relationship with God restored, the apostle then explained how we should express our appreciation for all God had done. He wrote: “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind the will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.”
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
