In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thess. 5:18)
Do you know that the Greek word for “thank” is charis, the same Greek word used for “grace”? So to be full of grace is to be full of thanksgiving. God wants us to give thanks always. Even when things don’t go well with us, we can choose to have a spirit of thanksgiving because He is faithful and able to work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).
The thing about us is that there can be 10 good things happening to us, yet our human tendency is to focus on the one thing that is negative and fixate on it. We tend to look at what we don’t have, instead of thanking God for what we do have. We need to understand that when we thank God for what we do have, even if it is only “five loaves of bread and two fish,” what we have will be multiplied. Remember what Jesus did before the five loaves and two fish were multiplied to feed more than 5,000 people? He gave thanks to the Father for the little that He had (Matt. 14:17–21, NIV).
My friend, cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving and graciousness, and keep it flowing today. Thank God for the parts of your body that are working fine. Thank God for whatever the amount you have in your bank account. Don’t focus on what you don’t have. Count your blessings every day. Thank Him for His presence and grace that make all the difference. Not only will you have more joy, but you will also experience His blessings and increase!
Joseph Prince Ministries
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A founding member of New Creation Church, Joseph initially served as an elder and associate pastor. However, his unanimous appointment as senior pastor in 1990 marked a turning point in the history of the church, which started experiencing phenomenal growth. Under Joseph's leadership, the church congregation has grown by more than a hundredfold—from about 150 to more than 31,000 attendees.
Having built and established the leadership and congregation of New Creation Church on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ, Joseph is now actively fulfilling, around the world, the mandate that God has given him to preach God's unmerited favor without compromise. He heads Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc., an international, non-profit organization that seeks to build, encourage, and inspire people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through television broadcasting as well as a new media technology. Joseph's ministry as a pastor, teacher, conference speaker, and author continues to transform many lives, setting people free from the heavy yoke of the law, guilt, and condemnation by pointing them to Jesus and His finished work at Calvary.
Joseph believes the best in people and is committed to helping them discover how they can reign in life through the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. His desire is to help this generation of believers understand the new covenant of grace and realize how greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved they are by their heavenly Father.
In addition, both Joseph and Wendy are moved by the plight of less fortunate children, especially in Asia, and consider it a calling and an urgent priority to provide practical help through Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc.'s missions initiative and humanitarian projects.