Blog

by Steve Risner

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” -Psalm 106:1

We can tend to be prideful—people in general but men especially. We feel, often times, that we're self-sufficient and have it under control. Our job pays the bills. We're healthy. We've got the kids or school taken care of. Life is good and we've done well for ourselves. Sure, we may offer up the token, “To God be the glory,” but do we really mean that? Have we meditated on the goodness, the grace, and the blessings of God and truly, honestly thanked Him for it?

We often times put our faith in our situation rather than in God. What happens when restructuring moves our job overseas and the money's gone? Where's our faith now? What happens if we find that ache or pain or cough was the first sign of a debilitating or terminal disease that causes us to waste away, unable to do activities of daily living or even participate at work or home? Our health could be gone in a moment. What happens when a family issue causes strife within the family? A word spoken hastily can change a family dynamic in a moment. Where do we put our faith? How do we respond to these things?

1 Thessalonians (above) tells us we are to be thankful in all circumstances. It's easy to be thankful when our situation is good. But what about the times when it's not going so well? The truth is, our lives here and now are but a moment, and our eternal destiny—paradise with Jesus—gives us all the reason we need to praise Him and thank Him every day. No matter what is happening, Jesus Christ has still paid the price for your sins, making your eternal destiny heaven.

It changes our mood. It changes our outlook. It improves our health. It actually changes our brain chemistry. Being grateful literally can help change your mind! So let's spend some time being thankful and not just this time of year or today, but every day and in all things.

The Bible tells us over and over to be thankful or to be grateful. It also tells us that it is for God's glory that we are to serve others, so they will give thanks and praise to Him. God enjoys receiving thanks.

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” -2 Corinthians 9:11-12

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

“All 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.” -2 Corinthians 4:15

Here we see that serving others in the name of the Lord leads to His praise and people being grateful to Him. He receives the glory! The two great motivators in Christian generosity are that it fills the need of another human being as we are moved with compassion to help, and it leads to God receiving glory and thanksgiving – a double blessing!

You can be thankful in a number of ways, but they must all be sincere. If you're not really grateful, none of this will be of benefit to you. It must come from a grateful heart. Meditating on God's goodness and grace will lead to thanksgiving. Sitting and contemplating the things you have to be grateful for and truly thanking the Almighty for it is a great place to start. But something much easier is in song! We find the Psalms are filled with exhortations to thank God.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” -Psalm 100:4

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” -Psalm 69:30

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” -Psalm 107:1

“A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” -Psalm 100:1-5

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” -Psalm 95:2

“A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.” -Psalm 92:1

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” -Psalm 28:7

And in the New Testament, Paul tells us to praise and thank God through singing.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” -Colossians 3:16-17

It's a really easy and uplifting way to demonstrate gratitude to our Great God who has done great things for us.

Take some time today this week to sit and think on these things—to sit and think on what God has done for you. Be grateful and express that thanks in prayer and meditation as well as in singing. But remember: you can spread the cheer by serving others; providing for the needs of others which will inspire them to thank and praise Him as well. Thanks for reading and God bless you!

This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration.  All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved.  Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.