Be Grateful
Ever find yourself in your kitchen on a Tuesday having your own Sunday morning devotional service? Or maybe it’s your bathroom that you're in, on a Thursday, with Walter Hawkins’ “Grateful” blaring and bumping higher and harder than any DJ trying to move the crowd. You find yourself moved, once again, right there in your bathroom by God’s goodness, and you can’t help but praise God. The word “Grateful” syncopates and pulsates with your impulse to shout “Hallelujah” as you move around your house, overwhelmed by the knowledge that God has done it again and again. God has blessed you! And… you know, God will bless you again! It is a beautiful state of mind to be grateful! It’s cyclical too! The more grateful you are the more God blesses you, and the more God blesses you, the more grateful you are! It's a win-win that keeps you winning! Hallelujah!!!! It’s just great to stay grateful!
As a believer, one of the many, and one of the main reasons to stay grateful, despite the problems, the pains, and the devil trying to bombard you with a litany of troubles, is salvation. If you are saved, and you know the word of God, you know that all the pain and the suffering you experienced in this life once this life is over, will not exist anymore. Revelations 21:4 states, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” There is a profound comfort in knowing that you will live out eternity in a state of peace. God through his grace and mercy has given you the gift of eternal life. This gift is ETERNAL… What or who else besides God can provide anything that lasts forever? You would hope your mother, brother, uncle, cousin, or Re Re and them’s love, trust, friendship, and support will last forever, but we know from experience that relationships change, people die, and sometimes despite their good intentions, people fail you or leave you. But God’s love is eternal, and the gift of salvation that God extends to all people is eternal. The bible says in Hebrews 12:28(ESV), "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe…” Yes, God's kingdom lasts forever and, as believers we are a part of that kingdom. We should remain ever grateful to God for salvation. It is a wonderful privilege to be saved!
Another reason to strive to be continually grateful are the blessings- God’s many, many blessings! We talk about God’s blessings and God’s goodness all the time as Christians. We say, “I thank you Lord for waking me up this morning!” The non-believer might say, “Well that’s nothing! I woke up too, and I don’t believe in God.” Whether someone believes in God or not, it’s best to be grateful that you are alive because a lot of people don’t wake up and will never wake up again. However, people who believe in God and have trusted God are grateful because God answers our prayers and blesses us with the “desires of our hearts.” Often God’s blessings are tangible! You can see them, point to them, touch them! There’s the house God blessed you with, the car , the job, the child who strayed away from God sitting next to you in church, the family member who was diagnosed with cancer five years ago who is still around for you to love on. At other times, God’s blessings are imperceptible. For instance, “The weapons that are forming against us are not prospering” (Isaiah 54:17). Sometimes we know people are plotting against us. but we don’t know exactly what our enemies are trying to do to destroy us. However, God is making sure the enemy's plans to destroy us will be destroyed. God just continually blesses us, and we should be grateful for all that God does for us. David wrote in Psalms 103, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things…” Yes, it’s the Lord who is an “ever present help,” and we should remain grateful for having God in our lives.
Now the most important reason we should stay grateful is God blesses us and forgives us despite our faults, failures, disobedience, and other tremendous transgressions. God sent his son, Jesus, to save us from our sins. God gave us his WORD to guide and direct us. God gave us the Holy Spirit to strengthen and comfort us. We should feel blessed beyond measure because we are abundantly blessed. Yet, we receive all these blessings through God’s grace and love. Not because of what we do, but because we belong to our living, loving, everlasting Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Psalms 126: 3 says, "The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” We should continue to make a joyful noise unto the Lord and stay grateful for all that he does for us.
