Some of us remember an older hymn telling us to “Count your blessings, name them one by one . . . .” and that is such good advice. I cannot complain and be thankful at the same time!
This verse may have inspired that song: Psalm 103:2. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” The rest of this passages describes some of those BENEFITS such as forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, mercy, renewal, justice, grace, compassion, and His sovereign rule.
Note that these benefits are mostly eternal matters. I find it easy to thank God during times of personal comfort such as: special meals, profitable days, good health, and fellowship with friends. However, the psalmist list blessings that are mine all the time, even in those not so good days. God grants these benefits when trials come, or the news is tragic, or someone verbally attacks me, or I’m experiencing pain. Even then, God encourages me to be thankful and count my blessings — benefits that He established in Christ and are mine no matter what!
Psalm 116:12 takes this a step farther by asking, “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?” The psalmist’s immediate answer is that he will “lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord” keeping all vows he has made to Him, offering the “sacrifice of thanksgiving.” Being thankful when all seems wrong or at least uncomfortable may feel like a sacrifice but Job blessed God even when he lost everything but his life. I should be able to do that too.
Hebrews 4:2 says something interesting about God’s benefits:
“For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.”
This says to me that God can be beneficial towards me, but if I lack faith I will not realize I am being blessed. We all know people who have lots to be thankful for but they just want more and grumble if they don’t get it. If I am like that, I’ve forgotten the goodness of God or do not see it. I’ve forgotten that He loves me, or that He is in charge and sovereign, or that He uses all things to transform me into the image of His Son. If life is handing me lemons, instead of making lemonade, I am sputtering at the sharp and unpleasant taste and forgotten God’s good purposes and His benefits.
Another thought about God’s benefits is in 1 Corinthians 10:23. “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” Applied, this is about my freedom to do what my conscience allows, but that does not automatically make it a benefit from God. For instance, I could spend the rest of today baking cookies. Nothing wrong with that but other activities could be more beneficial to my spiritual life or to help others. I need faith and the benefit of the Holy Spirit’s help to set priorities.
Hebrews 12:10 also compares parental disciple to God’s discipline. It says, “He disciplines us for our good (benefit), that we may share his holiness.” But seeing His rebukes as a benefit is easy to miss. I would rather be comfortable and blessed rather than saying thanks for the ‘benefit’ of a rebuke — at least at the time.
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. The more I focus on who God is and what He does, the easier it is to see that even the challenges of life are in His hands and He will benefit me. He wants me to be thankful for all things and respond in cooperation for whatever benefit is intended by them. The NT tells in Romans 1 how refusing to be thankful puts a person on a slippery slope into sin. Far better to be thankful, especially for those eternal benefits outlined in Psalm 103, but also for the temporary blessings. I need to remember how God’s goodness keeps me off that slippery slope.
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