BIBLICAL THANKSGIVING

Psalm 100:4
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Biblical thanksgiving is a continuous expression of the heart. It is thanking God for who He is and what He has provided for us in Christ. Thanksgiving is an everyday occurrence for the redeemed of God. It should not take a special national holiday to motivate and stimulate us to give thanks to the Lord. The word “thanks” in one form or another is found some 140 times in the Bible. The song writer was absolutely correct when he penned the following words: “Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” The Apostle Paul said:“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17).

Luke 17 gives us a great thanksgiving story about ten lepers who came to Jesus in order to be healed. Of all the stories in the Gospels, there is none that so passionately sets in contrast the difference between a life of gratefulness and a life of ungratefulness. The lepers had come to Jesus with a deep longing and a desperate need. Jesus miraculously cured all of them, but only one out of the ten had enough appreciation in his heart to return and give thanks. The Bible says,“And (he)fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks…And Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” The nine lepers were guilty of the same sin that you and I commit regularly. They were more willing to get something than to give something.

God is our provider who meets our daily needs. Everything we have is from our Heavenly Father. James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.” Asaph said in Psalm 50:14: “Offer unto God thanksgiving.” God commands us to give Him praise. This should be the constant activity of every believer in Christ. Psalm 92:1 says: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.” Are you and I truly thankful? During this thanksgiving season, let us examine our hearts and give praise on a regular basis to God!