THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A PURE AND THANKFUL HEART
A Compilation of Short Messages that explain Bible verses on this topic.
A Compilation of Short Messages that explain Bible verses on this topic.
WE CAN TRULY REJOICE IF WE KEEP OUR HEARTS PURE AND THANKFUL
The more we choose not to compromise our right standing with God in every area of our lives, the more we are to rejoice in our Lord. By doing so, we can handle every disappointment or failure better and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort us. There is so much joy in praising God, because it is the easiest way to enter into His presence. As David said, we should bless and worship our Lord “at all times,” enjoying spending time with Him. “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalms 34:3). If we wait to get our joy from those around us or from our circumstances, we may wait for a long time! The source of our happiness is the presence of the Holy Spirit and it is up to us to ask Him to make His presence known.
By learning to keep a grateful heart, always being ready to praise God no matter what and finding the good in every situation, we may have the abundant life that Jesus desires for us to have.
- Rejoice in the Lord, O you [uncompromisingly] righteous [you upright in right standing with God]; for praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright [in heart]. - Psalm 33:1 (AMP Classic Edition)
The more we choose not to compromise our right standing with God in every area of our lives, the more we are to rejoice in our Lord. By doing so, we can handle every disappointment or failure better and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort us. There is so much joy in praising God, because it is the easiest way to enter into His presence. As David said, we should bless and worship our Lord “at all times,” enjoying spending time with Him. “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalms 34:3). If we wait to get our joy from those around us or from our circumstances, we may wait for a long time! The source of our happiness is the presence of the Holy Spirit and it is up to us to ask Him to make His presence known.
By learning to keep a grateful heart, always being ready to praise God no matter what and finding the good in every situation, we may have the abundant life that Jesus desires for us to have.
WE NEED TO BE SPIRITUALLY ALERT
- “But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose;” - Luke 21:34 (AMP)
In this particular case, Jesus ended His teaching about the end times with an important reminder for His disciples, by telling them to always live with the expectation of the judgment day, which He calls here “that day.” This warning is valid for us, also. It is our duty to be on guard, to be watchful of our hearts and how we live our everyday lives.
If we do not truly care about growing in our relationship with Jesus and we do not feed our hearts with God’s Word on a daily basis, it is easy to become weary and little by little, go back to our old ways of doing things. Self-indulgence is our enemy. Since we have become born-again and the Holy Spirit lives in us, we also have His fruit in our spirit, including self-control. But for the fruit of the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives, we need to be truly committed to the Lord, give it all to Him, be hungry for more of Him all the time, not only on Sundays and use every chance we have to seek to be in His presence.
Everything that we allow to control us becomes an idol and a sin. Whenever we allow worries and the concerns of this life to rule us instead of Jesus, we must realize it and get back under the Lord’s leadership. We need to try our best to not allow ourselves to habitually worry and get to where we may have no time left to repent and start living right for Jesus.
A PURE HEART IS A HAPPY HEART
In our relationship with God there are so many reasons to rejoice and be glad! As long as we are in right standing with our Lord, we are to enjoy every day that the Lord has made and our hearts are to be filled with joy that will burst into praises for our Lord. A happy heart cannot be hidden. Smiles, excitement and loving kind words will be spoken by the one with a happy heart. Contentment is seen in their face.
While being truly happy, could one be “mean or rude” at the same moment? By learning to be happier, we can obey God much easier. We love more and forgive easier, as we offer more grace to those around us. We have more compassion and understanding to those who wrong us and we get less offended. Life can be more beautiful as rivers of living water flow from our hearts. The more full we are of the Holy Spirit, the more we sing praises to our Lord’s holy name and we rejoice exceedingly in His presence.
- But let the [uncompromisingly] righteous be glad; let them be in high spirits and glory before God, yes, let them [jubilantly] rejoice! Sing to God, sing praises to His name, cast up a highway for Him Who rides through the deserts—His name is the Lord—be in high spirits and glory before Him! - Psalms 68:3-4 (AMP Classic Edition)
In our relationship with God there are so many reasons to rejoice and be glad! As long as we are in right standing with our Lord, we are to enjoy every day that the Lord has made and our hearts are to be filled with joy that will burst into praises for our Lord. A happy heart cannot be hidden. Smiles, excitement and loving kind words will be spoken by the one with a happy heart. Contentment is seen in their face.
While being truly happy, could one be “mean or rude” at the same moment? By learning to be happier, we can obey God much easier. We love more and forgive easier, as we offer more grace to those around us. We have more compassion and understanding to those who wrong us and we get less offended. Life can be more beautiful as rivers of living water flow from our hearts. The more full we are of the Holy Spirit, the more we sing praises to our Lord’s holy name and we rejoice exceedingly in His presence.
Copyright © 2020 Carmen Pușcaș. May be used for personal study or instruction but shall not be copied and/or distributed in whole or part without permission or for financial profit.