THANKSGIVING
1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Why should we be grateful?
We are ungrateful when we do not value the gift of another.
A gift, a gesture, a friendship—we can act ungratefully in many ways.
This is a reflection of a heart that does not recognize the other,
and that takes more into account what is received than what the other person gives up.
When you understand and value the effort and loss that the other person is giving you, you act with gratitude.
Thanksgiving!
Being grateful has to do with your focus, your daily decisions, and a kingdom perspective. Even when everything goes wrong, even when circumstances are not good, even when the future seems dark, There is always a reason to be thankful!
Gratitude takes us away from selfishness and brings us closer to love.
It brings peace of mind and undoes resentment. Being thankful is healthy for the body, mind, and spirit.
That is why God’s Word reminds us how, why, and for what we should always give thanks.
The Holy Spirit reminds us that gratitude helps us and brings us closer to Jesus,
so He always presents us with occasions to give thanks.
Thanksgiving!
Even when everything goes wrong, even when circumstances are not good, even when the future seems dark, There is always a reason to be thankful,
and that reason is called Jesus.
Sometimes we despise the great gift of the cross,
and it is precisely because we find it difficult to put ourselves in the Father’s shoes,
giving his son, holy, pure, and perfect, to bear the sin, the dirt, and the weakness of humanity.
If we meditate enough on all that Jesus had to give up to give you salvation, perhaps you will come to understand the greatness of his sacrifice.
If you come to see the pain in his heart, knowing that even after suffering and dying for all, many would reject him and despise his sacrifice,
then perhaps you will come closer to understanding the greatness of his self-giving.
Thanksgiving!
How and what to be grateful for?
We often mistake gratitude for an emotion,
yet you can be feeling bad about your circumstances and still bring your emotions to gratitude.
Being grateful has to do with your focus, your daily decisions, and a kingdom perspective.
In order to be grateful, it is crucial that we constantly remember where the Lord has taken us from:
depression, abuse, sadness, complexes, abandonment, consumerism, bitterness, criticism, lies, etc.
None of us is deserving of God’s grace,
and therefore, we all have reason to believe that God gives us the key to doing this in a practical and honest way.
He advises us to do our best to respond to God’s promises,
complementing our faith with moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, submission to God, brotherly affection, and love for all.
These are not easy tasks, which is why he does not command us to just do them but to do our best.
Thanksgiving!
To do this, to make it lighter for us,
remembering who we are in Christ and what He has done for us will be the motivation we need to accomplish it.
Once we understand the way in which we manifest our gratitude, we must find the reasons for it.
And that is when the attributes of God come into play.
Thanksgiving!
If we study and know what He is like, it will be impossible for us not to give thanks.
Because His attributes are reflected in a blessing for our soul.
God’s goodness is good for us, as is His wisdom or His beauty.
All that He is, is beneficial to us. And for this, we can give thanks.
Why be thankful?
“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness; let all the world know what he has done.”
1 Chronicles 16:8 KJV
Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, Make known his deeds among the people.
https://bible.com/bible/1/1ch.16.8.KJV
God’s glory is to be recounted, acknowledged, and shared.
There is only one God who saves; there is only one God who rescues, and there is only one God who is faithful to his own.
Our God, the only real and true God.
Such a powerful truth cannot be hidden, it must come to light.
Thanksgiving!
David had it clear, and when he composed this psalm,
he left this truth reflected to illuminate the world with the light of the glory and greatness of God.
David was a visionary who contemplated the commission of the Church even before it was constituted.
He understood that everyone should know that Yahweh is the God of the universe, the Creator, and the only one.
Our gratitude is an offering of worship to God for who He is and what He has done.
And genuine, honest, and passionate worship leads to action.
After singing of God’s glory, David desired to build a temple to honor and worship Him,
for he could not allow God’s presence (the ark of the covenant) to have no place of greater honor than himself,
even though David was the king of Israel.
No matter what riches or luxuries he had, David always knew his place, at the feet of the Lord, at his service and to give him glory.
Even with a crown on his head, he never forgot the quiet, the sheep, the wave, or the stones.
David had a heart full of gratitude because he recognized his weakness before the glory of God, and consequently, he acted.
Through our Thanksgiving, the world knows who He is and what He is capable of.
Thanksgiving!
1 Chronicles 16:23-28 KJV
[23] Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; Shew forth from day to day his salvation.
[24] Declare his glory among the heathen; His marvellous works among all nations.
[25] For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods.
[26] For all the gods of the people are idols: But the LORD made the heavens.
[27] Glory and honour are in his presence; Strength and gladness are in his place.
[28] Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
https://bible.com/bible/1/1ch.16.23.KJV
Thanksgiving!
Also Read: You are God’s Masterpiece! – Diademng (thediademng.org)
