Pearls of Great Value

Since we are in the season of thanksgiving, I thought it would be good to remind and refresh ourselves from the Word of God on the subject. Here goes! :

 “•The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”” (Psa. 50:23 ESVi)

 

“•I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” (Psa. 69:30 ESVi)

 

“•Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” (Psa. 95:2 ESVi)

 

“•Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” (Eph. 5:4 ESVi)

 

“•do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6 ESVi)

 

“•“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.” (Col. 2:6-7 ESVi)

 

“•First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,” (1 Tim. 2:1 ESVi)

 

“•I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.” (Psa. 7:17 ESVi)

 

“•It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;” (Psa. 92:1 ESVi)

 

“•Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psa. 118:1 ESVi)

 

“•And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17 ESVi)

 

“•There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.” (Jer. 10:6 ESVi)

 

“•He said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, who keeps the covenant and shows lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart;”  1 Kings‬ ‭8:23‬ ‭AMP‬‬

 

“•saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” (Rev. 11:17 ESVi)

 “•saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”” (Rev. 7:12 ESVi)

 
Giving thanks and praise is what thanksgiving is all about. It’s showing gratitude for the good which has been done to you and given to you. It’s taking every opportunity to be thank-full, because at its core thankfulness is an act of worship.

 

Reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we see this thread of gratefulness and showing thankfulness woven throughout. We see it in the offering of Noah after the flood, in the sacrifices of Abraham, in the song of deliverance Miriam (Moses sister) sang at the crossing of the Red Sea. Throughout the history of Israel they celebrated with feasts, with burnt offerings and with singing and dancing. David was a radical worshiper, dancing before the Lord unabashedly. Many of the psalms are credited to this man who actively sought to pursue the Lord with praise and worship. Jesus continuously gave thanks to the Father, in worship, in prayer, in breaking bread. The One who is the bread of life still gave thanks for the bread before Him. Jesus was one with the Father, yet still said, “Thank you Father for hearing me!”

 

Paul in his epistles continues weaving the thread of thanksgiving. In Phil 4, he says this: “in every thing by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made unto God.” Have you ever wondered why Paul says,”with thanksgiving?” Why are our prayers to be mixed together with thanksgiving? Could it be that thanksgiving brings us to a place where we remember Gods goodness to us? Could it be that thanksgiving builds faith in our hearts? This in return gives us peace, because we believe that God did it before, He’ll do it again. He is faithful. 

 

In Col 2:7, we are told to abound or overflow in thanksgiving. If I’m honest, I can say that I’m not always overflowing in thanksgiving. Abounding means abundance, more than enough, to excel. Can we say that we excel in this area? That we are a people who others come in contact with and walk away saying, “He/She overflows with thanksgiving. Thankfulness is in full quantity in her/him.”

You know instantly when you’re in the presence of a thankful person. They are kind, joyful, cheerful. The opposite of thankfulness is ungracious, inconsiderate, thoughtlessness and complaining. I’ve come to realize that when I’m backsliding in my spiritual walk, most often it’s because I’m lacking in the area of thankfulness. 

 

Thanksgiving is not so much an action as an attitude. An attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a persons behavior. It’s your outlook or vantage point. I could say it like this: if you look through rose colored glasses the world looks rosy. Likewise, if in every situation your vantage point is thankfulness, you are at an advantage. You have the upper hand in the situation. So, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Th. 5:18 ESVi)

 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (Psa. 28:7 ESVi)

 “We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.” (Psa. 75:1 ESVi)

 

Father, I pray for an awakening of thankfulness in us. Help us to be aware of the attitude with which we are fighting our battles. Speak to us about graciousness and joyfulness, and cultivate thanksgiving within our hearts. Let us be a witness and not a hindrance to those around us, and let us attract others to the kingdom of a God. Thank you for every good and perfect gift which was given to us through Jesus Christ. We are your people and we praise your faithfulness to us! In Jesus Name, we can say, Amen.