Psalm 103:2---Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
“Thank you!” Two simple words that let us know
we’re appreciated for what we do and who we are. When was the last time those
words crossed your lips as you prayed to God? I believe the Scriptures place a
great deal more emphasis upon gratitude than we realize. In fact, the
Scriptures consider thankfulness as an extremely important issue. Throughout
the Bible, we’re called again and again to praise and thank God. Most people
have Christianity absolutely backward. They suppose that the motive of the
Christian life is to perform good deeds in the hope of gaining eternal life.
And if that were the case, we wouldn’t need to express thanks to God; we would
have earned our own passage to heaven with no one to thank but ourselves. But
we can’t achieve eternal life on our own; we can gain salvation only through
God’s grace by faith in Jesus Christ. And this truth engenders a heart of
thankfulness and praise. God’s amazing grace inspires us to express our deepest
gratitude to our Lord and Savior. When we freely offer God our thanks and
praise, our lives change. As we count our many blessings, one by one, we may
become overwhelmed by what God has done in our lives. We may also learn to
trust Him for future needs as we review God’s perfect track record of taking
care of us. I encourage you to keep a spiritual journal, where you record your
prayer requests and the Lord’s answers. The ancient Israelites often ran into
problems because they didn’t remember all God had done for them in their past,
such as parting the Red Sea to save them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. But if
you keep a prayer journal, you won’t suffer from the same “amnesia.” As you
regularly write down God’s answers to your prayers, you’ll remember His
wonderful care for you, and you’ll automatically be filled with gratefulness
and adoration toward God.
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