Bible League: Living His Word Don't worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.— Philippians 4?6 ERV These words from the Bible are really very encouraging. We should not worry about many things, instead we should pray with thankful heart. It is very necessary and important to have thankful heart and give thanks to the Lord for everything. When we look at the situations in many countries, we see that even though so many people live well, they are never thankful, they complain all the time. People are always complaining and grumbling. When we look at so called developed countries of the world, where life seems perfect, we see that there are also great grievances, even more in number, and mass protests regarding the improvement of living conditions and disagreement with the functioning of governments. So almost everywhere there is this phenomenon of not being satisfied. We will talk about thankfulness (gratitude) and grumbling. What power do they have? How does grumbling stop so many good things in our lives? How does thankfulness open doors to God's power and blessing? My friend, you have an important question for yourself today: what kind of person are you? Have you grumbling heart, do you complain always, or are you thankful to God for everything? People who always are grumbling can have bad results. As it is written in the Word of God, "The people started complaining about their troubles. The Lord heard their complaints. He heard these things and became angry. Fire from the Lord burned among the people. The fire burned some of the areas at the edge of the camp" (Numbers 11:1). In the Gospel, we see how our Lord healed ten people, who had leprosy. But then only one of them came back and gave thanks to our Lord, only he had thankful heart. As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, He came into a small town, and ten men met him there. They did not come close to Him, because they all had leprosy. But the men shouted, "Jesus! Master! Please help us!" When Jesus saw the men, He said, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." While the ten men were going to the priests, they were healed. When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus. He praised God loudly. He bowed down at Jesus' feet and thanked him. But he was a Samaritan. Then our Lord Jesus said, "Ten men were healed; where are the other nine? This man is not even one of our people. Is he the only one who came back to give praise to God?" Then Jesus said to the man, "Stand up! You can go. You were healed because you believed" (Luke 17:11—19). This story is an interesting example of being thankful. Are we thankful to the Lord for everything? Are we thankful for the salvation that He gave us? Are we thankful that He heals us? Are we thankful that He protects our country? It is very important to be thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ, and this can open the doors for different blessings from the Lord. By Mamikon Abgaryan, Bible League International partner, Armenia Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingEzekiel 27, 28 Ezekiel 27 -- Lament for Tyre NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 28 -- God's Judgment Upon Tyre and Sidon NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading James 4 James 4 -- Submit to God; Resist the Devil; the Lord's Will NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.Insight Paul constantly prayed for Timothy, his friend, his fellow traveler, his son in the faith, and a strong leader in the Christian church. Although the two men were separated from each other, their prayers provided a source of mutual encouragement. Challenge We too should pray consistently for others, especially for those who do God's work. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Hosea 12:12 Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.Jacob, while expostulating with Laban, thus describes his own toil, "This twenty years have I been with thee. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee: I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes." Even more toilsome than this was the life of our Saviour here below. He watched over all his sheep till he gave in as his last account, "Of all those whom thou hast given me I have lost none." His hair was wet with dew, and his locks with the drops of the night. Sleep departed from his eyes, for all night he was in prayer wrestling for his people. One night Peter must be pleaded for; anon, another claims his tearful intercession. No shepherd sitting beneath the cold skies, looking up to the stars, could ever utter such complaints because of the hardness of his toil as Jesus Christ might have brought, if he had chosen to do so, because of the sternness of his service in order to procure his spouse-- "Cold mountains and the midnight air, Witnessed the fervour of his prayer; The desert his temptations knew, His conflict and his victory too." It is sweet to dwell upon the spiritual parallel of Laban having required all the sheep at Jacob's hand. If they were torn of beasts, Jacob must make it good; if any of them died, he must stand as surety for the whole. Was not the toil of Jesus for his Church the toil of one who was under suretiship obligations to bring every believing one safe to the hand of him who had committed them to his charge? Look upon toiling Jacob, and you see a representation of him of whom we read, "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd." Daily Light on the Daily Path Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Ephesians 2:18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. Matthew 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." Romans 8:26,27 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; • and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. John 16:13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. 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