Gratitude

Monday 8 January
READ: I Kings 2:7
MORE LESSON:  I Thessalonians 5:18 

David was a man who God recognised because of his acts of gratitude. He virtually lived his life appreciating every kind gesture done to him and this made God pleased with him. The Bible tells us that at the time David was dying, he called Solomon his son and told him to show kindness to people who had been good to him as a way of appreciating them. David’s heart was the heart of appreciation. No wonder the King of Glory had to come from his family and lineage; he was a man that was given to appreciation and was grateful in all things.

In fact, David was grateful to a fault. In spite of all that Saul did to David, he still sought an occasion to be kind to his family in appreciation of what Jonathan had done for him when he was running from Saul. When Saul died, he asked if there was somebody left in Saul’s family that he could favour for Jonathan's sake. Jonathan was a very close friend of David, and the son of Saul but he loved David so much that he made a covenant with him. He took the risk of revealing his father's next plan to David; a rare act. Imagine that your father wants to kill somebody but you became  that person’s friend and revealed security information to him. If Saul had discovered it, he would have killed Jonathan. He risked his life to love his father's enemy, and David appreciated it. 

In that war, Saul and Jonathan died and David regretted the loss of Jonathan such that he was prepared to do anything in honour of their friendship. When David got to the throne, he asked if there was anyone in the house of Saul that he can show his kindness to. David could have decided to be ungrateful because of Saul's wickedness to him. But rather than look at the negative things and remain ungrateful, David chose to remember the positive thing about Saul's family and show them kindness.

Most times we are quick to forget people's act of kindness to us, especially if they later offend us. Rather than consider the negative and remain ungrateful, we should remember the good they have done and be grateful for it. Refusal to acknowledge the good acts because of an offence makes us the same with our offender. However, when we choose to overlook the wrong and still remain grateful for the good done to us in the past, we create a class for ourselves. This is why the Bible admonishes us; Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good: Rom. 12:21. Be grateful anyhow!     

Prayer/Action
* Give God thanks for many of His benefits in your life.
* Ask God to give you grace for a heart of gratitude to God and man.
* Ask God to help you see reasons to be grateful in all things.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
8th January 2018, you will not sing the song of my enemies, in the mighty name of Jesus.