First Corinthians 10:30-31″For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”.
In 1860,a ship went aground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Evanston, Illinois. Edward Spencer, a nearby ministerial student, saw the event and waded again and again into the frigid waters to rescue seventeen passengers. In the process, his health was permanently damaged and he had to live with complications for the rest of his life. Years later at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the people he rescued ever thanked him.
Giving thanks, even for such a monumental task as saving someone’s life, seems to go unnoticed today. And if something so large as this can go unthankful, how many smaller acts of kindness go unnoticed on a daily basis?
How often do you give God thanks? God desires that we would live in a spirit of thankfulness each day, daily pointing out kindness from others and being grateful for the goodness of others and from Him.
When was the last time you made a special note to thank God for all He’s done for you? We may say thanks for a meal or express gratitude after an answer to prayer, but how often do we make time to thank God? God has blessed each of us in so many countless ways and deserves constant praise from our lips.
Take time to thank God for His goodness. Carve out a time in your schedule when you can be alone with God and reflect on His blessings. Perhaps write them down. You will find out that God’s goodness cannot be fathomed.
Since everything that we have already belongs to God, we are not making great sacrifices when we give back to Him part of what is already His. The priority of our lives is not meant to be our comfort and safety, but our priority should be to advance God’s kingdom and to bring Him glory. The good gifts we have are from God, if we lose sight of that fact, we are in danger of becoming selfish rather than using our possessions in ways that lay up for us treasures in heaven.
It is also important for us to express our gratitude to those who have made investments in our lives. There is an old saying that applies here: “If you see a turtle on a fence post, it’s pretty safe to assume he didn’t get there by himself”. Recognizing that others have helped us to get where we are, it is only right to thank them. Express your gratitude both to God and others whom God have used to help you in your life.
Here comes that time of the year when we express our appreciation to God for all His wonderful goodness unto us in IBBC Enugu.
Our annual thanksgiving is on 3rd day of November 2024. Join us and lets rejoice together. Focusing On What God Has Done For Us Is The Key To Maintaining A Grateful Heart.
Pastor Paul Okonkwo
Independent Baptist Bible Church (IBBC),
New Haven,
Enugu.
