COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS …NAME THEM ONE BY ONE AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU

 

 
 

 
 Delivered by Rev.Wilfred Leeroy Kabs-Kanu

Sunday October 16, 2005
 
 
We human beings have the tendency to grumble and complain too much. We are always complaining about something , especially about the things we do not have or the bad things that are happening to us. When people listen to us, they think that nothing good ever happens to us and that perpetually it is evil that we are faced with all our lives. We always  think that the grass is always greener on the other side and that we are not having a good deal from God Almighty.. 
 
 
But David  in Psalm 145:16 extols God  : “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” . God satisfies the desires of every living thing because He is  good. Goodness is the effulgence of the very  nature of God . Infact, the Bible declares that  “The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD” (Ps. 33:5). We have such a wonderful God whose goodness cannot be measured by anything, whether on earth, whether in Heaven, everywhere. He is so good that it is not possible to measure the depth and extent of his goodness.
Therefore, why does man spend his time complaining whole day ? Why is our perspective of life gloomy whole day ? The reason is that we have not given  the goodness of God a thought. The reason is that we have not given the goodness of God a try. I love the hymn so much that goes like this : 
 
 
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed/Do not be discouraged thinking all is lost/count your many blessings/ Name them one by one/ And it will surprise you what the Lord has done . Count your blessings, name them one by one/count your blessings, see what The Lord has done./count your blessings/Name them one by one/And it will surprise you what The Lord has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care ?/Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear ?/count your many blessings , every doubt will fly/And you will keep singing as the days go by.
So amidst the conflict whether great or small/ Do not be disheartened , God is above all /count your many blessings , angels will attend/ Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end “.
 
 
Oh, how I love this hymn. It would seem like anytime I sing it I cry because it brings vividly to my mind all the good things that God has done for me from birth to this date. When I sit down at times and think about how God took me and my family out of Liberia unharmed , while many of my collegue teachers on the campus ( And their families in some cases ) were all slaughtered by the rebels, I cannot but shed tears. When I sit down at times and think about all the dangers , toils and temptations God has saved me from, I cannot help but shed tears.  
The Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 4 :19 that :”My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus “.It is refreshing to know that God does not bless and provide for us according to the world  socio-political and economic system. Left to the system, we would not be living in the fine houses that God has provided us. Left to the system, we would not have been driving in the beautiful cars that God has given us. Left to the system , we would not have been enjoying the good health and peace of mind with which God has blessed us. But our God is so good that his blessings are antithetical to the provisions of the system. The  world economic system taketh away but God provideth our needs and our wants. 
 
 
God is always there for us. Whether in sickness or in hard times, whether in good health or good times, God is always with us. He is so faithful that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5-6  tells us : “Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things that you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you,’ so that we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me.'” (  Emphasis mine ).
Therefore, when next we are tempted to grumble and complain about our circumstances, let us realize that in the midst of them all, God is still blessing us. In Romans 8:31-39, the Apostle Paul powerfully makes the point clear  : “What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He that didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, will he not also give us, with him, all things freely? “
 
 
Let us learn to look more at the things we are getting freely from God. Companies are busy laying off workers but God has blessed us with jobs. For those without jobs, at least you have your good health and you are alive. Do you know how many people have died today  ? By the time you finish reading this sermon, many more will die. Thank God that you have life.  The economic situation is bleak and newspapers and TVs report everyday about the suffering and misery going on all over the world. But we must thank God that in the face of it all, we are able to feed our families, pay our mortgages or rent, send our children to school and pay our bills. All these things we are able to do because God is good and he is blessings us. 
 
 
When next there is a tendency to complain about your lot, pause and begin to count the things that you have or have accomplished, and you will see that God has done for you. . 
 
 
May God bless you for reading this sermon and if you have not made Jesus your Lord and Saviour do that now :  , Pray  to God asking for forgivess of your sins and ask sincerely and by faith  for Jesus Christ to come into your heart  and he will do so.And then look for a good church where the Word of God is preached in its fulness and where obedience to God is emphasized. 
 

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