Welcome!
Today: A lifestyle of thankfulness
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2, NIV 84) emphasis added
Even in the midst of losses, there are things that we can thank the Lord for
Many of us have faced other losses in life, when we asked the same question
But, as we chose to say “God is good all the time”, and as His praise was continually on our lips, we were blessed
But then, for those who didn’t suffer any such loss, what prevents them from giving thanks to the Lord?
Look at the photos and videos from the areas affected by war- bodies of children bathed in blood and parents crying out loud..
There is so much to thank the Lord for, and so much to pray for
If we go a little bit “extra” in prayer, praise and devotion of God’s word, it should be O.K! God will only be pleased, and we will be blessed.
I think, one of the ways by which we block our blessings is by being thankless for what we already have. We can see people around us who don’t appreciate what they have, and always complaining and worrying about what they don’t have
As children of God, we should stay away from greed. If God has given us what we need, that should be O.K. Greed of any kind is a sin-whether it be for food, clothing or any other commodity! God will satisfy our needs, not greed
In the verses above, King Solomon speaks about the meaningless of materialism. He had all he wanted, but none of them gave him happiness or peace. When we buy anything, ask ourselves, “do I really need this?”. When we have enough of something, don’t buy more. There are so many people in and around us, struggling for basic needs
Let our thoughts, words and deeds make sense to God and to others
1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. 2 The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. 3 The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health. (Ps 41, NLT)
Have a blessed day!
BG
Prayer: Father God, thank you for all that you have done for us. Forgive us for being thankless and greedy. Help me not to waste my resources by spending it all on me, but to save them, by using it for others as well. In Jesus’ name I pray; Amen
If we don’t “live” Jesus, we can’t “talk” Jesus