Thanksgiving

As we get ready to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, I wanted to look at what the Bible says about Thanksgiving. No not the holiday but the heart attitude about being thankful.

Psalm 100:1–5 AMP

1 A Psalm of thanksgiving and for the thank offering. MAKE A joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! 3 Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

We Are Thankful to be Serving a Good God!

The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever! This definitely is something to be thankful of. He never changes! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! How do we be thankful? By praising Him always. Serving Him with gladness not sadness. Blessing Him instead of cursing others. Taking on the attitude of gratitude and praising Him always!

Psalm 69:30–34 NKJV

30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull, Which has horns and hooves. 32 The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live. 33 For the Lord hears the poor, And does not despise His prisoners. 34 Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them.

Thankful Magnifies God

When we have the attitude of Thanksgiving, we are magnifying the Lord! Not only to others but to ourselves. He gets bigger to us! The Greek word used here is Gadal which means to “make of such a high value.” In other words He becomes the most valuable person in our lives. There is no one higher than Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:14–22 NKJV

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

Giving Thanks is the Will of God!

God’s will for us is to live this way, always rejoicing, always praying and always giving thanks. We can live this way because Jesus came and gave His life for all of us. These are the attitudes we need to have in our daily lives.

Philippians 4:6–7 AMP

6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Praying With Thanksgiving, the Anxiety Answer!

Notice Paul says that don’t fret and have anxiety but pray with thanksgiving instead and God’s peace will be there to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He will take all the pressures of life when we pray with Thanksgiving!!