Title: Thank You Lord!
Contents
title ; Lord, thank you!
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
In Germany, there was a patient who had cancer of the tongue and had to have his tongue amputated.
The doctor advised me to say one last word before my tongue was cut off. Then the patient remained silent for a long time, in deep thought.
The people around them were also paying attention to who they would call by name, thinking about what the last word would be.
Suddenly, tears welled up in his eyes. And with trembling lips, he confessed, 'Thank you, Lord!'
Everyone, I want to ask you. What would you say if you changed your position and such an extreme environment came to you as well? As I read these testimonies, I thought for a moment.
"In such an environment, I am like this patient, 'Lord, thank you!' Can I make a confession...?"
And I prayed like this. “Lord, even if this kind of circumstance comes upon me, help me to become a person who can say, 'Lord, thank you!'”
Gentlemen, being grateful for good times can also be done by animals.
If you have a dog or cat, give them food or pat their head, wag their tail, or lick their tongue to show their appreciation. And he closes his eyes and makes a happy expression. And in this way, he is loyal to his master who takes care of him.
However, it seems that there are not many people who can be thankful even when circumstances become difficult, money and honor are lost, sickness, accident, or even when the moment of death approaches.
But today's text tells us. "Give thanks for everything."
The Greek word for 'everything' here is 'en panti', which in English means in all ircumstances. In other words, Christians should be grateful in all circumstances.
In everything, things work out as you intended, and prayer is not just to give thanks when you receive answers, but it is to give thanks even when things are twisted and prayers are not answered.
Ladies and gentlemen, Christians are not people who only appreciate sunlight in good weather, but people who can be thankful even when it rains in bad weather.
They are not only grateful when they are healthy, but sometimes they try to find conditions for gratitude even in the midst of illness. And not only when business is good and income is good, but also when business is not going well, we try to find the subject of gratitude, and not only when we succeed, but who can be thankful even in the midst of failure and adversity, a true Christian and what God wants. .
Everyone, have you never heard of such a story?
Once upon a time, in a village, there was a mother with two sons. One son sold sandals, and the other son sold umbrellas.
However, the mother of these two sons was always worried and sighed, and the atmosphere at home was always gloomy. The reason is that when it rains, the son who sells sandals will not be able to make money, so he is worried. Conversely, on a sunny day, he is worried because the son who sells umbrellas will not be able to make money.
Then one day I got advice from a neighbor. "Honey, if possible, you shouldn't have to worry about it and think the other way around. Oh, on a sunny day, the son who sells sandals is thankful that he thinks it will do well. On a rainy day, on the other hand, the son who sells umbrellas pays money. I'll make a lot of money, so why not thank me?"
After hearing this, the mother changed her mind and thoughts, and was able to live a life of gratitude and gratitude. In the end, it is said that the family became a happy family through a grateful mother.
Guys, think for yourself.
There are a lot of virgin bachelors here. Who do you want to marry in the future? Are you a grateful person under any circumstances? Or are you a person who appreciates and complains according to circumstances, feelings, and interests?
Or are you a person who complains about everything no matter how good you are? And as a parent, do you want your children to be grateful children?
Or do you want to be a complaining child? And do you want your children to be grateful for their mothers and fathers?
Or do you want to be a complaining parent? And if you're the boss, do you want to hire audited employees?
Or do you want to hire a complaining employee? And if you were God, would you want a grateful saint? Or would you like a complaining saint?
In a village in Mexico, South America, there was a very strange place where hot springs and cold springs flowed out neatly next to each other. On one side, a bubbling hot spring springs up from the ground, and on the other side, a cold spring like ice water springs up.
So the local women brought laundry baskets, boiled clothes in the hot springs, rinsed them in the cold springs, and brought clean clothes home. Foreign tourists who saw it asked a Mexican guide.
"The ladies here are great." "why ?" "Oh, how nice it is to be able to use hot and cold water for free. The people here must be very grateful to God for providing hot springs and cold springs, right?"
Then the Mexican receptionist replied, "I'm sorry. The ladies here complain more than thank you." Then the tourists said, "No, why?" He looked very puzzled and asked why.
Then the guide replied: "Women here complain a lot about the fact that hot and cold water is fine from the ground, but there is no soap that is essential for washing."
Ladies and gentlemen, it is customary for the fallen human heart to complain rather than give thanks. However, with such a heart of complaint, you will not be able to properly glorify God or please God. It is a bad attitude that hurts the heart of God very much to complain that things did not go according to one's own thoughts or according to one's intentions.
However, if you can thank God under any circumstances, then you are a great saint. Great fathers, great mothers, great children, great saints.
Gentlemen, unbelievers look at the sky and complain, look at the earth and grumble, and become annoyed and negative about this and that, but we Christians look at the sky and give thanks, look at the earth and give thanks, and when the sun rises They are the people who give thanks, give thanks even when the sun goes down, and give thanks again and again.
Since the unbelievers of this world live in Geummun Village, when spring comes, they complain that spring has come, when summer comes, they complain that summer has come, when autumn comes, they complain that autumn is here, and when winter comes, they complain that winter has come.
However, because we Christians live in the village of thanksgiving, there is no day to stop giving thanks in spring, summer, autumn, winter.
There lived an old man who believed in Jesus very well in a village. The grandfather always said, "Thank you. Thank you." The words never left. So the villagers called the grandfather 'Thank you Grandpa'.
One day, on a holiday, this grandfather bought a pound of beef from the butcher and, on his way home, stumbled over a stone and dropped the meat to the ground. Then a dog passed by and bit the fallen fish and ran away.
At this time, Grandpa looked at the running dog and said, "Heh, thank you."
Then a young man who witnessed the scene asked the grandfather.
"No, Grandpa, what thank you for that?" Then the grandfather replies: "Ah, man, I lost my meat, but my taste is still there." Having said this, the grandfather said again, "Heh heh, thank you." and hummed as he passed by.
I heard this testimony while I was at Yoido Full Gospel Church.
One day a young man was in a very good mood. It was because no one else had given him a gift certificate for gold gang shoes and bought very nice new shoes. To thank God, this young man wore new shoes that day and went to the all-night service.
And "God, thank you so much for giving me nice shoes." and offered a prayer of thanks. And after the all-night service, there was a short break before the dawn service, so I lay down on a bench in the church and slept for a while and woke up.
But what is this? When I woke up, I noticed that the new pair of shoes I bought had disappeared. No matter how much I looked around and looked around, I couldn't find any new shoes I bought. This young man was so amazing. It was so weird.
And I was forced to put on socks, trudge down the street, get on the bus, and come home. Everyone who saw this shook their heads and looked at them strangely.
If you are an ordinary person, you may have asked God like this when you are in this situation.
“No, God, I gave thanks for the all-night worship service, but even though I can’t give you anything good because of my hard work, are you greedy for new shoes and take them away? Is God so heartless and cruel? What would people think when they saw me walking down the street without my clothes on? Oh, it's embarrassing! God, I don't believe in a God who doesn't even protect my shoes. Let's end our relationship now."
And he may have cursed the thief who took his new shoes, saying, "Ah, you'll have to suffer from athlete's foot for the rest of your life wearing those shoes."
But this young man prayed like this.
"God, the new shoes I bought are gone. Thank you, though. Please let the person who brought these shoes believe in Jesus and meet you in heaven."
And this young man walked barefoot on the cold asphalt road, singing, "The LORD gave and the LORD took away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). said to have returned.
Guys, have you lost anything? Even if you have lost money, fame, health, loved ones, or what you consider most precious and important, you are a great person if you can be grateful for that moment.
He is truly a happy person. Truly a wonderful saint. And in order to become such a great, wonderful, and wonderful child of God, we pray like this today, no matter what the circumstances. "Thank you, Lord!"