The source of thanksgiving!

Scripture Read: Psalm 100:4–5 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.

As an American this day means very much to me. I was very blessed to be born in a country that over all was based on Christian principles, and allowed such freedoms. It is also a sad day for me because I know how many of my countrymen think that we made our country what it is on our own! Nothing is further from the truth. We owe everything to You Father, and if we continue to move away from that we will cease to be the nation we once were. As a believer I am thankful everyday for the grace, mercy and love You have extended to my family. Just to be able to approach Your throne Oh Lord produces thanksgiving in my heart. Anywhere, anytime, I can sit at Your feet and experience Your love and faithfulness to me. I find that one of the key reasons we fail to really live in a spirit of thanksgiving is because we forget so quickly all the love You have showered on us Lord. It is essential for us as flawed humans that can only keep so much at a conscious level for a short time, to build memories of Your lovingkindness in our lives. 

This takes times of worship and meditation, but the fuits are well worth it. As we spend time contemplating how You have loved us, it builds into our thinking the reality of what an awesome God You are and stands against the lies our flesh and our adversary accuse You of. Even the trials You have allowed into our lives, when we have come through them, if we would take time to investigate the growth and maturity that trial brought forth, we will find ourselves thanking You for what You allowed. When remembering Your love toward us becomes a way of life, we will find ourselves in continual praise and thanksgiving for You being in our lives. This is not something that will just happen, this requires a proactive way of thinking and living. Our eyes are so affected by our flesh and the world. We need to actively seek Your Spirits illumination on our lives so we can see with our spiritual eyes the great things You have done. It’s simple, not easy, but simple. Even one little thought, like – Who is man that You should think on him? – is enough to have us break out in a chorus of thanksgiving! You…Almighty God … think about me! Thanks Dad for Who You are!

Meditation Questions: Does God have to do something to earn your thanks? What does thanksgiving to God look like? When was the last time you made time to meditate on your relationship with God? What happened to you as you did that? What does that say? Have you ever spend a time in prayer where all you did was thank God for Himself? Why not commit a time this week to do just that?