Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Are You A Thankful Person?

I fear that all too often we fail to be a thankful people. We are very good at complaining, but not so good at thanking God for His many blessings. What kind of person would you rather be around a complainer or a person who is truly thankful and not afraid to express his feelings? God is truly glorified when we continually give Him thanks. Imagine the kind of testimony you could be for Christ.

I love Psalm 100. What a challenge for us today! The Psalmist challenges us to praise our great God because: He created us v.3, He is our shepherd v.3, we can come into His presence vv.1, 4, and finally v.5 ends with the assurance of God's favor, mercy, and dependability towards us. Now, let us not forget our standing before God- simply sinners with nothing to offer Him in and of our selves. (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;") But let us also remember that in Christ, we come before God in Christ’s righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.") Therefore we can now “…come boldly unto the throne of grace…” Hebrews 4:16.

Because of our access to the Father, we enjoy many spiritual benefits. Just read and meditate on Ephesians 1:3ff. Our Father has done so much for us all the while we were completely undeserving of His grace. How dare we go around complaining, grumbling, whining, and so forth. We need to cultivate lives of thanksgiving. Let us follow the Psalmist’s challenge in Psalm 100: to make a joyful noise v.1, to serve the Lord with gladness v.2, to sing praises in God’s presence v.2, to enter into His presence with thanksgiving v.4, and to bless His name v.4. Think on some of these words. “Gladness” in v.2 has the idea of glee or pleasure. It ought to be pleasurable to serve the Lord! “Singing” also in v.2 has the idea of a triumphant shout or glad exhortation. The root word for “thanksgiving” in v.4 means confession. It can be a confession of sin, or a confession of God’s character and works. In Psalm 100 we are challenged to adore Him, give Him thanks, and confess His greatness for who He is and what He does.

We have a lot to be thankful for. We have many reasons to praise God’s holy name. When we praise and thank Him for all that He has done for us we truly glorify him. Not only that, but we also become a testimony to the unbelievers around us. Thank God publically. Let people know you serve an awesome God. Praise His name before your co-workers, at the store, wherever you may be, and whatever situation you might find yourself in. Hebrews 13:15 "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."