Today we will be looking at showing gratitude to your parents. Parents can be wonderful. They can be overbearing as well. They can reel out commands, rules, and guidelines. They tell you what to do and what not to do. They tell you when and when not to watch the TV.
To you, it seems as though they were over children. They just grew into adulthood one day.
Well, I have good news for you. Your parents love you. They love you so much they want the best for you. The rules and laws they give you are to bring out the best in you, not necessarily to restrict you.
They want to see you excel in your studies and in life. They want you to become a successful parent someday.
So the next time they tell you to wash your clothes, for example, know that it’s for your own good. They don’t want you to be a dirty person. When your clothes reek of sweat and are dirty, people will not want to associate with you and you could get teased or mocked at school by your mates. This could affect your self-esteem, making you withdraw from others.
Even the Bible encourages us to keep clean as it portrays the state of our hearts before God.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Wash and make yourselves clean. Isaiah 1:16 NIV.
Again the Bible tells you to obey and honor your parents so that it might be well with you.
Ephesians 6:2-3 GW “Honor your father and mother, that everything may go well for you, and you may have a long life on earth.” This is an important commandment with a promise.
The habit of thanksgiving is good. In fact, it makes everyone around you want to do something for you, you know why? That’s because everyone loves to be appreciated.
Let me show you something interesting. Even the bible says we should give thanks in everything.
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. KJV 1Thessalonia 5:18
Giving thanks is God’s will for us as his children. His desire is for us to be appreciative of everything and anything.
The bible says “in everything”, another translation says “in every circumstances.”
In essence, all the time is when we should give thanks.
Giving thanks or saying thank you shows you are a grateful person, and grateful people get more things, unlike someone that isn’t appreciative.
So many things happen when we give thanks, to God, our parents, friends and everyone.
1. You make the person receiving the thanks or appreciation happy
2. You get blessed the more. It’s very simple, if you say thank you for biscuits you’ll get more. Try it.
3. You can multiply what you have by giving thanks.
Remember Jesus, when he fed the five thousand, he gave thanks and broke the bread, then gave his disciples to share. He feed five thousand people and more with five loaves of bread and two fishes.
How do you learn this habit?
1. By asking the Holy Spirit to help you be a grateful person.
2. By thanking God all the time for what you have.
3. By being appreciative each time you get something.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be thankful always; Amen.
Action point: Study the word “gratitude”
Declaration: I am grateful to God. I thank my maker every day of my life.
Ideally, when someone gives you a gift or offers a compliment, you ought to say thank you (that’s gratitude). Why?
Because it shows courtesy, that you are well brought up and not a country bumpkin.
Also, it’s a sacrifice on the person’s side. They decided to give you out of love or they saw that you needed something.
Even with a compliment, the person took his or her time to really look at you and decide to appreciate you for how you dressed, your hair, how clean your nails are, or how nice you smell. They noticed you.
The least you can say is thank you with a very genuine and friendly smile.
If someone pays you a compliment about how good your grades are, say thank you.
The Bible tells us to be thankful and that when we are grateful for what we have, we will receive more.
There are lots of people out there looking for who to notice them and would be grateful to just have one person say to them “you look good.” Remember to say thank you the next time you get a gift or compliment.
Prayer: Lord, I am grateful for all I have. Thank you for providing for my needs. Thank you for the compliments I have gotten and will get. Help me to always appreciate whatever I receive from others. Amen.
Action plan: Consciously be aware of people’s compliments. Ensure you reply with a smile and “thank you.”
Declaration: My children are grateful. They show appreciation in all they do.
Little children, keep thanking God. That is my word for you today. There is just something about gratitude.
The week might have begun smooth or rough for you, depending on what happened to you.
For some people, you wish you could change the hand of time and begin the week on afresh.
There is something quite a number of us do not do, which ought not to be so.
Listen to what the bible says;
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
God’s will is that you give thanks. How best can it be explained?
Regardless of how your week started, how your day went, or how the last month was, God is saying you should cultivate a habit of thanksgiving.
See how another version puts it.
Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. – 1 Thess 5:18{CEV}
Have you taken a moment to wonder what would have happened if Jesus Christ did not come?
Thank God for your parents. Thank Him that you have life. Thank Him for the school you are attending. Thank Him for your country. Some nations are at war as we speak. Children like you cannot go about their normal lives or play as kids should.
This week, just like the scripture admonishes; whatever happens, keep thanking God.
Don’t murmur. Don’t complain. Just be full of gratitude.
Tomorrow, I will show us a few benefits of being full of gratitude.
How To Be Thankful As A Couple. There is so much we can be thankful about especially for those who are married.
We all are to be full of gratitude.
I remember in the early years of our marriage, I just decided to give God thanks and before I know what’s happening, two hours have passed.
We need to be creative with our thanksgiving and be grateful for things we normally overlook and take for granted. God moves in our midst when we are truly grateful and offer Him thanks for those things we see Him doing in our lives.
It is easy to judge those ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19. They were obviously being so ungrateful. This minute they were lepers and the next they were cleansed. If they were thinking, they should have first of all been grateful they were cleansed.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:12-14 (KJV)
I guess they became overwhelmed with many other things that needed to be done, the years wasted, the relationships lost, all other things they have lost, etc. They allowed themselves to be overwhelmed in their thoughts and that stole their ability to give thanks to God.
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God is excited when we put Him in remembrance and remember where we are coming from, what we were delivered from and how God saw us through whatever challenges we had.
As couples, let us be grateful for each other. Thanksgiving precedes God’s interventions. If you want to see God’s hands over your home and marriage, thank Him for His fingers. When you are grateful, you bring God on the scene.
You have things you should be grateful for. Don’t take any of the goodness of God for granted. Be thankful and praise His Name.
God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I am grateful and I praise God for my life and marriage
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Lord, I consciously set my heart to remember you for your goodness.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY Psa 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Set out to be creatively grateful for those ‘little things’ God has done.
BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY Ps 102
Rev. Sophia Okunowo
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