THE BLESSING OF THANKSGIVING
Memorise: it is a good thing to give
thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: Psalm
92:1
Read: Luke 17:11-19, Bible in one year:
Ezekiel 17-18, Revelation 6:3-17
Thanksgiving to God, especially for
gifts and blessings received, is required and expected. God abhors ungrateful
people. God expects Christians to give thanks in all circumstances they are
confronted with. In 1st Thessalonians 5:18, Apostle Paul wrote that:
“In
everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ also demonstrated
to us the essence of thanksgiving. Several times, He gave thanks to the Father
(John 11:41, Matthew 15:36, Luke 22:17).
God wants His children to thank Him and
show gratitude for everything that happens in their lives. We are to thank God
when we are full and when we are empty. We are to continuously show
appreciation for the many things we normally take for granted. Our willingness
to thank God should not be based on our mood, i.e. whether we are happy or not.
It should not be based only on the things we receive and recognise as gifts and
blessings; we should also thank God for the miracle of sleeping and waking up,
for the gift of life, for the salvation of our souls and for divine health.
Thank God for the ability to use every part of your body; that you can eat,
drink, see, walk, speak, learn and interact with people. Thank God because no
matter what you are going through, you are still better off in certain areas
compared to some other people on the face of the earth.
Thanksgiving to God can be expressed in
several different ways. However, offering thanksgiving to God in an acceptable
manner guarantees an immediate response from God. Solomon chose to give a
thousand burnt offerings (2nd Chronicles 1:6), one of the lepers in
our Bible text fell down and glorified God with a loud voice (Luke 17:15-16),
while David showed gratitude in song and with dancing (2nd Samuel
6:14). God responded to Solomon by giving him a blank cheque to ask for
anything he wanted. The leper had a partial healing at first, but Jesus made
him completely whole after he offered thanks. God was pleased with David and He
established his throne forever. Each of these three received a blessing from
God that was irreversible. I pray therefore that as you praise and thank the
Lord for His goodness and mercy over you over your life, you will receive irreversible
blessing from Him in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point
Father, please give me a heart of
gratitude and put on me the garment of thanksgiving.
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