Blessings Beyond Understanding Speaker: Sis. Stella Dhinakaran Gist: When you offer God your thanks, and glorify His name, He will shower His blessings on you without measure. Do not give room to useless, idle thoughts but fill your hearts with wholesome thoughts. When Jesus was buried, Mary Magadelene began meditating on what Jesus meant to her. "Alas! They buried my Lord in the grave. How much He has hepled me! He gave me release from the bongage of seven devils. He gave divine happiness in my life." All through the night she might have been considering one by one, all the wonders and miracles Jesus had done for her. With gratitude, she must have praised Him for all His goodness.
God has said, "Whoever offers praise glorifies Me." He has also said, "My glory I will not give to another" (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11). He desires that His glory should belong to Him alone.
My dear friend, have we learnt to give the praise due to God? Giving thanks to God is as important as reading the Bible or offering prayers, in establishing our relationship with God. "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).
Once a certain sister prophesied very zealously before a congregation. That day, a Pastor had come from another church to give God's message. At the end of the service, he spoke to the parish priest in great appreciation of that sister's reverent and powerful prophecy. Just then a big noise was heard outside. It was a fight among women at the water tap. The visiting Pastor said that one voice among them sounded rather familiar. The parish priest then told him that it was that of the same sister who prophesied earlier in the church.
Today, what is the fruit of our lips? Is it idle words, boastful threats or vain arguments? Dear friend, when you offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, His presence will ever abide with you. The Lord who inhabits the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3) will surely abide with you. So, at times of sorrow and tears, learn to praise the Lord as Mary Magdalene did.
Early in the morning, on Easter day, even before dawn, Mary Magdalene went to the grave of Jesus. Peter and John had been with Christ all the time; but now, out of fear, they were sitting in a room locked inside. They feared that the Roman solidiers would arrest them. But look at this lonely woman, so boldly going alone to the grave. She had once been tormented by seven devils, and Jesus had released her from them. So she had more love for Jesus than His closest disciples. She had a faithful heart to remember all the good that the Lord had done to her. God saw her faithfulness and the risen Lord Jesus revealed Himself first to Mary Magdalene.
He will perform such miracles for you also. He will exalt you in your family. "He will make you the head and not the tail." The Lord will take away all your fears. "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).
Many are haunted by unwanted fears that someone has practiced witchcraft on them. It is all because there is no wholehearted love for God.
The risen Lord Jesus appeared first to an ordinary woman, Mary Magdalene. What a great blessing it was! He has such precious blessings in store for you. They may relate to your secular life or your spiritual life. You may not be able to understand them now. But be filled with the Lord's Spirit. Consider all the good things He has done for you. When we gratefully consider God's goodness to us, He will shower on us abundant blessings.
As you offer Him your thanks and glorify His name, He will shower on you His blessings without measure. Let us not give room to useless, idle thoughts but fill our hearts with wholesome thoughts, so as to receive His blessings all through our lives.
How true is the song,
"Count your blessings,
name them one by one;
And it will surprise you
what the Lord has done".
Prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father,
Help me drop my anchor into the depths of this reassuring and encouraging revelation, that nothing that ever happens to me is beyond Your power to transform. I praise You as Mary Magdalene did and I remember all the goodness You have done to me. Please accept all my thanksgiving. Make me worthy to receive all the blessings that You have in store for me. In Jesus' name, I pray.
Amen. |