Every Day Is A Day of Thanksgiving

Scriptural Text:

A wine company advertisement in Newsweek magazine read, “The earth gives us wonderful grapes. The grapes give us wonderful wine. The wine wins us lots of new friends. Thank you, earth.”

How easy it is to give credit and thanks to everything or everyone but the real source of all our blessings!

Creator, Idolatry, Worship

(NKJV)because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Note:

(ESV) 1But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

1But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Scripture emphasizes the importance of giving thanks to God for all his gifts and works, both as an expression of our dependence upon him and gratitude to him.

THANKSGIVING (תּוֹדָה, todah; εὐχαριστία, eucharistia). The act of offering thanks or being thankful, usually to God.(,; ; ; ; ; ; ; )

Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship

Ultimately, Christians are to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (). From this perspective, all of an individual’s life in Christ—whether in worship, at meals, or otherwise—becomes an opportunity to offer thanks.

Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship

Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship

Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship

; ; ;

Thanksgiving is sometimes linked with praise to God ; ; ;

Enter His courts with thanksgiving (100:4-5)

100:4-5. This second part of the psalm is a call to the saints to enter Jerusalem (God’s gates) and to go to the temple (His courts) to offer their thanksgiving sacrifices for His blessings to them.

The people should praise the Lord for His goodness, love, and faithfulness. These benefits endure from generation to generation. So every generation that experiences God’s goodness, love, and faithfulness can join in praising Him with “The Old One-Hundredth.”[1]

Count Our Blessings (, , , )

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(NKJV)Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah

Who daily loads us with benefits,

The God of our salvation![2]

19Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah

1     Bless athe Lord, O my soul;

(NKJV) 1Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2     Bless the Lord, O my soul,

1Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

And forget not all His benefits:

19Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

2Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:

3      Who forgives all your iniquities,

(ESV)

Who  heals all your diseases,

1Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

3Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,

2Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

4     Who redeems your life from destruction,

3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,[3]

4Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

4who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

The Psalmist wrote in (See parallels in 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, and 136:1–3;[4]

1     Praise 1the Lord!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

     For His mercy endures forever.[5]

“O, taste and see that the Lord is good” (37:8), and He gives that which is good (85:12; ).[6]

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose

     And our land will yield its increase. [7]

The duty of thanksgiving to God (; ; ; ; ; )

The duty of thanksgiving to God (; ; ; ; ; )

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose

connects withPsalms 105 and 106—by the common theme of thanksgiving. In truth, every celebration should revolve around giving thanks to God, the source of all good things (). No victory, honor, or achievement is even possible without the Lord’s help and blessing. Every joyous occasion is a gift of His great love. This is, Celebrate God’s Redemption and Restoration, 107:1-43.

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Praise God: Give thanks to Him (vv. 1-3).

se God: He saved some who wandered in the wilderness (vv. 4-9).

Praise God: He saved some who wandered in the wilderness (vv. 4-9).

The people praised God for preserving them as they traveled through the dry desert lands to return to Jerusalem. The phrase “wandered in the wilderness” reminds us of their ancestors whom God had supernaturally delivered from Egypt.

Generations before, God had led His people through the desert and into the promised land. In the same way, God was with the remnant who returned to Israel from Babylon. The journey was long and strenuous, but their faithful Lord led them safely home ().

a. Their physical and spiritual plight (vv. 4-5).From point to point, the distance from Babylon to Jerusalem was approximately 500 miles. However, the returning Jews traveled northwest along the Euphrates River and then south to Jerusalem, a four-month trek of over 900 miles (see outline and notes— for more discussion).The journey was demanding and exhausting. There were no cities along the way where they could rest and be refreshed (v. 4). Food and water were scarce. As they grew increasingly weaker from hunger and thirst, they felt as if they were slowly dying (v. 5).

b. Their deliverance (vv. 6-7).Weary and desperate, the travelers cried out to the Lord, and He delivered them (v. 6). He rescued them from their trouble, faithfully guiding them in the right or straight way—the way to Jerusalem. God led them every step back to their homeland that had been so savagely destroyed by Babylonian invaders seventy years earlier. By God’s grace, they settled again in the heart of the promised land, the place of the Lord’s provision, peace, and security.

c. Their duty: To give thanks to God (vv. 8-9).The bestowing of such rich mercy was worthy of the people’s loudest praise and deepest gratitude. Because of the Lord’s goodness (chesed) or unfailing love, the psalmist charged the remnant to give God thanks (v. 8).

The Lord had done wonderful things for His people in delivering them from captivity and leading them safely home again.

The psalmist instructed the people to praise the Lord for His wonderful works to the children of men. The phrase “children of men” (literally, sons of Adam) indicates that God showers His goodness on all of humanity, not just His covenant people (; ).

It also emphasizes the Lord’s abundant goodness to His people. “Since he is so gracious to all peoples, how much more to his own covenant children!” In addition, the Lord had satisfied all of the faithful remnant’s longings, both physical and spiritual (v. 9). He had sustained them physically throughout the long, trying journey from Babylon to the promised land.

But more significantly, God had fulfilled the desire of their thirsty souls: He had brought them back to Jerusalem, the beloved city where the Lord’s presence had dwelled with His people in a special way.

Point 1: As we wander through the spiritual wilderness of this sinful world, we can be sure that the Lord is with us (; ; ).

Like the remnant returning to Jerusalem, we are on a journey. In fact, Scripture calls us “strangers and pilgrims” here on earth().

We may sometimes feel that we are all alone, but we never are. We may feel insufficient for the challenges we face, but we can do all things through Christ (). At times, we may grow weary and become discouraged. When we do, our Lord—the Bread of Life and the Living Water—will nourish and refresh us (; ; ).

Point 2: The pressures of life may assault us, but victory is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord (; ; ).