Faith Inspires Gratitude
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Key Verse: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Selected Scripture: |
WE SHOULD BE EVER thankful to our Heavenly Father, for we owe our all to him through his only begotten Son, Christ Jesus. All things are of the Father, and by the Son. (I Cor. 8:6) We recall the words of Paul, “Know ye not that … ye are not your own? For ye are bought [and paid for] with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Cor. 6:19,20) Our understanding of this shows us that our time, talents, influence, means, and all that we might consider precious, or in any proper degree valuable, belongs to the Lord, even life itself.
Our Heavenly Father cares for us and loves us dearly. All pure, lovely, and true things originate from the “Father of lights” (James 1:17), and come to us through the Lord Jesus. God is concerned with, and about, even the smallest matters in our life. He is pleased to oversee by his divine providence everything in which we are involved. Our faith and trust in God should cause us to be ever mindful of the privilege of coming to him through our Lord and Master for help and encouragement, comfort, consolation, guidance, and rest. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28; Ps. 29:11; 36:5,7) Our faith should inspire gratitude of heart, and engender within us peace and rest in God, knowing that he is strong and mighty toward us. “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.”—Ps. 29:11
With gratitude we realize that Christ Jesus is our heavenly friend, and our comforter. His character is so in harmony with that of the Heavenly Father that the Apostle Paul refers to him as “the brightness of his [God’s] glory, and the express image of his [God’s] person.” (Heb. 1:3) Our depth of faith compels us to follow the example of the Apostle Paul when he declared himself an imitator of Christ. (I Cor. 11:1; Eph. 5:1,2) Imitating the character traits and disposition of Christ will lead the footstep follower of the Master to be a humble, loving, and tenderhearted person—as he was. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (I Pet. 5:6,7) Each day that we are privileged to walk in the narrow way, our attitude should be as that expressed in the words of Psalm 116:12-14: “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.”
As faithful children of God, we should be ever thankful to our Father for his providential care and overruling in all aspects of our lives. We must also realize through the eye of faith that he has everything under control and in full accord with his wonderful plan. This should inspire all of us to strive to fulfill our consecration vows, even unto death, knowing that if faithful we will receive glory, honor, and immortality. (Rom. 2:7) Trusting in him completely, as partakers of his grace, we can truly say, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”—II Cor. 9:15