To be seen to show appreciation to God, we must always have it in mind to do the followings; and practice them:
o Remember Him
Remember Him in your thoughts, words and deeds. What one appreciates stays close to one’s heart; whether in sight or out of sight. To show appreciation to God, one must remember Him always; in health and in sickness, in scarcity and in surplus, in love and in hate, in favour and in out of favour, and so on. Remember Him in all things; think about Him, think of what His reaction will be about your thoughts, about your words, and about your actions. “Remember the LORD in everything you do, and he will show you the right way- Proverbs 3:6”.
Remember what God has done for you. Have a virtual checklist of the things that you get every day, which seems to be common things of life. The air you breath, the sunlight, the waking up, the escape from the perils of the night, of the road, of the water and of the sky (in journeys), health, neighbours, family, and so on.- I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old." Psalm 77:11.
Acknowledge the fact that He leads in everything, as such, nothing can be done without His consent. Recognise and have it fix in your mind always that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present; let this guide your thoughts, words and deeds.
o Find out what He wants
Find out what He wants and do it. A boy who was not around when his father was going on a long journey was given a piece of paper containing his father’s message that spelt out what he should do; the boy collected the paper, but never read the content. It can be said to be a complete disregard for his father, ignoring the message. An appreciative mind will seek what the father wants, thus going through the message. Also, if peradventure he goes through the message, but ignore the wishes of the father, still bores down to disrespect and ingratitude. Anybody that has a mind that show appreciation, will always seek what God want him to do. As such, he will study His words always; and he will not just study, but try to put them in practice. This is a mind that show appreciation-find out what is expected of you, and do it.
Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the LORD and refuse to do wrong. 8 If you do, it will be like good medicine, healing your wounds and easing your pains.” - Proverbs 3:7.
o Worship Him
Appreciative mind will always give obeisance, adoration, homage, veneration, reverence, honour, and so on. Everyone must have these qualities towards God, for one to be seen to show appreciation; your thoughts, your words and your actions must reflect these qualities. It is impossible to say one appreciate God, without them. These qualities are what constitute worship. If they are missing, one cannot be seen to be worshiping God. By knowing what God want, one will know the details of what constitute acceptable worship; and having these qualities in mind while carrying out the rituals of worship shows one’s appreciation.
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe-Hebrews 12:28”.
o Consider others and be Humble
A beggar who always get assistance from a neighbor, secretly killed the neighbour’s dog that was always barking at him each time he goes to the neighbour’s place to beg. Even if he was not getting much assistance from the neighbor, showing appreciation demands that one seek the safety of the things owned by our benefactors. If you appreciate someone, then you will put into consideration, those things that the person has. The same apply to showing appreciation to God, we must consider everyone else, since God created them, and wish that they live. One cannot disregard, oppress, lie against, bear false witness, kill or destroy other people created by God, and still be considered to be appreciative. Also, with qualities such as been haughty, pompous, arrogant, proud, lofty and so on; are far from appreciating God.
-Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others….; each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others - Philippians 2:3; 4.
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble- James 4:6.
o Repent of your sins
It is a sign of appreciation that made Job to offer sacrifice to God on behalf of his children, in case they have sin against God without his knowledge. In showing appreciation to God, one is expected to carryout daily self-assessment. We should run through the actions of the day, to see if we have gone wrong at any time. It shows love and reverence towards God; and the mind to keep away from offending Him-it is a show of appreciation. Appreciation does not end in giving of gifts, but also in obedience. You check to make sure that you are in the path, and if you stray, you quickly return. God has given us the gift of repentance, we show appreciation by accepting the gift and using it.
When they heard this, they had nothing more to say. They praised God.
‘Well, then,’ they declared, ‘God has given the Gentiles, too, the repentance that leads to life!’ Acts 11:18).
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
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