“Give Thanks to the Lord!

Alice Johnson tells this story: When I was a young mother with two preschoolers, I was often overwhelmed. One night I fell into bed, exhausted. I poured out my frustrations to God. "The kids won't mind, the house is a mess, my husband doesn't seem to care ..."--the list went on.

Suddenly, a voice said to my heart, "Which one do you want me to take away?" Everything I was complaining about was precious to me. Immediately, I began to thank God for everything on my list--something I continue to do now as a grandmother.   -- Christian Reader, Vol. 36, no. 5.

I heard about a little fourth-grader who stood up to give a report concerning the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. Here's how he began:

The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of you know what.

When they landed, they gave thanks to you know who.

Because of them, we can worship each Sunday, you know where.

Besides symbolizing a time when we gather to feast on turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, dressing, and pumpkin and coconut pie—what does the word truly mean?

America’s revered holiday was founded by a group of struggling Pilgrims during the fall of 1621. Peter Marshall and David Manuel’s account, The Light and the Glory, tells how the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock endured extreme hardship to pioneer a new land:

·         Three long months at sea aboard The Mayflower and a brutal winter left them ragged, malnourished, and susceptible to disease. During the first four months of that year, nearly half of the émigrés had succumbed to illness and died under the harsh strain of their barren lifestyle.

·         Crudely assembled houses made of mud daub were their only shelter from the icy New England weather. Every meal was portioned out meticulously. The death toll, a constant reminder of their fragility, rose steadily. At one point only 5 men were well enough to care for the sick.

·         Despite their tribulations, the Pilgrims thanked the Lord every day, petitioning Him for rehabilitation. One morning, during an ordinary Sunday worship service, the Lord sent tangible evidence that He had heard their prayers. Their church service was interrupted by an unexpected guest, an Algonquin Indian chief who assessed their hopeless situation and returned with a helper named Squanto, who spoke perfect English, taught the Pilgrims how to hunt game, trap beavers, and plant Indian corn, a staple that would eventually save their lives.

·         When the harvest yielded more than the Pilgrims could eat, Governor William Bradford, their elected leader, declared a day of public thanksgiving. He invited the chief of a friendly neighboring Indian tribe to join in their tribute of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims were excited to celebrate with their honored guest but were completely shocked when he arrived with 90 other Indians. To their amazement and ever-increasing thankfulness, the Indians had bought with them 5 dressed deer and a 12 fat wild turkeys. Over time they taught the women how to make pudding, maple syrup, and an Indian delicacy—roasted pop corn.

·         Their plentiful autumn was followed by a particularly treacherous winter, a 12-week drought. The ship Fortune brought 35 more colonists who had brought with them no provisions—no food, no extra clothing, no equipment for survival. At their lowest point, the Pilgrims were reduced to a daily ration of 5 kernels of corn apiece. In utter desperation they fell to their knees and prayed for 8 hours without ceasing.

·         Again God heard their supplications: 14 days of rain followed. A second Day of Thanksgiving was declared. The neighboring Indian chief was again their honored guest; He brought with him 120 braves. The pilgrims feasted on game and turkey as they had during the previous celebration, only this time one dish was different. The first course, served on an empty plate in front of each person, consisted of 5 kernels of corn, a gentle reminder of God’s faithful provision for them.

 “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (I Thes.5:16-18).

1. Because It is God’s Due

Giving thanks is a natural obligation that man the creature owes to God as the Creator. As Creator and Sustainer of the universe, everything we have, our life, health, strength, our very breath, our food, shelter, and clothes, the sun, rain and snow, the seasons, the course of the stars, the moon—everything we owe to Him because it all comes from the hand of God. This is one of the great themes of Scripture and one of the great reasons given for thanksgiving. (cf. Rev. 4:11; 7:11-12; Psa. 136:1-9; Col. 1:12-17).

(Psalms 136:1-9 NIV)  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. {2} Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. {3} Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. {4} to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. {5} who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. {6} who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. {7} who made the great lights-- His love endures forever. {8} the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. {9} the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

God is worthy of our gratitude and worship because He is our Creator and God. We belong to Him by creation. Ungratefulness, by contrast, is one of the signs of the times (2 Tim. 3:2f; Rom.1:18). We have become a society of practical atheists. On the whole, we are a society that lives and acts as though God were dead. We are a people with a temporal bent, earth-dwellers, living for immediate gratification, greedy, seeking happiness in the abundance of the details of life and self.

We are a society that sees life as a product of time plus chance, biologically and culturally. Ours is a society that thinks it has jettisoned God, that it has no need of Him. A common attitude is “you owe no one anything, do your own thing, be your own boss, live it up, get all the gusto you can.” But Scripture says, for thy pleasure they are and were created.

2. Because God is our Redeemer, Our Savior

When we were aliens, cut off from God, without God and without hope deserving His wrath, He reached out in His matchless love and grace and reconciled us to Himself through His beloved Son. He provided us with salvation both for now and all eternity (Ps. 136:10-26; Col. 1:12-20). Let us thank God for our new spiritual creation and inheritance. God deserves our constant praise and thanksgiving. He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Redeemer. (2 Cor. 4:15).

3. Because It Magnifies the Character and Works of God

It glorifies God’s name among men and the angels who are ever observing the behavior of the church, the body of Christ. Thanksgiving glorifies and magnifies God because:

(a) It demonstrates our recognition of who and what we are, inadequate, and who and what God is to us, the all sufficient one.

(b) Because it shows our submission to and dependence on the Lord.

(c) Because it shows we understand that the happiness, blessings and prosperity of any people is totally dependent upon God (Ps. 69:30-31; Eph. 3:10; 1 Pet. 1:12; Rev. 4:11; 7:11-12).

(Psalms 69:30-31 NIV)  I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. {31} This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

(Revelation 4:11 NIV)  "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Revelation 7:11-12 NIV)  All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, {12} saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

4. Because It is Commanded by the Word

Some form of the word thank (thanks, thanksgiving, thankfulness) is found 169 times and in 162 verses in the NASB. God commands us to give thanks, not only because it pleases and glorifies Him, but because it is of such great value to our own lives. (Col. 3:15-16; Ps. 107:1-2, 42-43).

As Psalm 92:1 says, “it is good to give thanks to the LORD.”

1. Because It is Part of our Service as Believer-Priests

Hebrews 13:15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

2. Because It Enhances our Worship or Adoration of God

It is an aid to true worship—worship which is in Spirit and in truth. It enables the worshipper to count on the worth of God. Thanksgiving causes us to focus on the who and what of God. It gets our eyes off of ourselves, people, things, and conditions and on the Lord where our focus needs to be. It is one of the ways we look unto Jesus (Ps. 92:1, 23; 4-8; Heb. 12:).

3. Because It Gives Joy and Peace

As we reflect upon God and what He is to our lives, His goodness, grace, power, and so on, it rejoices the heart and gives peace. It encourages, comforts, creates faith in the person and promises of God. (Ps. 92:1, 4; Phil 4:6-7). Believers need to learn to live by praise or thanksgiving. As Colossians 3:15 says, we must learn to “become thankful.”

Principle: Thanksgiving replaces, resists, and restrains mental attitude sins such as envy, jealousy, bitterness, anger, fear, anxiety, and discontent. Because our actions are related to our thought processes, thankfulness replaces grumbling, complaining and criticism. Not only that, it often results in positive actions for God and others. It motivates!

But there is another reason and this is negative as seen in Psalm 95. Verses 1-7 is a call to thankfulness with the reasons why God’s people need to be thankful, but verses 8-11 are a reminder of the consequences of unthankfulness:

(Psalms 95 NIV)  Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. {2} Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. {3} For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. {4} In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. {5} The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. {6} Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; {7} for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, {8} do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, {9} where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did. {10} For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." {11} So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."

4. Because of the Consequences of Unthankfulness

Without thankfulness the heart grows cold and callused. We become insensitive to God and more and more self-centered and independent, going our own way and acting as practical athiests (Rom. 1:18f).

Unthankfulness is never neutral to God, it is always negative. It promotes:

·         dissatisfaction through comparisons of envy (Ps. 37:1f; 73:1f),

·         humanism or secularism, man seeking to live without God (Rom. 1:21),

·         bitterness and resentment, complaining and criticism, and

·         pettiness, occupied with the mundane and unimportant from the eternal perspective.

5. Because It is a Barometer of the Soul

One of the qualities and characteristics of a godly person is that he or she is a thankful person. A thankful heart flows from an inner life that is anchored in the Lord and His love and grace.

A thankful person is one who knows the Lord and is able to focus on His person, providence, and provision in all the conditions of life—in prosperity or adversity. He or she is one who lives by praise and who in the process is oriented and responding to the person of God, His presence, His essence and works, His plan, purposes, principles and promises for life.

Be Alert to the Signs and Consequences of Being Unthankful

Ungrateful people are very often those who are proud and think they can run their own lives independently of God. It ultimately leads to a foolish and darkened heart which in turn leads to moral decay of the worst sort (Rom. 1:21-32). In fact, Paul lists being ungrateful as one of the characteristics of the difficult times of the last days (2 Tim. 3:1-4).

Ungrateful people very often think somebody, God, country, family, etc., owes them something. This may very well produce laziness and a lack of industry and hard work. An ungrateful spirit leads to bitterness and resentment with complaining, blaming, and murmuring.

Thanksgiving ... comes from above. It’s the gift that we cannot fabricate for ourselves. It is to be received. It is freely offered and asks to be freely received. That is where the choice is! We can choose to let the stranger [Christ] continue his journey and so remain a stranger. But we can also invite him into our inner lives, let him touch every part of our being and then transform our resentments into gratitude. We don't have to do this. In fact, most people don't. But as often as we make that choice, everything, even the most trivial things, become[s] new. Our little lives become great--part of the mysterious work of God's salvation. Once that happens, nothing is accidental, casual, or futile any more. Even the most insignificant event speaks the language of faith, hope, and above all, love. That's the Christian’s life, the life in which everything becomes a way of saying "Thank you" to him who joined us on the road. -- Henri Nouwen, With Burning Hearts. Christianity Today

More Thoughts on Thanksgiving

I’d like to briefly consider the topic of thanksgiving and its importance to our life, our walk with the Lord, and how it can affect our lives at home or in the work place.

First, so that we might immediately see the connection with the family and the work place, it is helpful to note that the exhortations concerning thanksgiving in Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 are, in both cases, followed by sections dealing with the Christian home and then the work place. This is not by accident.

To be even more precise, in both passages (Eph. 5 and Col. 3) we have instruction and commands that deal with the spiritual life and one’s personal walk with the Lord. Based on our union with Jesus Christ and our new life capacity in Him, we are to put off the old practices of our former life and put on the image and character of Christ through a Spirit-filled, Word-filled life (cf. Eph. 4:20‑24; & 5:14‑18 with Col. 3:1‑16a).

Also, it is interesting and instructive to note that other Christian virtues and responsibilities are closely asso­ciated with the spirit of thankfulness. For instance, compare Colossians 3:12-17 and 4:2.

3:12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; (Italics Mine)

In both of these passages in Ephesians and Colossians there is the call for the practical display of not only Christ-like virtues, but exhortations concerning the home and then in the work place (Col. 3:18-4:1; Eph. 5:20-6:9).

I don’t believe these are simply additional Christ-like characteristics. I think they are related to one another much like cause and effect, or like a root is to the trunk and branches and finally to the fruit. Capacity to get along and love one another in the home, and to relate properly to others on the job, is the fruit while the other things in these passages function as the root—the trunk, and the branches.

Why and how can thanksgiving be so important to our lives and especially to our home life? How does it enhance a marriage and relationships on the job? Because a thankful heart provides something within that enables people to more effectively live together, love one another, and fulfill their responsibili­ties to their mate, to their children, and to their friends on and off the job.

This will become evident as we study the nature and essence of thanksgiving along with some of the reasons why we should be thankful people. Christians should be the most thankful people in the world. Our lives should be full of praise, thanksgiving, and joy.

We have so many reasons to be full of thanksgiving even in the midst of adversity, but because of the world around us and the attitudes of most, and because of our own bent toward self‑centeredness, we are prone to be very unthankful. Instead we are prone to be full of the kind of mental attitude sins that lead to complaining and grumbling.

Grumbling and complaining always work against loving relationships and obedience to our responsibilities as Christians in a dark and dismal world, and as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, or sons and daughters, etc.

Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world . . . 

Grumblers hinder peace but thankful people promote it! “The peace of Christ” in Colossians 3:15 is often used as part of the formula for determining the will of God when facing various decisions, but this is hardly the focus of the context which refers primarily to promoting harmony in the body of Christ.

What will bring peace and harmony is to be an important deciding factor in the things that we do, i.e., will it cause disharmony in the assembly or will it hurt our relationships with others? But an important element in allowing the peace of Christ to rule is found in the closing words of this verse, “and be thankful.” The present tense of the Greek text suggests the translation, “keep on becoming thankful.” There is a connection.

A constant spirit of thankfulness is an essential part to letting the peace of Christ rule in one’s heart. Because of our tendencies as sinful people our natural bent is to be unthankful and an unthankful person is one in whom the peace of Christ does not rule.

Thankfulness is thus something we must develop and work at. It takes time and effort. This is suggested by the present tense which refers to that which is to be repeated or continued, and by the verb ginomai, “to become, come to be.” The Greek text is looking at a process of developing and maintaining a thankful spirit.

But how? Thanksgiving is the product of a Word-filled, Spirit-filled life that remains occupied with the Lord, focused on Him and who we are in Him as seen from the contexts of Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. It is a product of a life that is occupied with the Lord and of learning to relate everything in our life to what I often refer to as the “Five P’s” of God—God’s person, purposes, plan, principles and promises.

(1) God’s Person – God’s person is the foundation upon which all else depends. God is infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, holy, loving, gracious, merciful, faithful, good, veracity, etc. It is because of His person that His plan works, the principles are true, the purposes valid, and the promises can be depended on absolutely.

(2) God’s Plan – God has a plan for salvation, spirituality, growth, suffering, marriage, family, etc.

(3) God’s Principles – God has given us principles in His Word by which we are to live the Christian life.

(4) God’s Purposes – God has a purpose for mankind as a whole, for the church, and for each individual believer.

(5) God’s Promises – God has given us thousands of promises to claim that relate to His person, plan, principles and purposes.

 The Meaning of Thanksgiving

By “thanksgiving” we are not just referring to a special day. Giving thanks is the believer’s spiritual responsibility and should be a way of life.

 Words Used for Thanksgiving in the New Testament

Seven Greek words are used in the New Testament for the concept of thanksgiving. These are charis, eucharisteo, eucharistia, eucharistos, homologeo, exomologeo, and anthomologeomai.

The first word in the list is charis, and the next three are compounds of this word. Charis means “grace, the unmerited favor of God.” In some contexts it means, “thanks,” but true thankfulness, as this word indicates, is the product of recognizing the grace of God. It is a response of the heart to the favor received.

The fourth word in the list is homologeo and the last two are compounds of this same word. Homologeo means “to acknowledge, confess.” But in some contexts, these words are used in the sense of “to give thanks.” Why? Because thanksgiving is an acknowledgment of the gracious favor of God.

There are two kinds of grace pertinent to our discussion:

Common Grace

Common grace is that which God freely bestows on all mankind—the fruitful seasons, the rain, sun, health, freedom, loved ones, etc. (Acts 14:7). It involves the things which people in general enjoy in common with others; of that which God pours out on the just and the unjust alike.

Salvation Grace

Salvation grace refers to the special blessings that all believers enjoy and have together in Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1-11; Eph. 1:3-14; Col. 2:10-15).

 A Definition of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an expression of an inner recognition and acknowledgment of the grace of God in every area of one’s life.

Principle: True thankfulness is something that proceeds out of the inner person, from the heart through the lips. If the heart is evil—filled with greed, with preoccupation with the details of life, with problems such as unresolved feelings of anger and resentment, then thankfulness is basically impossible (Mat. 12:34-45).

34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 “The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.

In Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise [consisting of praise] to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

The words “offer up” and “sacrifice” are both priestly terms. This shows us that true thanksgiving is also a priestly response and act. It is a priestly sacrifice, an act of worship through which we offer up praise to God. “A sacrifice consisting of praise” is explained by the words, “the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Thanksgiving is an act of adoration and praise that calls attention to the grace work of God.

 The Source of Thanksgiving

Our Lord has explicitly told us the mouth speaks according to the condition of the heart (Matt. 12:34), and what fills the heart depends on one’s treasures (Matt. 6:21). This will determine the way we spend our time and what we pursue, which in turn determines what fills our heart—God’s Word or man’s world, the Word of the Creator or the world of the creature (cf. Ps. 19:10).

Further, Scripture describes man as material (body) and as immaterial (soul and spirit). The basic meaning of the Greek words for both soul (pseuche) and spirit (peneuma) is “breath”—the vital principle of life and are related, of course, to breathing, inhaling and exhaling.. From this, these two words came to be used of the immaterial part of man. From the very nature of these two words, we can make a helpful analogy.

By analogy, inhaling illustrates the process of taking the Word into the inner man. This provides knowledge and the capacity to know God, be occupied with God, and to relate one’s life to God. This provides the capacity to respond, exhale, in genuine appreciation and thanksgiving. Included in this is walking in or by means of the Holy Spirit, i.e., depending on the indwelling Holy Spirit much as one would inhale in order to live.

To exhale refers, in this analogy, to the result. If you inhale, you must exhale. Exhaling is equivalent to the process of responding to God in thanksgiving or praise from the application of the Word to life (cf. Ps. 100:3,4; 108:1-6; Col.1:9f; 2:6-7; Eph. 5:18f). Note the relationship in Psalm 100 between the command to give thanks and the reason—because God is good. Thanksgiving is a matter of response to facts of revelation.

Thanksgiving, as a ministry of our priesthood, is one aspect of worship, and all true worship must be the product of the Spirit and truth (Jn. 4:24). So we see that thanksgiving needs to be a spiritual by-product of fellowship with God, a product of the Holy Spirit and the Word, or it becomes just a polluted sacrifice and mere formalism, both of which are rejected by God (Isa. 29:13; 1:10-15; Ps.50).

 Developing and Maintaining a Thankful Heart

Acknowledge the Nature of this World

This is a fallen world that will have pain and heartache. Until the Lord returns, this old world is going to be filled with pain and suffering and we are each going to have our share as part of living in such a world and because God uses the various trials of life to train His people and build their faith (Jam. 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6). As God’s people who have the hope of His return and eternity, we must learn to be a thankful people in the midst of pain.

 Accept the Limitations of the Things of this World

God has given us all things to enjoy, but these things were never designed to replace our relationship with God nor our dependence on Him (1 Tim. 6:17-18). They can never give peace, lasting joy, security, and personal significance. Life does not consist in the abundance of the details of life but in knowing God (Luke 12:23; John 17:3).

 Learn to Live as Aliens and So­journers

Living as aliens and sojourners means learning to live under the conviction of the blessed hope of the return of Christ, knowing and believing that the greatest blessings are spiritual and eternal (Matt. 6:19-20; Tit. 2f:12-13).

 Use Special Times of Celebra­tion and Worship as Reminders

We need time set aside to worship and focus on our greatest blessing—the love, care, and presence of God. These are times to remember and reflect on God Himself and His actions in history as well as the many things He may have blessed us with as food, clothing, shelter, friends, and family. Memorials and the command to remember or to not forget the works of God were often used in the Old Testament to challenge Israel to remember the source of all their blessing and to be a thankful and faithful people.

 Commands to “Remember”

Deut. 4:10. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’

Deuteronomy 5:15 ‘And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 7:18 you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:

Deuteronomy 8:2 “And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 8:18 “But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

 Commands Against Forgetting the Lord and His Works

Deuteronomy 6:12 then watch yourself, lest you forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Deuteronomy 8:11-14 “Beware lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;12 lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them,13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies,14 then your heart becomes proud, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

In keeping with the importance of establishing ways to thankfully reflect on God’s goodness and grace, God had Joshua establish a memorial at Gilgal and in the Jordan to remind them of the mighty power of God in rolling back the waters of the Jordan to allow the people to cross over into the promise land (Josh. 4:1-9).

It is very significant, then, how God refers to Israel’s disobedience and idolatry in the days of the Judges:

Judges 8:33-34 Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god.34 Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; (Italics mine)

 The Process that Produces a Thankful Heart

A thankful heart is developed by staying close to the Lord through living in and growing by His Word.

Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

A thankful heart flows out of a Spirit controlled life.

Ephesians 5:18-20 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled (controlled by) with the Spirit, . . . 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; (NASB)

Thankfulness is the product of understanding God’s truth. Remember: Knowledge without application is never really understanding.

O that we might be a thankful people. Let us stay occupied and appreciative of our God in all His infinite glory and grace.

I. The importance of giving thanks.

A. It honors God -- Psalm 50:23.

B. It is commanded -- Psalm 50:14; 97:12; 100:4; 106:1; 107:1; 136:1,2,3,26; Ephesians 5:3-4, 19-20; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 1:12; 2:6-7; 3:16-17; 4:2; 1 Thessalonians  5:18; 1 Timothy 2:1.

C. Men are condemned for failing to give thanks -- Romans 1:21.

D. It is something we will do for all eternity -- Revelation 4:9;  7:2

E. It is a safeguard against pride and arrogance, because it  acknowledges the grace of God, and thus recognizes that we, as men, were undeserving of God's blessings -- see Genesis 3  (the fall); Psalm 95; Romans 1:21; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Ephesians 5:4.

F. The antithesis (opposite) of thanksgiving seems to be grumbling -- see Exodus 15:24; 16:2, 7-9, 12; 17:3; Numbers 14:2, 27, 29, 36; 16:11, 41; 17:5, 10; Deuteronomy 1:27; Joshua 9:18; Psalm 106:25; Matthew 20;11; Luke 5:30; 15:2; 19:7; John 6:41, 43, 61; 7:12; 1 Corinthians 10:10; Philippians 2:14; Jude 1:16.

G. It sanctifies what we eat -- 1 Timothy 4:1-5; it also is  to be our response even when we choose not to eat -- see  Romans 14:6; 1 Corinthians 10:23-33; 14:13-17.

H. It expresses thanksgiving to God when we don't eat --  Romans 14:6.

I. Thanksgiving should be a discipline, which we practice  daily, and which we will not be kept from doing -- Daniel 6:10.

II. Expressions of thanksgiving.

A. Private thanksgiving -- see Daniel 2:23; 6:10

B. Public thanksgiving -- Psalm 11:1; 22:22,25; 35:18

C. Use of music and musical instruments -- see Exodus 15;  Nehemiah 12:8, 27, 46; Psalm 33:2

D. Thanksgiving offered for others -- 1 Timothy 2:1

E. Proclamation of God's goodness to the nations –Elements of thanksgiving described in 1 Chronicles 16:7-36

1. Call on His name (8)

2. Make His name known among peoples (8, 24)

3. Sing to Him (9, 23)

4. Be glad in heart, glory in Him (10)

5. Seek the Lord (11)

6. Remember His deeds (12)

7. Remember His covenant, His words (15)

8. Ascribe to Him His glory, character, and worth (28-29)

9. All nature is called on to join in worship (30-33)

10. Pray for salvation, to be able to praise and thank Him (35-36)

III. That for which thanks is given.

A. God's wondrous works -- Psalm 9:1; Isaiah 25:1

1. In creation -- Psalm 136:1-9;  (see Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:21)

2. In creating us -- Psalm 139:13-16

3. In works of deliverance and salvation -- Exodus 15; Psalm 18:49; 30:4, 12; 86:12-13; 118:21; Isaiah 12:1, 4; 25:1; Colossians 1:12

4. In His gifts to us, such as wisdom -- Daniel 2:23

 B. God's wondrous work in the lives of others --  Psalm 109:30-31; 1 Thessalonians 1;2; 2 Thessalonians  1:3; Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:3

 C. God's grace to us, through others -- 2 Corinthians 9:10-12

 D. God's attributes and character, as evidenced in His  actions, and as affirmed in His Word -- Psalm 100:4-5;  107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31; Jeremiah 33:11 (prominent are His  goodness and His lovingkindness).

 E. God's future work, based on His purposes and promises --  Psalm 79; 92; 2 Chronicles 20:1 -- 31:2

 F. God is praised in the midst of trials and tribulations,  based upon His character, grace, and sovereign purposes --  see, in context, Psalm 7:17; 9:1; 28:7; 56:12; 69:30;  86:12; 142:7; Jeremiah 33:10-11; Daniel 6:10

 G. God is praised for His revelation through creation and  through the gift of His Word -- Psalm 19; 119.

 H. God is praised for enabling us to do that which is  supernatural, and which brings praise to Him -- Daniel 2:17-23.

 I. God is praised for His grace and mercy, and for witholding  the punishment which we deserve -- 103:6-12.

 J. God is praised for all of His gracious provisions for  His creation -- Psalm 104.

 K. God is praised for victories His has won for His people --  Exodus 15.

 L. God is praised for the blessings and joys of fellowship  with Him, even if this has come about through suffering  -- Psalm 73; James 1:1-2.

 M. Men promise to praise God when He delivers them from their  afflictions -- Psalm 35:17-21; 79:13.

 N. Men praised God on the completion of great undertakings,  due to God's grace -- Nehemiah 12:31-47.

 IV. Examples of thanksgiving:

A. David's thanksgiving: 1 Chronicles 29:10-16

B. Israel's thanksgiving: Psalm 103; 104

C. Anna's thanksgiving: Luke 2:38

D. Jesus' thanksgiving: Matt. 11:25-26; 26:27-28; John 11:41

E. Thanksgiving by the heavenly host: Rev. 4:9; 7:11-12; 11:16-17

F. Paul's thanksgiving: Acts 28:15; 1 Timothy 1:12-17