Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Giving Thanks

Colossians 3:15-17 speaks about the relevance of giving thanks in our Christian walk. In all three verses, the common attitudes is being thankful.
  1. Heart ruled by the peace of Christ gives thanks - Being thankful is not a natural reaction. For fallen beings like us, it is a concept that must be taught, and it is ultimately the peace of Christ that teaches us how. It is this peace that will decide how you live your life. Yet it is not something we can attain until we submit our worries to God. It is only then, through the power of prayer, we slowly achieve an unexplainable peace which can ground you even in the harshest of storms. Contrary to common belief, finding thanks giving isn't when you have something. Rather it's giving thanks when your going through hardships. True thanks is demonstrated during you trials.
  2. Grounded in the Word of Christ gives praise - When the Word permeates through every facet of your life, praise will naturally rise. Praise is an natural expression of thanks. However, if you can not grasp of what God accomplishes in your life daily, then you will never find thanks. So how does one open their minds to the glory of the Lord? The answer is simple; it all starts with the Word.
  3. Life aligned with the will of God will give thanks - In the story of Daniel and the lions den, we see the life of a remarkable man, who faced the dilemma of being killed if found praying. Yet despite the threat to his life, Daniel fell to his knee and prayed 3 times of day giving thanks to the Lord. Daniel was able to do this because he spent over 70 years of his life praying to the Lord. Daniel was in the habit of giving thanks to the Lord, so when he trials came, it was only natural for him to get on his knees and continue praying.

A true heart of thanks can be demonstrated during the good times and the bad. Do you thank the Lord for you troubles? When life knocks you down is the first thought that enters you mind a prayer of thanks? The bible chronicles amazing tales of people like Paul and Peter who endure unbelievable hardships and yet always finds peace within themselves. A true heart of thanksgiving will bring glory to God, and God in return will bless you with a indescribable peace that can center you no matter how shaken up your world might get.

--from Nakwon EM November 18th 2007 Sunday Worship Service
*To listen to this sermon in its entirety, please contact James Kim

when in doubt the answer is COMFORT!";-)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

whenever Thank God.


Good job Ray, thank you.

little jane said...

mmm~ yes...
i want to be like Daniel...

thank God for great examples like David, Daniel, Paul... etc etc and even Jesus himself!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Jesus ... for our salvation!

where is your usual blog tidbit ... you could of said used "when in doubt the answer is COMFORT!"
;-)

Anonymous said...

I think ray could give the sermons now...

it's scary... I saw his notes...

it's doubly-scary...