November 12, Thanks and Praise!
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His loving kindness is everlasting.
Psalm 136:1
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people (Psalm 105:1). Thankfulness strengthens praise. May the soul become stirred to praise God in the sanctuary (calling on His name) and among the nations (make known His deeds). And, the motivation for this declaration of praise is the giving of thanks unto the Lord. Nothing motivates the genuineness of worship like the truly grateful heart. So, be thankful. And from your heart declare the praises of God.
Be steadfast in prayer, being watchful with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2). Thankfulness strengthens prayer. In every opportunity, pray. Consider all Christian duties, as referenced in prior verses of the Colossian letter, to be nurtured and strengthened by continued prayer. And watch with carefulness that your mind may be in the proper spirit of prayer, which can only come about with thanksgiving. Be ceaseless in prayer and fervently thankful in heart so that your prayers become a blessed offering before God. With every petition offered to God in prayer, may there be many more voiced declarations of thanksgiving and praise unto our gracious Heavenly Father.
Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through Him (Colossians 3:17). Thankfulness strengthens obedience. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colossae an exhortation of right conduct and proper speech as fitting for the follower of Jesus. He listed particulars for practical application into the lives of the Colossian Christians, but also safeguarded against any potentially missed topic by adding, “do everything,” which expresses, “whatever you do”. And with each and every act of obedience in the name of Jesus (meaning, for His glory), the encouragement is to do so in a spirit of thankfulness. So, whatever you do as an act of obedience to God and His calling on your life, do so with thankfulness. For such is the genuineness of our motivation to serve Him.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). Thankfulness strengthens the witness of the church. This familiar exhortation among the saints recognizes the expression of worship. The “courts” were literally the open spaces surrounding the temple. And it was in these spaces that worship was celebrated. The obvious witness of the temple life was indeed that of thankful worshippers. What an amazing testimony to be applied to the witness of the church: thankful worshippers gathering before their God in the name of Jesus. May this forever be the witness of the church: gathered to be thankful.
Martin Luther observed of a thankful person,
“To thank with all your heart is an art--an art which the Holy Spirit teaches. And you need not worry that the man who can really say "Deo gratias" (to God be thanks) with all his heart will be proud, stubborn, rough, and tough, or will work against God with His gifts.
Genuine thankfulness keeps the soul centered on God and His goodness. And such a fixed perspective strengthens one’s praise, prayer, and acts of Christian obedience. And, such a perspective becomes the demonstrative witness of the church.
Isn’t it time we make thankfulness to God in the name of Christ the first thought of each day? This promises to bring change in ways one could scarcely imagine.
Blessings.
