Focus: Gratitude

Text: Ps.100:4; Col.3:15.

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

"And be ye thankful."

One thing Paul observed about humanity is our lack of capacity to be thankful (Rom.1:21), which stems from failure to recognize God's central place and vital roles in our lives.

The word 'thankful' is 'eucharistos' in the Greek. It's derived from charis, the word for grace. So to be thankful means being able to acknowledge and appreciate the place and power of grace in all you are becoming and accomplishing. It is realizing that whatever you have been able to do or achieve in life was so much due to God's GRACE. It is not solely by your making or intelligence.

With a heart full of gratitude the psalmist exclaims, "Blessed be the Lord, who DAILY LOADETH us with BENEFITS, even the God of our salvation" - Ps.68:19.

Yes, loads and loads of daily benefits! Think about it, and be thankful, not just with your lips, but also with your life and resources.

In another place the psalmist addresses himself thus: "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS" - Ps.103:2.

Talk to yourself now, and let your prayer be, My Lord and my God, in this season of Christmas, help me not to forget of all your benefits!

Finally, the psalmist is probing himself and inquiring, "What shall I render unto the LORD for ALL HIS BENEFITS toward me?" - Ps.116:12.

Think about it and come up with something. Look within and around you, and quickly find something of quality to render to God for all you have survived, and for all his blessings you have enjoyed throughout the year. Amen. Let's be thankful.

We'll learn from David tomorrow, by the grace of God.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter