John ESENE 

Continue from Pt.1 of last week.

     God provides all your needs and still promises to take you to His paradise after your earthly life. For that to come to past, He asked you to obey His simple commandment, “Love God and your neighbor as yourself”. He went further to remind you that, “It is only when you abide by Him that you can bear fruit, fruit that will last”. Complain no more and sing to Him, “How can I repay the Lord for His goodness to me!”

    Value what God is doing for you and say with Paul in 1 Cor 14:15, “I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray also with my mind; I will sing with my spirit but I will sing also with my mind”. Because Peter valued what Jesus did for him at their first meeting, he left his fish and boat and followed Jesus in appreciation. When you raise your hand to give thanks, as your hands are coming down, God will fill them with more blessings. So, Jesus made Peter a fisher of men as well as the rock on which he built His Church.

       David recognized the fact that God elevated him to a position he never deserved. So, each time he strayed, he would repent and plead for forgiveness. He was noted for his songs of praises to God with instruments. God loved David too and continued to increase him and subdued all his enemies.  King David has left us a legacy.

     A child who trusts his father will not grumble when the road is rough because he believes in him. That is how it should be for every one of us: we all have reasons to praise God. When you appreciate a gift, no matter how small it may be, the giver will be provoked to give you more. It has worked for me and will work for you too!

    One of the ten lepers healed by Christ remembered when he was a leper and decided to return to Jesus and thanked Him for making him clean. In Luke 17:17, Jesus said, “There were ten men who were healed; where are the other nine?” Luke 17:17. Praise God for His goodness to you. No one has ever cared for you as much as God does: not even your parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, and others. The poor and the rich, the sinner and the righteous, the sick and the healthy: God cares for us all.     

     Ps 150:6 says, “Praise the Lord, all living creatures” Any river which forgets its source will have to dry up. The song, “All I have is given to me by the Lord” says it all. Remember that you are from God and will return to Him who created you for a purpose. Attribute all your achievements to Him who gave you life and watches over you.

     In my humble opinion, I suggest we thank God daily in any situation we find ourselves. Ps 61:8 says, “So, I will always sing praises to you, as I offer you daily what I have promised.” You can thank God a little but cannot thank Him too much: He loves us more than we love ourselves. So, be in the habit of praising God always: both day and night like Paul and Silas in Acts 16:19-34.

     Count your blessings daily; name them one by one. It will surprise you what the Lord has done for you. From the rising of the sun to its setting, He works wonders in your life most of which you may not even know, yet you complain more and thank Him very little. Try to sing this song daily: “All of my life, I will praise the living God. My heart full of joy; I will bless His holy Name…”

     “The Israelites ate manna for the next 40 years, until they reached the land of Canaan, where they settled.” Ex 16:35. Did they praise God for this special gift? “But the people were very thirsty and continued to complain to Moses. They said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” Ex 17:3. So, because of their complaints and actions, they prolonged their 40 days journey to 40 years.

      If you have strayed and you believe in the story of the prodigal son, then return quickly to God that He may welcome you back to His kingdom. Psalm 51:12 says, “Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Today, God grant you the privilege to eat manna and tomorrow, you murmur against Him. What do you want from God that He has not done for you? Man is hard to satisfy; that is probably why a friend said, “Of all God created; only human beings give God tough time!” So, man is insatiable.

    Those who think they have no reason to praise God because they achieved success on their own should have a rethink. “Wise men should not boast of their wisdom or strong men of their strength or rich men of their wealth. If anyone wants to boast, he should boast that he knows and understands me because my love is constant and I do what is just and right” Jer 9:23-24. I love that beautiful song, “All I have is given to me by the Lord!”

     “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say again: Rejoice!  Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus” Phil 4:4, 6-7. Dear reader, please thank God every day in all your situations!