If you wish to be thankful, get a heart deeply
humbled with the sense of your own vileness.
A broken heart is the best pipe to sound forth
God’s praise. He who studies his sins, wonders
that he has anything, and that God should shine
on such a dunghill:— I was”a blasphemer , and a
persecutor, and injurious,but I obtained mercy”
(1 Timothy 1:13). How thankful Paul was!
How he trumpeted forth free grace!

A proud man will never be thankful. He looks on
all his mercies as either of his own procuring or
deserving. If he has an estate, this he got by his
wits and industry; not considering that scripture,
“Always remember that it is the Lord your God
who gives you power to become rich” (Deut. 8:18).
Pride stops the current of gratitude. O Christian,
think of your unworthiness; see yourself as the
least of saints, and the chief of sinners—and
then you will be thankful..–Thomas Watson

I once read the story of a little boy who was diagnosed with lung cancer. He
struggled with doctors appointments, testing, and treatments. He didn’t
understand what was happening, but his mother assured him everything would be
okay. After the doctors exhausted all options, they informed his mother there
was nothing more they could do for the boy; he was headed downhill quickly.
The doctors then explained that with lung cancer, the boy’s lungs would fill
with fluid, and would drown him. They explained that the boy would be
frightened, feel pain, and feel a loss of oxygen. Not wanting to scare the
boy anymore than he already was, the mother did not pass on this news to the
little boy, but instead gave him some advice, “When you feel like you can’t
breathe, I want you to listen very closely for the bells of Heaven.”

The boy’s condition worsened and one morning the mother knew the end was
near. A nurse was beside the boy’s bed, checking his vital signs, when the
boy said, “I hear bells. I hear them, Mom.” The nurse then commented, “In the
last stages of cancer, it’s not uncommon for him to begin hearing things that
aren’t really there.” “Oh no,” replied the mother, “he really hears the
bells. I told him that whenever he felt the worst, to listen for the bells of
Heaven calling him home.”

This mother knew that her son would face adversity beyond what she had ever
experienced. She understood the pain and discomfort associated with his
condition. Yet rather than giving into the gloom, she focused her son’s eyes
on Heaven and reminded him of his soon-to-be new home.

Pain hits all of us at some point in life. Perhaps it’s the painful loss of a
family member. Or maybe it’s a trial of momentous proportions. Or perhaps
it’s even a health trial that hits us personally. Whatever the pain and
heartache, God has made one thing clear: we have a home in Heaven waiting for
those of us who are saved.

This world is not our home; we are just passing through. God commands us not
to store our treasure on this earth, not to become too attached to the things
of earth, and not to live for the present; because our real home comes after
this life is over, after the pain ends, and after we enter the presence of
our Saviour.—

The devil would like you to focus on the problems, trials, pains, and
difficulties of this world. But God promises in John 14 that a better world
is waiting for you-a world of no pain, suffering, tears, heartache, and sin.
Everything is perfect.

Where is your focus today? Is it on the problems of this world? Don’t become
so consumed with this world that you forget about the joys of the next. God
tells us that this world will pass away, but we will enjoy Heaven for all
eternity.

Take a few moments right now to think about Heaven. What will it be like to
walk down streets of gold? Who will you see there? What stories will be told
by the saints who have gone on before? What will your mansions look like?
Even the wildest dreams of Heaven cannot match the glory God has waiting for
those who are saved. Thank God that this world isn’t home! Thank Him today
that even when things get bad, you still have the hope of living with Him for
all eternity. By Paul Chappell

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly—- Luke 22:44

We talk about being like Jesus, but we are seldom willing to subject ourselves to agony for the sake of doing the Father’s will. Nor do we practice Christian disciplines such as prayer like our dear Savior did. If we only understood how crucial prayer is to our welfare we would spend more time giving ourselves to it, and less time complaining about our agonies. More than a century ago J. R. Miller wrote:

“We see the Master at prayer in Gethsemane. It was here that He prepared for His Cross. We should notice that His refuge in His exceeding sorrow — was prayer; and that, as the sorrow deepened — the refuge still was prayer. Prayer is the only refuge in sorrow. The lesson from the garden prayer is that we should take all the hard things, the anguishes, the insufferable pains, the bitter griefs of our lives — to God in prayer. We may be sure, too, that God will answer. If He does not relieve us of the suffering, He will strengthen us so that we can keep it, and still go on trusting and singing.”