感恩之心的力量
魏愛玲師母
2025 年 2 月 7 日 清晨祈祷会
经文：诗篇 9: 1-2；希伯来书 13: 15-16；诗篇 28: 7；诗篇 100: 4
2025 年新年伊始，我在思考我可以对我的生活、
我感觉自己处于一个过度思考、
魏牧师和我都处于人生的这个年龄，
除此之外，我们的文化、我们的世界正变得越来越令人不安！当然，
有时他们似乎没有看到我们所处的属灵争战，
在 2025 年新年里，我做出了一个有意识的决定，开始更加感恩，
我永远不会停止为我的孩子、孙子和朋友祈祷和鼓励。 我永远不会停止抓住每一个机会来提醒他们与耶稣同行所带来的财富
我的新年计划是真正专注于拥有一颗感恩和感激的心，
然后我就生病了！ 没什么大不了的吧？病情持续了一周、两周、三周。
我的病并没有那么严重！ 这真是令人恼火和沮丧，因为我似乎无法好起来，
因为上帝无所不知，所以祂也知道，
有趣的是，尽管我对此感到沮丧，但我并没有因此而感到困扰。 我继续我所有的“感恩祷告”……感谢我的医生，
第一，它让我们不再专注于自己，
第二，它提醒我们，我们无法掌控一切，
第三，它帮助我们体认到，我们有太多值得感恩的事情，
第四，它提醒我们上帝是一切美好礼物的赐予者。 我们从来没有打算在今生实现完全自给自足。 感恩的心提醒我们，最终上帝是我们的供应者，
第五，心存感恩，就不会有抱怨。
第六点，它让敌人逃走！ 黑暗势力无法忍受存在于感恩和敬畏上帝的心灵周围！ 我们的赞美和感恩会让敌人离开！
第七点，它为持续的祝福打开了大门。它邀请主的同在。
我感觉自己处于一个过度思考、
魏牧师和我都处于人生的这个年龄，
除此之外，我们的文化、我们的世界正变得越来越令人不安！当然，
有时他们似乎没有看到我们所处的属灵争战，
在 2025 年新年里，我做出了一个有意识的决定，开始更加感恩，
我永远不会停止为我的孩子、孙子和朋友祈祷和鼓励。 我永远不会停止抓住每一个机会来提醒他们与耶稣同行所带来的财富
我的新年计划是真正专注于拥有一颗感恩和感激的心，
然后我就生病了！ 没什么大不了的吧？病情持续了一周、两周、三周。
我的病并没有那么严重！ 这真是令人恼火和沮丧，因为我似乎无法好起来，
因为上帝无所不知，所以祂也知道，
有趣的是，尽管我对此感到沮丧，但我并没有因此而感到困扰。 我继续我所有的“感恩祷告”……感谢我的医生，
第一，它让我们不再专注于自己，
第二，它提醒我们，我们无法掌控一切，
第三，它帮助我们体认到，我们有太多值得感恩的事情，
第四，它提醒我们上帝是一切美好礼物的赐予者。 我们从来没有打算在今生实现完全自给自足。 感恩的心提醒我们，最终上帝是我们的供应者，
第五，心存感恩，就不会有抱怨。
第六点，它让敌人逃走！ 黑暗势力无法忍受存在于感恩和敬畏上帝的心灵周围！ 我们的赞美和感恩会让敌人离开！
第七点，它为持续的祝福打开了大门。它邀请主的同在。
THE POWER OF A GRATEFUL HEART
Elinda West
On February 7, 2025, Early Morning Prayer
Scriptures: Psalm 9: 1-2; Hebrews 13: 15-16; Psalm 28:7; Psalm 100:4
At the beginning of the New Year 2025 I was thinking about what changes I could make in my life, habits, and attitude! I had felt like I had been in a season of over-thinking, over-worrying about our children and grandchildren and their future.
Also, Wei Mushr and I are in that age of life that we see more and more friends who are losing their mate or facing terminal illness or disability or facing some other crisis that is sad or painful and discouraging. We often get a message or phone call about a deep struggle in a friend’s life. We are attending more and more memorial services.
On top of that, our culture, our world is becoming more disturbing!! Certainly, Wei Mushr and I pray for all these things daily and we have many friends we keep in touch with to pray for and encourage. I’ve shared before that 3 years ago we also began to fast and pray one day each week particularly for our children and grandchildren.
Sometimes it seems they aren’t seeing the spiritual battle we live in or at least not taking it seriously. For example, they know spending too much time on the iPhone and iPad is wrong, they might even feel a little guilty, but they don’t seem concerned about the seriousness of it or try to put restrictions on it. They are young and immature. We feel they don’t take time as young adults to have devotions or go to church regularly as they’ve gotten older. I know God hears and answers our prayers and I know He doesn’t want us as parents to stress about or focus on all these concerns and lose our sleep over it.
I made the conscious decision in this New Year 2025 to start being more focused on a thankful, more grateful heart for the work I know God is doing in their lives even if I don’t see it yet. It is God’s plan that I and all of us parents rest in Him not losing sleep over our family or our friends’ burdens.
I have asked God to forgive me for not trusting Him and I decided that in the daytime or in the night, if the worries, the concerns began to trouble me I would immediately say, “Thank you God, I know YOU are working in all these people I care about! You are leading, convicting, protecting and comforting all of them because you love them so much, too!”
I will never stop praying for and encouraging my children and grandchildren or my friends. I will never stop taking every opportunity to remind them of the riches and blessings that come from walking closely with Jesus…. the wisdom and peace and joy they can have put Him first in their life and looking to Him for everything.
As you know God’s Word tells us to be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for us! God loves a grateful heart because it invites His presence!! He delights in our thankfulness! A grateful heart deepens our trust in God and strengthens our faith. It inspires JOY!
This plan of mine for the New Year to really focus on having a thankful and grateful heart was working pretty well for me and I felt it was helping me and God was pleased with it! I would start to go back to the old habit…. worry, think too much, pray…. stay awake in the night then, I would immediately start my “Thanksgiving Prayers” to the Lord. It gave me great peace and soon I would go back to sleep.
Then I got sick! No big deal, right?!
The sickness continued for one week, two weeks, three weeks. I would get a little better then when it came back. I kept having to go back to the Dr to get new medicine …4 weeks, 5 weeks and then Wei Mushr got sick too and I continued to not feel well.
My sickness wasn’t so terrible! It was annoying and frustrating because I couldn’t seem to get well and I think I’m healthy for my age! Wang MaMa always says her sickness is just “Xiao Shi Qing” (meaning “a small thing”). So, this really was a small thing compared to so many people I knew.
Since the Lord knows all things, he also knew we would have this little struggle in our health right AFTER I decided to focus on thanksgiving and a grateful heart. It was His Plan to USE THIS STRUGGLE to make me stronger in my trust of Him! Our struggles always make us stronger in our faith!
What is interesting is that even though I was frustrated about it I wasn’t so troubled by it. I was continuing all my “Thanksgiving Prayers” …. thankful for my Drs, all of you brothers and sisters praying for each other, Wei Mushr taking care of me. I WILL get well; I have confidence in God’s healing power!
So, today I wanted to just share a little about 7 Things that the POWER of a grateful heart can do:
1. It gets our eyes off ourselves and helps us to focus back on God.
2. It reminds us of we’re not in control, but that we serve a Mighty God who is. It keeps us in a place of humility and dependency on Him, as we recognize how much we need Him.
3. It helps us to recognize we have so much to be thankful for, even all the little things, which often we may forget to thank Him for…but they really are the biggest, most important things in this life. It takes our attention off our problems and helps us reflect on and remember the Goodness of His many blessings.
4. It reminds us that God is the Giver of all good gifts. We were never intended to be fully self-sufficient in this life. A grateful heart reminds us that ultimately God is our Provider, that all blessings and gifts are graciously given to us by His hand.
5. A heart of gratitude leaves no room for complaining. It is impossible to be truly thankful and filled with negativity and ungratefulness at the same time.
6. It makes the enemy run away! The forces of darkness can’t stand to be around hearts that give thanks and honor God! Our praise and thanksgiving will make the enemy leave!!
7. It opens the door for continued blessings. It invites His presence. Our spirits are refreshed and renewed in Him. God loves to give good gifts to His children. He delights in our thankfulness and pours out His Spirit and favor over those who give honor and gratitude to Him. Let’s practice a grateful thankful heart every day!
Also, Wei Mushr and I are in that age of life that we see more and more friends who are losing their mate or facing terminal illness or disability or facing some other crisis that is sad or painful and discouraging. We often get a message or phone call about a deep struggle in a friend’s life. We are attending more and more memorial services.
On top of that, our culture, our world is becoming more disturbing!! Certainly, Wei Mushr and I pray for all these things daily and we have many friends we keep in touch with to pray for and encourage. I’ve shared before that 3 years ago we also began to fast and pray one day each week particularly for our children and grandchildren.
Sometimes it seems they aren’t seeing the spiritual battle we live in or at least not taking it seriously. For example, they know spending too much time on the iPhone and iPad is wrong, they might even feel a little guilty, but they don’t seem concerned about the seriousness of it or try to put restrictions on it. They are young and immature. We feel they don’t take time as young adults to have devotions or go to church regularly as they’ve gotten older. I know God hears and answers our prayers and I know He doesn’t want us as parents to stress about or focus on all these concerns and lose our sleep over it.
I made the conscious decision in this New Year 2025 to start being more focused on a thankful, more grateful heart for the work I know God is doing in their lives even if I don’t see it yet. It is God’s plan that I and all of us parents rest in Him not losing sleep over our family or our friends’ burdens.
I have asked God to forgive me for not trusting Him and I decided that in the daytime or in the night, if the worries, the concerns began to trouble me I would immediately say, “Thank you God, I know YOU are working in all these people I care about! You are leading, convicting, protecting and comforting all of them because you love them so much, too!”
I will never stop praying for and encouraging my children and grandchildren or my friends. I will never stop taking every opportunity to remind them of the riches and blessings that come from walking closely with Jesus…. the wisdom and peace and joy they can have put Him first in their life and looking to Him for everything.
As you know God’s Word tells us to be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for us! God loves a grateful heart because it invites His presence!! He delights in our thankfulness! A grateful heart deepens our trust in God and strengthens our faith. It inspires JOY!
This plan of mine for the New Year to really focus on having a thankful and grateful heart was working pretty well for me and I felt it was helping me and God was pleased with it! I would start to go back to the old habit…. worry, think too much, pray…. stay awake in the night then, I would immediately start my “Thanksgiving Prayers” to the Lord. It gave me great peace and soon I would go back to sleep.
Then I got sick! No big deal, right?!
The sickness continued for one week, two weeks, three weeks. I would get a little better then when it came back. I kept having to go back to the Dr to get new medicine …4 weeks, 5 weeks and then Wei Mushr got sick too and I continued to not feel well.
My sickness wasn’t so terrible! It was annoying and frustrating because I couldn’t seem to get well and I think I’m healthy for my age! Wang MaMa always says her sickness is just “Xiao Shi Qing” (meaning “a small thing”). So, this really was a small thing compared to so many people I knew.
Since the Lord knows all things, he also knew we would have this little struggle in our health right AFTER I decided to focus on thanksgiving and a grateful heart. It was His Plan to USE THIS STRUGGLE to make me stronger in my trust of Him! Our struggles always make us stronger in our faith!
What is interesting is that even though I was frustrated about it I wasn’t so troubled by it. I was continuing all my “Thanksgiving Prayers” …. thankful for my Drs, all of you brothers and sisters praying for each other, Wei Mushr taking care of me. I WILL get well; I have confidence in God’s healing power!
So, today I wanted to just share a little about 7 Things that the POWER of a grateful heart can do:
1. It gets our eyes off ourselves and helps us to focus back on God.
2. It reminds us of we’re not in control, but that we serve a Mighty God who is. It keeps us in a place of humility and dependency on Him, as we recognize how much we need Him.
3. It helps us to recognize we have so much to be thankful for, even all the little things, which often we may forget to thank Him for…but they really are the biggest, most important things in this life. It takes our attention off our problems and helps us reflect on and remember the Goodness of His many blessings.
4. It reminds us that God is the Giver of all good gifts. We were never intended to be fully self-sufficient in this life. A grateful heart reminds us that ultimately God is our Provider, that all blessings and gifts are graciously given to us by His hand.
5. A heart of gratitude leaves no room for complaining. It is impossible to be truly thankful and filled with negativity and ungratefulness at the same time.
6. It makes the enemy run away! The forces of darkness can’t stand to be around hearts that give thanks and honor God! Our praise and thanksgiving will make the enemy leave!!
7. It opens the door for continued blessings. It invites His presence. Our spirits are refreshed and renewed in Him. God loves to give good gifts to His children. He delights in our thankfulness and pours out His Spirit and favor over those who give honor and gratitude to Him. Let’s practice a grateful thankful heart every day!