Thankful, Part 3

Psalm 103:1-5, "Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

^2 3 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.   My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! (NLT)

I read an article several years ago and I believe that the author was John Maxwell. The article challenged the readers to live with an "attitude of gratitude." I must confess that there have been days in which I have fallen short of that goal/challenge. Life does have a way to replace our praise with concern about the issues/challenges that we are facing. I have found myself distracted by the events of life in such a way that I began to forget the history that I had developed with God. I took on a disease that I could call "spiritual amnesia." In my distress I was guilty of forgetting rather than remembering. We can remember events that took place in our lives many years ago whether these events were good or bad. But it is amazing how quickly our praise and thanksgiving can disappear when troubles or trials make an appearance in our lives. NOTE: I wrote that sentence from experience as well as the observation of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today's passage from the book of Psalms remind us of the need to never forget. But "not forgetting" should not be the end of our story but the beginning of our story. We not only resist the temptation to forget but we take the pro-active response of praising and thanking God for His daily provisions in our lives. I am sure that each of us can begin to remember an abundance of "things" that God has done in our lives when we take the time to have an accurate reflection on our journey down the road of life. The enemy of our soul wants us to have a distorted view of life which would only include those difficult and trying moments. But an accurate review allows us to remember those times in which God brought victory and deliverance into the midst of our situations. I believe that I just heard someone say, "Thank you Jesus for all that You have done for me!!!"

Take a moment and meditate on these words that Pastor Sy Smith felt led to share today. "Our day is not complete until we have worshipped Jesus Christ as God and Savior. Hess wrote, "From your heart give God your praise For his blessings all your days; Lift your voice to God above -- God of mercy, God of love." 

Let the people of God shout AMEN!