GRATITUDE

Dearly Beloved, welcome to the last month of the year and the first Sunday in the month of  December 2019. It is truly incredible how we are already in December, getting ready for the Christmas celebrations and then the new year. Indeed thank God for His goodness, faithfulness and great mercies towards us. He is the one who has kept us alive and well from January till date and we truly give Him all the praise, glory and adoration. The Psalmist says ‘what shall we render to this great God for all His amazing benefits towards us?’ (Psalms 116:12) We say thank You Jesus, we are grateful Lord.

 

Beloved, I just want to encourage you to maintain a posture of gratitude throughout this month and even beyond it. There’s something so powerful about gratitude that we need to tap into. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude is a decision you must make as an individual, because sometimes in the natural it seems as if there is nothing to be grateful for. However, a life of gratitude isn’t based off of things and circumstances, but based on the goodness of this God. This is why the David says in Psalms 103:1(KJV) “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” In this scripture, David basically commanded his soul and everything within him to bless the Lord because He understood that this God is worthy of all praise.

 

Child of God when you get to that point where you understand that your thankfulness to God isn’t simply based on just His acts, or the miracles you have received, but based on who He is, then know that you are now living a life of gratitude. The devil has no response to an individual who lives a life of gratitude, because that individual’s eyes is no longer on self, but on Jesus. And of course there is no way our eyes can be on Jesus that blessings won’t flow into our lives.

 

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endure the for ever.” (Psalms 118:29 KJV)

 

As we go into the week of thanksgiving, I encourage you to just give this God worthy praise, because of who He is. Yes, it’s okay to also sit back and count your blessings and thank Him for those too, but I want you to bless His name because He is a good Father, who is too faithful to fail. Just take some time to bask in His awesomeness, and in the splendor of His beauty.

 

We serve a good God and my prayer for you is that this God will do you good in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Maranatha!

 

In His Royal Service

Dr. Mike Okonkwo

The Presiding Bishop