Thirty Days Ministering Gratitude To God And More

In a weekly newsletter written by a dear brother on August 30^th, 2014, he noted that a decision to be a Minister of Gratitude is a great concept. He made reference to 1 Chronicles 16:4, where David appointed some Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord—to invoke His blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.

Inspired by this article and by David’s decision in Psalm 119:164, I committed myself to Thirty (30) days of Ministering Gratitude to God. After all it, takes only twenty-one days to form a habit.

Seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way You keep everything running right.

 (Psalms 119:164. The Message).

I will praise You seven times a day because all Your regulations are just. (NLT).

Seven times a day and all day long do I praise You because of Your righteous decrees. (AMP).

This is a classic example of thanks-living. All day long praise to God. All day long ministering gratitude to God.  It takes a determined decision executed with a conscious and deliberate effort. Consequently, I decided that I will daily minister gratitude to God ALL DAY LONG for the next One Hundred days, and by then, it would have truly become a lifestyle for me to do so on a daily basis without effort.

I determined that I will consciously pause several times in the course of a day to acknowledge the goodness of God in my life and in the lives of my husband, sons, families and friends. I will stop and give praise to God for great is His faithfulness.

Ps 50:23a says that it is a praising life that honours God. There is nothing I desire much more than to honour God in my life.

It’s the praising life that honors me. (MSG)
But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. (NLT)
He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; (AMP)
Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: (KJV)

Thirty Days, How Far?

The more I gave thanks to God for His goodness and wonderful works in my life, the more I found more reasons to give thanks to God. The Holy Spirit kept bringing remembrances of God’s many acts of wonder in my life and in the lives of my loved ones. For these and many more, I paused and ministered gratitude to God—aloud, in songs and in my heart.

It was interesting to note how the Holy Spirit kept reminding me of many old songs and Hymns. Sometimes, I just remembered the tune or a line, then I went in search of the songs and had a glorious time singing them to bless and honour God.

I’ll bless Your name into eternity.

 I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity.
God, You are magnificent; You can never be praised enough.

There are no boundaries to Your greatness.
I compose songs on Your wonders.
I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.

Ps 145 (The Message, paraphrased)

Psalm 145 indicated that praise is prompted by the unique nature of God. God has been generous. In response to His generosity, we want to honor God by ministering praise and thanks to Him.

It was a joy to recall the blessing my parents, parents-in-law and my friends have been to me, and to announce it publicly. I am grateful for my parents who gave me a legacy of solid education, sound home training, and a prayer-oriented life.  Without the foundation they gave me, I could not have been who I am today. I am grateful for my parents-in-law, who love me, care for me and took me as one of their own. These ones are a rarity and I am truly blessed with them.I am grateful for Friends, who have sown seeds of goodness into my life and whose acts of kindness have left indelible marks on me.

There are many more people in my life who are a gift of God and a blessing to me. I give praise to God for them and I will surely be announcing them publicly in the coming days.

September, A Month To Remember:

As I noted in my earlier posts this year, I entered 2014 with mind-boggling expectations. I knew it was going to be an eventful year. I trusted God for the grace to do great exploits for Him. As we come to the end of the 9^th month of 2014 and I look back, I am amazed at how much God has done in our lives, how much that has transpired in our lives this year and how many opportunities He opened to me to fulfill His calling on my life. Choosing to minister gratitude to God this month gave me the opportunity to look back, and to see the works of God’s hands in our lives. Indeed, I have had to stop many times and declare, “Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God.” I am so grateful because God is Who He says He is and He does what He says He will do.

I cannot recount them all but let me share a few of them of what God has done for us in September:

He said, "I will restore....." And indeed, He restored my health. He renewed my strength. He gave me new life. He rejuvenated me. He restored me to sound state of being. In this month, I regained much of my autonomy and independence. I can now take care of my day-to-day needs with limited support. Praise be to God. With my physiotherapist, I was able to walk outdoors up to 1.2km, up-and down-hill. I had a ride to the shops and took the bus back home, walking 500m from the Bus-stop home unaccompanied and unsupported. I have not been on the bus for at least 8 years! On top of this, I walked 1176 steps outdoors in one day without the cane. Believe me, I am hollering Hosanna!!!!

He renewed, refreshed and revitalized my visage. To the extent that I have lost count of the number of persons who have commented on how well I am looking. And I remember the days I stared at the frail, gaunt and fatigued image in the mirror, wondering how and when restoration would come. My goodness, because God has been so good to me and I am helped by Him, I cannot but holler Hallelujah!!!

I am so grateful to God for restoring our fortunes like the streams of Negev and for putting us on the path to recover all that we have lost, all that have been stolen, wasted and destroyed in our lives. He is truly a God of restoration.

To cap it all, last Saturday, 27^th of September, I reconnected with my book after three months of a massive block and resistance, and busy schedule. More on that in another post.

And More:

As 365 days roll away today, I stand at the verge of a new year and a new beginning on October 1^st, all I have to say is “Thank You, God……”

I am Alive

              I am Blessed

                             I am Content

I am Determined

                                                         I am Energized

I am Favoured

                                                                                      And I am GRATEFUL

I am Healed

I am Invigorated

I am Pursuing destiny

I am Ransomed,

Renewed,

Restored,

Revitalized and

Rejuvenated.

And I am Thankful.

Join me, dear Friends, to minister gratitude, praise and thanks to God.

O for a thousand tongues to sing

my great Redeemer's praise,

the glories of my God and King,

the triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and My Lord

Assist me to proclaim

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honours of Thy Name

- Charles Wesley

O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing by Charles Wesley