Bible Reading: Psalm 50, Revelation: 7:9-17
“Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” – Psalm 50:14-15(KJV).
Most times we take for granted the saving grace of our God. We have taken a lot of things for granted and trivial and do not consider it worthy of thanksgiving. For example, we have taken our sleeping in the night and waking up in the morning as not an important issue for thanksgiving. Most of us travel and on arrival forget to thank God for journey mercies. What of the young man that just came out of Youth Service and got a lucrative job, he assumes his intelligence gave him the job and deny God of thanksgiving. Many Christians act foolishly in their dealing with God. They carelessly make vows to God that they are unable to honour. Giving God thanks for his mighty works and making a vow and redeeming it are products of a righteous living. Our scripture of today says that thanksgiving and paying our vows unto God is a sure way of guaranteeing answers to our prayers in the day of trouble. Thanksgiving and payment of our vows is honouring God. It is a demonstration of your reverence for the almighty.
Thanksgiving is an act of gratefulness. He that makes a vow and does not honour it attracts a curse from God. It is better to owe man than to owe God. Owing God is robbery. Most of our troubles emanate from being unthankful to God. God promises that he will deliver us in the day of trouble when we offer him quality thanksgiving and pay our vows. Obeying divine instruction is the gateway to accessing divine deliverance and intervention. It is complete foolishness to make a vow carelessly to God and default in payment. “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed” – Eccl. 5:4(KJV). Avoid making careless and foolish vows.
It pays to render thanksgiving to God for all his wondrous works in our lives. We were told of the children of Ephraim that were armed for war, but turned their back and ran, not because their enemies were stronger, but because; they did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in the laws of God, and most importantly, they forgot his work and his wonders that he had showed them (Psalm78: 9-11). Their undoing was being unthankful and ungrateful.
Paying our vow is a pointer to our integrity, uprightness and honesty. It is a character issue that must be checked because it has the potential of rupturing someone’s destiny. As Christians we are encouraged to hold on tenaciously to sound scriptural doctrine and obedience to divine instruction. We must not take our dealing with God for granted.
Prayer: Father, help me to always remember and be grateful to you for your great love demonstrated towards me all the days of my life.
Bro. Joel Ezeugo
