MORE ON THANKFULNESS

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What shall we do in giving thanks to our Lord?

Note what David said in these two Psalms, that he would do. We can at least do the same.

  1. Thank Jesus for what He has accomplished for us – our salvation, recognising how costly it was for Jesus and our Heavenly Father.
  2. Devote ourselves and all we have to His service. 
  3. Doing good is sacrifice, with which God is well pleased; and this must accompany giving thanks in His name.
  4. We are not ashamed to be in God’s service and to invite others to join us. Such are true saints of God, in whose lives and deaths He will be glorified.

“What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.” Psalms 116:12-14

“I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!” Psalms 116:17-18

“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.” Psalms 140:12-13

What about the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. Only one returned to give thanks to Jesus, and He was a Samaritan. Not one of the Jews, members of Jesus’ chosen nation, returned to give thanks.

“And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Do we thank God constantly for His Word as Paul and His fellow believers did? Sadly, His church is not even upholding the inerrancy of God’s Word let alone thanking Him for it.

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.“ 1 Thessalonians 2:13

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledges the ‘selfless stoicism’ of Christians

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The Prime Minister, who will be speaking briefly at the online Christian festival Spring Harvest Home said, “I want to say a great big thank you because over the past year or so I have seen over and over again the teachings of Jesus Christ brought to life by people like yourselves: men and women, young and old, right across the UK.” Johnson continues, “I’ve lost count of the number of Church leaders and congregations from all denominations, that have stepped up to support not only one another, but also to support the whole local community, people of all faiths and none.”

The Prime Minister also recognised the sacrifice many Christians have made over the past year: “For many months you have been unable to come together for worship and prayer as you would normally do. I know that has been a huge burden for many Christians, but it is a burden you have borne with selfless stoicism without complaint and by adapting to online worship and meetings.” The Prime Minister concluded, “While this past Easter has not been the event any of us would have liked, and Spring Harvest is obviously not happening in its usual bustling way, but we’re getting there, and we’re getting there because of people like you.” The Labor party leader Sir Keir Starmer and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey have also recorded a video message for those attending the online festival, with their own message to Christians in the UK.

CARRIE SYMONDS and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have married at Westminster Cathedral

Phil Loose, CEO of Essential Christian, the home of Spring Harvest, responded to the Prime Minister’s comments by saying, “This is an important moment for the Church, to have the recognition of the Prime Minister for the work and sacrifice Christians have made, shows how important the church has become in modern society. We are no longer a peripheral voice, but an essential service to those in our communities. Churches up and down the land have responded to the needs of the nation to see our society supported and transformed.” He goes on to say, “Now is the time for us as the church to support our nation’s leaders as we work together to restore, renew and rebuild our communities in the wake of a devastating pandemic. At Spring Harvest we’re stepping up into that need providing resources online to help equip the church to serve their communities.”

How good it is to read of Christians doing what our Lord has called us to do, to serve our communities and it being recognised by the UK Prime Minister as “the teachings of Jesus being brought to life”.