Thanksgiving is more than just a nice thing to do. We actually enter into God’s very presence by giving thanks and praise. All you have to do is say thank you and you are in. Thanksgiving demonstrates a humble heart that recognizes everything you have comes from Him.
PSALM 100:4-5 NKJV 4Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
The first three “whys” of giving thanks and praise centered on what God has done for us. The next three will focus on who He is. Remember, God is to be thanked and praised for who He is and what He has done, regardless of our circumstances. This gives us a solid unshakable foundation for thanksgiving and praise that can’t be swayed by our circumstances.
We thank and praise God because He is good.
He is good morally. He is friendly, kind and desirable. He is happy and pleasant. He is beautiful. God is good. He possesses the quality of goodness. It’s just who He is. The New Testament tells us that you will know a tree by its fruit. A good tree can’t bear bad fruit and a bad tree can’t bear good fruit (see Matthew 7:17). It is what it is. God is good. He can’t give anything but good – by His standard and definition, not ours.
Take a few moments to think about how good He has been to you? Be specific. Tell Him out loud all the ways He has been good to you.
Just say thank you!
How do we thank and praise Him for His goodness? Express it, out loud, with your words! I love how the Message Bible translates Psalm 100:4, “Enter with the password, “Thank you!” The password to His presence is, “thank you!” The fact that we can enter in the first place is amazing. It is a matter of great privilege. It is only due to what Christ has done on our behalf. He is the door. It should be the easiest thing in the world for Christians to say, “Thank you!” Would it be different if you had watched Christ die on your behalf? If you had seen the crucifixion live? Then again, why should it be? It’s not only a historical fact but we have met the One who has risen from the dead. He is a walking miracle. It shouldn’t be hard to say, “Thank you!”
The word thanksgiving means to confess. It’s a verb. It means to declare God’s attributes, works and also to confess your sins, with your mouth. Open it up and use it to bless the One who had given you everything.
- Thank Him for the seemingly little stuff (that’s not really so little): shoes on your feet, clothes on your back, clean water to drink, food to eat, people that love you.
- Thank Him for the big stuff: He has created you, chosen you, called you, given you His Spirit, shed His blood for you.
- Thank Him for everything in between, but please, do something. Don’t be a thankless Christian.
Today, take some time to declare God’s attributes and works with your mouth.
