[Preacher] Pastor Jung Myung Seok
[Scriptures] Matthew 11:25-30, Psalm 100
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned,
and revealed them to little children.
26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
When I look at the biblical figures, they were always thankful to God.
Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances,”
but it was not a circumstance in which he could rejoice and be happy every day.
He was in a life-or-death situation where people chased after him,
and he had to escape from a building by descending in a basket.
Despite that, Apostle Paul did not grumble.
He always said, “Thank you, God.”
It wasn’t that David thanked God simply because King Saul was not pursuing him.
King Saul kept chasing after David who was innocent and tried to kill him.
He should have rewarded David since he had resolved the difficult issues of the nation,
but he tried to kill David instead.
So how egregious and ballistic it is!
But even in that situation, he kept giving thanks to God.
Likewise, the biblical figures had thanked God even during tribulations.
All of them kept their faith while facing tribulations and persecution.
I pray that you will realize the principle of being thankful and be filled with
deep thanksgiving in your life.
