How can I repay the Lord?
It is easy to forget the good things God has given me and only remember the bad things and thus complain. That's the nature of my sinful mind. The psychologist will just say I am being human or it's the way our brains are wired. But yet Paul says Ephesians 5:20 "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." So I am commanded to fight my ungrateful self and remember God goodness.
Jesus demonstrated through the mini trial of in Luke 17:11-17 , that only 1 in 10 people are grateful when a great miracle was done. And that 1 person can be the most unlikely.
So how can show my thanks to God?
Here is a short devotion by Mr Lam Kok Hiang, Cru Singapore
It is easy to forget the good things God has given me and only remember the bad things and thus complain. That's the nature of my sinful mind. The psychologist will just say I am being human or it's the way our brains are wired. But yet Paul says Ephesians 5:20 "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." So I am commanded to fight my ungrateful self and remember God goodness.
Jesus demonstrated through the mini trial of in Luke 17:11-17 , that only 1 in 10 people are grateful when a great miracle was done. And that 1 person can be the most unlikely.
So how can show my thanks to God?
Here is a short devotion by Mr Lam Kok Hiang, Cru Singapore
In response to all that God has done for him, the Psalmist asked,
“How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.” Psalm 116:12-14
Like the Psalmist, we too can repay the Lord for His goodness to us as an expression of our gratitude to Him.
Firstly, we proclaim His salvation. To “lift the cup of salvation” is to acknowledge that God is the Author of our salvation, and that He desires that all come to know Him. As grateful recipients of His grace, we are to proclaim His salvation to the ends of the earth. Having tasted His love and goodness, we want to testify about our God to those who do not know Him yet. Perhaps you could take some time to meet with someone and share about God’s goodness in your life.
Secondly, we worship Him by calling on His Name. To “call on the name of God” is to call to mind the character of God. We know that God is known by many names which reflect His eternal attributes and character. As we worship Him, who we profess God to be must be congruent with how we live our lives. Take some time to examine if there is any incongruence between our worship and walk with God.
Thirdly, we fulfil our vows. As part of our discipleship and growth process, we make vows and commitments to God. Are there any vows or commitments you have made to God that are yet to be fulfilled? Perhaps the busyness and distractions of life have buried those vows somewhere, but the inner wrestling between the heart and the Spirit gives no peace. Or are some of those vows ‘conditional’ in nature — and God has fulfilled His part, and is waiting for you to fulfill yours. The wise man in Ecclesiastes 5 warns us not to delay fulfilling our vows to God.
Our repayment to God must be rooted in our heartfelt gratitude to Him for all His goodness and what He has done for us. Our God does not need us to repay Him to feel good about Himself. We can, however, offer the above as an act of true worship.
Devotion by Lam Kok Hiang on 22 Aug 14
This article published on 1 Sept 14