Title Exemplary Thanks
Contents
▒▒ Bible : John 12:1~8
I always wonder, what is the secret to the blessing of the United States? There is probably no other country in the world that celebrates Thanksgiving Day by setting it as a national holiday to express gratitude for God's grace, except for the United States. Thanks to God's grace, I think that the nation was blessed with God's blessing through the worship service that made Thanksgiving a national holiday and gave thanks to God.
Guys, gratitude is really important. A person named Sponer used a metaphor to say that prisons and monasteries are similar, but they are in a secluded place, have no free access, and have strict schedules to wake up, act, and sleep. But there is one thing that is completely different from prisons and monasteries, and that is thanksgiving. Because the people in the monastery live a strict life, but in their hearts they live with gratitude and joy.
Do we have a grateful heart or not? Do we live in prison itself? Or are we monastic life? That's going to make a huge difference. What we call gratitude is a channel that brings blessings, but it is the fact that we cannot receive the blessings of heaven if we have complaints and dissatisfaction without gratitude.
Psalm 50:14 says, “If you offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to God and pay your vows to the Most High, rescue me in the day of your trouble. I will rescue you and you will glorify me.” This is a very precious word. If we give thanks and make a vow to God, if we are sure to pay it, if we pray to God when we are in trouble, God will rescue us and lead us to a glorious life. That's why gratitude is so important.
According to today's Bible, Mary took all the wealth she had accumulated throughout her life, an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, and awoke and poured the perfume on Jesus' feet. At that time, Judas Iscariot criticized, “Why are you wasting so much? If you sell that perfume, you will help the poor.” Then Jesus said, “Do not stop her from doing what she is doing. Mary is preparing my death and anointing it with perfume.” And “every time the gospel spreads about what this woman has done, what this woman has done will also spread.” He said it, and it has been passed down to us now. The gratitude this woman gave has become an act of gratitude that will be remembered and moved by all of us for over 2000 years. I think that even if we worship once, we should offer a worship that will impress and be remembered by God. We keep the next Sunday as Thanksgiving Sunday, so I ask in the name of the Lord that the 2007 Thanksgiving service will be a worship that God will accept and remember.
What is truly acceptable worship of thanksgiving to God? As we read the Bible today, what we have in common is that all of Mary's thanksgiving went beyond human calculations. There is an important point. We humans are very understanding. We are always living in conflict of interest. However, Mary's actions are beyond the scope of understanding. But in the Bible, whether we are loved or we are in love, all the stories in the Bible are love and actions that transcend understanding. It shows Judas Iscariot, the epitome of self-compassionate love. Judas Iscariot, who loved unexplainedly, sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and eventually hung himself to death. It shows well the fact that self-interested love cannot bear fruit. We have all received love from God that transcends our understanding. So, when we receive that love and we love God, I ask in the name of the Lord that we too will love and serve God beyond human thoughts.
Another important thing is that Mary gives thanks today, and this thanks was given with her whole body and all her heart. It was like Abel's sacrifice, which was pleasing to God. Mary not only breaks a 300 denarii alabaster alabaster and pours it under Jesus' feet, but also loosens her head and wipes the feet of Jesus. This appearance is the appearance of giving all of oneself with sincerity. That is worship. That is why Romans 12:1 says, “I urge you to present yourselves as living holy sacrifices. This is your spiritual sacrifice.” Worship to God, we must offer it with all our heart. This is the spiritual sacrifice.
Dear brothers and sisters, please do not just give this time today, but give it with all your body, mind, and devotion. This is true worship. God is pleased with this kind of worship. How precious is this time to all of you? During this time that God is watching, I hope that you will dedicate yourself to God sincerely.
You should also do your best to give your offerings to God. Please prepare with sincerity in your heart and give your offering in prayer. Mary gave her best to God. Please remember that the thanks you give your best, God accepts, and that gratitude gently leads to the channel of God's blessing through your descendants and descendants.
2007-11-28 20:10:35