4. Thank God by remembering the things he has done for you and the grace that he has shown you that has led to this moment “Gratitude is the echo of one who has received grace.” We glorify what God has done for us by intense and joyful gratitude. God has not and does not make mistakes (Genesis 50:20) Everything he has done in the past is part of a good plan and is remembered with gratitude.
Psalm 103:1-14, "Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with
lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The LORD is
merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. “
5. Thank God for what He is doing through the hard things in your life today
Once you thank God for the easy things, it is possible to progress and begin thanking Him for what He is doing through the difficult circumstances in the present. Remember, there's a difference between thanking God
for the difficult things and thanking God in the difficult things. What exactly is the difference? The answer for me came when I combined "giving thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), with
Romans 8:28-29: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son."
If we miss this, we miss everything. It is God's will that we be conformed to the image of His Son. Virtually any circumstance however painful or pleasant- can be used by God to shape the character of Christ in me, and it is for that shaping we can be thankful. The rub is that my purpose for me might be different from God's purpose. This is where the virtues
of humility and surrender become coworkers with thankfulness to help us stay on course and maintain the right spirit. This requires more than a glib, "Oh thank You, God," which does not require the soul-searching effort it takes to understand what motive He is working to replace in us.
God knows best. It's impossible for me to dwell on such things and not become very thankful for a God who eventually defeats the worst diseases and even death itself.
6. Practice giving thanks
Sometimes the regular grace of God dulls our sense our sense of gratitude. But in reality grace, mercy, and love are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." So much in this world eclipses God from my life and as a result pushes us to be disgruntled. I sometimes lag in the practice of thankfulness and have to remind myself that giving thanks is a discipline. As an act of my will, I must choose to dwell on good things, on the high qualities of my invisible but ever-present Father. I consciously bend my
thoughts away from resentment and remind myself I must wait for God to work out His best plans in due time. Sometimes it helps me to pray prayers of thanksgiving out loud so I can hear the words of thankfulness.
Once thankfulness becomes a habit, it takes on a life of its own and
becomes a source of tremendous strength. Thankfulness is one of the surest paths to God and to a peace-filled spirit. God uses it to give us our life back and in fact, to give us a higher experience of our human life in a very fallen world. Many are those who waste their lives worrying, mourning, or crying out in complaint -and nothing good will come of it. For many of us, thankfulness starts out sounding shallow and trite. But the truth is, it leads us into a deeper journey with God than we imagined, taking us down to the core reason why we are here: to fulfill our own purpose for living- or His.
Psalm 100:4, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving' " the psalmist wrote, "and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."' If I want to enter God's gates and I do, with all my heart - it will only happen as God's spirit of thanksgiving enters me. Thankfulness isn't an obligation;
it's my privilege as a child of God. It is our key, and your privilege, too.
Longing for an attitude of gratitude as a lifestyle,
Pastor Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment