The Discipline of Thanksgiving

November 9, 2025

FBC Baxley

am service

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Sermon Title: The Discipline of Thanksgiving

Scripture Passage: Psalm 103:1–5 (ESV)

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

-PRAY

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Main Idea: Thanksgiving requires us to remember and rehearse God’s benefits.

Sermon in a Sentence: True thanksgiving is not accidental emotion but intentional devotion that remembers, rehearses, and rejoices in God’s goodness.

Three Points:

1. Bless the Lord Personally (v.1)

2. Bless the Lord Purposefully (v.2)

3. Bless the Lord Practically (vv.3–5)

Introduction:

A few years ago, a fitness company ran a commercial for their “30-Day Challenge.”

The slogan read, “You don’t drift into strength—you discipline yourself for it.”

That line sticks because it’s true not only of our bodies but also of our souls.

You don’t drift into gratitude—you discipline your heart for it.

That’s exactly what David is doing in Psalm 103.

He’s not waiting until life gets easier or until he feels more thankful.

He’s commanding his soul to give thanks: “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

You could call this psalm a spiritual workout of gratitude.

David is training his heart to remember God’s goodness.

Remember Corrie Ten Boom last week? Giving thanks to God for the fleas in her concentration camp barracks.

At first, she and her sister Betsie couldn’t understand how to be thankful for something so miserable.

But later they learned that those fleas kept the guards away—allowing them to hold Bible studies in secret.

Gratitude, they discovered, wasn’t natural—it was trained.

Psalm 103 is David’s training manual in thanksgiving.

And he shows us that gratitude must be personal, purposeful, and practical.

1. Bless the Lord Personally (v.1)

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”

David begins by talking to himself: “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

He’s calling his own heart to attention.

The Hebrew word for “bless” here is barak—it means to kneel in adoration.

This isn’t a casual applause.

It’s a deep, reverent bow of the heart. David is saying, “Soul, kneel before your God in adoration.”

He’s not leading a choir; he’s leading his own heart.

Because if we’re honest, there are days when our lips can sing while our hearts stay silent.

John MacArthur puts it this way: “David commands himself to praise God, showing that worship is a conscious act of the will, not an involuntary response to circumstances.”

Real thanksgiving begins on the inside—it flows from the soul before it reaches the lips.

Illustration:

A young boy once watched his father pray over breakfast during a difficult time.

The family had almost nothing in the pantry, yet the father bowed his head and said, “Thank You, Lord, for daily bread.”

Years later, that boy said, “That prayer taught me more theology than any sermon.”

That father’s gratitude didn’t come from comfort—it came from conviction.

****”Thanksgiving isn’t a reflex—it’s a response of reverence.”

2. Bless the Lord Purposefully (v.2)

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”

David adds another command: “Forget not.”

Why?

Because our hearts are forgetful. We have what one preacher called “spiritual amnesia.”

Thomas Watson, the Puritan writer, once said, “God’s mercies are more than the stars in heaven, but we write His mercies in dust and His trials in marble.”

Isn’t that true? We tend to remember what hurt us and forget what helped us.

That’s why thanksgiving requires discipline.

We have to choose to remember.

We have to deliberately call to mind God’s benefits—His forgiveness, His faithfulness, His favor.

Illustration:

A woman once kept two jars on her kitchen counter.

One was labeled “Blessings,” the other “Burdens.”

Each day she’d write down one thing to thank God for and one thing she was struggling with.

At the end of the year, the “Blessings” jar was overflowing.

She said, “I thought I had more problems than praise—but I was just forgetting.”

That’s what David is doing here. He’s teaching his soul to remember. Because gratitude grows when memory works.

****”Forgetfulness is the enemy of thanksgiving—but remembering revives gratitude.”

3. Bless the Lord Practically (vv.3–5)

Now David starts listing the benefits of God’s goodness—five specific reasons his soul should bless the Lord.

These verses move gratitude from the general to the specific.

“Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

A. Forgiveness (v.3a)

“Who forgives all your iniquity.”

The Hebrew word avon means twisted guilt.

God straightens out what sin has bent. Every pardon is a reason for praise.

Charles Spurgeon said, “When God pardons, He pardons like a God. It is not one sin only, but all iniquities He forgives.”

Illustration:

Imagine being shown a mountain of debt, and across it in bold red letters are the words Paid in Full.

You wouldn’t whisper your thanks—you’d shout them. That’s how our forgiveness ought to feel.

****”When you grasp how much you’ve been forgiven, thanksgiving becomes your native language.”

B. Healing (v.3b)

“Who heals all your diseases.”

Now, this certainly includes physical healing, but primarily David is talking about spiritual healing.

Sin is a sickness that infects the soul, and grace is the medicine that cures it.

John MacArthur writes, “This healing refers to the spiritual diseases of the soul—lust, greed, envy—diseases that only God’s grace can cure.”

Illustration:

When Jesus healed ten lepers, only one came back to say thank you. He wasn’t just healed—he was made whole.

Gratitude has a healing power of its own.

****”Thanksgiving is medicine for the soul—gratitude heals what grumbling harms.”

C. Redemption (v.4a)

“Who redeems your life from the pit.”

The Hebrew word ga’al means “to buy back,” as a kinsman-redeemer would.

God rescued David—and He’s rescued us—from destruction.

Illustration:

Think of a firefighter pulling a child from a burning home.

The rescuer doesn’t stop to ask if the child is worthy; he acts out of love. That’s what God did for us at the cross.

****”Redeemed hearts can’t stay silent—gratitude is born at the cross.”

D. Lovingkindness (v.4b)

“Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”

The word hesed—one of the richest words in Scripture—means steadfast, covenant love.

It’s God’s loyal love that never gives up, never quits, never fails.

R.C. Sproul said, “God’s hesed is His loyal love—He keeps His promises even when we don’t.”

Illustration:

Picture a father gently placing a crown on his child’s head, not because the child earned it, but because he loves him. That’s what God does for us every day.

****”When God’s love crowns you, complaining loses its throne.”

E. Satisfaction & Renewal (v.5)

“Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

David ends with satisfaction. God not only saves us—He satisfies us.

He fills our empty places and renews our weary spirits.

The eagle was a symbol of strength and endurance.

David says, “God makes your soul soar again.”

Illustration:

George Müller, the great man of prayer, once sat down with his orphans to eat breakfast even though there was no food on the table.

He prayed, “Thank You, Lord, for what You are going to give.” Just then, a baker knocked on the door with fresh bread, and a milkman arrived whose cart had broken down outside.

Gratitude lifted Müller’s heart before the food ever came.

****”Those who thank God for what they have find their souls soaring above what they lack.”

Conclusion: The Thanksgiving Discipline

Psalm 103 reminds us that gratitude isn’t a seasonal feeling—it’s a spiritual discipline.

David teaches us to bless the Lord personally, purposefully, and practically.

So how do we apply this discipline to our lives?

1. Make thanksgiving part of daily worship. Start your prayers by naming three blessings before you ask for anything. It’ll change your perspective.

2. Verbally rehearse God’s past mercies. Write them down. Speak them out loud. Remind your heart that God has never failed you.

3. Share gratitude with others in family worship. End the day by asking, “What are we thankful for today?”

You’ll be amazed how it shapes your home.

Someone once said, “Gratitude turns ordinary days into holy days.”

So don’t drift into thanksgiving—discipline your soul for it.

Because when your soul learns to bless the Lord, joy begins to rise, strength begins to renew, and your heart begins to soar like an eagle in the wind of God’s goodness.

Sermon in a Sentence: True thanksgiving is not an accidental emotion but intentional devotion that remembers, rehearses, and rejoices in God’s goodness.

-Pray

-Invitation