The Sunday News
Rev Paul Damasane
YOU and I are getting into the eighth month of 2014 and when we look back we see the goodness of the Lord. All I can say is thank you Lord. I consider giving thanks and gratitude as an acknowledgement of God’s faithfulness in my life. Not only that it is the knowledge and assurance that God can and will continue being God in my life. How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord!
To sing praises to your name, O Most High!
To proclaim your loving kindness every morning,
and your faithfulness every night,
With music of stringed instruments,
and with melody on the harp.
You make me glad by your mighty deeds, O Lord;
I sing for joy at the work of your hands.
How great are your acts, O Lord!
How deep are your thoughts!
(Psalm 92:1-5)
The Psalm I have just read is very important to me as it outlines the reality of the expression of gratitude as a believer. I extend to each of you today an invitation. It is an invitation to cultivate grattitude and contentment as your basic attitude in life. It is an invitation to cultivate gratefulness as the very ground of your being.
Gratefulness is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It makes the difference between just going through the motions and really being alive. Gratefulness is the difference between having a heart of stone and receiving a heart of flesh from the Lord.
To be grateful is to recognise, acknowledge, and accept that we are a recipient of a gift. The most basic gift is life itself. Each of our lives is a given: a gift given to us. We ourselves are not life, but rather are recipients of life, receptacles of life, and vessels of life; in fact we are cups into which life is poured. Life itself is holy. Life itself is divine. The more open our hearts are, the more open we are to receiving this divine influx of life — hence the fuller of life we are.
Just listen to the words of Paul as he described what his life was like: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). Paul’s life was filled with many difficulties which he could complain about. How many of us would put up with constant stress, confusion, persecution, and beatings that left deep scars and permanent injuries, and still maintain a positive attitude? But Paul had learned an important secret to life. He said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13).
He had learned the secret of not living life based on the conditions around him. He could be content in prison as well as at home. His happiness was not based on circumstances; it was based on his relationship with Christ. He knew he had all he needed in him, for it was Christ that gave him the strength for life. God is saying to us:
“Don’t wait to be happy. Do not postpone happiness until your condition changes, or you have acquired a certain thing. If you cannot be happy now you will not be happy then, for happiness is not a matter of what you have, or what situation you are in. It is a matter of who you are and how you respond to life.
Happiness is found within, and unless it is on the inside, all the things in the world on the outside will not make a difference. If you have been saying, “I’ll be happy when . . . ,” then you will never be happy, because when that condition is met there will be a dozen more conditions to take its place. If you cannot learn to be happy now, you will never learn to be happy in spite of how much you have or achieved. If you are not content with less you will never be content with more. There are many who live in a world of “If onlys.” If only I had this . . . If only this were different . . . If only I could do that . . . If only this had not happened in my life . . . The world of alubana will never help you develop a heart of thankfulness and contentment in the place and space of today!
The Bible says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Notice that it does not say “Prosperity with contentment is great gain.” In actual fact it is a higher state of prosperity to be content with that which God gives you. Contentment comes from seeking God, not things. Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). If we sought God the way we seek after other things many of our problems would disappear. It is our relationship with God which is the source of contentment, and nothing else can take his place. The Bible says, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). You could be the wealthiest person on the face of the earth and still not be content.
What is it that makes people content? It all depends on how you look at life. Contentment comes when you learn that this world can never satisfy you, but that satisfaction can be found in a relationship with God and living for him. It is that relationship which provides us with meaning and security in this life, and an assurance of eternal life where all our deepest needs will be completely satisfied. The Psalmist, when thinking of heaven, said, “I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15). “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11). Jesus made this promise about eternal life: “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” (Luke 6:21). We can live through privation or grief here, if it becomes necessary, because we are not expecting this world to satisfy us; we are looking to the world that is yet to come.
An attitude of gratitude generates joy. Having an attitude of gratitude means that we choose happiness instead of sadness. You need not live in a space of always complaining there is a possibility for you to say thank you for something. Be grateful, till next week, Shalom!
