Good morning, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. He died for us on the cross showing us how much He loves me and you.
Greetings!
How have you been doing the past few days? We are in the first week of December and I know you’re just as excited as I am. We’re left with approximately 28 days before to the new year, and it's just few days until Christmas.
First off, what a year it has been! A lot has happened in our country this year, including in our personal lives – some of us have seen the good and the bad at the same time and yet God has been faithful unto us on every step of the way, so for that I say, “Lord Jesus Christ, Thank you and Thank you. Amen”. It is a blessing to be carried by God because you get to experience His goodness and love that endures forever.
You know we have different testimonies about 2025, for all the things we’ve been through says a lot about me and you. For instance; here I am talking to you today, but when the year started I thought we would have a space to meet like this, you coming to the our wellness corner every week shows the love and commitment you have for this ministry and with that I appreciate you.
Before I get all emotional and start crying, let’s just pray and start our day.
Lord Jesus Christ we come before You this morning, as You said in Your word: 'when two or three are gathered in Your name, surely You shall be in their midst' and this morning we welcome You and we’re ready and eager to learn from You, Holy Spirit. May You teach us and guide us through Your word so we may live and testify about the great works You are doing in our lives. Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for being with us today, and we say, “Amen and Amen.”
As we’re in the first week of the year we tend to be in a hurry for the good times that are waiting for us in the festive season, and by doing so, we forget to give appreciation to God and the people who have been by our side throughout the year. Before all the fun and beautiful memories are made, how about we just take a moment and appreciate God and those who’ve been with us, for they saw our good days and bad days even when we were moody, they were there to pick us up and lift our souls. It is not nice and I don’t recommend it for any of us to step in the new year without giving thanks to God and the relevant people who played big roles in our lives. We also cannot forget the ones that played what might have seemed like minor roles in our lives as they came for a short season then left, they were important and destined to be with us for that season.
I don’t know what God has done for you this year, but I’m sure of one thing: He’s definitely shown up and done something marvellous for you and I’d like you to think back to everything that happened this year and give thanks to Him. But, wait - before you reminisce, here’s why it is important to give thanks:
firstly remember when you wanted that thing? Yes, that thing to be done when you were in desperate need for it and you had no one to turn to, yet you still trusted that God was going to do it. Remember when you woke up feeling down and the moment you started praying you felt better? Yes, it was that day that He was showing up for you. And, remember when you started crying all alone in bed and the night was longer than most nights? Yes, that night. I know it was painful but God was there for you, that's why you were still able to wake up with joy after those moments. There were times you almost had an accident but God stepped in and miraculously, you were safe.
You know what’s the best part of it? When God answered your prayers, the excitement and joy that was in you, I believe that was one of your best days and your prayers were answered. See? You can remember all those events in your life, which means you have reasons to give thanks. Giving thanks is about showing appreciation in whichever way you can... The gratitude must come from your heart and soul meaning when you give thanks, your heart and soul have to be part of it and that’s what creates its beauty and meaning.
There are times people will ask you, “Why should you give thanks while your life is a mess? There might be no job, no breadwinner in the family, no steady income, no formal education, too much debt, loved ones that were lost.” There are so many reasons that someone can give you to not be thankful. And, although their reasons may seem like they make sense, what you have to do is to shift your mindset away from focusing on the bad things happening in your life and focus on the good things. Even the smallest things like the free oxygen we all have is a reason to be grateful. I’m joking, but for real look into good things that are happening and little by little, they’ll replace every complaint with a 'thank you, Lord'.
When you give thanks, you allow God to do more good in your life because you are showing Him appreciation, one that truly comes from your heart and soul represents gratitude that is filled with love. Even with human beings, we are like that, when someone gives thanks/show appreciation to you, you’re automatically geared up to do more for that particular person. So, now imagine if you were to give thanks to God... what would happen to your life? The possibilities of a grateful heart are infinite.
I want to share a few verses about being thankful. Psalm 106:1 NLT 'Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.' - you focus on His goodness and his never-failing love then you give thanks for that and His goodness will be evident in your life and in mine as well.
2 Corinthians 4:15 NLT 'All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.' - Look how great it is to give thanks for it is for your benefit and all the thanks goes to God.
You know what, when we start talking, we can go the whole day non-stop, for today this is where we stop.
Let’s pray, Lord Jesus Christ we thank You for such a day as this. Lord, we give You the honour and the glory. You deserve our worship for there’s no other God like you. We thank you, Lord Jesus for all that you’ve taught us. We’re going to practise it and give You the thanks You deserve. We thank you in Jesus’s name and we say amen and amen…
Personally, I’m so excited right now. I’m going to give God thanks and worship Him. And I’m going to show appreciation to my parents, who have been so wonderful to me since day one in my life until today. Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, just know how much I love you and thank you for everything, and to my sister and young brothers I love you so much.
Puuuuuppppppuuu! to my darling Husband, my rock and partner in crime, yes obviously beautiful crime. My love, My king, my world I thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul, you’ve loved me in days when I didn’t feel worthy to be loved but you did it anyway and you still continue to love me, My King I thank you for coming into my life, I’m at a loss of words when I think of you, I just find myself blushing because of you.
To my children I Love you even when you wake up me because of the appetite and energy you have. And of course, my team thank you very much. I love you.
Go, appreciate God and the people your life.
Shalom.