An ‘attitude of gratitude’ can bring forth showers of blessing!
“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done,” 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NLT).
“I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations,” Psalm 57:9 (NLT).
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him,” 1 Timothy 1:12 (NLT).
In our troubled world, it’s easy to forget the countless blessings in our lives. Too often, our present circumstances can crowd out attitudes of gratitude and praise toward the Lord. But, it’s exactly in these times we need Him even more. You’ll find that once you get started thanking and praising God and loving Him, He will send showers of blessing.
I am reminded of Paul’s gratitude for God’s mercy, when he says “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him,” 1 Timothy 1:12 (NLT).
Paul then calls himself the “worst” of sinners, and highlights God’s mercy on him so that “Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners,” 1 Timothy 1:16a (NLT).
I mention this as an example of how we can always thank God for His blessings, His mercy, His compassion. The world may appear as if it’s crumbling right before our eyes, but the Lord’s strength will never fail. His love will never fail. I encourage you to take some time this week to pray for God’s glory to shine in your life, and to thank Him for all the blessings He has given you. It’s amazing what happens when we remember to do that. Whatever you have been through in your life, God can use it for His glory!
I want to share a simple story with you from one of our staff members who helps facilitate M:28 Bible studies. He writes:
“During a recent Southwest staff retreat, one of our staff members from Arizona asked for prayer for the regular Bible studies and the M:28 Bible Studies, which were taking place in her home while she was away. She received a phone call from home telling her the power had gone out, and asking where the flashlights and candles were. She wondered if the Lord had heard their earlier prayers, but the staff at the retreat prayed again, in faith, that God would be glorified. Not only did the lights come back on, but we heard later that one of the students in an M:28 study had put his trust in Christ! We praised God and rejoiced over answered prayer, but especially for this new Chinese brother in Christ!”
Maybe it’s just a “coincidence,” but I believe God heard their prayers and went above and beyond to answer them! I hope this is an encouragement to you. I want to leave you with four additional points of encouragement to remember no matter what your circumstances are:
Friend, thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement for our ministry! We so appreciate your taking the time to read our blogs and journey with us through the incredible blessings God is showering on us. I pray that your week is fruitful, and blessed, and that His glory shines in your life!
For More Information
For more words of encouragement, visit ISI’s Church Partners link.
Visit www.isim28.org for more information on ISI’s M:28 Global Discipleship Initiative.
“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done,” 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NLT).
“I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations,” Psalm 57:9 (NLT).
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him,” 1 Timothy 1:12 (NLT).
In our troubled world, it’s easy to forget the countless blessings in our lives. Too often, our present circumstances can crowd out attitudes of gratitude and praise toward the Lord. But, it’s exactly in these times we need Him even more. You’ll find that once you get started thanking and praising God and loving Him, He will send showers of blessing.
I am reminded of Paul’s gratitude for God’s mercy, when he says “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him,” 1 Timothy 1:12 (NLT).
Paul then calls himself the “worst” of sinners, and highlights God’s mercy on him so that “Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners,” 1 Timothy 1:16a (NLT).
I mention this as an example of how we can always thank God for His blessings, His mercy, His compassion. The world may appear as if it’s crumbling right before our eyes, but the Lord’s strength will never fail. His love will never fail. I encourage you to take some time this week to pray for God’s glory to shine in your life, and to thank Him for all the blessings He has given you. It’s amazing what happens when we remember to do that. Whatever you have been through in your life, God can use it for His glory!
I want to share a simple story with you from one of our staff members who helps facilitate M:28 Bible studies. He writes:
“During a recent Southwest staff retreat, one of our staff members from Arizona asked for prayer for the regular Bible studies and the M:28 Bible Studies, which were taking place in her home while she was away. She received a phone call from home telling her the power had gone out, and asking where the flashlights and candles were. She wondered if the Lord had heard their earlier prayers, but the staff at the retreat prayed again, in faith, that God would be glorified. Not only did the lights come back on, but we heard later that one of the students in an M:28 study had put his trust in Christ! We praised God and rejoiced over answered prayer, but especially for this new Chinese brother in Christ!”
Maybe it’s just a “coincidence,” but I believe God heard their prayers and went above and beyond to answer them! I hope this is an encouragement to you. I want to leave you with four additional points of encouragement to remember no matter what your circumstances are:
- Continually thank God.
- Pray that students receive His message, not merely our human ideas.
- Let the Word of God speak—the very word of God!
- Watch as His word continues to work spreading through believing students and returnees.
Friend, thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement for our ministry! We so appreciate your taking the time to read our blogs and journey with us through the incredible blessings God is showering on us. I pray that your week is fruitful, and blessed, and that His glory shines in your life!
For More Information
For more words of encouragement, visit ISI’s Church Partners link.
Visit www.isim28.org for more information on ISI’s M:28 Global Discipleship Initiative.
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