How to Find Eternal Gratitude in God’s Promises

Today, I welcome you to another guest post in our Power of Gratitude Series.  This post, written by Teresa Couch, is a beautiful reminder of God’s wonderful promises and how to find eternal gratitude in each one.  You are in for a real treat.

Today, as I arranged russet autumn wreaths, cinnamon candles and garlands of orange, brown and gold, I felt a wave of eternal gratitude for the changing of earth’s seasons.  As the earth continuously progresses from the new life of spring to the stark death of winter, so also our physical bodies’ transition from new birth, to old age and death.

As the earth rotates day by day, throughout days, months and years, so human beings also advance along a similar path; guided by God’s faithful hand, from birth to death until they finally rest, eternally in his care.

Death on earth brings sorrowful loss, but because of the Good News of Jesus Christ, what once brought painful suffering, can instead bring grateful joy.

We are born, we live, we die; but if we trust in Jesus, the cursed winter stage of death no longer keeps us in the grave.  Now, instead, we are resurrected and rejuvenated to enjoy a new body that will never die, in eternal life, a Spring of Springs in our Father’s new Kingdom! 

How to find eternal gratitude…I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU!

John 14:2, 3 ESV  “In my Father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

John 11:25-27 ESV  “Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this? She said, “Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, who is coming into the world.”

John 5:24 ESV  “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.  He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Jesus came to earth to pay our sin debt, allowing us to escape the curse of eternal separation from God.  In eternity, never again will we suffer condemnation for the sins committed in our bodies. Never again will we be bombarded with guilt, anger, regret, sorrow, or fear.  And thankfully, we will never, ever suffer the horrors of hell!

We are FREE, FREE, FREE!  This is why we have eternal gratitude.  Lord Jesus has set us FREE!  

Satan and sin will be permanently eradicated from our spiritual existence forever; never again to succeed in steering us away from the God we love!

In our future heavenly environment, we will fellowship with God and other forgiven saints who have been made perfect; washed spotlessly clean by the blood of the Lamb!

These saints will no longer be subject to disobedience, but instead will be filled with God’s Holy Spirit — filled with love, peace and joy – free to love God, others and themselves, perfectly, gratefully and for eternity!

Because of Jesus’ unselfish sacrifice, shedding His blood to erase our sin, when we obey God’s will and believe in His son, we are instantly translated — out of the kingdom of darkness — and with eternal gratitude into the Kingdom of Light!

JESUS WILL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN WITH A SHOUT!

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ESV “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

Matthew 24:27 ESV  “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Revelation 1:7 ESV “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

How grateful believers will be one day, to see Jesus, clothed in radiant splendor, descend from Heaven with the clouds, while believers on earth rise to meet him in the air!  

What a day that will be, to witness myriads of angels announce the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

WE WILL BE RAISED UP ON THE LAST DAY!

John 6:40 ESV   “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” 

What a delight to know that by God’s generous will, everyone who believes in Jesus, will be raised back to life, to dwell forever in His presence!

By God’s love and mercy, he did not make the gospel mysterious or difficult to understand.  When he saw man’s sin problem, and the resulting future judgment, he created a rescue plan to pay for and eliminate all of our collective sins – opening a way for us to be reconciled back to God.

He THOUGHT of the RESCUE PLAN, in love for us; he BECAME the RESCUE PLAN, when he sent His Spirit to indwell a human baby, who would eventually and willingly sacrifice his righteous life to pay for the sins of the world.

God did all for the work to rescue the children he created; it was all done in mercy and love.  In return for his offer, all he asks is that we accept his free gift, believe in His Son, turn our backs on Satan and sin, and instead, turn our hearts back to him in loving, righteous, obedience.  This gives us eternal gratitude. 

If we obey God’s will, our sins will be paid for, and removed from our record.  In return, we will receive the glorious gift of being raised back to life to dwell with Him for eternity!

THE TRUMP WILL SOUND AND WE WILL BE RAISED!

I Corinthians 15:51-52 ESV    “Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

When we think of our earthly bodies and the way that they are subject to illness, disease and decay, how grateful we will be one day, to receive a BRAND NEW BODY that will NEVER die or be subject to the curses of this world!  

How magical — to see our aging, sinful, decaying bodies suddenly transformed, not just temporarily, but FOREVER!

How marvelous – to see our weaknesses replaced with His strength, our anxieties replaced with His peace, our fears replaced with His faith and our tears replaced with His joy!

How magnificent – to see our minds and our bodies completely made whole, by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH!

Revelation 21:1-4 ESV     “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be not more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 7:9 ESV  “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.”

I Corinthians 2:9  ESV   “But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

We will inherit a new heaven and earth, pure, pristine, undefiled, exquisitely beautiful, a veritable Shang-ri-la.If we obey God’s will, our sins will be paid for, and removed from our record. In return, we will receive the glorious gift of being raised back to life to dwell with Him for eternity! Share on X

Our old way of living will have passed away, no more materialism, pollution, crime, anarchy or sin of any kind.

The New Jerusalem, designed and adorned by God for his pure bride, the Church, will descend from heaven.  The former sin barrier between God and man will be permanently dissolved. We will walk and talk with God in the garden, as Adam and Eve once did; we will dwell with God for eternity.  Father will wipe away every tear from our eyes; from sorrows endured while on earth. We will see the compassion in God’s eyes, realizing He was there at that moment in our grief.  

Because Jesus paid it all, no longer will there be death, mourning, crying or pain; Satan’s curse of sin and death will be gone forever.

No longer will we endure sleepless nights of anxiety; our suffering will vanish forever.

Instead, we will be made perfect in love, surrounded by love, and infused with love for God, one another and ourselves.  That is my reason for eternal gratitude. 

Teresa and her husband, Mike, live in Texas, have two grown children, and two fun loving beagles.  Teresa’s hobbies include painting, calligraphy, poetry, and playing the piano and the flute.

PRAYER

Father, 

Despite my mistakes in life, I am grateful for a second chance to experience your love, mercy and receive eternal life!  

Because of Jesus, your Son, I am forgiven, restored and redeemed.  Your Spirit guides me in love each step of the way.  

You healed my broken heart, Soothed my aching wounds, And made me whole again!  Thank you Lord!

Thank you for reading another post in my Power of Gratitude Series.   I hope you enjoyed Teresa’s post. You can find the rest of the series in this compilation post called 6 Great Stories of the Power of Gratitude.  Be sure to check them out!