His Satisfaction

“Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (v. 5). “Satisfy” (saba`), means “to have one’s fill of.” (BDB) To satisfy is to bring rain in the desert. “To bring rain on a land . . . on the desert . . . to satisfy the waste and desolate land” (Job 38:26-27). To satisfy is to pour rain in burned places. “The Lord will . . . satisfy your desire in scorched places” (Isa. 58:11). To satisfy is to fulfill the longing and to fill the hungry. “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Ps. 107:9).

To satisfy is to fulfill the longing of your soul that cannot be quenched by the things of this world.

You have your house, car, and money, but if your satisfaction is not grounded in the Lord, you will still be unsatisfied and unhappy. Your thirst cannot be quenched. Augustine once said, “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” Your rest, your joy, your satisfaction, can only be found in the Lord your God, not in the things that you possess, not in your money, not even in your wife and children.

David says the LORD satisfies me. Have you come to that point that you can say, “The Lord satisfies me. He satisfies my deepest need.” It is good to receive the gifts of God. But the goal of God is to give you himself, so that you will find satisfaction in him. Not in the gifts of the giver, but in the giver himself, you will find your satisfaction.

David says that God fills us to satisfaction “with good.” What is this good from God that satisfies our soul? It could not mean the things of this world. David had everything—money, power, and a kingdom.

David says that the good will renew your youth like the eagle’s. It cannot be the things of this world, for after you have all the things of this world, you are still unsatisfied.

In the OT, the eagle is a symbol of strength and virility. This means that the good that God gives are the things that produce spiritual energy and life in you. “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:30-31). Thus, it is the good things of God—the presence of God and the power of God—that renews David like the eagle’s. His energy is renewed in his life because of the power of God working in him. You who say that you have nothing in this world, you have no energy left in this life, get your power and energy from the living God.

One of the most enduring Thanksgiving hymns is “Now Thank We All Our God.” It was written by a Lutheran Pastor, Martin Rinkart, in the 17th Century. But the hymn is not about thanksgiving for material blessings, for Pastor Rinkart wrote it at a time of war, famine, and pandemic. People were dying of hunger and disease due to the bubonic plague. “He was often hard-pressed to provide for his own family. During the height of a severe plague in 1637, Rinkart was the only surviving pastor in Eilenburg, conducting as many as 50 funerals in a day. He performed more than 4000 funerals in that year, including that of his wife.” [1]

How can you be thankful in the midst of disease and death? Yet Rinkart can still thank the Lord in a time of hunger and pandemic. He wrote, “Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices; Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way. With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.” Martin Rinkart was focused on God the Giver rather than the gifts. For the basis of his thanksgiving is not on the badness of his situation but on the goodness of  of God himself.

In closing, focus your thanksgiving on the Giver rather than on the gift.  Yes, thank God for the gifts; but be more grateful to the Giver. Do not ever fall in love with the gifts; but fall in love with the Giver.

You may be in a bad situation right now and find it hard to thank God. Remember, the basis of your thanksgiving is not the bad things of your situation, but on the goodness of God.

Say these words of David now to yourself.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

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[1] Accessed November 25, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_Thank_We_All_Our_God.

His Steadfast Love

“Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (v. 4). Oh, what a beautiful picture of the blessing of God! He crowns you with his steadfast love and mercy. The form of the Hebrew verb “crowns” (piel participle) is clearer here. The LORD crowns us continually, intensely, and intentionally.

What does he mean by steadfast love and mercy? Do you know who is the most loving prophet in the Bible? I think the most loving prophet in the Bible is the prophet Hosea. One day, his wife left him for another man. Can you imagine a pastor’s wife leaving him for another man? That’s what happened to the prophet Hosea.

But one day, the LORD told him to go and get his wife back. The LORD told Hosea that his wife was like Israel, who was loved by the LORD, but became unfaithful to Him. So Hosea must go and get his wife back. That, my friends, is steadfast love—faithfulness despite unfaithfulness.

“Steadfast love” (hesed) or “lovingkindness” (KJV) means, “kindness (lovingkindness) and fidelity” (BDB) or “faithfulness.” This love is abounding (v. 8); strong and prevailing (v. 11); and everlasting (vv. 17-18).

He also crowns us with “compassion (racham).” I like the NKJV better—“tender mercies.” (It’s plural in the Hebrew.) Mercy means not receiving what we do deserve. Grace means receiving what we do not deserve.  

Mercy is always tender, gentle, and loving. Only the mercy of God is tender. God’s mercy is tender; for we do not receive what we do deserve. Mercy presumes offense. We have offended God with our sin. We deserve to receive the penalty of our sin—death. But though we have offended God with our sin, his mercy prevents us from receiving what we deserve. “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (v. 10).

If you were to receive what you really deserve from God, will you stand a chance before God? No, for God will pay you what you deserve; that’s the justice of God. But thank God that Christ bore the justice of God on the cross. Because Christ bore the full brunt of the justice of God on the cross, we can now receive the mercy of God through Christ. That’s why God can now forgive you your sins, because somebody else, Christ, our substitute, paid the penalty of our sin on the cross. Christ satisfied the justice of God so you will receive the mercy of God.

Such is the steadfast love of the Lord!

His Deliverance

“Who redeems your life from the pit” (v. 4). The verb, “redeems” (ga’al), means deliverance from danger. The “pit” (shachath) refers to “destruction, ditch, grave.” (Strong) The “pit” was used to catch lions or other animals in those days. If an animal falls into a pit, it will surely die. The “pit” refers to death and corruption in Sheol (Ps. 16:10). David is saying, “LORD, you deliver me from death and destruction.”

Last Nov. 21, a crane tilted and hit the girder. One died and four others were hurt. The steel girder or beam of the Skyway extension in Muntinlupa crashed onto passing vehicles. [1] The motorcycle driver who died, died the day before his birthday, Nov. 22.[2] Of thousands who passed by that day, only that one man died from the girder.

How many times has the LORD saved you from destruction?  Think of what did not happen to you today. Did anyone rob you? At least the thief did not kill you. Did you lose some money in business? But you have not lost the love of your wife, family, and good friends. Do you have high blood pressure and diabetes? It’s not cancer; you’re still alive; and if you’re careful, you will live long! If you have cancer, at least you’re still alive today! Are your kids disobedient and hard-headed? At least, they are not in jail! You don’t have new shoes? Tell that to the person who doesn’t have feet!

You don’t have money? But you can still eat three times a day? In a survey conducted by SWS last Sept. 27-30, 2020, 7.6M families (that’s about 30M Filipinos) experienced “hunger due to lack of food to eat” in July to September—“the highest hunger rate since 2014.”[3] Yet you complain about the food? Be thankful!

Think of all the bad things that could have happened to you today that didn’t, because the LORD preserves you from the pit.

The key to being grateful is to remember that all of life is a gift.

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[1] Accessed November 26, 2020. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/21/20/skyway-extension-steel-girder-collapses-in-muntinlupa-1-dead-several-hurt.

[2] Accessed November 26, 2020. https://sovereignph.com/2020/11/23/families-of-skyway-girder-accident-seek-justice-assistance-2/

[3] Krissy Aguilar, “7.6 million families hungry in past 3 months, highest hunger rate since 2014 — SWS,” Inquirer.net. Accessed November 28, 2020. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1340772/7-6-million-families-hungry-sets-phs-highest-hunger-incidence-since-2014-sws.

His Healing

“Who heals all your diseases” (v. 2). Pastor Tony Campolo prayed “for a man who had cancer.”

That next week he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, ‘You prayed for my husband. He had cancer . . . He died.’ Compolo felt terrible.

But she continued, ‘Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him.’

But the lady told Campolo, ‘After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of his life.’”[1]

It’s true that we need healing of our bodies. I always pray for brother Herry that God will heal him directly without any need for medicines. I believe that God heals our diseases today. Yet oftentimes, we need the healing of our soul more than the healing of our sickness. Because we suffer in our souls more often than in our bodies. We suffer pain, discouragement, and depression in our souls.

Now David is not promising us all that the LORD will heal us all. David is speaking only to himself here, his soul. This is not even a promise but a testimony of praise.

The verb “heals” refers to physical healing, but also, the spiritual healing of the sickness of our souls (Isa. 6:10; 53:5; Jer. 32:22; Hos. 14:4). In the Bible, sin is a symbol of sickness; it is a metaphor of disease. To be infected with sin is to be infected with disease. Sin is the sickness of our soul.

Note the parallelism in the Hebrew of the first line –“who forgives all your iniquity” and the second line–“who heals all your diseases” (v. 3). The second line explains the first line. The forgiveness of God is healing; and iniquity is the disease. Thus, David seems to be saying that sin is a disease, and forgiveness from sin is the healing of the disease of sin (Ps. 51; 2 Sam. 12). To be forgiven your sin is to experience healing of your sickness, for sin is a sickness of the soul. So David is celebrating God who forgives his sin and who heals his disease.

Have you experienced the forgiveness of God of your sins? As often as you come to God and ask his forgiveness, God is ready to forgive you your sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If you have experienced forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, you have experienced the healing of your soul.

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[1] Accessed January 30, 2010. Online: http://www.sermoncentral.com/Illustrations.

Bless the LORD, O My Soul!

Thanksgiving is about blessing God for his benefits. David begins Psalm 103 by saying, “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”  “Bless” (barak) (v. 1), means, “to adore with bended knees [piel].” (BDB)

David says, “Bless the LORD.” He is focused on the Giver rather than the gift.

Then David writes, “O my soul (nephesh)” (v. 1). David is talking to himself here; he’s telling his soul. The soul in Hebraic thought represents the inner being (BDB), the inmost self. David is saying that his inner being shall bless the LORD.

Then David adds, “And forget not all his benefits” (v. 2). “Forget” (shakach) means “ceasing to care for” in the Qal stem. (BDB) “Soul,” David says, “don’t forget; don’t be careless about his benefits.” David is right; for we tend to be unmindful or careless about God’s benefits to us.

What is it about God that David is thankful for?

I. His Forgiveness

“Who forgives all your iniquity” (v. 3). I’d like to tell you once again a favorite story of mine about forgiveness.

A father and his teenage son had a relationship that had become strained. So the son ran away from home. His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: ‘Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon. All is forgiven. I love you. Your father.’

The next day at noon in front of the newspaper office, 800 ‘Pacos’ showed up. They were all seeking forgiveness and love from their fathers. [1]

What is your greatest need today? “Well, Pastor, I need food. I need clothes. I need shelter. I need money. I need a boyfriend or a girlfriend.” But after you have eaten your food, after you have worn your clothes, after you have bought a house, why is it that there is still something missing in your life?

The reason is because our basic problem is sin in our lives; and the only solution to the problem of sin is the forgiveness of God. Our problem is not material or emotional. Our problem is moral and spiritual. For we have sinned against God; and we are guilty.

Why do we get sick? Why do we die? Why do we quarrel with other people? Why don’t people know their purpose? The real reason for sickness and death, and for all the conflicts in life, and purposelessness, is sin. Sin and the guilt of sin are our greatest problem. So our greatest need is to know forgiveness from God.

David says that God “forgives (salach) all your iniquity.” To forgive is to “pardon”[2] or to cancel an offense. Forgiveness is the cancellation of an obligation, punishment, or guilt. To be forgiven by God is to be released from the guilt of sin. Someone said, “Forgiveness does not make you right; it makes you free.” In the Hebrew, “forgives” speaks of continuing action (Qal participle) It means that the LORD keeps on forgiving all your sin.

Then David says that God forgives “all” your iniquity. I’m glad God forgives not just some of my sin, but all of my sins. I’ve committed so many sins. I don’t need forgiveness for just some of my sins. I need God to forgive every sin in my life.

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[1] Accessed January 30, 2010. Online: http://www.sermoncentral.com/Illustrations.

[2] BDB, s. v. סָלַח.

A Proclamation of Spiritual Healing

Luke wrote, “And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well’” (Lk. 17:19). The Samaritan put his faith in Christ. His faith in Christ made him well. Thus, this story is not only a story of gratitude to Christ. It is a story of faith in Christ that resulted to his gratitude to Christ.

The nine lepers who forgot to thank Jesus were saved as well. But only the Samaritan’s faith was a grateful faith. It resulted to worship and thanksgiving. Thus, the Samaritan worshiped God and thanked Jesus.

Now praising and thanking God will not solve your problems. But it will carry you through your problems. Thanking God means that you are telling God that God is bigger than your problems. Say to God right now, “Lord, you are bigger than my problems. I will still thank you for everything.”

The verb “made you well” (sozo) means “save.” (Friberg) Jesus is saying, “Your faith has saved you.” The Samaritan is healed already of leprosy. He is saved from his leprosy already. But why does Jesus tell him that his faith has saved him after he has been saved of leprosy? The nine ungrateful Jews were saved of leprosy. Why did Jesus not say to the nine Jews that their faith saved them? Jesus singled out only the Samaritan’s faith that saved him. Why did Jesus say that to the Samaritan only?

It can be a word of affirmation from Jesus. Jesus may be affirming to him that his faith did not merely make him well physically but it also saved him spiritually. Or it can simply mean that he can now rise and go his way because his faith has saved him. “The story does not necessarily imply that the other nine lacked faith; the point is rather that their faith was incomplete because it did not issue in gratitude.”1

For Paul, we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). But for Luke, it is simpler–his faith saved him. We know that only God saves us; but Luke writes that his faith saved him. Luke does not teach salvation by works. Rather, the Samaritan’s faith is the instrument that saved him. We know from the NT that salvation is the gift of God. Thus, faith is the hand that receives the gift of salvation. Grace is the hand of God that gives salvation; while faith is the hand of man that receives it. There is the divine work of saving us by God’s grace. There is the human responsibility of receiving this salvation by the hand of faith in Christ. Thus, the Samaritan’s faith has saved him.

Now it is possible to receive physical healing but not spiritual healing. You may enjoy His blessings physically but lose your soul spiritually. It is also possible, and sadly true, to be saved by Christ but to be ungrateful to Christ. That’s the case of the nine lepers.

Have you come to Christ for your spiritual salvation? Come to Christ for spiritual healing now. Put your faith in Christ now.

Are you saved by faith in Christ? Then go to Jesus now and bow down and thank him for it.

1 I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke : A Commentary on the Greek Text (NIGTC; Exeter, UK: Paternoster Press, 1978), 652.

 

The Problem of Thanklessness

Luke added, “Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner’” (Lk. 17:17-18)? Jesus was asking, “Was no one of the nine Jews found to praise God except this Samaritan, this foreigner?” The word “foreigner” is used in the sign in the Temple in Jerusalem that disallowed the entry of foreigners. (J. Nolland) A foreigner is an outsider. He is outside of the covenant of God with Israel and outside of the community of God.

The nine Jews should have turned back to Jesus. But only this foreigner turned back. The nine Jews should have praised the Lord their God. But only this foreigner praised God. The nine Jews should have worshiped God. But only this foreigner worshiped God. The nine Jews should have thanked Jesus. But only this foreigner thanked Jesus.

This is the problem of thanklessness. More people are not grateful to God. Sometimes, church people do not thank Jesus gratefully. It takes a foreigner, an outsider, a new follower of Christ, to praise God loudly, to worship Jesus fervently and to thank Him gratefully.

If Israel will not give thanks to her God, God will seek the thanksgiving of those outside of Israel. In Acts, we see the conversion of Samaritans to Jesus. We see the work of the Spirit in reaching various peoples with the Gospel. Our God is a missionary God. He seeks and saves people from every tribe and tongue. He is concerned with the Samaritan, the Somalian, and the South African. In Revelation, John saw people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who stood before the throne and worshiped the Lamb (Rev. 7:9).

Let us overcome the problem of thanklessness by making new disciples who will worship God. Let us join God in His work of bringing people from every nation to Christ.

A Pronouncement of Physical Healing

Luke wrote, “When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed’” (Lk. 17:14). Earlier, a leper was healed before Jesus told him to go to the priest (Lk. 5:14). Here, the 10 lepers were healed after Jesus told them to go to the priests. Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests. After the priests check them and declare them to be healed, they can go back to society.

The 10 lepers obeyed Jesus’ command. Their obedience to Jesus shows their faith in Jesus. They took Jesus at His word. When they went off to the priests, they were not yet healed. Hence, they went on the assumption that they will be healed when they face the priests. It was an assumption of faith.

Luke writes that “as they went, they were cleansed” (v. 14). The verb “cleansed” refers to the cleansing of healing. As they went, they were healed of their scaly skin. They were cleansed of their skin inflammation. It happened as they went, as they acted on Jesus’ command.

That is what happens when we act on Jesus’ word by faith. When Jesus tells us to do something, we must act on it. We must obey Jesus’ word by faith. When Jesus says, be baptized, you should obey His command and be baptized. When Jesus leads you to go and tell someone the Gospel, you should go and do it. When Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all nations, we should go and do it by faith.

As we act on Jesus’ word, we must expect Jesus’ power. Expect Jesus to do something powerful along the way.

William Carey wrote, “Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God.”

Buying an apartment building for the church is a great thing to do. The cost is Php 23,000 monthly for 10 years. Six years, ago, we decided to buy the apartment. It was an act of faith. We trusted God for the pledges to help pay it. Now, we only have 4 years to go to pay for it.

Starting GGCF Bacolod and Toledo is a great thing to do. It means supporting 3 pastors and starting 17 small groups. Now we have 4 worship times, 19 small groups, and 80 worshipers in Bacolod and Toledo. Yesterday, Pastor Julius told me that he was teaching 8 small groups weekly in Toledo, ministering to 72 people. That is happening right now in Toledo because of your support.

Despite paying for 1 apartment building and supporting a total of 5 pastors and 4 congregations, we do not have a deficit in 2017. God has supplied our needs. Glory to God!

When we act on Jesus’ word by faith, we must expect Jesus to show His power in the process.

A Word of Thanksgiving and Salvation

Today, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving every November is an American tradition. Yet we celebrate Thanksgiving because it is good to give thanks to the Lord. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever” (1 Chron. 16:34)!

As I thought about a Thanksgiving sermon, I always remember the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. Do you know that whenever you remember someone or something several times, the Lord might be telling you something? I believe the Lord has been leading me to preach the story in Luke 17:11-19.

¹¹ On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

The healing of the ten lepers is “Christo-centric.” It demonstrates the power of Jesus to heal the sick. It is also “salvific.” It is a wonderful story of thanksgiving and salvation. Luke tells us how someone’s faith in Jesus has saved him.

We learn five words of pronouncement in this story.

A Plea for Mercy (vv. 11-13)

The word for “lepers” (lepros) means “scaly, scabby.” (Friberg) It is a kind of skin disease like psoriasis, causing scaly skin. (R. Stein) Leprosy was a horrible disease in biblical times. It was horrible because it makes them look ugly and undesirable. It was terrible because of how people treat them. People feared, snubbed, and avoided lepers. In turn, lepers felt pain and rejection. They had no family, no home, no job, and no village.

The Law requires lepers to stay away from people (Num. 5:2-3). To get back to the community of Israel, an Israelite priest must declare them clean (Lev. 14:1-32).

So these lepers “stood at a distance” (v. 12). They were asking Jesus to have mercy on them, to heal them.

Have you experienced that with Jesus? You were carrying a heavy load of problems. You didn’t know what to do and who to turn to. You were so desperate that you called on the Lord. You said, “Lord, have mercy on me.”

Conclusion

By Em Sumaway

Our Gospel reading today can be summarized as follows.

It Starts with Ten Unclean Men (Lk. 17:11-13)

The account begins with ten unclean men, all of whom were lepers. This group of ten men are most likely composed of both Jews and Samaritans. This is notable since Jews and Samaritans would not normally live together. But as the saying goes, “Misery loves company,” and all ten were outcasts and driven away by their own people. But regardless of their miserable condition they still had hope because they trusted in Jesus’ power to heal them.

It Continues with Nine Ungrateful Men (Lk. 17:17)

Jesus commanded the men to show themselves to the priest, which is an act of faith itself since they were not cured yet. When they obeyed the command of the Lord, they were healed, for their obedience was the evidence of their faith. Now one would naturally expect all ten men to run back to Jesus and thank Him for this but only one did so.

It Closes with One Unusual Man (Lk. 17:15-19)

This Samaritan—a foreigner—shouted “Glory to God!” and fell at Jesus’ feet to praise Him and give Him thanks. It would have been so easy to just follow the other nine men and go to the temple to brag about the miracle they’ve experienced, or to go to places they’ve always wanted to go to or do things they were never able to do. But what he did first was to go back to Jesus and offer Him his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. I hope each of us is like this unusual man who gave thanks to God versus nine men who forgot to do so.

As I end this discourse, there’s one more thing I would like to point out in our Gospel passage. This is in relation to the difference in the tenses used for the word “cleansed” in verse 17 and the phrase “made you well” in verse 19. I would like to quote from the Annotated New Testament written by Dr. Gadiel Isidro:

While the nine lepers were cleansed, yet their healing was transitory. This is the thrust of the tense of the verb cleansed in v. 17. But healing of the tenth and a Samaritan was permanent. The verb healed in v. 19 is in the perfect tense. Further, the Greek word used here is sozo which is the word translated save. Could this also mean that the tenth leper was not only cleansed of his leprosy but was also saved in his soul? Why? Because he came back glorifying God.[1]

By coming to Jesus, the Samaritan received something far greater than physical healing. He was also saved from his sins. It is important to note that the Greek word translated, “made you well.” is the same word Jesus used when He spoke to the repentant woman who anointed His feet (Lk. 7:50). The Samaritan’s nine friends were declared clean by the priest, but he was declared saved by the Son of God! While it is wonderful to experience the miracle of physical healing, it is even more wonderful to experience the miracle of eternal salvation.[2]

I challenge you folks today to just pause and count your blessings. Then return to God recognizing that He is the source of all those blessings. At the same time let’s ask for His most wonderful gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, abounding with thanksgiving in our hearts knowing we don’t deserve any of it, and yet He lovingly offers it.

[1] Gadiel T. Isidro, Isidro Annotated New Testament (Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro, 2005), 117.

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chariot Victor Publishing).