November 21, 2024

Giving Thanks In EVERYthing

November 20, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Rejoice always
Pray without ceasing
In everything give thanks
For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As our sisters have already reminded us this week—IN everything give thanks (not FOR everything)!

Y’know…there is a certain man whose dedication and commitment to God IN every situation and circumstance is recorded in the Old Testament.  I’ll give you a hint or two, ok?

  1. His friends tried to DISsuade him from giving thanks IN everything….
  2. His wife clearly told him the situation was so bad that he should just ‘curse God and die’….

Oh, I am SURE you recognize this man; yes?  Of course, it was righteous Job.  If ever there were someone who perceivably had nothing left for which to give thanks, it was Job.

Job was abundantly blessed by God: he had houses, and flocks, and herds of animals, and servants, and a great big family. One dreadful day, his 10 children were killed in a house collapse, his sheep, camels, oxen, and donkeys were stolen away, and all his servants (save the three who escaped and brought him the terrible news) were captured.  He could have complained to God bitterly. But he said,

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.
Job 1:21

In all that Job went through, his attitude never wavered.  He knew that God is sovereign, that all that he had (or didn’t have) was in God’s hand.  And, like righteous Job, we too, should have this unwavering attitude of giving thanks to Almighty God IN all situations and circumstances.  Paul also reminded the 1st century Christians ( and us!) to do the same.

At all times and for everything giving thanks
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
Ephesians 5:20

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father,
Who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
James 1:17

Truly, we should rejoice always  ♥  pray without ceasing  ♥  give thanks in everything!

Every day, throughout each day, let’s speak and sing out our gratitude and thankfulness to our heavenly Father!  May our prayer be as David’s…

To the end that my tongue and my heart
and everything glorious within me
may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Psalm 30:12

 

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Thank You

November 20, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Thank you for the things that I never thanked You for
You’ve given everything I need and still I asked for more
It’s not that I’m ungrateful, I’m just forgetful, Lord
So I thank You for the things that I’ve never thanked You for

There are so many blessings that You have given me
Things I take for granted everyday
The beauty of creation and the promise of my salvation
Lord, help me to remember when I pray

Now when my way grows weary and rest is hard to find
And sometimes I can’t see my way through
And when it seems that I am blinded that’s when I need to be reminded
That the strength I thought was mine…it came from You

  Written by Sonya Isaac and Shelton Feazell ~  Sung by The Isaacs

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I must admit that I can sing the line ‘You’ve given everything I need…and still I asked for more’ right along with the Isaacs’ Family.  Oh, it’s not that I am not thankful—I am SO thankful!  Or that I don’t voice my thanks and praise to my heavenly Father.  I DO…and I am SURE you do, too!   The simple words of this bluegrass ballad speak the truth: we do forget to give God thanks and we do take for granted oh-so-very-many things that God has done for us.  But truly our mouths should be full of thanks and not petitions.

Here is one short passage FILLED with incredible blessings (I’ve counted more than ten!)  to praise and thank Him for.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1 Peter 1: 3-7

And here’s another:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:3-12

As we sing along “thank You for the things that I’ve never thanked You for…” have we intentionally thanked God that we are ‘blessed…with every spiritual blessing…in Christ’?  Or purposefully thanked Him that we are ‘predestined according to His purpose…to the end that we…would be to the praise of His glory’?  Or wholeheartedly thanked Him for the truth that ‘He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before Him’?

Our giving thanks to God should fill our days!

  • When we get up, we have much to be thankful for—breath, life, new day, new mercies…
  • As we go throughout the day, we have much to be thankful for—protection, guidance, forgiveness, peace, comfort…
  • As we lay our heads down at night, we have much to be thankful for—provision, joy, trials gotten through, loved ones…

May I encourage you to sing {with your whole heart} your praise and gratitude and thanks giving to God truly thanking Him for those things that you have never thanked Him for!  Perhaps some of those blessings listed in the two Scripture passages above will supply some words to your song.

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In Everything Give Thanks

November 19, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

 Rejoice always
Pray without ceasing
In everything give thanks
For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In everything give thanks, with all your heart give praise
For the Lord we serve will never let you down
In everything give thanks, with all your heart believe
That the Lord can take a circumstance
And turn it all around

When you want sunshine to brighten up your day
But you find the clouds rain on your parade
Don’t forget somewhere someone you may not know
Is thanking God for a rain to make the crops grow

When troubles trouble you and you think life’s not fair
When you need someone and there’s no one there
Remember all the times that you feel alone are the
Times He’ll use to make you strong

Charlotte Ritchie  ~ written by Jeff & Sheri Easter

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Bless The Lord (10,000 Reasons)

November 19, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name

You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

God, I’ll worship Your holy name
I’ll worship Your holy name

 Written by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin ~ Performed by Yancy

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Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Psalms 103:1 and 2

Now that is what I want to do!  How about you?  Of course…it comes so easily to the heart of one of God’s children! Oh…how we love to praise and declare His goodness!

I will [earnestly] recall the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will [earnestly] remember the wonders of old.
I will meditate also upon all Your works and consider all Your [mighty] deeds.
Psalms 77:11 and 12

Haven’t we all had times when you have palpably experienced the goodness and faithfulness of God so intensely that you wanted to leap in the air and shout and say, “How could I ever doubt You, my God, after this?  How could I ever again despair of Your help?”  And we go along remembering His goodness and blessing Him.   …And then…some short time later…we falter.  We find ourselves doing just that—being discouraged, and doubting, forgetting our confidence in the goodness and greatness of God.  Why does this happen?  Perhaps because we so easily forget the evidences of God’s goodness which we ourselves have experienced; not to mention the vast number of records in Scriptures which tell us of God’s faithfulness and His goodness.

What are some of His ‘mighty deeds’…the ‘wonders of old’ spoken of in Psalm 77? Think about it; I am sure you won’t need to think but a moment to recall God’s awesome works!  Now, these are not quite 10,000 reasons…but here are a few that immediately came to mind—and these are all from the very first book in the Bible:

  • God spoke into existence His Creation (chapter 1:3-31)
  • God gave Noah His plan for saving a remnant of mankind, the animals and birds (chapters 13-21)
  • God protected mankind from making too much of themselves (chapter 11:3-9)
  • God promised (chapter 18:10-15) AND then made a way for a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman to conceive a child (chapter 21:1-7)
  • God provided in an incredible way as Abraham obeyed to the uttermost (chapter 22:1-14)

That God is GREAT <in every way that greatness could possibly be!> should be obvious to everyone.  Paul reminds us,

Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible nature, namely,
His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.
So men are without excuse for, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God or give Him thanks.
Romans 1:20 and 21

We ARE without excuse…if we are not continually voicing our gratitude and our thanks!  Our great God, the Great I AM, has done many and mighty works throughout time!  And His lovingkindness and goodness continue…His faithfulness to each of us is incredible!  We each have numerous stories to share praising God for His incredible blessings in our lives.  Every day in a variety of ways we should be expressing our thanks.

I will praise the name of God with a song.  I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:30

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.
Hebrews 13:15

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High;
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.
Psalms 50:14 and 15, 23

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This is my prayer…for you and me.  Let us bless the Lord with all that is within us!

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Psalms 34:1-3

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Forever (His Love Endures Forever)

November 18, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Give thanks to the Lord our God and King
His love endures forever
For He is good, He is above all things
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm
His love endures forever
For the life that’s been reborn
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise

Forever God is faithful
Forever God is with us
Forever

From the rising to the setting sun
His love endures forever
By the grace of God we will carry on
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise

Written by Chris Tomlin  ~  Performed by Robin Mark

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Don’t you just love to sing this praise anthem?!!?  The words just give our hearts such an awesome way to acknowledge God’s goodness and praise Him for His enduring love!

This praise-filled phrase—He is good; His love endures forever—is recorded in many places throughout the Old Testament.  One of the most outstanding records, in my opinion, is found in the 2nd Book of Chronicles, specifically chapters 5-7.

We see (in 2 Chronicles 5) King Solomon calling the elders of Israel, the leaders, the heads of the tribes (along with all the people of Israel) to accompany the Ark of the Covenant to its long-awaited proper home in the Temple.  (It had been his father, David, to whom God gave the vision for the building of the Temple, which was never accomplished in David’s lifetime.)  The priests brought the Ark to its proper, anointed place in the Holy of Holies.  Surrounding the altar were the Levites and the priests ready to praise in unison with all their instruments and their voices.

The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice.
They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments,
in praise to the LORD: For He is good; His faithful love endures forever.
The temple, the LORD’s temple, was filled with a cloud.
And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering,
for the glory of the LORD filled God’s temple.
Verses 13 and 14

The record of the dedication of the Temple continues (chapters 6 and 7) as Solomon prays and blesses the people.

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven
and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices,
and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
2 Chronicles 7:1

The peoples response?

When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down
and the glory of the LORD above the temple,
they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground,
and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,
“He is good; His love endures forever.”
Verse 3

And throughout the continued sacrifices and the ceremony of dedicating the Temple, continual praise “His love endures forever” was offered to God by the priests and the people along with the sacrifices of animals.

And, as such, this <without the animal sacrifice!> should be our continual praise.  We are oh-so-very blessed!  The provision and supply that our great God brings to our lives deserves our continual exclamation, “He is good! His love endures forever!”

Just as the psalmist communicates in every single verse of Psalm 136, perhaps our own conversation and communication about our great God—as well as our prayers— should always include this praise.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His (steadfast) love endures forever.
Verse 1

As we thank God for His goodness our hearts should overflow with words of gratitude and praise confessing that truly, “His love endures forever!” … Perhaps this year during your celebration of Thanksgiving with your friends and loved ones, you could share a time of praise and worship, and use these same words that David, and Solomon, and the Israelites used to declare God’s goodness.  Because no matter what the age, the situation, the circumstance, the season, the time, the day, or the hour… ‘He is good! His love endures forever!’

Here are a few different ways this glorious praise is written in different translations:

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good…

His love endures forever (NIV)
His faithful love endures forever (NLT)
His lovingkindness is everlasting (NASB)
His mercy endureth for ever (KJV)
His steadfast love endures forever (ESV)
His love is eternal (HCSB)
His loyal love endures (NET)
His mercy and lovingkindness are everlasting (AMP)

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Thanks Giving

November 17, 2014 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Be joyful always,
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances
for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

My dear sisters, anything that is God’s Will…I will do it!  For it means I have no choice but to obey.  Acts of disobedience will lead to destruction.  And, in fact in this case, thanks giving is an act of love.  As a child, you do thank your parents for buying you shoes (even when you don’t love the shoe).  You always thank them for the nice shoes as a token of your appreciation.

This is the same way we are to treat God.  Already it is His Will for us to do so.  Let us “…be doers of the Word, and not hearers only…” (James 1:22 ESV).

Thanks giving should be our lifestyle not an option.  See the following and meditate on these Scriptures.

When you have eaten and you are satisfied
praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.
Deuteronomy 8:10

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise
Give thanks to Him and praise His Name.
Psalm 100:4

Let them sacrifice thanks offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.
Psalm 107:22

Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share
in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light…
Colossians 1:2

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
Since as members of one body you were called to peace and be thankful.
Colossians 3:15

So being thankful is a calling; do not despise it.  Let us do it diligently always for we are called to do this.  Let us please the Heavenly Father in this, dear sisters and friends. Since it is His will we will be measured according to that.  How have we faired in this area?  Where you are and how are you doing it?  All of these matter.  Meditate on the Scriptures shared and make a choice to give thanks always…as per the calling.

 
Father, I thank You for calling me/us to this noble duty!  Father, sometimes we have not done Your Will…forgive us.  And I pray for Your grace to abide in us and cause us to do those that which You require us to do.  The grace should instill in us the spirit of thanks giving through our works, words, deeds, clothing, personality (and even those areas that I have missed).  May You do it, Lord, for You know us very well.  Thank You for what You did for us over 2000 years ago—sending Christ to die for us a shameful death and providing a rewarding life to the lost.  We give You praise and honor always!   In Jesus’ name, I pray, AMEN!

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