The Bible is full of verses reminding us to be thankful to the Lord. Let me share a few: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18); “Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God,” (Philippians 4:6); “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” (Psalm 107:1); and “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me.” (Psalm 50:23)
This week offer to the Lord a sacrifice of thanksgiving — deliberately look for reason to be thankful even in your most difficult circumstances. Even if things this week are difficult and you feel discouraged, thank Him any way. Well, how do we do this? Stop and remember all the ways God has helped you in the past — your salvation, times of sickness or problems on the job. Rejoice this week in His love for you, His character of grace and mercy, and the fact that you have entering life through your faith in Him. List all of the blessings you can think of which are yours in Christ. Reflect upon all the promises the Lord Jesus has made to you in His word. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring these wonderful truths to your heart and mind as your endeavor to exalt and thank Him this week
I believe as we consider all the wonderful blessing our Heavenly Father has given us, we will find our hearts and minds full of praise and thanksgiving. Thankful not only for what the Lord has done for us, but encouraged by what He will continue to do for us in the future.
So this week set your heart to thanksgiving and worship of the Lord our God and look for Him to bless you for your thanksgiving and honor to His name. As we listed all the marvelous things He has blessed us with, most of all we thank Him for His abiding presence in our lives.
Lord, we glorify you today, and we are thankful for your love and grace.
Dr. David Bouler of Global Faith Ministries, Chattanooga, Tennessee, contributed this column to the Journal Review. He can be reached by email at debouler@aol.com.
