Loud Thinking: Faith through thankfulness

Luke 17:15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18 Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

Just like the 9 who never came back, how often are we cold to give thanks for our salvation? Dear child of God, have you forgot that you've been bought with a price? have you forgot that your illness and curses were taken by Him who died on your place? We quickly turn to retreats in this world by finding pleasure in it or looking to our accomplishments and we find comfort in self. But we are so slow to acknowledge God's enabling for them, as if our lives were sustained by ourselves. Could you also be complaining for lack of response and blessings which you are expecting and hard yourself to the privilege of giving thanks to God.

We miss a great opportunity to give God's glory when we don't give thanks for what He has done. Faith is an inner posture with an outward respond, giving thanks was an expression of faith for the samaritan. When we are ungrateful, we are in unbelief, we deny the goodness of God, because we just don't get what we want. Or if we have what we want, we don't give thanks to God, because we think we got it because we are  just that good. Has the God of our Salvation has become an accessory to our lives? 

Faith is not just exercised as we ask for things but also when we give thanks for them. If you think that your life is a misery and there is no reason to give thanks for you, just look to what God has done in you in Christ, if you are His. Study each branch on the tree of salvation, every position given to you in Christ, privileges that neither the angels have. 

Has your faith made you well? then give thanks. hasn't your faith made you well? then ask yourself: are you in the faith? Giving thanks for Jesus is giving God's glory because we share the preciousness of the son. God is glorified when His son is estimated as He intended Him to be, and He enjoys when His children partake of this privilege of the redeemed ones.

Pensando en voz alta: Ya diste gracias el dia de hoy?

1 Tesalonicenses 5:18 Den gracias a Dios en todo, porque ésta es su voluntad para ustedes en Cristo Jesús.

Cristiano, cual es tu excusa para no dar gracias el dia de hoy? Dios te ha salvado. El te ha rescatado de la justicia que tu pecado merecia. El te ha redimido, y no te ha reprochado tus pecados en tu contra. El te ha justificado, declarandote inocente delante de sus ojos llenos de amor y justicia. El te ha adoptado, sin reprocharte la rebeldia que le declaraste cuando no le conocias.

Acaso Dios no te ha pedonado tus pecados? No fue El quien dio a su unico Hijo para que tus pecados sean pagados en El? Entonces, la gracia de Dios se ha vuelto tan insignificante para ti, de tal manera que ya no quieres dar gracias? EL hecho de que en su misericordia, El no te ha dado la paga por tus pecados, no te ha alcanzado para entender su grande amor ?

De donde viene tus fuerzas para trabajar? De donde viene tu intelecto? de donde viene tus deseos para venir hacia El? Puedes describir algo en tu vida y decir que El no esta ahi ?

Si tu reconoces Su soberania, como puede dejar de dar gracia, si El es quien gobierna el universo?

Si reconocer tu libre albedrio, por que no usas esa libertad para dar gracias?

Loud Thinking: Did you give thanks today?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

What reason do you have to not give thanks today, Christian? God has saved you. He has rescued you from the justice that your sin demanded. He has redeemed you, and has not counted your sins against you. He has justified you by declaring you innocent before His eyes of justice and love. He has adopted you, not remembering your reckless rebellion that you declared to Him when you didn’t know Him. 

Didn’t He forgive your sins? Didn’t He give His only Son so your sins can be paid in Him? Has the grace of God become too small of a matter for you to not give thanks? Has His mercy in not repaying your evil not caused you to understand His amazing love? 

Where does your strength to work comes from? Where does your intellect come from? Where does your ability to come to Him come from? Can you point to one thing in your life and say that He is not there? 

If you acknowledge His sovereignty, how you cannot give thanks for His ruling? If you think you have a free will, then why don’t you give thanks?