Called to a position of thanks to the Lord

Bless Jehovah my soul and bless his holy name to all my being. Bless Jehovah my soul and do not forget any of his benefits. You are the one who forgives all your iniquities, the one who heals all... the one who rescues your life from the hole, the one who crowns you with favors and mercies, the one who satisfies your mouth with good so that you rejuvenate like the eagle.

The psalmist David's call to a posture of gratitude to the Lord, of recognition of all the blessings we receive from his hand day after day. The Lord calls us to that posture of gratitude to him always. One of the hallmarks of a mature child of God must be precisely gratitude, praise, continually thanking the Lord for his blessings and for everything he does for us day after day.

Praising the Lord is not an option, it is not something we do whether we want to or not. I believe that praise and gratitude to the Lord should be something that we do as a discipline, just like prayer, reading of the Word and other things, I believe that thanking the Lord should also be a practice that we carry out. out how to eat or how to bathe or like anything else.

I believe that this is something that we have to cultivate. Praising the Lord is not something you do only when you feel like doing it. It is something that one has to do because adoration, praise is one of the things that strengthens us, brings us closer to the Lord, it is a weapon of war.

Many things that worship accomplishes that we have to recognize its value, so we do it because it is necessary. Praise is a weapon of war. We think, for example, of Paul and Silas imprisoned in a prison in Philippi and they are bleeding, they have been whipped, they are in a moment we could almost say of defeat, and at that moment Paul and Silas begin to worship the Lord and sing hymns.

I imagine that they did not feel like worshiping at that moment, perhaps one of us would have felt − I would have felt all that Lord, wow, I was preaching your word, serving you and look where you have gotten me! – However, Paul and Silas decide to worship the Lord and say the word that at that moment the chains fell from their body. And he says that there was such a strong tremor in the jail that the cell doors were left open, I imagine, he says that the jailer panicked, he was about to commit suicide because he knew what awaited a soldier in the Roman Empire who He allowed prisoners to escape. At the moment, Pablo and Silas, who were the victims at that moment, become the defenders because Pablo approaches the jailer and tells him, "Don't kill yourself, don't commit suicide, we're all here." And this man, touched by the power of God, humbles himself, recognizes that mighty God who has done this tremendous miracle and asks Paul, what does he have to do to be saved? He turns to the Lord and that same day, that same night, Paul and Silas baptize him and their entire household.

What a big change praise made. I imagine that this part of spiritual warfare was what neutralized the opposition of the enemy against the proclamation of the word of God. What made those chains that made it impossible for these men to move were broken and they were free to do the work of the Lord.

So we see that adoration, praise in the midst of great trials and tribulations can completely change our situation and turn what is a moment of tribulation and limitation into a moment of possibility for what God wants to do in our lives.

And that is why we have to praise the name of the Lord at all times, on all occasions. I am glad that on a night like this when we ask for a word of gratitude, the church sprouts in prayers and expressions of thanks and time stretches out. And that's nice because that means that God is doing something in our midst. We are tender towards the Lord and that prayer of praise springs spontaneously and freely from our hearts and God is pleased with that.

I believe that of all things, one of the things that I always thank the Lord for is that up to here – and we give glory to the Lord for that – our church is a church of praise and we know how to enter into that spirit of worship. May that never be lost, brothers. May our congregation always be a place where we can worship the name of the Lord with all ease, with all freedom. That is something that pleases God greatly.

And another of the things that I see about worship is that it strengthens our faith. And when we mention the things that God has done, what we are doing is reinforcing our trust in him and saying that the same God who got me out of this situation, who got me out of that situation, is faithful to get me out again.

That is why I see so many times in the Scriptures, the psalmist pointing out and reinforcing and taking time to mention over and over again the things that God has done in his life, because he knows that by pointing out specifically the things that the Lord has made.

I see in Psalm 105, for example, how the psalmist David is mentioning over and over again all the things that God did throughout the history of Israel. He says, praise the Lord, call on his name, make his works known in the towns, sing psalms to him, speak of all his wonders, glory in his holy name, rejoice the hearts of those who seek the Lord, seek the Lord and his power Always seek his face, remember the wonders he has done, his prodigies and the judgments of his mouth. O you offspring of Abraham, yes servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

How beautiful is that passage where the psalmist is emphasizing the importance. It is a call to worship and praise. We can never rush through worship in a service, take time and stop and sing psalms to the Lord, talk about His wonders. We have to get used to it wherever we are, if you have the opportunity to point out something that God has done in your life before an unconverted person.

You know what? Many times people are not willing to listen to a conceptual exposition of the Gospel. A lot of people don't have the patience for theology or for you to give them a three-point message, or for you to give them an apologetics for why they have to believe in God, but when you talk to people about what God has done in their life, that touches their hearts and that makes a difference.

That is why he says that his works must be made known in the towns and that all his wonders must be talked about. No one can contradict a person's testimony because of what God has done. As you were doing here tonight. When you talk about the God who got you out of the hole of depression, when you talk about the God who got you out of a loss and the pain and sadness that brings into your life, when you talk about the Lord who got you out of a life of sinfulness and disobedience and how he turned your lament into dancing, as the psalmist says, brothers, that is irrefutable.

The only thing people can do is listen to you and let themselves be touched by what you are saying. And the Lord is intensely pleased with those moments in which we share with others what God has done. There is something in the heart of God that he likes praise, he likes that we point out what he has done because God is an artist and God likes artists...

I believe that if artists in the world create and present their talents in one way or another, it is because in the human heart God has placed that same desire that is in his heart to be praised in a minor key. But I believe that what happens is that since we reflect the heart of God because God created us in his image and likeness, in every human being there is a desire to hear that things have been done well.

A father likes that his children, a mother likes that her children point out the good things that he or she has done for them and the attributes of that father or that mother. And it's not because the father or mother kind of requires that or is proud, no, it's that in us there is that desire to know that we are doing things well and that the people we serve appreciate what we do.

When an artist creates, why does he show his works in a museum or in an exhibition? It's because he wants to share his art and he likes when people say, wow, how beautiful is that painting! Or how beautiful that dance or how beautiful is that number that that person sang or that movie that that individual created. And there is an inherent satisfaction that goes beyond money, beyond the material comforts that art offers.

And to God likewise, God has created this world, he has created all the details of this marvelous creation and in his heart he is pleased. Furthermore, he has created the world so that we can glorify and praise him. It is for his glory and his honor. That is why he has created everything he has created.

We are simply the instrument that he has created to be glorified and praised. And when a man or a woman decides to give glory to the Lord in their life, when they decide to live a life of gratitude and praise to the Lord, I believe that at that moment they are entering their true reason for being. At that moment he is fulfilling his destiny as a human being.

Everything else that one does in the world is nice and pleasant and everything, but our total life must be something that brings glory and honor to the Lord. and we have to understand that, that when a man, a woman, does not live for the glory of God and their heart has not been fundamentally broken and has been given as a holocaust for the glory of the Lord, still then they are not truly human. It is when a man, a woman, understands, I have been created for the delight of the Lord.

The creation has been generated so that the Lord looks at it and is pleased with it. And so that is why we have to understand that the first thing that we must give to the Lord is not money, it is not good works, all these things are very good, but the first thing that we have to give to the Lord is gratitude and praise and adoration and expressions of how good he is to us.

Every morning we must begin by thanking the Lord. I like before asking God for anything, before asking God to give me this, help me today, protect me when I go out, help us finish the new sanctuary, whatever, the first thing I always do as one discipline is, "Lord, I praise you, I bless you, thank you for this day, thank you for the sleep at night, thank you for the stillness of the morning, thank you for this coffee that I am drinking, thank you for the health that you give me to enjoy it,” and one begins, brothers, if you begin in a moment and you look around you, you can begin to thank the Lord for the seat where you are sitting perhaps, how comfortable it is. For the warmth of the home in the middle of winter, when you look out the window and see that rain falling hard or that snow, and you are there toasty, inside your house with your chocolate in your hand, you thank the Lord.

He thanks him for the health of his body that he can enjoy that sweetness, that drink that he is drinking. Hey, and you start with the hand that holds the cup that can do it. There are people who cannot do that, brothers. There are people who don't even have hands to hold a cup. And you continue the soft pajamas, full of wool that snuggle you up and keep you warm, and the comfortable house or the comfortable home, your children or your loved ones who sleep in another part of the apartment or whatever, on and on and on .

And you discover that there are so many things for which you can… your breath, the way you look at that moment, your brain that is coordinating the thoughts that you are emitting through your mouth. We can thank the Lord and we could just be in prayer thanking the Lord, and the Lord is pleased with that, you know?

And gratitude, thanksgiving is the healthiest thing a person can do. Instead of complaining, let's thank the Lord. I know that many times we feel down and sad, many things we can also be sad about, but many times instead of making a litany of all the bad things in our lives, let's first thank the Lord and be thankful for the things hello good.

And then later we can bring our requests before God and present to him with thanksgiving the things that we need. He says, for nothing be anxious or anxious, but rather, he says, but present your petitions before the Lord with thanksgiving.

Our prayers should always be padded and wrapped in a word of gratitude. And then that passage later says, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and thoughts and mind in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When you give thanks, when you give thanks to the Lord, then the peace of God surrounds your life because the expression of gratitude is a mental massage that we give to our mind, to our heart.

I believe that when we thank the Lord..., serotonin is a chemical that the human body produces, it produces it naturally and it is a chemical that produces a feeling of well-being and that serotonin is produced by the body, for example, when you are caressing a baby or caressing your wife or your loved one or watching a beautiful sunset, or reading a good book, or having something that you like, the body produces that chemical and it is what produces that feeling of well-being that you feel .

I believe that this happens when we please the Lord, we thank the Lord for the good things that he has done in our life, that generates that type of chemical and then you do not have to go take a drug or anything, because you you will feel it naturally. And when you started depressed and sad, little by little your sadness, your displeasure, turns into joy. You have changed my regret into dancing, says the word of the Lord.

You girded me with joy. So there are so many things, but tonight when we're there celebrating in some way or another, eating our food, let's always remember that Thanksgiving is every day of the year. Today it is beautiful when a nation decides, and I don't know how long this nation will take, one of these days they are going to file a lawsuit against the federal government department for thanking God because it is an offense against atheists. Don't laugh, one of these days may pass.

We are going in that direction. But, thank God, no one can take away the song in your mouth. No one can ever take away our right or the joy of praising the Lord and expressing our gratitude every day. Make your life a life of gratitude and praise.

I leave you with this passage and then we are dismissed. Ephesians 5:18 says "do not get drunk with wine in which there is disorder, but rather be filled with the spirit speaking among yourselves with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing and praising the Lord in your hearts, always giving thanks for everything to God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Always giving thanks for everything to God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That is the call for us, brothers, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, on Monday, when we start our normal work again, instead of looking for artificial substances, as it says, do not get drunk with wine, he knows that we are going to get drunk with gratitude in our hearts, we are going to produce that same effect of joy and intoxication simply by adoring and praising the Lord, living a life of gratitude and expression of thanks every day of our lives. Amen.

May our church always be a church and our community of adoration, of praise, of gratitude to the Lord. We have such a good God and we have so many things this year that we can thank the Lord for. Amen. May the Lord bless you and may his peace always be with each one of us.

Father, we adore you Lord, thank you for your love, thank you for your goodness, thank you for your wonders, thank you for being able to be in your house tonight. How good you are, Father. We are like a sample of this congregation, Father, we have decided to come to your house, Lord, in favor of our brothers and express our gratitude. Thank you for all the praise that has been raised here in the midst of your sons and your daughters tonight, Father. I know that you like this, that our houses are always full of joy and joy and that this church never lacks, Lord, a spirit of praise. We adore you and we bless you. Thank my Lord. Amen and amen.