Have you ever wondered how to give thanks to God for all He has done for you? Check out Psalm 92:1,2, TLB. “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.”

Are there any other times when I should be thankful? Jesus gave an example of thanking God before He ate or served any food. It’s in the Bible in Mark 8:6 “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.” Also, in 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, NIV, “…The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 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.

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 should I thank God for? One of the things to thank God for is for answered prayers and for salvation. It’s in the Bible in Psalm 118:21, TLB. “Oh Lord, thank you so much for answering my prayer and saving me.” Thank God for His goodness and never ending love. Psalm 107:1, TLB. “Say ‘Thank You’ to the Lord for being so good, for always being so loving and kind.”

How many things should I thank God for? Just start looking around you and start counting, for it’s in the Bible, Ephesians 5:21, TLB. “Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What could happen if I continue to forget to thank God? You’ll find the answer in the Bible in Romans 1:21, TLB. “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.”

Being thankful pleases God and brings Him glory. You’ll find it in the Bible in the story of the cleansing of the 10 lepers in Luke 17:12-18, TLB. “…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?”