Tag: giving thanks

Give Thanks for it All!

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November 23, 2022

When I’m thinking about giving thanks the first thing that comes to my mind, in a tangible way, is saying grace at meals. We have many examples in scripture of Jesus breaking bread and thanking God for the provision of food. In the Old Testament most all of the references to giving thanks are about God’s character. Thanks for His righteousness, kindness, grace, enduring love, greatness, mighty deeds and His Name. In the New Testament the majority of the references to ‘giving thanks’ center around food. Perhaps this is because they had the Lord present with them and He wanted their daily habits to reflect thanksgiving. Our thanks needs to encompass both the tangible (food) and the intangible (God’s character) as we seek to praise God continually in all things.

Jesus made it a habit to thank God before eating. He modeled this in the feeding of the 4,000 in Matthew 15:36, “ he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” In Mark 14:22-23, he gave thanks at the Last Supper they shared together before his crucifixion. He told us the bread and wine were symbolic of his broken body and shed blood to come, “And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.” Whether it was symbolic or not, Jesus had the habit of thanking God for His provision. Be it food to sustain our bodies or food for our souls, we must maintain a constant attitude of grace and thanksgiving. We may have prepared the supper but we did not cause the food to grow- only creator God, is able to do that. We may have accepted Jesus as our Savior and accepted His sacrificial gift of forgiveness, but only perfect Savior Jesus was able to provide for our righteousness. We need to take ourselves out of this equation and focus our thanks wholly on God. He alone is able to provide for our needs both spiritually and physically.

Giving Thanks is a humbling posture that requires us to have an attitude of gratitude about all things. I love 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Whether it is food, health, home, family, jobs, hobbies, relationships…. the list is endless, all is provided to us by God. Thank you Jesus.

A truth to claim with thanksgiving: I was bought with a price and belong to God. As believers were are valuable to God and He paid the ultimate price for our righteousness- the death of His Son, Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. He has graciously given us His Holy Spirit to indwell us so that we have a personal guide that connects us to Him. Praise God that He loves me so much that He has given me everything I need to be connected to Him.

May the thought of being bought with the price of Jesus’ life be a source of extreme gratitude for you this Thanksgiving. As you break break together, give thanks for your provisions both physical and spiritual that are made possible through you faith in Jesus.

Linda

Holy God, Thank You!

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Today’s thank-filled verse comes from Psalm 30:4

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.”

In Hebrew the reference is to giving thanks and worshipping God because of His holiness. Have you ever thought about why we should give thanks that God is holy? Holy means pure, blameless, set apart. Only God is without sin and perfect. I like the definition given in my Bible Study Fellowship manual for explaining God’s attribute of holiness to the children; “God is high and lifted up. He is set apart from His creation. Our English word “holy” is from the same root word as “whole.” God is whole – perfect in goodness and righteousness. No one is like God. Even God’s holy angels tremble in reverent worship before Him. God sets apart His children for Himself and commands us to be holy as He is holy. Being holy makes you whole– what God intended you to be.”

Thinking about Holy God creates in me a sense of humility and unworthiness followed by extreme thankfulness. How is it that Holy God cares for me? Repeatedly in scripture we are assured of God’s love and care. Nahum 1:7 is one of my favorite verses “The Lord is good,  a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” God has compassion upon me and seeks to draw me unto Himself. God loves me so much that He sent Jesus to die for my sins so that I can be brought into a relationship with Him. My faith in Jesus restores me and covers me in His righteousness. What a marvelous gift from our Holy God! Because of God’s love and Jesus imputing his righteousness to me, I can seek to live rightly before Him and honor Him in all I say and do. We can be ‘whole’ before Him and that is something to praise, sing and honor God for! Thank you Jesus for giving me a way to be right with God through faith in you.

Linda

Looking forward with Hope, backward with Thanks 2020 here we come!

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2020 new year I always love December 31 because it means I am on the brink of a new beginning.  Those failures I’ve experienced during the year can end,  and I can start fresh and new.  Hope springs eternally in our hearts as we walk in faith and trust with our Lord and Savior Jesus.   In Psalms 42 and 43 David questions himself repeatedly with these words:     Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation.         

David wonders, and so do I, why I fret over failures, defeats, troubling circumstances, etc?  His answer,  and mine, is in trusting God alone.  His hope, and mine, is in God and the salvation He provides for eternity.  So as I end this year, I will reflect on what I achieved for Him, what God did in and through me, and look forward to the New Year with Hope.  I will look backward with thanksgiving in my heart as God has been 100% faithful in all things just as He promised.

Isaiah encourages us in 49:29-31 that the Lord knows the way, will provide and lead us isaiah-40-31 (1)in His way of hope.

He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

put-hope-1-627x376Will you join me in focusing on Hope and what God will bring your way in 2020?  Not only is it a New Year, it is also the beginning of a new decade.  Resolve to move Onward and upward with Christ alone!

Linda

Lessons learned this month-did you get it too?

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

contagious thanksHow 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.”  

blessings jarDevelop 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

May Thanksgiving be on your lips today!

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happy-thanksgivingAs you gather around your Thanksgiving table today, let praise and thanks lead your discussion.  David expressed it this way in Psalm 107:21-22 :                                                     Let them praise the Lord for his great love
    and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
    and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

What praises do you have for the Lord today?  Can you tell of things He has done for you this year?  As you tell your family, offer your words in thanksgiving to God for His gracious provision, help, love, care and guidance.  All we have we owe to Him as He is the provider of all things.  If things look dark today, place your hope and trust in Him remembering His promise in Jeremiah 29:11, “ For I know the plans I have for thanksgiving tableyou,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   God is good and has good things planned for you just as He promised.

Have a day filled with thanksgiving and praise!

Linda

The Circle of Generosity

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Have you ever thought that your gifts of love, food, blankets, or money bring back thanks  to God?  The New Testament believers in Corinth were asked to give donations to their suffering fellow believers in Jerusalem.  Paul was headed to Jerusalem and would carry the offerings to them.  Paul explains the benefits of giving to them in 2 Corinthians 9:11-15.   

“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. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.”    Paul first tells them 2 good things will come from their generosity.  Their needs will be met and then they will thank God for providing for them. 

Paul then continues, “3 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 15 Thank God for this gift  too wonderful for words!”   Your giving and their thanks will bring glory to God and show your obedience to Christ.  Then they will pray for you and give thanks for you and your giving.

Paul is showing us that giving generously to provide for others brings glory to God, and thank-filled prayers for ourselves.  Giving comes back to you in thanks.  Thanks is something that cannot be measured or quantified but received with grace and turned back to God brings Him glory and you good.

ciclre of praiseYour giving causes needs to be met and the receiver to be thankful = glorifies God.

Their thankfulness caused by your giving shows how much you love Jesus =glorifies God.

Their thankfulness spurs them to pray for you = glorifies God.

Consider your own generosity at this time of Thanksgiving.  Do you know someone who is in need that you can help?  Remember your generosity brings glory to God and will result in good for you too.  At the very least, it makes you feel good to help others and pleases God by your actions, but knowing our Good God, it will achieve so much more!

Linda 

Are you Living Thankful in light of Christ’s return?

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1 corinthians 1 4As Paul begins his first letter to the Corinthian church, he introduces himself and then proceeds to tell them why he is thankful for them and their faithful witness for Jesus.  Walk with me through 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and put yourself in the place of a receiving Corinthian believer and see what Paul is saying to you too.

 “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.  Have you thought about the gifts God has given you in Christ?  Who would give thanks for your serving them with your gifts of encouragement, love, peacemaking, hope, and joy? 5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.  Okay, how active are you in your church?  Do you go there with the intent of serving the body of Christ?   6 This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.   Knowing you have faith and gifts from God, are you serving with anticipation of His return?    8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”   Through faith in Jesus we have all we will need to keep a steady course and await His return, are you living like He could come today?  Are you doing things (praying, studying, worshiping) to keep you strong in your faith?

I thank God for Paul’s ministry, sacrifice and love for others that spills over to me generations later.  He was committed and totally living in anticipation of Christ’s return.  He wanted to encourage others to follow Christ completely knowing that Jesus equips every believer to complete the tasks He has prepared for their lives.  How are you doing in giving thanks for your fellow Christians that serve alongside you at your church, workplace, or neighborhood ?   Are you using your God given gifts to support the body of Christ and live a life filled with thanksgiving and praise?

thanks servingMay this November be a time of renewal and praise for you as you consider Christ and all He has done and given you to keep you strong for Him.  May it overflow to others daily as you give thanks and serve Him.

Linda

No God, No Thanks = useless thinking

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What are the effects of not acknowledging God and being thankful?  As I pondered that thought I was led to Romans 1:19-22.  “For what can be known about God is plain Romans-1-20to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”  Paul is explaining that all people know about God because they see His power in nature, and the creation that is all around them.  He says they have no excuse for not knowing there is a God.  Creation is too magnificent to have happened by chance and the power of the wind, rain, sun and seasons are so orderly and precise they could not have been by happen-chance.  Paul continues, “21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”    Paul is saying that when people continue to not acknowledge God they become futile, ineffective, useless in their thinking and their hearts turn away from God with dark and foolish thoughts of pride, contempt, greed, and gain. The center of their life’s focus is on them and what they can get or achieve.  

Francis schafferPaul was talking about people who did not believe in God, who refused to believe He exists and how it effects their thinking and future.  However, part of this lesson could be applied to the one who takes credit for all the good things in their life, their success at work, having a great family or home, having money in the bank and being able to take great vacations.  All of those things come to us from God.  He is the source of all wealth and honor and the glory, praise belongs to Him.  I need to call myself up short if I begin to go down that road with that kind of futile thinking as it leads to dishonoring God.

Today as you consider all you have- thank God for those things, for the ability to do the things you do, for your health and family, your job, your home and most especially your faith in Jesus…. Philippians 4:19 is one philip 4 19of my favorite promises and reminds me who the provider of all is. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Linda

Are you Thankful for your firm foundation in Jesus?

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Ezra 3:11-13 records the reaction of the people when they succeeded in rebuilding the foundation of the temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians.  God had allowed them to be deported to Babylon for 70 years to refine them and cause them to give up idolatry that had plagued them for generations.   Their reaction is genuine and heartfelt. Ezra 3 11“ And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.”    The weeping was joyous but  also many lamented the glory of Temple Solomon had built that was gone.  

These verses about their rejoicing over the temple’s foundation reminded me of the foundation we have in Jesus, the cornerstone of our faith.  1 Peter 2:4-6 describes Jesus:  “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God 1 peter 2 6through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Our faith in Jesus places us in ‘God’s building’, His  spiritual house, that has a firm foundation in Jesus.  You cannot build a building without a firm foundation likewise, faith without Jesus at its base will crumble, fall and be meaningless.

Think about your foundation of faith today.  Soon you will be rejoicing over your foundation, Jesus, and praising and singing thanks to Him!

Linda

Are you thankful? For how long???

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psalm 30 12You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

David described his state of thanksgiving as being eternal in Psalm 30:11-12 .  Why was he going to be thankful forever?  Earlier in the Psalm David said God had lifted him out of the pit, saved him from his enemies, healed him physically and spiritually, had shown him forgiveness and favor.  David had experienced God’s forgiveness as he mourned Romans 4 8over his sins.   In Romans 4:7-8 Paul quotes David’s words from Psalm 32  ““Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”  Experiencing God’s forgiveness, seeing that God had covered his sins and that his sins would never be used against him in judgement made David eternally thankful and filled him with joy.

What about you?  Have you experienced God’s hand lifting you out of despair or trouble, has He rescued you from your enemies or from a really bad situation?  Has God touched you physically or spiritually to heal you?  Have you been given favor by God in blessings you did not expect and in no way deserved?  God had shown himself faithful to David,  and David recognized this.  His responds was eternal thanks that was filled with joy.  What is your response to God’s grace and forgiveness in your life?

GraceandGratitudeBegin today to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving that is based on God’s grace and forgiveness.  You will experience joy from now to eternity.

Linda