For the majority of people, using common courtesy words such as please and thank you are not much of an afterthought, and are perhaps said several times throughout the day to one another during the course of interaction. In fact, the words are such commonplace, no one should have to be reminded to say them when asking for and receiving a helping hand from a fellow servant...
 

Which is why I continue to be constantly amazed and appalled to see the next generation of children needing to be reminded by those schooled in the art of manners to either say these commonly used one-syllable words when someone does something for them, or in other cases, actually sit down and compose a brief note or letter of gratitude to the receiving person for the generous and thoughtful gift given to them.
 

 Amazingly enough, I have actually had parents tell me our government sponsored public schools need to teach their children a class in manners, to which I can't help myself to respond that it isn't the government's place to teach morals to our children (as most politicians don't have many Godly morals of their own), but that the all-important job was given to the parents by the Creator Himself.
 

Today's children seem to face a great challenge when being reminded from either their parents or an outsider to mind their manners. They roll their eyes and make a face as they mumble the forced verb; wanting quickly to get away from the sheer embarrassment of their actions.
 

As King Solomon once stated over three thousand years ago, There's nothing new under the sun, and that statement is as true in today's culture and society as it was back then. Whatever problems or decisions we face today, have been ongoing since man first appeared upon the scene. As I have stated many times both in public and private conversations, there is not a single personal problem one faces that you cannot find the answer within the Holy Scriptures.
 

 I was reminded of this just recently while spending some daily time with the Lord in His Holy Word. Because of my lifestyle and past accomplishments, I can get pretty full of myself and need to constantly be self reminded that I am no more special than my fellow man. I find that the Lord's Word keeps me grounded, as we must all be true to ourselves before God and man.
 

 It was while I was reading the infamous psalm 51, written by David shortly after the prophet Nathan confronted the king and exposed the sin of adultery between the apple of God's eye and Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, that I, too, was asking God, as David did in verse 10, to create in me a clean heart, and to renew a right spirit within me.
 

Unlike David's situation, I am once again embarking on a new project; turning a new dream into reality after my self imposed exile upon retiring after the Tour de Cuba in 1998, and I fear that I could easily puff myself up as is all too human with achievers. That's why I must constantly guard my heart and keep my spirit in check, so that I don't stumble upon my own ego.
 

 
As psalm 51 is a song expressing the cares and desires of a repenting sinner, the one just before is a psalm of instruction that for me goes hand-in-hand with the latter.
 

 Glancing over to psalm 50, my eye first caught verses 14 and 15, Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
 

 In other words, going from the King James version to the more familiar plain English text, let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to God for His mercies, which please Him when offered with a humble and thankful heart, as he later states in the psalm that the sacrifice of thanks is far better than to give Him anything else you may have to offer (which is nothing that God can't afford for Himself).
 

 Furthermore, we are not only to thank God for all that He has done for us, but to give the ultimate thanks in obeying His commandments in response to sending His son, Jesus Christ, who paid the ultimate price with His life by dying and shedding His blood for the remission of our sins.
 

 Psalm 50 concludes in verses 22 and 23 by God asking us to listen to Him (else He will destroy us, and as our Creator, does legally have that right) for He has something important to say, which is that giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors Him, and He will save all those who obey His Word.

 

Thus, within these last two verses of the psalm, man's chief end is two-fold... to glorify God (you can make BIG points with God the Father by listening, thanking and doing the will of God the Son) and to enjoy the blessings of God (because the alternative is to fear His wrath). For as God created us in His image, we share certain attributes with our Father, in that both He and us, His children, enjoy being appreciated. We enjoy hearing the praise of thank-you from others, as He does from us.

 

On a daily basis, I am thankful to my Creator for the bountiful blessings He has and continues to bestow upon me. But for some odd reason, during the last couple of months of the year, I become very mindful of His presence and truly appreciate the value of being a child of God.
 

 This East coast, inner-city ghetto boy will never be a milk and cookies man, nor does God expect me to. He has instilled His law upon my heart and as such, I am expected to do what's right in His eyes, but as I am forever being disciplined to be true to myself, being a child of God can be a tough act that I sometimes wish He'd leave me alone...but not for long.
 

 As I ponder these thoughts and write the words, I look out the office door to a back yard forest of oak and sycamore trees; the river forming one end of the property. I watch a dozen or so wild turkeys milling about, while keeping a careful eye on my little Lhasa Apso hunter girl, Jia Tu. A concerto plays off the dvd/cd rom of the computer; the season beginning to change from warm to cold.
 

 And I praise and thank God as the least sacrifice I can give Him...