Psalm 145: 1-10 gives a beautiful word picture of our Thanks to God.

A psalm of praise of David.

This will be my last post in this Thanksgiving Series.  It has brought me greater appreciation for Jesus and what He did and does for me and leads me towards greater thankfulness.  This poster sums up our continual need to be thankful regardless of our circumstances. I hope this sentiment is now a part of you after spending these weeks talking about thankfulness.   Our hearts need to be set on thankfulness.

Advent begins December 1 and I will be blogging about the people involved in the Christmas Story of our Lord Jesus’ arrival on earth and how they each exhibited godly character that God would like to see in each of us.  I believe it will be an uplifting perspective on Christ’s arrival.  See you Friday December 1.

Linda

What causes you to be thankful?  There are lots of sites, things and people that bring a smile to my face but what gives you the most gratitude in your heart?   God’s Word gives us the ultimate reason to give thanks in Colossians 2:6-7  ^“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”   Paul was teaching the Colossians that the freedom they have in Christ will cause them to be grounded and not easily swayed by the world.  They will be able to live full lives because God lives within them and empowers them to live for Him.  By faith in Jesus they can walk with Him daily.   Paul reminded them and us that the result of an empowered and indwelt life would be thankfulness.  Having Christ with you 24/7, guiding, protecting, building you up, and loving you would result in great thanksgiving.

Is that true of you?  Do you live with thankfulness in your heart because of what Jesus did and continues to do in and through your life?  Ask yourself-am I  abounding in thankfulness?  Abounding means having thanks in great quantity, being rich in thankfulness,  being filled, teeming with thanks.  If you are struggling to abound in thanks think on a few of the things Christ did and is doing for you:  He provided the way for my salvation from God’s wrath through His death on the cross, calls me a member of His family, gave me eternal life, is accessible to me 24/7, will never leave me nor forsake me, gave me citizenship in heaven, intercedes for me before the Father,  gave me His Holy Spirit to indwell me, and He promises a life that is full, abundant and rich in love.  Take a minute today to thank Him for being the reason for your abundant and abounding thankfulness.  He is worthy.

Linda

A lesson and truth I received from the scripture we studies this month on cultivating a habit of thankfulness in our lives was this:  Thankfulness has a powerful affect on me and all those around me.

How have you seen this to be true this season of thanksgiving?  Is your mindset towards thanks contagious?  “How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9  Paul felt that the thanks he had for his fellow believers, for their faith and love for God, caused him to rejoice.  He saw God working in their lives and this brought joy and thankfulness to his own worship.  I would call that contagious thanks.  Have you ever been thankful for someone or something and it caused you to give thanks to God?  As we live our lives, we need to look for those things that God gives us that create ‘contagious thanks’ within our hearts.  As we give thanks to Him in these situations, God will faithfully create in us a thanks that will be contagious and will result in our being in a constant state of thankfulness and joy.  Paul left the Thessalonians with these words in 5:16-18  “ Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”  

Develop that attitude of gratitude and watch it grow in your own life and then watch it rub off into the lives of those around you.

Linda

Blessings on this Thanksgiving Day to you and yours!  We have much to be thankful for personally, as a family and as a nation.  Thanks be to God for His provision and love as we gather around our tables.  May we offer Him praise and honor from our lips.

Linda

 

Psalm 7:17  “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
    I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.”

Psalm 100:4-5 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;  give thanks to him and praise his name.   For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

David was thankful for the very character of God.  He praised Him for his righteousness, sovereignty, goodness, love, eternity, and faithfulness.

I am thankful that God is good and that He intends good for me.  In all situations I can depend upon His goodness and know that He alone can work all things for His good and mine.  Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good,  a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in him,” and Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

What about you?  What attribute of God’s character do you hold most dear?  Are you thankful that He never changes and is not whimsical or fickle about who He loves and when?  Are you thankful that He is accessible 24/7 in prayer and He can and does always hear you?  Spend a few minutes today thinking about God’s character and how your life would be different if God was not who He is.

Thanks be to our immutable, accessible, holy, redeeming, protecting, all-knowing, loving, faithful and righteous God.  Praise and thank Him today!

Linda

 

Yesterday in Sunday School I was asked to have each child write a letter expressing what they are thankful for.  I am thankful for……    Sometimes on Thanksgiving we will go around the table and say what we are most thankful for that year.  Here are a few of mine for this year:  I have loved this year’s blogs as I have been able to express my love and devotion to God leading up to Lent, my growth in understanding of what He has given me through my identity in Christ and my inheritance and now expressions of thanksgiving all month long.  I will end the year with Advent blogs focusing on His Grace and Mercy in sending Jesus to save us from our sins.  I am blessed with family, friends, ministry, purpose and Hope in Jesus.

What about you?  How would you fill in the blank- I am thankful for_______.   David was described as a man after God’s own heart.  He had a great sense of love and appreciation for all that God had done for him.  He was a simple shepherd boy, Mighty in faith, that God used to lead the nation of Israel.  Here is his proclamation:   1 Chronicles 16:8-9

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
    Let the whole world know what he has done.
⁹ Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
    Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.

David knew what God had done for him and praised Him for His gracious provision.

Will you follow his lead and proclaim the wonders that God has done for you this year all this week?

Praising Him who blesses me beyond measure,

Linda

David was the anointed king of Israel and God’s choice but not the crowned king.  Saul was still on the throne and pursuing David desiring to kill him.  David fled into the desert area of En Gedi and hid in a cave.  He penned this Psalm in remembrance of this time and the strength he received from the Lord.  Let David’s prayer and praise bring you strength and create in you a spirit of adoration and trust in God.

Psalm 57

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. 

What comes from thankfulness?  Colossians 3:15  “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (NLT)  We know from this verse and many others that Christ is our source of peace and He desires to rule in our hearts.   John 14:27 really touches the heart of the matter and describes the peace Jesus gives. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”   Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)   Having Christ’s peace in our hearts- guarding our hearts and minds- leads us to unity in Christ and thankfulness.  Having Christ in our lives leads to peaceful relationships with others, unity with other believers and thankfulness.

Why does having Christ in our hearts and minds lead us to thankfulness?  Being of like minds with Christ, sharing His spirit within us bring us such peace and contentment within our souls there is nothing we can do or say other than Praise Him with all our hearts.  We overflow with love and gratitude for all He has done for us through His magnificent grace and mercy.  Thankfulness is our pure and authentic response.   May you feel this gratitude as you commune with Christ in prayer and worship this weekend.  May it overflow to your family gatherings for the next several days.

Thankful,

Linda

Have you ever wondered why God has given you what He has given you?  The Apostle Paul spoke to the Corinthians about this very thing.  He was collecting an offering for the believers in Jerusalem that were under extreme persecution.  The Corinthians were giving generously to this help fund.  2 Corinthians 9:11  ^“Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”  Their obedience in giving would produce thanks to God, be a witness to others of their generosity and faith in the gospel of Christ.  In return, the believers in Jerusalem would thank God and pray for them in love.  They would also praise God for His grace (unmerited favor) that God had showed them through the believers in Corinth.   9:14 “And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.”   So, that which God gave you – you gave away and the giving gave glory to God and returned to you in grace and thanksgiving.  Wow! What a wonderful circle!  Paul exclaims in 9:15 “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”  The gift Paul is speaking of is Christ.  Because in Him and through Him all things can and do work for God’s glory.  Serving the gospel of Christ to others by giving monetarily or working in ministry gives glory to God and uplifts the name of Jesus.  He is worthy of our praise and thanks.  His gift of love and grace to us is indeed too wonderful for words!!

Where is your circle of generosity going?  God desires that we give generously just as He has given generously to us.  Create thanks today by giving something God has given you to someone else- it need not be money- a kind word, a smile, a helping hand are all things we can give to others that bring honor and thanks to God.

Looking outward today with thanks,

Linda