I’m Blessed

It is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord

Psalm 92:1 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;”

Twelve times in the Psalms we are told to give thanks to the LORD. For His goodness, for His wonderful works, for His mercy we are told to give thanks.

We should never get familiar with the grace of God that is for us and blesses us daily.

1 Chronicles 16:8 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!”

1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Everything That Has Breath

Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”

What was the very first blessing that you ever recieved? I’ll bet it was indescribable. As a blessing it was a gift and something that could never be repaid. No matter how hard we try that gift truly is priceless.

I’m talking about the first breath we take. We breath in and breath out and some say the sound of that breathing is the unique vocalization of the name of God. From our first breath to our last we are proclaiming our life is a gift from God.

Psalm 150 takes on a new meaning with this understanding. We are to praise Him with every breath in all situations. Even inanimate objects that we touch can be used to praise Him.

Our first blessing breathes life into praise. Keep it going saints.

Half Full or Half Empty?

Some might ask which type of Christian are you. Do you see the glass half full, are you and optimist? Or do you see the glass half empty, are you a pessimist? What if there is a third option?

Consider these thoughts.

The glass is refillable.

The glass is just a vessel, it’s what’s inside that counts.

Can we even count the blessings in our glass?

Gratitude is how we count our blessings.

Contentment with God is great gain (Philippians 4:11).

The very ground shakes when we are filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31).

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

It appears we might consider that in light of this we are working with a full glass.

But Not’s

2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

First, we are the earthen vessels. God has chosen us, earthen vessels, to fill with the Holy Spirit.

Second, He blesses us to work through us. His mighty work empowers us, lifts us up, and exposes us to trials and persecutions.

In the end the work of God is HIs work which we are blessed to be a part of.

2 Corinthians 4:8–10 goes on to say, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

There should be no question that the tremendous work of God that we are involved in is not a manifestation of the amount of effort that we put into it, but it is without reservation a divine work of God. In the light of that we are reminded that we are mortal and subject to various trials, but the blessings reveal themselves in contrast to these trials. So that we are the recipients of God’s grace to the end that God gets the glory and we are transformed into partners with Christ.

Who would think that God would be blessed by vessels of clay, but He is.

I’m So Content

The current material world tells us there is always something more that we need. It tries to lead us to conclude that we lack and are incomplete. Nothing could be further from the truth in Christ.

Look at Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”” It speaks of true contentment. The one things we have as Christians is Christ Himself, and it is with His presence we are to be content. This contentment is permanent and eternal because He will never leave or forsake us.

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:” because in verse 12–13 he explains, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

A few concluding thoughts, 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

1 Timothy 6:6–8 “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.”

Contentment is not about “what I have”, but “Who” I have. Believe in Jesus for eternal life.