Reflection of my message today at NRN

Today at NRN was awesome as we offered our testimonies of thanks to the Lord. 

Here is a reflection of my message today:

My warning:   A failure to express our thanks to God and to one another will limit the quality of your life and the power of your influence.

 

 

  

Here is the clip I used today in my message:  

 

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.                                                                                                    Psalm 100:2-5

We Thank God for What He DOES,

We Praise God for Who HE   IS!

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him.                                       Luke 17:15-16a

In his book Daring To Draw Near, Dr. John White writes that several years earlier God had made it possible for him to acquire a lovely home with many luxuries. His feelings about the house fluctuated dramatically.

When he reminded himself that it was a gracious gift from God, he felt joy and thanksgiving. But when he would begin to compare it with those of his friends, he would feel proud because he had such a fine house and his joy would evaporate. His home would actually become a burden. All he could see were the many hedges and trees to care for and the endless odd jobs to do. White said, “While vanity clouds my eyes and burdens my heart, gratitude clears my vision and lightens my load.”

The writer of Ecclesiastes saw God at every turn in the enjoyment of material things. The power to eat the fruits of our labors and even the strength to receive and rejoice in them is from Him (5:18-19).
From beginning to end, all of life is a continuous gift-giving by God. We deserve nothing. He owes us nothing. Yet He gives us everything. If we remember this, we need not feel selfish or guilty. Whatever material blessings we have are a gift from our gracious God.

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts

My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,
That tastes those gifts with joy. —Addison

 

God, who has given so much to us, gives one more thing—a grateful heart. —Herbert