Thank, thank and thank

Psalms 50:23 Thank, thank and thank
When I went to Israel 7 years ago, I saw many Israelis greet each others saying, ‘Salom!' that means 'Peace!’
It is same in Korea that Koreans also greet each others saying, 'Peace? (!)'. But the best greeting of Christians Is Hallelujah!' that means 'Glory to God!'
Do you know how to glorify God? Today's scripture says, "He who sacrifices thank offerings glorifies me." God wants to be glorified by us with thanksgiving. 'Thanksgiving is the best way to please God.
King David said, "I will glorify God with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox." (Psalms 69:30-31)
When we glorify God with thanksgiving, God says in today's scripture, "I may show him the salvation." We cannot expect the salvation and answer of God with complaints but with thanksgiving.
Do you want the rich blessing of God? Do you want to be saved by God from the painful problems? Why don't you glorify God with thanks?
Let us see Paul and Silas. They were severely beaten and imprisoned because of spreading gospel. But they did not complain but thank God.
God heard their thanksgiving and smelled the fragrance of their thanksgiving. And he sent his angels to them. Then all of sudden, the prison doors flew open, and their chains came loose. And they could be saved from the prison.
Aren't you now in the prison of problems? Aren't you now fastened by the chains of problem? Why don't you give thanks to God? Surely, God will save you.
Let me tell you a real story. When I was a section leader of the youth mission in Yoido Full Gospel Church, there is a girl in my section, who was 18 years old and factory worker at that time.
In summer season, she took a vacation and went to the prayer mountain. She prayed and fasted 3 days there. But when she came back to the dormitory of the factory, she found out that a large amount of money disappeared.
The money was for her younger sister's school expenses. She was very embarrassed and worried. But she confessed tearfully, "Lord, I have lost the money. But thank God! "
Few days later, she received a long-distance call from her younger sister saying, "Don't worry about my school expenses. From this semester I don't need to pay school expenses because I have become a scholarship student!"
Brothers and sisters, are your circumstances worse even though you have prayed hard? Or even though you have served God faithfully? Why don't you give thanks to God? God will make it best to you in the end.
We have so many reasons to give thanks to God. Who was born with holding a dollar in his hand? Who was born with wearing a diaper? Nobody carried with him even a penny when he was born.
All the things we have, were given by God. Therefore, we have to thank God because he has given all the things that we have.
Bible says, "Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:20)
Let us see Job. He lost all of his sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, and servants. And all of his 7 sons and 3 daughters were dead because the house collapsed on them.
These things happened within a day. Then he was afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
When he sat among the ashes and was scraping himself with a broken pottery, his wife said to him, "Curse God and die!"
At this time what did Job answer to her? "You are taking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10) "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21)
How wonderful confession! How about if you were in this trouble? Can you confess like Job? Can you give thanks to God like Job? I hope you to do!
God gave us his only Son Jesus. Whenever we remember this, we have to give thanks to God in the morning, in the evening, at night and at any time.
Let us confess together. "Thank you Lord!" the word 'Thank' is easy word. But it is hard to live thankful life. As for me, I seldom complain. But once I complained badly about something.
On that day, I had a dream. When I was cleaning my ears, I was very surprised because huge earwax was taken out of my ear.
At that time, God said to me, "This is the biggest earwax in the world!”
When I woke up, I realized that complaint is the biggest earwax that stuffs our spiritual ears. If we have deaf ears because of the earwax, we cannot hear the voice of God, so that we may misjudge and misunderstand, and we may miss the rich blessings of God.
Brothers and sisters, are you now full of thanks or full of complaints? I ask you to clean up your spiritual ears and listen to the voice of God, so that you may be richly blessed by God. Amen!