Lesson 3: Glory & Thanks to God sustains your rewards
Good evening ladies and gentlemen! How has your week been? I pray that you have had a week full of joy and peace. Today, we continue the mini-series we started on Tuesday. We would be taking the third lesson- inspired by the lives of Joseph and Daniel. [This message is a continuation of Tuesday’s message.]
On Tuesday, we learnt about the “humility” test. We saw that as Christians, we must all pass this test. A test that requires us to openly acknowledge God and admit to His power and greatness. From yesterday’s message, we learnt that once we pass the test; God rewards us! God rewards us by increasing our level- from the level we currently are; to a level greater/ higher than we can think or imagine.
In today’s message, we will see that giving Glory and Thanks to God (for your “new” level), sustains the blessing/ increment. As Christians, we are always told to give thanks to God for all He does for us! That is very sound advice! We should not take it lightly! As we continue to give God glory and thanks for all He has done; it sustains your rewards. It acts as a reminder to God of your faithfulness and your trust in Him! Let us look at the lives of Joseph and Daniel to see what they did to sustain their blessings/ rewards.
In Genesis 41, we see how Joseph gave Glory and Thanks to God! Joseph did this through his two sons. In verses 51 and 52 of Genesis 41, we see that Joseph named his sons Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph used those names as a token to God for how good and awesome He has been in his life. With his children as the symbolic representation of thanks and glory to God; God, in turn, continued to sustain Joseph’s level as the governor of Egypt, by giving him the wisdom he needed to lead the nation. Without God’s direction and the wisdom, He showered on Joseph, he (Joseph) would not have been able take a strong and powerful nation such as Egypt; through its crisis.
Now, let us take a look at Daniel’s life. Just like Joseph, Daniel continued to shower Glory and Thanks to God. From Daniel 2 to 6, we see that Daniel (and His friends) showed thanks and Glory to God by their lifestyle(s) and their ways of living. Daniel made sure to live a life Holy and pleasing to God. He made sure to put God first in everything he did. He acknowledges that he cannot live or do anything without God! In return, God continued to keep him through difficult times and through persecution. Not only that, God gave Daniel wisdom. This great wisdom (from God) helped Daniel to distinguish himself above the governors and satraps (Daniel 6:3a). His wisdom from God, through the excellent spirit that lived in him; caused the king to think about setting Daniel above the entire realm (Daniel 6:3).
Ladies and gentlemen, it is important to continuously give God all the Glory and Thanks for all He has done for you- especially for your blessings/ fruits/ rewards. This is because your thanksgiving sustains what you enjoy. Your thanksgiving, also, gives grounds for further promotion and acceleration in your life- through the great amounts of wisdom God gives you.
With continuous thanksgiving, God sustains our rewards with wisdom. Once we are at a particular level, this wisdom helps us to sustain the level (as well as open more doors for us). I pray that this lesson (and the previous two lessons) would help and encourage you in your journey with Christ. God Bless You All!
Prayer Points:
1. Ask God to reveal Himself to you.
2. Ask God to prepare your heart.
3. Ask for strength.
4. Ask that God to equip you and help you through difficult times.
5. Ask God to help you to humble yourself
6. Ask for help from the Holy Spirit.
End with a time of praise and worship!