Heart of Gratitude (4)

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." Acts 16:25

Why should a man praise God when he is down and the whole world appears to be on his shoulder; why should I rejoice in God when there's virtually nothing around me to be happy about?
Paul and Silas sang praise to God at a time when they weren't feeling good cause of much beating and imprisonment; coupled with that, there was no physical reason whatsoever around them to incite the worship of God.
God knew things will not be smooth all the time and yet we are commanded to give Him thanks always. Praising God requires faith and not feelings.
Good or bad, the believer must always put His attention and concentration on the word of God and not on circumstances and feelings, because situations and cirmcumstaces change and so are feelings; the more reason a believr's motivation for praise should be drawn from the unchanging word of God (Isaiah 40:8)
"Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls - Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

Mind you, What determines whether or not your praise will be acceptable before God is faith not feelings. " But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6).
Let the praise of God abound in your heart always inspite of feelings for this is the will of God concerning you in Christ. got that?

Heart of Gratitude (3)

"Giving thanks to the father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." (col.1:12)
Having established from scriptures in my last post that redemption is the predicate of ceaseless gratitude to God; it follows therefore that it takes a good understanding of God's word to be able to praise and thank God well. Bible says we should rejoice IN THE LORD always not in our circumstances (Phil.4:4).
The mistake we make most times is to look for reasons for thanksgiving within the confine of our circumstance/experience;if for instance I failed in a venture which God had previously warned me not go into; I cant thank God for such failure but in the failure I can still give Him thanks because a good understanding of God's word will make a man see that inspite of his failures God still loves him and still believe the best of him. He therefore that must thank God well must inevitably be versed in the word of God because only in the word of God can we find the reason to constantly thank God and not in our circumstances (Please read John 16:33).
Ever wondered, why your heart and mouth are always filled with complaints, it must have been that you have not discovered thanksgiving from the Bible; if you will give yourself over to the study of God's word, you will discover for yourself what great thing the Lord has done for you in Christ and the wonder of His unfailing love (IJohn 3:1); and by the time the knowledge of God's word fills your heart through and through, you will definately find praise, worship and thanksgiving well-up from your heart unto the Lord without interruption in all circumstances ...this is how to thank God well! got it?

Heart of Gratitude (2)

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (IThes.5:18)
The import of this verse is that thanksgiving must be a way of life for the believer; same admonition is given in Heb.13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."
 Whatever virtue that must be a lifestyle requires learning and cultivation. Hence thanksgiving to God must not be a mere index of fair weather; otherwise, when things are not palatable u will most likely murmur against God. Its good to give thanks to God for the daily benefits but you can't build a lifestyle of gratitude on the physical things, because, though God is the ultimate source of such things, the fact we cannot shy away from is that, anything physical is fleeting inspite of its source and importance. And once it fades, as it must, u might end up not maintaining a grateful heart towards God and consequently murmur against God.
There is something the Lord has done for you which cannot fade away and through it we have received all things (Rom.8:32). It is Redemption! You must learn to appreciate God for redemption through Christ in all things and at all times; going through this learning process will help you build a lifestyle of gratitude that does not fluctuate with happenings and experiences.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, "I am redeemed; I am redeemed; Praise the Lord!"
Let the forgiven and the blessed of the Lord say so, "I am redeemed, I am redeemed, praise the Lord!" PRAISE THE LORD!

Heart of Gratitude (1)

‎"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (IPet.1:3-5)
By the redemption through Christ,
we were rescued from the dominion of sin and satan (Col.1:13);
we became the very children of God (Gal3:26);
we became partakers of God's very life and nature (2Pet.1:4);
we became heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom.8:17);
God in His power and majesty dwells in us(1Cor.3:16);
in summary we have received ALL things! (1Cor.3:21) -this is the reason the believer must always maintain a heart of gratitude in all things.
I Cor.1-26-28 is most relevant here: "(26)For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. (27) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; (28) and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.
Now, the weak is made strong, the sick is made whole, the sin-soiled children of Adam have become the righteous sons of the Holy God all by grace . I admonish you therefore to give Him thanks ALWAYS with a GRATEFUL HEART! Blessed?