Title: The Benefit of Gratitude
Contents
▒▒▒ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
When it comes to gifts, we usually think of materials such as jewels, but minds other than material things can also be gifts. In fact, there are many gifts, but none is as precious as gratitude. That is why the Apostle Paul says in the text, “In everything give thanks.”
In the Old Testament, when King David had a battle with Goliath at a young age, he held on to the name of God and went to war and won. However, when he built a great kingdom and became prosperous in the economy and received tribute from a foreign country, he gave thanks to God who had accomplished everything, and instead of boasting about God, he boasted about himself. In Luke 17, Jesus healed ten lepers. But among the ten, only one thanked Jesus. Gratitude is not only given when there is abundance, but when it is difficult. At that time, we can speak of a life of gratitude for everything.
So what are the benefits of being grateful? Gratitude makes us humble. So the grateful person becomes the humble person. God blesses the humble. God made Saul king when he was humble, but when he became proud, he took him down from the throne. Preacher Henry Beecher said, “Pride uproots gratitude. And pride makes us rude.” said. Dear saints, please remember that the field of our hearts becomes humble through thanksgiving. Please also remember that when we are humble, the precious blessings of heaven come abundantly in our lives.
Gratitude makes our lives healthy. One of the ways to treat someone with depression is to get them to say thank you.
A grateful person becomes a servant. They become filial piety to their parents, and they become loyal to the country. Those who know that they are born into this world themselves come from their parents, and they know that they are living with their parents' love, and they have no choice but to be grateful, and such a person cannot help but become a filial son. A person who treats their parents with this kind of heart has no choice but to become a loyal person because they treat their country with the same heart. Those who serve with thanksgiving will serve as faithful workers in the church, regardless of who sees them or not.
Gratitude drives us to action. Gratitude keeps us from sitting still. Peter was so grateful that he had called himself, who had denied Jesus three times, and became a faithful man before the Lord until he died by hanging upside down on a cross. Mary was so grateful for Jesus for raising her brother Lazarus, so she had a feast, broke the alabaster, poured it under Jesus' feet, and expressed her gratitude through actions. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you serve and dedicate yourself to the Lord with a grateful heart.
Gratitude is expressed through worship. The foundation of worship is thanksgiving. There are many examples of worship in the Old Testament, but the representative example is the worship offered in Joshua 24, which was given in gratitude for God's grace that brought Israel out of slavery for 430 years. Psalm 50 says, “He who worships with thanksgiving glorifies me.” And he said, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving, I will grant his wish. I will make that wish come true.” When we worship with thanksgiving, God hears and grants that prayer. After David had made a mistake, he offered sacrifices and worshiped on the threshing floor of Araunah in gratitude. At that very moment, God accepted his worship and immediately put an end to the plague that spread throughout the earth.
I pray that all of you will be grateful, humble, serve, glorify and worship God, and receive the great blessings God has prepared for you.
2008-11-21 14:50:59