Open Heaven 4 January 2020 – Grateful Heart I

Topic: Grateful Heart I
(Open Heaven 4 January 2020)

Memorise: “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” – 1 Chronicles 16:34

Read: Luke 17:11-19 (KJV)
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Bible in One Year: Job 1-5

Open Heaven 4 January 2020 Saturday MESSAGE:
God loves people who are always thankful. While others may get little gifts that make them happy, He makes sure that the joy of the grateful is always full. In our Bible reading for today, all ten lepers were healed, but only the thankful one was made whole – every sign that he had ever been leprous was removed. I can imagine that anyone who had ever seen him prior to his healing would have found it hard to believe he had ever been a leper. The joy of the grateful ones is always full.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” – Psalm 100:4

From the passage above, we see that the right way to come into the presence of God is to do so with thanksgiving. Some Christians just barge into God’s presence with their request as though He was their slave. No wonder many prayers go unanswered. When you come to Him, do so with thanks. Even if it seems as though everything is going upside down for you, thank Him for the fact that you are still alive. God cannot ignore a thankful heart. Once you get His attention, you can then present your request to Him.

Many years ago, just before the commencement of a three-day crusade to start off the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Abuja, Nigeria, I praying “Father, perform miracles today, show Yourself strong, heal the sick, raise the dead…” when I suddenly heard God say ”Shut up!” Then He asked “Have you thanked me for all the miracles I have been doing in the past? For the next three days, I don’t want to hear any request from you – just thanks.” This was very hard for me, but I tried to only give thanks to Him throughout the next three days.

After the crusade He said “Now, tell the elders to strengthen the foundation of the church because, while you have been experiencing some increase, now you will start experiencing multiplication!” We are still enjoying that multiplication till date.

Open Heaven 4 January 2020 Saturday Key Point:
Thanking God always brings greater benefits than presenting requests to Him.

Open Heaven 4 January 2020 Saturday Hymn 16: Let Us With A Gladsome Mind
1 Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for He is kind.
For His mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

2 He with all-commanding might
Filled the new-made world with light.
For His mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

3 All things living He doth feed,
His full hand supplies their need:
For His mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

4 He His chosen race did bless
In the wasteful wilderness:
For His mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

5 Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for He is kind:
For His mercies aye endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.