DEBTORS OF GRATITUDE – Thursday December 24th 2015
DEBTORS OF GRATITUDE
Memorise: Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:2
Read: Psalm 103:1-14, 103
Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
3 Who forgiveth all thine
iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life
from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth
with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord executeth
righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways
unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always
chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with
us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is
high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is
from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our
frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
Bible in one year: Proverbs
21:2-24:22, 1st John 1:1-2:6
Everyone on earth is indebted
to the Almighty God. Irrespective of your many needs that are yet to be met,
you must still remember that the breath of life you have is not a function of
your power. If you can think deeply within you, and look at all that is
happening around you, you will give ceaseless praise to God. The reason why
some people do not think they should thank God is because they are looking at
those things they do not yet have, but they forget to look at those things they
have right now. Some would even say they have noting. Such people are unmindful
of the fact that it is with life that things are produced, and when you have
life you have all things. The Scripture in Psalm 68:19 says:
“Blessed be the Lord, and daily
loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.”
The implication of this is that
there is nothing we need that the Lord has not provided for. What to eat, what
to drink, where to live, the car to drive, the person to marry are all examples
of His benefits.
When the Psalmist followed the
multitude into God’s house, he went with joy without being forced (Psalm 42:4).
Why then do we wait for people to motivate us to praise God?
Why do we behave as if there is
nothing in our life to thank God for? The mercy of the Lord towards us is
everlasting (Psalm 100:5). With the assurance, we should be singing and
praising His name. You are to bless the Lord for all He had done in the past,
all He is doing in the present and all He is yet to do. As you do this, He is
committed to doing more. One of the greatest lessons on gratitude I learnt was
from my mother. Any time my mother wanted to collect my school fees from my
father, she would draw up a strategy of praising and eulogizing my father. She
would call him great names he did not bear. She would mention great feats and
achievements far above his profile and credit him with them.
Even before she
was done, he would give her what she wanted. This strategy worked every time.
If this can work for a mortal man full of limitations, how much more the
immortal God who has no limitations? For all the blessings and protection of
the Almighty God, you can never praise Him enough. When you praise God
adequately and magnify His various Names, He is moved, and once God moves on
your behalf, you can expect the miraculous. You can also expect Him to ambush
your enemies and open doors in all aspects of your life.
Action point
Praise the Lord that you are alive.
SOURCE: OPEN HEAVEN
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