As we approach the end of another year, it is always an opportune time to reflect on our achievements in the year just passed. This is important, so that we can also review our goals in life, and plan for the year ahead. It is also an important time to remember the very source of all our success, the Lord Himself who gave us the very gifts that make for this success. Many people have been blessed by God’s gifts to them, but they did not honour Him or show God recognition for these blessings. ‘Why’, we ask, ‘did they not do so?’ We find that the reasons are varied, but onc thing is sure, God does become upset and distances Himself from those who fail to praise and glorify Him for His love. Consequently, they bring disaster to themselves, as they no longer receive God’s blessings in their lives.
God blesses, man succeeds
So many historical characters of the Bible who were very successful in life owed their success to the blessings they received from God. We can name so many people who fit this category- Abraham, whom God blessed for his deep faith through earthly riches, as well as offspring as the multitude of the stars in heaven; Joseph who was sold as a slave, but came to have the most senior position in a foreign land, except for the position of Pharaoh; Solomon who only asked for wisdom, and was given riches beyond measure, with fame and wisdom which reached the ends of the earth. The story I want to take up with you today is that of a king in Judea named Hezekiah. He was a kink who proactively repaired the neglected temple, directed priests to sanctify themselves for service and made a historical celebration of the Passover that brought back people from the northern kingdom of Israel and gave them all a sense of unity in the worship of the true God. The Bible says that “In every work that he began in the service of the house of God, …he did it with all his heart. So he prospered” (2 Chr. 31: 21). He was also instrumental in giving his people (through his strong faith) courage and confidence against the mighty Babylonian king Sennacherib who came to overtake Jerusalem. He said to his people “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid nor dismayed…for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chr 32: 7, 8). It was he also who was told his life would end by Isaiah the prophet, but he prayed earnestly to be healed, and God granted him an extra 15 years of life. It was said that Hezekiah was ‘highly exalted in the sight of all nations’ (2 Chr 32: 23).
Does God expect recognition?
The mighty king Hezekiah, at first, honoured God by offering a great sacrifice after the rebuilding of the temple, requesting that the priests and Levites sanctify themselves in preparation for this great event. But towards the end of his life, he ‘did not repay according to the favour shown him’ because his heart was lifted up. The bible says “therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem” (32: 25). Similarly, at the time of Jesus, of the ten lepers He healed, Jesus complained that only one returned to give thanks. It is important to note my blessed friend that God does indeed expects people to recognize God’s love for them in some way, for this it is the essence of faith to recognize that it is God who is the source of all that is good in our lives. The next question then is…
How then do I show thanks to God?
Even before formal law came into effect man instinctively knew he should offer a sacrifice of thanks to God. Abraham built an altar and sacrificed to God when he entered the land that God had given to him; Noah offered a sacrifice after the receding of the flood, etc. Some give thanks to God through the making of a vow, such as the vow of Hannah of offering Samuel to serving the Lord if God granted her a son (1 Sam 1: 11); others offer a sacrifice of praise to God:
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb 13: 15).
Why don’t some people offer thanks to God?
We find many excuses which people use to not offer thanks to God. Some simply cannot be bothered, such as the nine lepers who failed to return to give thanks. In the case of king Hezekiah, mentioned earlier, his heart was uplifted, seeking self-glory and honour. So he was looking for others’ praise, rather than giving all praise to God who was the source of all his success. Others imagine that it was their ability and power which gave them their success; such was king Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian, who was mighty, but turned into a mad-man when he began to imagine that his own efforts allowed him to conquer all the land around him.
So what do you need to do as you approach the end of another year?
The first thing is to train yourself to recognise God’s work in your life- His gifts to you.
