From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dearly Beloved,
BE THANKFUL ALWAYS "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, AMP). The story was told of three men that went to thank their Creator. The first one had just a piece of cloth to cover his body. He would have to be naked for the period he washed and dried the piece of cloth when it was dirty. The second had just underpants. The third one did not have anything. The first one that first expressed his heart of gratitude thanked God for the piece of cloth that he had and also thanked God that he was better than the other two men. The second one also thanked God for his situation though he had only underpants. He was grateful to God because he was not like the third man that did not have anything. One would wonder what the third man that did not have anything would thank God for, but he also expressed his heart of gratitude to God because, to him, he was better than the dead. He believed that there was still hope for him that it shall be well with him soon. This is an old story that teaches us that we should be thankful in any situation we find ourselves. When there is life, there is still hope. No matter the situation, if we ponder very well, we will have causes to thank God. That hymn writer (Johnson Oatman, Jr.) said: When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Lord, I thank you for who I am and all what you have done, is doing, and will still do for me. Thank you Jesus! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). NB As we begin the second half of this year, let me express my heart of gratitude firstly to our God Almighty who enables me to continue this online ministry in spite of all odds, then secondly to you for what you have allowed God to do through you in my life and this unique online ministry. Your occasional reactions and even criticisms help me a lot. Let me share this with you as we enter the second half of the year: the Lord will cause all things to work together for your good. He shall perfect your concerns and show Himself strong on your behalf. He will never fail you nor forsake you. You will surely see the goodness of the Lord in Jesus' name. Amen! "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN" (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV). ============================================== Dearly Beloved, "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, AMP). My last week message was based on an old story of three people that thanked their God in spite of their bad situations, and the thrust of the message is that we also should learn how to thank God no matter our situation. The message was more meaningful to me some hours after I sent it to people in my mailing lists that day. I was listening to a national television network news program that evening when I saw reasons why I should thank God more than before because of His protection over my family members and me. Three pathetic incidents were reported in that news bulletin that night. One, a ghastly auto accident that involved two vehicles where about twenty-four people were burnt to death. The security operatives and the people around the venue of the accident had to give these dead people mass burial because they were burnt beyond recognition! Two, about five-year old boy was kidnapped and his two hands were maimed. He was left in a bush to die, but he survived it. After his recovery from a hospital, the hospital management is looking for philanthropists that will help him to secure artificial hands that would have to be replaced every two years. Three, a man and one of his children (about a year-old boy) were bathed with acid. They lay critically ill in hospital beds both of them almost totally disfigured from the effect of the acid. They urgently need a huge some of money for treatment. I could not continue to listen to the rest of the news bulletin as I went to bed dejected for what I have just heard and seen on the television. It was then that I remembered the message I sent to people earlier that day. Here I am with my family members healthy, safe and secure. My children, my wife and I travel everyday at least to our working place and school. God always protects us. We are not kidnapped. None of us is on sickbed. We are not in desperate need of assistance from anybody. In fact, I saw many reasons to thank God that night, and I did thank Him for everything He is doing in my life. While I am still not happy about those reported incidents, I still have causes to thank God even though He has not done everything I want Him to do for me. He really deserves my constant gratitude. What of you? Do you realize that you ought to thank God always? Do you always thank Him? If you ponder very well you will realize that in deed, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High" (Psalm 92:1, NKJV). Lord, I thank you for who I am and all what you have done, is doing, and will still do for me. Thank you Jesus! ============================================= "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, AMP). The first message in this series was based on an old story. The second was based on true-life stories. Both were aimed at reasons why we ought to thank God no matter our situation. This third message will be based on what the Bible says. In the key verse for the series (1 Thessalonians 5:18), Paul enjoined the Thessalonians to "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]" (AMP). The man Job exemplified this (Job 1:21; 2:10). The psalmist elaborated this in Psalm 103 and urged his soul not to forget all the benefits of God because: the Lord forgives all his sins (verse 3a); the Lord heals all his diseases (verse 3b); the Lord redeems his life from destruction (verse 4a); the Lord crowns him with love and compassion (verses 4b, 8, 11, 13, 17); and the Lord satisfies his desires with good things! (verse 5). The psalmist declared that the Lord did all those things to his soul, hence, the exclamation to his soul to bless the Lord. He went further to declare other things that the Lord has done and is doing to him as well as other people: the Lord is just to the oppressed (verse 6); the Lord led the Israelites out of slavery through Moses (verse 7); the Lord is gracious and slow to anger (verses 8-10); and in His compassion and love, He treats us like children (verses 10-14). Having declared the goodness (or benefits) of God, the psalmist entreated the angels and all the heavenly hosts to join him in blessing the Lord. He even entreated you and me, His works, to also bless the Lord. Undoubtedly, you also will have many things to praise the Lord for. Think of those things. Do not forget all His benefits. Recount them and thank the Lord. Lord, I thank you for who I am and all what you have done, is doing, and will still do for me. Thank you Jesus! ================================================ "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, AMP). "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty…" (Psalm 104:1, NKJV). The previous parts in this series have given many reasons why we should always thank God. In this part we will discuss about who God is as the psalmist described Him in Psalm 104. From these descriptions, we will have more reasons why we should always thank and praise God. The psalmist started with the greatness of God. The greatness of God is manifested in His creation: He stretches out the heavens like a tent (verse 2b); He sets the earth on its unmovable foundations (verse 5) and covers it with the deep (verse 6a); He sets the course of water (verses 6b-9); He satisfies the earth and other creatures by His work (verses 10-13); He makes the earth produce food for the animals and even man (verses 14-15); He provides dwelling place for His creatures (verses 16-18); and He marks off seasons, days and years by the sun and the moon (verses 19-23). The psalmist continues to describe how God made His creation in wisdom, and all these creatures look unto God for sustenance (verses 24-29). Having considered all these things, the psalmist concludes that the glory of God will endure forever and that he would respond to God's greatness by singing to Him all his life and that he would find pleasure in meditating about it. The implication of this psalm is that we should always praise God for who He is as He has demonstrated it in His creation. Lord, I thank you for who you are. Bless the LORD, O my soul! =============================================== "…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV). This would be the last part in this series. I have to confess that I did not initially have the intention of serializing this theme, but as God would want it, it became serial messages. Glory be to God! The previous parts dealt mainly on thanking and praising God for what He is doing for us and for who He is. However, this last part will be based on thanking fellow human beings, and the reasons for doing so. The key verse for this series, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, says, "…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (NIV). You will discover that giving thanks in all circumstance as Paul admonished the Thessalonians is not exclusively for God. We ought to give thanks to human beings also. We are tend to take people for granted and not appreciate them for who they are and what they are doing in our lives, even when that things which they are doing is seemingly bad to us! In most cases, God uses people to bless other people. When the blessed people are thanking God, they should remember to thank those people that are instruments in the hands of God. At times, God allows evil people to torment us to bring out the good in us. I want to believe that if an unrefined gold can react like human beings, it would not regard the goldsmith as a good person. However, it was the handiworks of the goldsmith that make unpurified gold to become precious jewel. Who knows, the seemingly bad experiences we have are for our good, to make us more purified (see 1 Peter 1:6-7). Indeed, we ought to be thankful always for all the people that come across us, and for all what they do to us either positively or negatively. Another reason why we should thankful always in all circumstances is the fact that it is the will of God for us to do so. The Bible says, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name…for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Hebrews 13:15-16, NIV). One who is thankful will have more reasons to be thankful. In all circumstances, be thankful always. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). +234 805 515 9591 http://www.afolabayo.org/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualdigest2003/ "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN" (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV). ========================================== From: Suzianty Herawati "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." --Acts 14:22 God's people have their trials. It was never designed by God, when He chose His people, that they should be an untried people. They were chosen in the furnace of affliction; they were never chosen to worldly peace and earthly joy. Freedom from sickness and the pains of mortality was never promised them; but when their Lord drew up the charter of privileges, He included chastisements amongst the things to which they should inevitably be heirs. Trials are a part of our lot; they were predestinated for us in Christ's last legacy. ! So surely as the stars are fashioned by his hands, and their orbits fixed by Him, so surely are our trials allotted to us: He has ordained their season and their place, their intensity and the effect they shall have upon us. Good men must never expect to escape troubles; if they do, they will be disappointed, for none of their predecessors have been without them. Mark the patience of Job; remember Abraham, for he had his trials, and by his faith under them, he became the "Father of the faithful." Note well the biographies of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and you shall discover none of those whom God made vessels of mercy, who were not made to pass through the fire of affliction. It is ordained of old that the cross of trouble should be engraved on every vessel of mercy, as the royal mark whereby the King's vessels of honour are distinguished. But although tribulation is thus the path of God's children, they have the comfort of knowing that their Master has traversed it before them; they have His presence and sympathy to cheer them, His grace to support them, and His example to teach them how to endure; and when they reach "the kingdom," it will more than make amends for the "much tribulation" through which they passed to enter it. CH Spurgeon
