Give Thanks

God desires us to give thanks. Our hearts are joyful when we recognize His goodness towards us.

Psalm 95:1-7 says,

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.”

These verses tell us several of the reasons why we should give thanks to God.

He is the “Rock of our salvation.” The word Rock represents permanence, strength, and consistency. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and His mercy is available to all who will believe.

“The Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.” The false gods that were worshiped in the lands surrounding Israel, as well as the idols that populate our world today, promise great things but cannot deliver. There is only one True God and He is the only one who can fulfill His promises. Jesus will reign as King forever. Revelation 11:15 says, “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever’.”

“In His hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” We are thankful to God because He graciously created all things. He is worthy of all honor and thanks because everything we have ever seen is a gracious gift from His hand. Jesus is to be worshiped and honored for this very reason. Hebrews 1:1-3 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” John 1:1-2 corroborates these truths by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Paul adds in his letter to the Colossians 1:15-17, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”
Ultimately, we are to worship Him because we are the sheep of His pasture. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus says in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” This is the heart of the reason that we must be thankful. Those of us who have been saved will be declaring our thankfulness to God for eternity! He has redeemed our lives from the pit. He has rescued us from our own rebellious ambitions. He has made rebels into His children by sending His only Son to die on the cross, thereby paying our sin debt.

God is Great! God is Good. Let us be thankful, not only with our words, but with our whole heart and life. 
Happy Giving of Thanks!

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