What I came to realize during this last semester was…
Wait… Did I just say “last semester”???
YAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! SCHOOL IS OVER!!!!!!!!!! I’M ON BREAK!!!!!!! Hehe. :D
I’m really grateful to you for keeping me in your prayers during my exam period. And I’m grateful and thankful to God for the way the semester went. It wasn’t just a test of med school knowledge. It was also a test of faith, perseverance, and character – MY CLASSMATES WILL TESTIFY! Lolx – but thank God he saw us through.
Back to what I was saying.
What I came to realize during the last semester :) was that the mind that absolutely trusts in God can achieve anything, but the mind that is thankful to God already has everything. Then, imagine what trust and thanksgiving combined can do.
The Bible tells us, in an almost innumerable number of places, to be thankful – Psalms 107:1, Colossians 4:2. I particularly like the Good New Translation of Ephesians 5:20 where it says, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.” This means that you don’t pick and choose what to be thankful to God for and what not to be. If you really understand the message in Romans 8:28, you’ll see that all things are truly worth being thankful for.
Everything in your life is deliberately put there to make you end up in heaven. That’s the Gospel truth. Even when you mess up and turn your back on God, as soon as you repent and ask for forgiveness, He is able to convert your most terrible mistakes into your greatest accomplishments. Talk about a Divine Dynamo! What’s not to be thankful about?!
There are two accounts in the Bible that exemplify the efficacy of thanksgiving. First is the story of the ten lepers who came to Jesus for healing; Luke 17:11-19. Others were “cleansed” – referring to the curing of their physical condition of leprosy – while the one who gave thanks was made “well”; in other words, made complete or whole. This refers to his physical condition of leprosy, as well as the healing of his mind and soul, in a way that only Jesus is capable of. Though all ten of them encountered Jesus the same way and at the same time, only the one who gave thanks got that added blessing from God.
The second example is when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead; John 11:38-44. Jesus thanked God for something that hadn’t even happened yet!!! This thanksgiving synergized His faith and put Him in a position where receiving from God was sure to happen. This was Jesus putting into practice the “Miracle formula” that he taught in Mark 11:24-25.
In summary, therefore, you must first be thankful for what you already have. Then, you must be thankful what you would like to have – thanking God as if you already have it – and trust that God will give it to you.
What are you thankful for today?
Have a nice day. :D
See you tomorrow.