“O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.”– Psalm 105:1

Cultivating a thankful heart is the key to overcoming discouragement, grief, pain, or discontentment. If we develop the habit of counting our blessings then we, like Paul, can learn to be content—even joyful—in the darkest of times or most difficult of circumstances.

However, the psalmist here reminds us that the greatest benefit of a grateful heart, and therefore the greatest motivation to a thankful spirit, is not the blessing that it brings to us but the witness it is to others. Anyone can be happy and thankful when everything is going well; but what a testimony it is when God’s people are rejoicing among the ruins of their temporal pleasures!

When a child of God is seen searching through the wreckage of shattered dreams, lost loved ones, or debilitating pain for reasons to praise their Lord it is an unparalleled proof of the power of Christ to transform and to satisfy His people. When they publicly call upon His name, making His deeds known among the masses, the gratefulness of God’s children redounds to the glory of God’s grace.

We are nowhere as able to shine for Christ as in the darkness of our own heartache and loss. In that moment we have the greatest potential to fulfill the greatest purpose of our lives — to exalt the name of our Lord Jesus.

So, no matter what your current circumstances, give thanks to the Lord, calling on the name of Christ as your joy and sufficiency. Make known His goodness among the masses.–Baptist Bible Hour

I shudder to think where I would be were it not for God’s people. The contributions they have made to my life are more than I can number. They have blessed me beyond measure– without me being deserving of a single one. They have loved me unconditionally, blessed me abundantly, and helped me immensely. And I am grateful. But, while I am thankful to them, it is God that I thank for them. Each one is a special gift from God Himself and they are of more value than fortune or fame. I wish for each of them that which Paul expressed at the end of his letter–“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.“(Phil. 4:23). As you count your blessings today don’t forget to thank God for those He has placed in your life.

“Christ died for the ungodly!” Romans 5:6

In the cross of Christ, God’s hatred to sin is manifested in the most striking light–and the evil of sin is exposed in the most dreadful colors! Now it appears, that such is the divine hatred against all sin, that God can by no means forgive sin, without punishment; and that all the infinite benevolence of His nature towards His creatures cannot prevail upon Him to pardon the least sin–without an adequate atonement. Nay, now it appears that when so malignant and abominable a thing is but imputed to His dear Son, His co-equal, His darling, His favorite–that even He could not escape unpunished–but was made a monument of vindictive justice to all..

What can more strongly expose the evil of sin–than the cross of Christ? Sin is such an intolerably malignant and abominable thing, that even a God of infinite mercy and grace, cannot let the least instance of it pass unpunished! It was not a small thing which could arm God’s justice against the Son of His love. Though He was perfectly innocent in Himself–yet when He was made sin for us–God spared not His own Son–but delivered Him up unto death–the shameful, tormenting, and accursed death of the cross!

Go, you fools, who make a mock at sin! Go and learn its malignity and demerit–at the cross of Jesus!—- What a horrid evil must that be–which has such tremendous consequences, even upon the Darling of Heaven! Oh! what still more dreadful havoc would Sin have made, if it had been punished upon the sinner himself in his own person! Surely all the various miseries which have been inflicted upon our guilty world in all ages, and even all the punishments of Hell–do not so loudly proclaim the terrible desert and malignity of sin–as the cross of Christ! The infinite malignity of sin, and God’s hatred to it, appear nowhere in so striking and dreadful a light–as in the cross of Christ! Let a reasonable creature take but one serious view of that cross–and surely he must ever after tremble at the thought of the least sin!—Samuel Davies

Inquire of man as to how to identify a Spirit-filled person and you get a wide variety of answers–which we won’t waste our time discussing. However, when you inquire of God the answer is clear and concise. The ministry of the Holy Spirit and the mission of the Christian is to glorify Jesus Christ. If we fail here we have failed altogether. James Smith (1840) said it well:

Even so, there are many who know the Lord will return, and love the thought, but they are living in such a way that it would be an embarrassment if the Lord came before they made things right. Although I had a terrible temper back then and fought often, it was not like me to hit my best friend–especially with a bat. I had not planned to do it, I just reacted without thinking. Even so many true believers are acting out-of-character, doing things that are wrong, and if the Lord came they would find the blessed hope to be humiliating experience. It would be much better if He finds us faithful when He comes. How would it be with you were He to come at this moment? Would the Lord find you faithful and watching? Think about it!