James Merritt - Thank You Very Much (Thankfulness)
Well, I wanna say good morning to those of you who are watching online, and those who are watching by television. And this is one of the largest crowds we’ve had in a long time. And I don’t get really jacked up too much. I was preaching one time at the SBC, and we had probably 15,000 people, and one of the guys leaned over and said, «Man, this is a great crowd today. Are you impressed»? I said, «Not really». He said, «Why»? I said, «Well, like Winston Churchill said, if I was being hung, the crowd would be twice as big, So I’m not really all that enthused». But, I wanna thank you for being here today. It is, as you’re going to find out, a Super Bowl Sunday for our church, and I’ve got some exciting things I wanna share.
But let me begin by telling you about a man maybe you’ve heard of. His name was Rudyard Kipling, at the turn of the 19th century and early 20th century. He was at the peak of his career. He was one of the most widely read men in the world. In fact, he won a Nobel Prize for literature, his children’s series that some of you parents still use called, «The Jungle Book,» his children’s series is still widely read today. And his literary work, as you can imagine, made him a ton of money. Well, there was a newspaper reporter that wanted to interview him. And so when he got to his house, he said, «Mr. Kipling,» he said, «I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to about a hundred dollars a word».
Now, this was back in the turn of the 19th century. That’s big money. «Every word you writes about a hundred dollars a word». Well, Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said, «Well, really, I wasn’t aware of that». Well, the reporter casuistically reached into his pocket, pulled out a hundred dollar bill, gave it to Kipling and said, «Okay, Mr. Kipling, here is the a hundred dollar bill. Give me one of your a hundred dollars words». Kipling looked at him and looked at that a hundred dollars bill, folded it up, put it in his pocket, and simply said, «Thanks».
Now, that word, «thanks» may have been a hundred dollar word a hundred years ago, or 200 years ago. But I wanna tell you today, it would probably be more like a million dollar word. Because frankly, we’re living in a society today, and a culture where it’s a word that’s too seldom heard, too rarely spoken, too often forgotten. It seems like today, I don’t know if you feel this way or not. It seems like we swim in an ocean of ingratitude, and we walk in a desert of gratitude. In fact, lemme tell you why I said that. When I read the following newspaper headline, I could not believe my eyes. This was a newspaper. This was the headline. «Rather than being for his life, Raphael Samuel is suing his parents for bringing him into the world without his consent».
I’m not making this up. Here’s what, here’s what the newspaper said. «A 27-year-old man from Mumbai, India claims his parents were selfish,» and, quote, «'had me for their joy and pleasure, '» unquote. «He went on to say, quote, 'I want everyone in the India and the world to realize one thing, that they are all born without their consent. I want them to understand that they do not owe their parents anything.'» He then said this, «'If we’re born without our consent, we ought to be maintained for our entire life. We should be paid for the rest of our lives by our parents to live.'»
If I’d been his dad, I’d have made sure every gun in my house was locked up. By the way, I don’t think he’s gonna get gonna get very far. I think his chances in court are pretty slim, because both of his parents are attorneys. Okay? It’s kind of a justice thing. Well, if you’re new to our church, we’re in a series that we’re calling, «No Hard Feelings». And what we’re doing is we’re looking at various emotions that we all carry, and that we all experience. And look, I’m gonna tell you something that’s true about every one of us, including me. There’s very few things in your life more important than your feelings. I mean, how many times have you said to somebody, «This is how I feel». «You don’t respect my feelings».
Feelings are very important. How many times do we not do what we think we ought to do, but instead we do what we feel like we ought to do? How many times have you gotten in trouble because you did what you felt like you ought to do? And see, feelings are important because feelings determine our attitude, and our attitude determines our altitude.
Now, although you cannot necessarily choose how you feel, you can choose your attitude. And one of the greatest antidotes to negative feelings and negative emotions is what I call the attitude of gratitude. I wanna talk about it today. And lemme tell you what a big deal it is to God that you’re thankful. This is how important it’s to God. Being thankful is so important to the God that created you, it is a command. He doesn’t say we ought to be thankful. He doesn’t ask us to be thankful. He doesn’t request us to be thankful. He doesn’t suggest that we’re thankful. It’s actually a command. He says, «I want you, I command you to be thankful».
And there was a man in the New Testament by the name of Paul, went through a tremendous amount of suffering and heartache, and it would, listen. He went through the kind of things that would cause the average person to be bitter, to be ungrateful, to be less than thankful. As a matter of fact, he went through some things that for some of us, we would mad at God and shaking our fist. And yet, listen to these words he wrote in a book called, «First Thessalonians». If you wanna turn to it, it’s in the New Testament, it’s about five or six, seven, eight books back from the end of the Bible. Go to First Thessalonians chapter five. This is what Paul wrote. «Give thanks,» by the way, that’s in the imperative mood of the Greek language. «Give thanks in all circumstances». Why? Why should I do that? «For This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus».
Now, I know I’m speaking to some people right now in this room watching on television, watching online. You don’t feel very thankful. As a matter of fact, you may resent what I’ve already said, because you’re sitting there thinking, «Buddy, if you knew what I was going through, you wouldn’t tell me that». «If you knew what I’ve been through, and what I think I’m about to go through, it would, I don’t think you really want to go there». I just wanna give you one piece of advice. Even though you may not feel thankful, you can be thankful. I’m gonna prove that to you. Even though you may not feel thankful, you can be thankful. And Paul, this great man of God, who by the way, wound up in prison, and wound up beheaded for his faith. This great man of God tells us why we ought to be thankful, and how we ought to be thankful.
By the way, parents, this would be a great lesson to teach your kids. This would be a great lesson, grandparents, to teach your grandchildren. He says three things. He says, number one, «We should be habitually thankful». We ought to be habitually thankful. Now, we all know that we ought to be thankful, at least for certain things at certain times, right? So today’s Valentine’s Day, and by the way, my dear wife’s watching, been my Valentine for 45 years. I love you more than I’ve ever loved you in my life. Just kind of a word for you. Okay? So, we ought to, ought to be thankful at certain times for certain things. But what Paul says may shock your system, 'cause listen to what he says. He says, «Give thanks».
Now that’s okay. We could live with that. But then he says this. «In all circumstances». Excuse me. Yep, that’s what he said. «Give thanks in all circumstances». Literally in the Greek language, it says, «in all things». Now I’m gonna be honest, and if you’re feeling this way, I’m with you. Those last three words make that kind of hard to swallow. It makes it kind of difficult. I can tell you as a pastor, and any pastor can tell you this, that’s worth his salt, there have been times in my life it was a battle to be thankful. There have been circumstances in my life, the last thing I wanted to do was to be thankful.
You know, if Paul had said, «Give thanks in most circumstances,» we would’ve said, «Okay, I can live with that». Or if Paul had said, «Give thanks in the good circumstances,» okay, well I can live with that. Or «Give thanks most of the time». We could live with that, because most people, obviously we don’t have any problem thanking God when things are good, and things are going, and things are flowing, and everything’s coming up roses. But Paul says, «Nope, we’re to give thanks in all things at all times». So since we’re talking about feelings, lemme just stop and give you a word of caution, okay? Let me help you on something. Nowhere in the word of God will you ever find where God commands us to feel thankful. Okay?
So I want you to understand, I’m not commanding you to feel thankful. I can’t, I can’t command you to feel anything. I can’t even command some of you to stay awake in my preaching. So how am I gonna command you to feel thankful, right? I mean, so he’s not saying, there’s nowhere where the Bible says, «Feel thankful». 'Cause we know this. Feelings are affected by a lot of things. They’re affected by the weather, by the temperature, by the function of your liver, by how much rest you got the night before, how the stock market’s doing. I mean a lot of things affect our feelings. Here’s the good news for us. Giving thanks has nothing to do with feelings. Did you hear, everybody hear what I said? Giving thanks has nothing to do with feelings. Here’s the dirty little secret. You can be thankful even if you don’t feel thankful. So, and I don’t mean to sound ugly when I say it.
You say, «I wanna tell you something. I just don’t feel thankful». Read my lips. I don’t care. Neither does God. You can be thankful without feeling thankful. So if Paul says, «It doesn’t matter whether things are good, or whether things are bad, we are to give thanks». And lemme again, giving thanks is a big deal to God. You know how I know that? When you go back to the Old Testament, I bet you some of you never heard this before. When you go back to the Old Testament, there were a lot of sacrifices that, and offerings that the nation of Israel had to give. God laid them all out. And they were to be done on a regular basis. I bet some of you don’t know this. Did you know that one of the offerings that they were to give was called a «thank offering»?
On a regular basis, the Nation of Israel was reminded, «You’ve got to give a thank offering». It was designed to remind God’s people of their need to be thankful. So, here’s what they were to do. They were to bring a sheaf of grain, or some oil and wine as an offering of thanksgiving to remind them of how God had always provided for their needs, and how they were to always be grateful for what God had done for them. So Paul says, and he’s very careful in how he says it, he says, «Give thanks,» and there’s a big word I don’t want you to miss. He didn’t say give thanks «in» all circumstances. He didn’t say give thanks «for» all circumstances. He said give thanks «in» all circumstances. In other words, we may not be thankful for trouble, but we ought to be thankful in the midst of trouble.
Now that raises a question. And I wanna answer for you today. One of the big questions I get asked so much, and I preach messages on it. Why do bad things happen to good people? Let’s make it more specific. Why do bad things happen to godly people? They go to church, they pay their tithe, they read their Bible, they pray, they tell people about Jesus, they go on mission trips, they give money to charity, and yet they wind up with a shorter than stick. Why does God let that happen? Why does God allow bad things to happen to godly people? Can I tell you one reason why? Because God wants to move you to thanksgiving. God wants you to understand just how powerful Thanksgiving is.
As a matter of fact, in another book that Paul wrote to another church, Paul was writing about all the difficult things that Christians experienced, from oppression, to persecution to death. And he’s writing to this church, and I mean they’re in the middle of it. They’re in the thick of it. They’re in a forest fire. And listen to what Paul wrote. Listen to what he said. He said, «All of this is for your benefit». And they’re going, «What»? Stay with me. «All of this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God».
Now, I wanna tell you two true stories. I’m not making these up. Illustrate what I’m talking about. California. There was a sharp looking businessman, and he was at a luncheon, and he was there to give his testimony. And this was his testimony. Listen to what he said. He said, «Before I knew Christ, I had nothing. My business was in bankruptcy, my health was ruined, I’d almost lost the respect of the community, and I almost lost my family. Then I accepted Christ as my savior and Lord». «Here’s what Jesus did for me. He took me outta bankruptcy. Now my business has tripled its profits in the last three years, my blood pressure dropped to normal. I feel better than I have felt in years. And best of all, my wife and children have come back to me, and we are a family again».
God is so good, and I am so thankful. What a testimony. Almost on the same day, in China, an old beaten down former university professor gave is testimony. This was his. «Before I met Christ, I had everything. I made a large salary, I lived in a nice house, I enjoyed good health, I was highly respected for my credentials and profession. I had a good marriage and beautiful children. Then, I accepted Christ as my Lord and my savior. As a result, I lost my post at the university. I lost my beautiful house and car. I spent five years in prison. Now I work for minimum wage at a factory, and I live in pain from my neck that was broken in prison. My unbelieving wife rejected me because of my conversion. She took my children away, and I haven’t seen her or them for 10 years. But God is so good is so good. He loves me. He has a plan for my life. He is always faithful. He has never left my side. And I am so thankful».
One man. Two men were thankful. One man gave thanks because of what he had gained. The other man gave thanks in spite of what he had lost. Now listen to me carefully. Listen to this next statement. If God is sovereign, and God’s in control of everything, and if God is good all the time, listen to what I’m telling you now. Don’t miss this, now. That means that everything that happens to you, everything that happens to you, also happens for you. I get an «Amen» to that, but it’s worth one. Everything that happens to you, also happens for you. And God’s gonna work it out for his glory, and your good.
And that’s why Paul can say you ought to give thanks in every situation. Because regardless of how bad it may seem to you, God says, «let me tell you what I’m doing. I’m using this to manifest my presence. I’m using this to show you that you need to depend on me. I’m using this to show you that I will not fail you and I’m always faithful. I’m using this to grow you, and I wanna move you to thanksgiving». So, how should we be thankful? When should we be thankful? We should be habitually thankful. Now, if that didn’t kind of rub you raw a little bit, let’s take another shot. Paul says, «Not only should we be habitually thankful,» Paul says, «we should be happily thankful. Happily thankful».
See, Paul says, now watch. He says, «In all things, give thanks». «In all things, give thanks». Now lemme tell you why this is such a cool thing Paul says. Here’s what I’ve learned. I’m having to really deal with some issues right now with some couples that wanna get married. And frankly, they’re not living in the will of God right now. And I’ve kind of made it plain to them. «If you want me to marry you, you’ve gotta get, you’ve gotta get some things straight before we do this. And I can’t marry you if you’re not gonna let God, put yourself in a position where God can bless you». And I spent over an hour this last week, week before last. I spent over an hour with this couple, and I was trying to get them to hear me say one thing.
Listen to me. I’ve learned that anything that God commands me to do is always for my best. And anything that God commends me not to do is always for my best, and it’s always for my benefit. And here’s what I’ve seen in my life, a grateful person will be a happier person, a grateful person will be a holier person, a grateful person will be a healthier person. Listen to this. There are many well substantiate medical studies of the found that if you’re grateful, if you’ll be in an attitude of gratitude continuously, gratitude increases patience, it decreases depression, it replenishes willpower, It reduces stress. In other words, being a faithful person won’t just help you live longer, it will help you live better.
I read this the other day. Somebody said, «If you want a good night’s sleep, don’t count sheep, count your blessings». Pretty good. Count your blessings. Medical researchers have now discovered that gratitude is the one emotional trait that is most likely to benefit not just your physical health, it has been proven to overcome things like stress, high blood pressure, and anxiety. That’s why I love what one preacher said. He said, «You know, a grateful heart will lead to a healthy heart». That’s why when, when the Bible says give thanks, it’s not just good advice, it’s a divine command. It’s not an option, it’s an obligation.
So in other words, lemme make this as strong as I can. You are just as obligated to give God your thanks, as you are to give God your tithe. You’re just as obligated to give God your thanks as you are to give God your tithe. In other words, to flip it, it’s a sin to be ungrateful. It’s not a weakness to be ungrateful, it’s a wickedness to be ungrateful. It’s not a flaw to be ungrateful. It’s a failure to be ungrateful. It is a fist in the face of God not to be grateful. Think about this. When you give something to someone, when you, when you give a gift to someone, there’s usually one of three reasons why you give something to somebody. Either because they need it, they deserve it, or they want it. That’s the three reasons you give a gift. Either, okay, you need it, you deserve it, or you want it.
Now, therefore, here’s what that means. When you don’t give something to someone, that they do need, or they do deserve, or that they do want, you just rob them of the blessing. And I wanna tell all of you today, there is no greater way you can bless anybody. You wanna be a blessing? Whether it be God or human beings, there is no other way you can bless them, no greater way than to just thank them. Just show your gratitude. Lemme give you some examples. Let’s go back to that guy in India. Have you ever just thanked your mother and your dad just for bringing you into the world? Have you ever thanked that person that cared enough about you to share the gospel and lead you to Jesus? Have you ever thanked that coach or that teacher, that helped you turn from the wrong path to the right path?
Okay, here’s one. When was the last time you thanked a police officer? Or a firefighter, or a first responder, for the service that they give to the public? I don’t say this to brag, but I was driving in into my neighborhood one day. This has been about three weeks ago. And God is so good, because thank God I was going the same with this police officer was parked on the side. 'Cause I was speeding. And so I, he’s just right before I was turning to my, to where we live in our subdivision, and I went past him, and boy, the Lord just spoke to my heart. And I backed my car up and I rolled the window down. Well, you know, it’s not easy to do that these days.
And so this officer kind of rolled the window down, and it was a lady officer, I said, I said, «Ma’am,» I said, «I just wanna thank you for what you do every day. You’re underpaid, you’re overworked, you guys, most of you,» I said, «You know, most of you really do. Many of you just, almost all of you, not all, but you do a great job. And I just wanna thank you for the service that you give to the community». You know what her response was? «Are you kidding me»? I said, «No Ma’am, I’m serious». She said, «You just don’t know how much we need to hear that». How about all the things in life?
Listen, how about all the things in life that you experience and enjoy every day, and you don’t even give 'em a second thought? You don’t even thank God for any of it. So maybe some of these things will help push your Thanksgiving button, okay? Maybe this will help. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than one million people who will not survive this week. If you’ve never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pains of starvation, you are ahead of more than 500 million people around the world.
If you can attend church, thank God you’re here, choose where you go to church, or choose not to go to church without fear of being arrested, tortured, or killed, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, or a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world. If you have money in the bank, or in your wallet, or even some spare change, you are among the top 8% of the wealthiest people in the world. And if you can read a book, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who can’t read at all. No wonder God says, «give thanks in all things».
No, you may not always feel thankful, but you ought to work harder to think about saying thank you. 'Cause listen to me. It is better to say thank you even if you don’t mean it, than to mean it, but never say it. Jack, you’ll love this. I’ll remember the story of Fran Tarkenton, who you know played for the University of Georgia. Great quarterback. Fran Tarkenton was playing quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. And he once blocked for a running back in a tight game. And the play went well and they eventually scored a touchdown.
Well after the game, they were all in the locker room. And Coach Bud Grant was the coach at the time. He was thanking all the players for their effort, and their hard work. He thought this, he thanked this lineman for the way he blocked. He thanked this defense lineman for the way he rushed the passer. He thanked this cornerback for the way he covered the wide receiver. He was thanking everybody, but he never said a thing to Tarkenton. So, later when everybody was quiet, kind of quieted down, he walked over to Coach Grant and he said, «Hey coach, you never thanked me for blocking on that play, but you thanked everybody else». Well, Coach Grant said, «Well friend, I didn’t think to thank you, because you always do what you’re asked. I didn’t think I needed to say anything».
And Fran Tarkenton smiled and said, «Well you better do it if you ever wanna see me do it again». Say thanks. We should be happily thankful. We ought to be habitually thankful. But then Paul said, we should be humbly thankful. Now listen to what he says. The greatest reason why we ought to be giving thanks, the greatest reason why we ought to be grateful all the time in all things is this. «For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus». That’s all you need to know.
I told you, I don’t need to say anything else. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Look, it’s true. You’re watching me right now. I don’t know what you’re going through. I don’t know your circumstances. I don’t know what trouble is on your back. I don’t know what problem you might be experiencing. But I will tell you this, if you are completely ungrateful, if there’s not even an ounce of a fraction, of an iota, of a scintilla, of gratitude in your heart, you are out of the will of God. You’re not living in the will of God if there is no gratitude in your heart.
Now, be encouraged. Here’s the good thing. When Paul says, «This is the will of God». Lemme tell you what that so encourages me. When Paul says, «This is the will of God,» what he’s saying is, «This is not only what God wants you to do. This is not only what God is commanding you to do». Listen, this is what God will enable you to do. Say, «How do you know that»? Because God never commands us to do anything that He doesn’t give us the power to do. So I know you can be thankful. I don’t care whether you feel like it or not. I know you can be thankful. I don’t know how deep your trouble is. I know you can be. Because this is the will of God for you. So I know I can give God thanks in all things, because it is God’s will to do it. And what God wants me to do, and what God wills me to do, he enables me to do.
So remember what I told you. God’s will for you is always what’s best for you. Always. Not what’s good for you, what’s best for you. And I’m telling you, I’ve learned it in my life. An attitude of gratitude will change your life. It will shield you from cynicism. It will keep you from criticism. It will protect you from pessimism. If you draw close to God, it will draw you close to God, and it will draw God close to you. So if you have a heart for God, I was reading about David in my quiet time this morning, a man after God’s own heart. If you’ve got a heart for God, you’ll have a great heart. And by the way, it will change the way you see things. In fact, one of the greatest ways to change, if you need, if you say, «You know, I have a bad attitude. I just, I got these negative feelings. I’m just a negative kind of feeling person».
If you want to change how you feel about things, just start being thankful. Because here’s what it will do, it will change the way you see things. And I’m gonna tell you something. When I first read it, I thought, «I can’t believe that’s true». Lemme ask you a question. I want you to imagine that you are competing in the Olympics. And I want you to imagine that you’re about to go, and there’s three medals now, the gold, the silver, and the bronze. I want you to imagine that I, that I ask you this question before going in. Suppose I said to you, «You’re not gonna win the gold medal. I wanna tell you that upfront. However, you’re gonna have a choice. You can either win the silver medal, or the bronze medal».
Now, which one did you take? Now, before you answer that question, think it through. 'Cause I know what most of you would say. And it’s what I would’ve say just, «Well, I’ll take the silver medal». You ready for this? Believe it or not, in a study of Olympic medal winners, they got some unbelievable results. Most people assume that the silver medal winners would be happier than the bronze medal winners since they received the higher honor. They were in second, not third. That wasn’t the case. They couldn’t believe it. Why? They said, «Why, why? Why are the bronze medal people more grateful than the silver medal»? The bronze medalists were in, who came in third place, were happier than the silver medalist who came in second place. And when they asked them why, here’s what they said, the silver medalists, they weren’t happy they got the silver, they were unhappy they didn’t get the gold. The bronzes medalists said, «We’re just glad we got a medal»!
See, what happens to us is not nearly as important as how we perceive what happens to us. It all depends on your perspective. So, I can complain because the weather’s raining, or can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free. That was good. I can complain because roses have thorns, or I can be thankful that thorns have roses. I can whine because I have to go to work, or I can be thankful I got a job. I can gripe because I’ve got to do housework, or I can be thankful I have a house to work in. I can grieve over the failures of my parents, or I can be thankful they allowed me to be born.
I can choose to be grumbly hateful, or I can choose to be humbly grateful. It’s all up to you. I wanna be like that 98, 98-year-old woman. She was laying on her death bed, and her grandson was by her side. She’d been asleep for a while. And all of a sudden she woke up and she looked at her grandson, actually, she looked up to heaven. And she said, «Oh God, I’m so thankful». Her grandson said, «Granny, what are you thankful for»? She said, «It just hit me. I only have two teeth, but thank God they meet».
When Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States, he started a very unusual Thanksgiving tradition that every president since then has followed. You may know what it is. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, he pardoned the Turkey. And following his tradition, ever since, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, a Turkey is brought into the rose garden, where the commander in chief, the most powerful man in the world, grants that big bird, a pardon. And that Turkey is then taken to a Virginia farm where he’s granted immunity, and he lives out all of his days until a natural death. And that may bring a smile to our face.
And I’m not trying to be funny when I say this, but I read that and I thought, «Without Jesus, we’re all just a bunch of turkeys heading to a slaughter». We’re just a bunch of turkeys heading to a slaughter. But because of the grace of God, and the Son of God, and the love of God, and the mercy of God, and the salvation of God, we can be granted spiritual immunity free of sin, and we can enjoy eternal life forever. And that’s why, that’s why, because of Jesus, every day is Thanksgiving day. Because of Jesus, every day is Thanksgiving day. And that’s why every day, before we get out of bed, we ought to look up to that God and simply say, «Thank you very much».
Would you bow your heads just for a moment? And those who are watching online right now, would you just bow your heads just for a moment? We ought to be thankful. But can I just be honest with you? If you’re listening to me. If Jesus Christ is not your Lord, if you’ve never trusted Jesus, who died on the cross and came back from the grave so that he could come into your heart, he could give you spiritual immunity, he could forgive you of all of your sins, if you’ve never trusted in him, God doesn’t want to hear anything outta you. God doesn’t wanna hear your thank you, until you give him the one thank you he wants to hear. And that is, «Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me. Thank you for coming back. And Lord, today, because you’re offering eternal life, I’m going to accept it. And thank you for giving me the chance».
So I’m asking those of you in this room, and those of you watching by right now, if you have never trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord, as your savior, there’s nothing that makes our church more thankful than to know that people are coming to Christ, which they do every week. I’m gonna ask you right now, if you would like to receive the greatest gift you’ll ever receive, and be thankful for it the rest of your life, just pray with me right, just say:
Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I need a savior. I can’t save myself. But I accept by faith, that you died on the cross for my sins. And I believe in my heart, that God raised him from the dead. Thank you Lord Jesus, for dying for me. Thank you Lord Jesus right now for speaking to me. Thank you Lord Jesus right now for saving me. Thank you Lord Jesus for forgiving me. And now that you come into my life, help me every day to show you how thankful I am, by living always for you.