Posts Tagged ‘ Thankfulness ’
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 9:1, ESV
God has done amazing things.
If you are saved by grace, give Him thanks and share it with the world!
Is there any more reason more worthy of thankfulness than this?
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:3-4, ESV
True life is found in the love of God.
Give God the Father thanks and praise for sharing His love through the vicarious death of His Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15, ESV
God’s gift of grace has cleansed us, made us new, and invited us back into fellowship with the Creator of all things!
Remember to tha k Him, today and every day.
And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:13 ESV
We must always – ALWAYS – remember to thank God and give Him praise for all He has done and is doing and will do.
In fact, get in the habit of thanking God before asking God.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Philippians 4:4, ESV
The Lord has done great things for you! Rejoice!
Just as Christ suffered for your forgiveness, you may suffer in this life. Rejoice!
He is in control, and He uses all things for His glory and the good of His Church.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21, ESV
We are given the boldness, desire, and wisdom to ask the Father for our needs thanks to the One who made it possible and is making us like Himself through His Holy Spirit:
Jesus, the One who died for our forgiveness and rose again to glory!
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7, ESV
This is what Jesus means first and foremost, that in accordance to His will, when we ask, He wants to and will provide all of our needs.
Just like a good Father, though, God also enjoys giving us more than we expect or deserve.
So, seek Him and ask Him.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7, ESV
When we trust God for everything, give Him all the glory and credit for everything, we will find that nothing can faze us.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6, ESV
The easiest way to alleviate or even avoid stress and anxiety is to continually turn to God, thanking Him even for what makes us uncomfortable or brings us pain as well as the good.
In today’s video, I think it is pretty clear I had not had my coffee, yet! But if you look in the background, you can see evidence I was about to remedy that.*
The last entry touched on the Las Vegas shooting and how “But for the grace of God, there go I” in terms of how each and every one of us could be capable of committing such an atrocity. Today, I look at the exact opposite end of the spectrum.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian, and professor who was killed by the Nazis just days before the end of World War II.¹ Both he and James, the brother of Jesus, focused heavily on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
The Sermon on the Mount is basically Jesus’ teachings on how the Christian should live. Specifically for today, in 5:16 (ESV), Jesus says:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
If all we do are good things, but we do not really mention God, how could others give God glory? We may merely be “good people” in the eyes of the world.
Therefore, God gives us the direction we need in this matter:
The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
Psalm 50:23a, ESV
When we give thanks to God, this directs people to Him! Thankfulness, a lifestyle of gratitude, is the thing that helps to center our life around Christ and leads others to Him.
A heart of gratitude not only gives the glory to God, but it can also help us to feel great and can help others to feel better.
However, the main point is that God is glorified. Gratitude, likewise, can keep us focused on Him so that we are more likely to seek His glory than to turn to anything else – including lashing out at this world and those in it.
Therefore, give thanks to God. As Paul said, give thanks in everything in your life² – yes, everything, even the bad things.
And thank you for joining me today!
daniel
a simple man of God 