When he came near the place where the road goes down to the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” - Luke 19:37-38
I have been out of commission for a while but I am grateful to be back. In the chaos of life, we often forget the Lord. We are quick with our laundry list of requests – asking for a new car, a new house, a bigger job with a larger salary that we forget to thank God for what He has already done. I was watching a show called “The Secret Millionaire” and caught a glimpse of some problems that other human beings just like me, had to live with. When our families are healthy and we can put food on the table, God deserves praise. When we have a job to go to that enables us to work out our gifts and our talents, God is worthy to be praised. When we can rise in the morning and see the dawn of a new day, we must appreciate that Our God is still on the throne.
If we want to know where we stand in regards to thanksgiving, we must analyze our prayers. How much time to we spend in worship and praise as opposed to making requests? Do our prayers predominantly contain requests for things or do we spend a great deal of time just thanking God for what He has done. Are our prayers one sided or do we take time to just sit and be still in God’s presence? Praise and thanksgiving brings an atmosphere of worship. God loves to inhabit the praises of His people. As a parent, when I can see that my daughters are grateful for the gifts they have received and I can see that they are putting these gifts to good use, I am encouraged to give them more. So before you start to ask God for more, search your heart and see if you have been full of praise and thanksgiving for what the Lord has already provided. Do an inventory of your life and see if what he has previously allocated has been put to good use.
I don’t know about you but I want to spend the other half of my life as a true worshipper and disciple. I will spend my time thanking God each moment for the miracles He has graciously brought my way. My existence today in the Spirit is itself a miracle. As I keep my eyes and my heart open, I anticipate my relationship with my Father in heaven to deepen. As I spend more time appreciating Him and thankful for every single experience, I will be able to see His divine authority, His compassion and His presence in my life.
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