Psalms 107:8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
David says we should always thank the Lord for all the
blessings He bestows upon us. Notice the term in this verse of Scripture, give
thanks to the Lord; David is not just suggesting that it might be a good idea
to thank the Lord for all the blessings He bestows upon us; he's saying we
should always give thanks to the Lord. A grateful attitude is something that we
make as a choice every day we live, just like we decide what we are going to
wear before we leave the house. Although we have plenty to be thankful for,
some contend plenty to grip and complain about as well. That is the idea
exactly; it is a conscious thought that we carry with us in every step we take
in our daily lives. Being a proper witness for Christ Jesus in our daily
activities is challenging when we are constantly complaining. Those around us
in our daily activities that hear us do nothing but grip and complain, knowing
that we are Christian, will not be very open to our witnessing to them.
Corrie Ten Boom, in her book "The Hiding Place,"
recounts an incident that taught her an important principle. She and her
sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they
had seen yet, Ravensbruck. Upon entering the barracks, they found them
extremely overcrowded, and flea infested. Their Scripture reading that morning
in 1 Thessalonians reminded them always to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in
all circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank the Lord for every
detail of their new living quarters. Corrie, at first, flatly refused to give
thanks for the fleas, but Betsy persisted. She finally succumbed. During the
months spent at that camp, they were surprised to find how openly they could
hold Bible study and prayer meetings without guard interference. Several months
later, they learned that the guards would not enter the barracks because of the
fleas. F. B. Meyer was pastor of Christ's Church in London, G. Campbell Morgan
was pastor of Westminster Chapel, and Charles H. Spurgeon was pastor of the
Metropolitan Chapel. Both Morgan and Spurgeon often had much larger audiences
than Meyer. Troubled by envy, Meyer confessed that he did not have peace of
heart until he began praying for his colleagues. "When I thanked God for
them and prayed for their success," said Meyer, "the result was that
God filled their churches so full that the overflow filled mine, and it has
been full since."
Those are two compelling examples of how giving thanks to
God when things don't seem to go how we want them to go will result in many
beautiful blessings that we might have otherwise missed out on. If we could use
these examples of the gratitude towards God that Corie and Pastor Meyer
demonstrated, we would see even more excellent results than these two servants
of God experienced. The more time we spend with our Lord and Savior, Christ
Jesus, the more we learn to follow His example of total gratitude. The example
of John the Apostle is a perfect pattern to follow. When he was but a very
young follower of Christ Jesus, he wanted to call down fire on a village in
Samaria because they did not want Jesus to spend the night in their village
(Luke 9:54). However, after many years of closely following Jesus he wrote:
1 John 4:8 Whoever
does not love does not know God, because God is love.
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