Last Saturday, my wife and I had an opportunity to attend a dedication ceremony for my friend’s new church building. Looking at the beautiful building and spacious facility, we all thanked God for His provision.
During the ceremony, there were speakers to recount their 40+ years of journey in moving from place to place for gatherings and, in searching for a permanent location for worship services. I could see their emotions and joyful tears during their testimonials. It was quite touching. The one consensus I heard from them is “It is God’s amazing work!” Indeed, it is, considering how long they have been wandering.
The dedication ceremony leads me to recall the historical event of rebuilding God’s temple during the reign of Cyrus king of Persia (538 BC) – Ezra led the returned Israelites from captivity to rebuild the temple of the LORD. There was a dedication ceremony too, when the builders lay the foundation of the temple of the LORD. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; His love toward Israel endures forever. (Ezra 3:11)” It was also a very touching moment when many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy (有許多祭司、利未人、族長、就是見過舊殿的老年人、現在親眼看見立這殿的根基、便大聲哭號．也有許多人大聲歡呼 Ezra 3:12). I can imagine that they would say, “It is really God’s amazing work, after 70 years of exile!”
Sometimes we are so easy to take God’s blessings for granted and forget that He is good and His love endures forever. Apostle Paul told us that we should “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.要常常喜樂，不住地禱告，凡事謝恩，因為這是神在基督耶穌裡向你們所定的旨意。(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)” Without giving thanks to the Lord, we steal glory from Him. We set ourselves to a direction of troubles and sorrows. Isn’t this serious?
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, let’s remember that give thanks in all circumstances to our Lord is an attitude that we have to practice, because it is God’s will. In addition, through incessant prayer, we can learn God’s will and we can rejoice regardless any situation we encounter. Isn’t this we need the most? Hope you can find something to thank for, during the week. 🙂
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Disclaimer: The sharing is pure from my personal view; therefore, please don’t take it to be absolute. Thanks.