I will share with you briefly the topic: Be thankful and be fruitful.
Thanksgiving is a moment of reflection it’s a look back time. Thanksgiving is a moment where you look memory lane and see how far God has helped you.
As a matter of fact, thanksgiving is an injunction, it’s a command, it’s a law that’s why the unthankful are considered to be in the same category as fornicators adulterers whoremongers in the book of Revelations 21:8, 22:15 these sets of people will find themselves in the lake of Fire.
When you’re unthankful, or ungrateful, you undermine God. Permit me to even say that the unthankful are considered to be proud.
How do you know someone who is not grateful? when all you do is to complain and compare yourself with others who are ahead of you, when you say things like: “my mates are all married with children, but here I am, I’m not even married not to talk of having children” this is why the Bible says those who compare themselves with others are fools (2 Corinthians 10:12).
Satan shows you things like that and he doesn’t show you your mates that are below you, he doesn’t show you your mate that have died, he doesn’t show you your mates that have got mad, he doesn’t show you your mate that are in the village looking older than their real age, he doesn’t show you your mates who are on the street begging. So when you are not thankful, you are proud.
We have several reasons to be thankful, particularly in Nigeria, the kind of things we go through there’s a lot to be thankful for, so the lord says it takes thanksgiving to be fruitful and as the year is ending we are tempted to begin to count our blessings, as the year is ending we are tempted to look at what we have achieved, asking ourselves- “what have I benefited what good has come to me this year”
And when you look at it and you really cannot see that all your dreams, your desires and all the aspirations have come through, it looks like a wasted year but I’m here to tell you that the lord said your year will be crowned with goodness.
It doesn’t take God a whole year to do for you what He will do for you in a year, I repeat: it doesn’t take a whole year for God to do for you what he will do for you in a year, He can do it in 1 week.
Someone just testified that he got 7 pairs of shoes, the shoes didn’t come in January, it didn’t come in February, or March until December, so as you imbibe the attitude of gratitude, God will crown your year with goodness.
What you expected in March and it didn’t come, what you expected in October and it didn’t come, God will make it happen for you in December, cheer up! December is your month.
Is there anybody stranded here? hear me! as the Lord brought Joseph out of the pit and he didn’t allow him to die there, as the Lord brought Jonah out of the belly of the fish and he didn’t allow him to die there, as the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the wilderness and took them to the promise land, He didn’t allow them to die in the wilderness you will not be stranded this year in Jesus mighty name.
I love what is said in Genesis 17:21 He said “my covenant will I establish”. Another Bible translation says “my promise will I establish”.
Men do make promises and don’t fulfill them but not God, what has He told you this year?even if it is remaining one hour for the year to end God will bring his promises to come through.
We read the scripture this morning about the fig tree in Luke 13 verse 6 I’ll be reading from the God’s word version:
– “Then Jesus used this illustration: a man had a fig tree this fig tree was growing in his vineyard he went to look for the fruits of the fig tree but he couldn’t find any and he said to the gardener in verse 7, for the last 3 years (To someone it could be for the past 6 months), I have come to look for fig on this tree but I found none so please cut it down, it’s useless, it’s unproductive”. (Paraphrased)
The year has not added any much value, there’s nothing to show about this fig, it is just cumbering the whole place, occupying space this fig tree is a waste of time, it is useless.
In verse 8, the gardener replied: “Sir, just allow this fig tree to stand for one more year, I will dig around it, I will fertilize it, maybe the next time you come, if you don’t find fig, then cut it off”
Like I will always say, if there’s a verse 10, probably this is what would have been written: “And the fig tree blossomed, was fruitful”.
What it takes for the fig to produce is thanksgiving, it’s not murmuring nor complain, it is not negative words, that will make the fig to produce, it is not your emotions that will make the fig tree to produce, it’s not your feelings, the fig tree cannot be moved by your feelings, it’s moved by an action, the gardener said let me dig and fertilize it, come back next and I can assure you that you will find fruits there.
In the remaining days in this year, wake up every day giving thanks to God, stop complaining.
To watch the rest of the sermon, click on the link below:
