In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Today, it was my turn to lead and direct our Sunday worship service...
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Today, it was my turn to lead and direct our Sunday worship service...
But I always tell the men that the real director is the Holy Spirit. Without Him, I cannot do anything. So after opening the service with a prayer, I then took a moment to give the coming week's announcements to the congregation. After this, I asked the choir to come forward and lead us in songs of praise.
Next came the time for what we traditionally call "praise reports" where anyone who wishes to could get up from his seat and briefly tell us about an answer to prayer, or something good that happened to him during the past week.
This was followed by several Scripture readings from two of our members. Next it was my turn to give words of encouragement to the men. What God placed upon my heart, I told them, was to always give thanks for all things. This is what the word of God tells us to do.
I then challenged everyone including myself to make an effort to keep a simple journal, and each day list two or three things that you want to thank the Lord for. I suggested they call it a "Journal of Thanks."
I said that for most of us, which includes me, we will oftentimes find ourselves doing more complaining to God than we do praising Him. Immediately after I said this, I saw almost every head bobbing up and down in agreement. And when I heard plenty of embarrassed chuckles and a few, amens, as well, I knew I'd struck a nerve.
This is why I suggested keeping a Journal of Thanks. I said that we need to focus more on the good things the Lord is doing in our lives, as opposed to the negative things we frequently see happening all around us.
"The apostle Paul never complained about his living conditions while he was incarcerated," I declared. He told us to always "rejoice in the Lord" (Philippians 4:4). "It's time to stop complaining and just start praising Him," I added.
For the first entry in my journal of thanks, I shared about receiving a letter from a Christian in Costa Rica. That it was the first letter I ever got from this particular country. I said the person who wrote it is a Christian. He told me how my story of redemption encouraged him in his own walk with the Lord. His letter made my day.
D.B.
Next came the time for what we traditionally call "praise reports" where anyone who wishes to could get up from his seat and briefly tell us about an answer to prayer, or something good that happened to him during the past week.
This was followed by several Scripture readings from two of our members. Next it was my turn to give words of encouragement to the men. What God placed upon my heart, I told them, was to always give thanks for all things. This is what the word of God tells us to do.
I then challenged everyone including myself to make an effort to keep a simple journal, and each day list two or three things that you want to thank the Lord for. I suggested they call it a "Journal of Thanks."
I said that for most of us, which includes me, we will oftentimes find ourselves doing more complaining to God than we do praising Him. Immediately after I said this, I saw almost every head bobbing up and down in agreement. And when I heard plenty of embarrassed chuckles and a few, amens, as well, I knew I'd struck a nerve.
This is why I suggested keeping a Journal of Thanks. I said that we need to focus more on the good things the Lord is doing in our lives, as opposed to the negative things we frequently see happening all around us.
"The apostle Paul never complained about his living conditions while he was incarcerated," I declared. He told us to always "rejoice in the Lord" (Philippians 4:4). "It's time to stop complaining and just start praising Him," I added.
For the first entry in my journal of thanks, I shared about receiving a letter from a Christian in Costa Rica. That it was the first letter I ever got from this particular country. I said the person who wrote it is a Christian. He told me how my story of redemption encouraged him in his own walk with the Lord. His letter made my day.
D.B.
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