Posted on Mon, Jan 26, 2009
The Right Attitude for Thanksgiving (Psalms 100)
Speaker - Pastor Ayuba Mavalla
(Summarised by Sis. Ayobola Akwarandu)
Thanksgiving to God must be in all circumstances. The psalmist said ‘I will bless the Lord at ALL times’. Sing to one another in psalms. Have music in your heart…
How can we do these good things when life’s burden constantly stares us in the face, when we labour day in day out and many times it seems as one trouble goes, another comes? Infact, in this part of the world, complaining has become a natural way of life. There is this habit of lamenting about the weather. If you want to strike a conversation with a stranger, you can’t go wrong with ‘miserable weather, in’it?’ some times, it's too much sun or rain or cold! Those who don’t have that culture have now adopted it. Let’s briefly look at some of the things that engrain this wrong attitude in us:
Pride – Some feel they have so worked hard, studied so hard and therefore deserve every single thing that comes their way. This attitude must be shed off immediately and we must learn to acknowledge God for all that we are and all that we will become, remembering that some have worked twice as hard and have less than us or are even no more!
Critical Spirit – Murmuring, constant complain of everything, some have become an ‘incurable grumbler’. This culture must be stopped and that of thanks adopted.
Over-familiarisation of God's Grace and Mercies - there is a general precontempt of the grace of God, after all, we wake up each day, eat and drink, walk and talk, work and rest. So what’s the big deal? We must consciously thank God for each of these things, teaching our children to do so and encouraging others to do so. How about thinking the other way round when you see that pile of plates for washing? How about thanking God for the blessing of having so much to eat that you and your family use a set of plate and cutleries to eat! Has it ever occurred to you that if you had so little, you would all eat on that one plate, probably struggling to have the last piece of food, you would lick the plate clean and wish you had more. How about thanking God for all the packages of food you have to recycle, the content of which would have been luxury to some other person. What about your 'too small' car, or 'too big' car, some families don’t have any car at all and have to push their buggies in the cold…, or brave the hot sun and uncomfortable public transport everyday.
Forgetfulness – We need to cultivate the habit of remembering! Listen, except you forget where the Lord has brought you from: you had so much struggles, you had pains and troubles last year but here you are today, you did overcome some of them, you found a way out with the others, why don’t you trust God then? Why are you always fretting and doubting? Learn to say thanks for the things in place in your life. It is a wonder why some find it so difficult to say thanks to a friend or a family member, it may be because they don’t say thanks to God Himself.
Our thanksgiving to God needs to be expressed and expansive. How many times have we sat down on a Sabbath morning just to give thanks for another day of rest? Some go to church only to sort out church admin duties or family, and not really to give their hearts to God. Always remember a thankful heart will endear you to God. Thankfulness is a magnet that draws people to you and repels the enemy from you. Thankfulness radiates us. We say thanks to God when we forgive others, encourage others, share the gospel, give our time in service, give God the best of our time and our life.
Learn to thank God for the troubles of life (1 Thess 5:18), this is difficult but God says it. The enemy’s aim is to create an opportunity for you to sin against God. Consider Paul, He was persecuted, naked, beaten, wrecked, betrayed by friends but he never gave up thanking God. He had the right attitude of thanksgiving (Rom 8: 18, 2 Corinth 5: 10, Phil 1: 12).
Also, don’t forget that for thanksgiving to be thanksgiving, there must be thanks and giving. Try it and see what the Lord will do through you!
Shalom!
(If you will like to obtain a DVD of the full message, please call ++447748 807550 or ++447853 121918, or email bhsdacpastors@aol.com. Within
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