Giving thanks

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
In America, we have a national holiday called Thanksgiving. As the name implies, the original intention was to take time to thank God for all the things we’re grateful for. It’s great to have a special day to reflect on our blessings and show our gratitude but this should also be something that we do each and every day.

Why we should give thanks to the Lord

First and foremost, we should give thanks to the Lord because it’s His will for our life.
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
We should also give thanks because the Lord is good and all good things flow from Him. Did you know there are 16 verses in the bible that tell us to be thankful to the Lord because of His love for us? Here's just one of them.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
1 Chronicles 16:34 (ESV)

How to give thanks

You need to go all in when it comes to giving thanks to the Lord. He’s not interested in hearing superficial prayers. He wants to hear prayers that come from your heart.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:12 (ESV)
There’s more than one way to give thanks for the Lord. The Bible gives many examples of giving thanks in both prayer and song.
Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Psalm 95:2 (ESV)
Consider for a moment how seriously the prophet Daniel took his daily routine of spending time with God in prayer. He was so dedicated to it that he continued to pray and give thanks to God even when he knew that doing so would result in his death sentence. Fortunately, that's not a risk that most of us have to face.
When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to His house where he had windows in His upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on His knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before His God, as he had done previously.
Daniel 6:10 (ESV)

Jesus gave thanks

Jesus modeled the Christian life for us perfectly. He taught us to give thanks for our food (Matthew 15:36) and drink (Mark 14:23). He knew that all good things come from God. Of course, most of us work for our food but the wheat used to make the bread and the grapes used for the wine would not have existed unless God made them grow. Since Jesus gave thanks for food and drink, how much more should we?

As you gather with your loved ones to celebrate a time of thanksgiving this year, I hope you’ll find plenty to be thankful for as you keep this verse in mind.
Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Ephesians 5:4 (ESV)
As you sit together around the dinner table, be gracious to one another. Don't get into petty arguments over politics or any other worldly matters. Instead, keep your mind on the things that are above and be grateful for what you have.

May the Lord rain down many blessings on your life,
Daniel

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