O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
Psalm 107:1-3
(New Revised Standard)

I love football! I have my favorite college teams, but I really like high school football games. In high school, I went to many football games, even the out-of-town games, because I loved to root on my friends who were playing.

When the crowd started to lose its enthusiasm, the cheerleaders would yell, “I can’t hear you!!” That would give us all a booster shot of excitement, and we would be cheering the team on again.

Sometimes as Christians, we seem to lose our steam. Our enthusiasm seems high at times, and quiet at other times. We let the troubles of life beat us down to the point where we are more vocal about our problems than we are about our Savior.

One friend of mine has a saying: “Keep the Main Thing the main thing.” In other words, as Christians we should always be about the mission that Jesus gave us – making disciples of Jesus Christ so that the world will be changed to better reflect the Kingdom of God – a kingdom where God’s love, grace and peace are the standards rather than rare commodities.

The Psalmist emphasized God’s attributes by saying “give thanks to the Lord” for the single reason that God is good! That’s why we give praise to God. Not because we get this or that blessing. Not because we feel especially favored, but simply because God is good.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” Let those who know God’s grace in a personal way say that they are redeemed! Plainly and simply put, we should give thanks and praise to God because God is good, and we should not be quiet about what God has done for us.

There’s an old spiritual that says, “Who will be a witness for my Lord?” Rather than moaning and complaining about all the things that are wrong in our lives, will we be a witness for our Lord by telling how God has redeemed us and made a difference in our lives?

Don’t be afraid to speak out for Jesus! Can I get a witness for my Lord?

Rev. Jan McCoy is the associate pastor of Covington First United Methodist Church in downtown Covington. She may be reached at jan.mccoy@ngumc.net.