WHAT SHALL WE RENDER UNTO THE LORD?

Dearly Beloved, I bring you greetings in the name that is above every other name, Jesus Christ the Son of the living God and our soon coming King. Welcome to the 2019 annual thanksgiving service themed “Celebrating His Faithfulness”. Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV) says “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” I am sure each and every one of you will agree with me that this God has been so good, He has been faithful, wonderful, awesome, I mean much more than our minds can ever comprehend. He is the one who has kept us alive from January up until this 8th day of December, not because of anything we have done or not done, but simply because of His goodness. It is of His incredible mercies that we are not six feet under; Lord we are grateful.

 

Beloved, if you sit down and take your time to reflect and ponder on the goodness of this faithful God, you will indeed come to the conclusion like the Psalmist of “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalms 116:12 KJV) I believe that on this Thanksgiving Day, the question on each of our hearts should be ‘what shall we render unto God?’ This is whyDavid never held anything back when offering anything to God. At a point his wife even accused him of dancing shamelessly in front of everyone, but David made it very clear that nothing else mattered, not even his reputation when it concerns God – 2 Samuel 6:16-23

 

Child of God, if we truly can think about our lives, and even reflect on the year 2019, from January up till date, you will see the diverse ways in which the hand of God was made manifest in your life, family, business, career and you will find uncountable reasons to be grateful to this magnificent God. Psalms 40:5 says “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Of a truth if we sit down to count our blessings, they will be more than we can number because that is how amazing this God is to us.

 

This is why we have gathered here on this Sunday to truly give sacrificial praise, honour, adoration, and thanksgiving unto this God because He deserves it and much more. We are not holding anything back in our praise, in our offerings, in our worship of this wonderful God and I know that the Lord who inhabits the praises of His children will inhabit our every area of our lives. As we give God our very best today, God will rejoice over us, our sacrifice shall indeed bring Him honour in the name of Jesus.

 

I declare over your life that your heaven will never be shut and you will end this year with a shout of joy. I bless you today in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Maranatha!

 

In His Royal Service

Dr. Mike Okonkwo

The Presiding Bishop