Thankfulness

Want to make God happy?  Then just remember to thank Him for all He does for you.

How can I give thanks to God? And how often? It’s in the Bible, “It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods. Every morning tell Him, ‘Thank you for Your kindness,’ and every evening rejoice in all His faithfulness” (Psalm 92:1, 2, TLB).

Are there any other times when I thank God? Jesus thanked God before He ate or served any food. It’s in the Bible, “He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so.” (Mark 8:6 NIV). A wonderful time to thank God for providing for your daily food is before you eat your meals. It is just one more time during the day to be reminded of just how much He cares for you.

What should I thank God for? Everything!  Just start looking around you and start counting God’s gifts. It’s in the Bible, “Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:21, TLB).

Give me some examples of things for which I should be thankful.  Here are a few of the main reasons to be thankful. God answers prayer! He offers us free salvation! It’s in the Bible, “Oh Lord, thank you so much for answering my prayer and saving me.”(Psalm 118:21, TLB). “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good: his love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1, NIV). Forever is never ending!

Why does my thankfulness make God happy? There is a story in the Bible of Jesus cleansing and healing 10 lepers. “…and as they entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, ‘Jesus, sir, have mercy on us!’ He looked at them and said, ‘Go to the Jewish priest and show him that you are healed!’ And as they were going, their leprosy disappeared. One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Glory to God, I’m healed!’ He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus; face downward in the dust, thanking him for what He had done. This man was a despised Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?”(Luke 17:12-18, TLB). When we are thankful, it shows Jesus that we love and respect Him.

Do I have to be thankful when things go wrong? The answer can be found in the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” By thanking God even for the trials in your life, you show you are looking to God for a solution and you are willing to trust in Him to bring it about! When we complain and grumble, we are showing that we don’t believe God is really able to help us out of the mess we find ourselves in.

What could happen if I continue to forget to thank God? It’s in the Bible, “Yes, they knew about Him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship Him or even thank Him for all His daily care. And after awhile they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what He wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused.” (Romans 1:21, TLB). Thankfulness is like sunshine. It brightens our thoughts and helps to think straight. Plus, it’s another way of praising God!