Count your blessings
By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson
In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Most of the times, the challenges we face, clouds our memory, such that we forget all the good things God has done for us. The verse above says in everything, whether we have challenges and trial or success and victory. We should thank God for everything because, no matter what happens, He can work it out for our good (Romans 8:28)
There is a hymn that says
- When upon life’s billows
You are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged
Thinking all is lost
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
And it will surprise you
What the Lord has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings see
What God has
Done
- So amid the conflict
Whether great or small
Do not be discouraged
God is over all
Count your many blessing
Angels will attend
Help and comfort
Give you
Till your journey ends
Count your blessing
The hymn encourages us to count our blessing instead of throwing a pity party for the challenges we face.
Life itself is a gift we have to thank God for each day. If you can think of nothing to thank God for, thank Him for the gift of life.
How can we count our blessings? We can do so by:
- Reflecting over our activities each day
Psalm 103:1-2
Psalm 100:4-5
Matthew 6:33-34
- Acknowledging every gift we receive from God
Proverbs 3:6
James 1:17
- Giving a thanks offering (in cash or kind)
Malachi 3:10-11
Acts 10:4
Acts 10:31
Reflecting over our activities each day
Psalm 103:1-2
Bless the Lord, O my soul all that is within me bless His Holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
When you reflect over your activities each day, you can identify the many blessings God showered over you then you can thank Him. Reflecting over your activities each day will also help you not to forget about your many blessings.
Consider the fact that:
- There is war and conflict in other places but there is peace in your country
- Others are starving and dying of thirst and malnutrition but you eat 1-3 meals a day with lots of water.
- Some have nowhere to lay their heads but you have a roof over your head
- There are people with few clothes or no at all but you have more than enough.
These are all things you should thank God for.
Psalm 100:4-5
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.
Counting your blessings include thanking God through thanksgiving songs and songs of praise. You can sing songs like:
Higher, higher, h-i-g-h-e-r
When the praises go up
His glory comes down
You can memorize some of the psalms and us them as words of praise and thanksgiving. You can also learn songs from the internet.
Matthew 6:33-34
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Another way of counting your blessings and giving God the thanks He deserves is to seek to live righteously by obeying God’s command and leaving to glorify His name as the passage above says.
Acknowledging every gift received from God.
Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy part
You acknowledge receipt of a gift by call the sender or seeing Him/her to say thank you. In the same or similar way we have to acknowledge gift received from God. We have to thank God through prayer and songs for the many blessing, he bestow on us.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of lights, with Him is no vangbleness, neither shadow of turning.
Like the verse above says, every good and perfect gift comes from God. This implies some gifts may be
- Good but not perfect
- Perfect but not good
- Neither good nor perfect
Check the source of every gift or blessings that comes your way. If it falls in line with blessings in the bible then it is from God and you have to thank and praise Him.
Giving thanks offering (in cash or in kind)
Malachi 3:10-11
Bring ye all the tithe unto the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, I will not open you the windows of heaven, and poor you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake.
The passage above is talking about tithing or giving 10% of your monthly income to God to thank Him for blessing you with a job and enough income for your daily living.
However, tithing should not be limited only to your monthly income if you want to receive the benefits of:
- Receiving so much blessings from God you do not have room to receive(abundant blessings)
- God rebuking the devourer or preventing the evil one from wasting your income on unnecessary things such that you do not have enough for your daily living.
You should cultivate the habit of giving 10% of every extra income you receive. In addition to this, you could bless others with some of your possessions and also to the church (thanking God in Kind) food items and clothes others might need.
Acts 10:4
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ thy prayers and thine alms (gifts) are come up for memonal before God.
Acts 10:31 Also gives the same passage.
Your prayers and gifts are like memonal in the sight of God means, your prayers and gifts make way for you. When you come before God in your prayer, He always remembers your “prayers and gifts” to others and its causes Him to move on your behalf.
Learn to count your blessings each day and give God the thanks and praise He deserve.
References
