“Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people”.1Chro. 16:8
Thanksgiving is the act of expressing one’s gratitude or appreciation; it is an act of being grateful. In Psalms 92:1 the bible says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, o most high”. Giving thanks to God honors Him and shows that we acknowledge Him as the source of our blessings. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”.
A few examples of biblical characters that gave thanks and acknowledged God’s for blessings include;
- Eliezer, the servant of Abraham. When Eliezer was sent out of find a wife for Isaac, Eliezer gave thanks and looked to God for to provide a wife. Genesis 24:26-27 & 57.
- When Daniel was asked to interpret the King’s dream, Daniel gave thanks and acknowledged God for help in being able to do so (Daniel 2:19-23).
- Paul gave thanks for the recollection of the victories that the Lord granted him, Acts 28:15b.
As Children of God, we should never take God’s blessings for granted, as is the manner of some. A wise man once said, “The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings”. Scripture reminds us in Psalms 103:2, “Bless the Lord o my soul, and forget not all his benefits”. Thanks-giving closes the door to regrets and causes us to realize that regardless of the situation we find ourselves, we need to give thanks to God for it could have been far worse. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 it says, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. When we are not thankful, the door to God’s blessings closes. An example of this is the servant who was given one talent who instead of being grateful for what he had been apportioned, the servant complained about it . . . and ultimately not only lost his talent but was cast into the outer darkness to wail and gnash his teeth, according to Matthew 25:14-30. Brethren, when we are thankful God’s blessings will open up and flow towards us in even greater abundance as according to Luke 17:12-18. A grateful heart will always become great on the earth. As the sayings goes, “When you are thankful, your tank will always be full” and “It is only a great fool that will not be grateful”.
As a church, as families and, as individuals, we have so many reasons to thank God for as we come to the end of a year of “Divine Blessings”. We must deliberately and wholeheartedly give God thanks even in this last month of 2016. The word of God says in Isaiah, 51:11, “Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away”.
Brethren, if over this past year we have ‘fled’ from giving thanks unto God for all He has done for us, then let us return now, this last month of 2016, during the end of our year of “Divine Blessings” to give Him all glory, honor and praise for what He has done for us!
As we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ this Christmas Season, let us be thankful to God for sending Christ to the world and into our lives in order to redeem all of us from our sin.
In this month of Thanksgiving, let our every second, every minute, every hour, and every day be full of thanksgiving unto His name.
To each and every one of you, I wish a “Merry Christmas”. Pastor Tope Dosumu