Giving Thanks

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” - 1 Chronicles 16:34

This Thursday, our nation will be celebrating Thanksgiving. This is a special holiday, typically spent with family. The pandemic is making this holiday season rather difficult, but the spirit of the season shouldn't be dampened by this ongoing health concern.

Thanksgiving should be more than an annual holiday. For the Christian, every day should be a day of thanksgiving. Sadly, the attitude of entitlement has drifted into the lives of many professing believers. Rather than giving thanks, we act like spoiled children.

As followers of Jesus, we should be the most grateful people on earth. We have been blessed so much. In addition to the grace shown to all mankind, we have been given the privilege of experiencing God's saving grace. We regularly enjoy fellowship with our Lord. We live by faith, trusting the exciting promises of God. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us along the way. We have the saints to encourage us and pray for us. We have the gift of God's Word that feeds our souls. We are truly blessed!

1 Chronicles 16:34 gives us basic reasons to give thanks. “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” Notice that we should, “... give thanks unto the Lord.” There are two basic reasons why we should give thanks to the Lord.

1. THE GOODNESS OF GOD

First of all, give thanks to the Lord, “... for he is good.” We sometimes refer to someone as being a good man, but our terminology tends to be weak. The Bible refers to mankind as being void of goodness. “There is none good, no, not one,” says the Lord. The only goodness in our lives comes through the operation of God's grace in and through us. However, God is good all the time. His goodness is not predicated on our goodness. Even though mankind has not been good, God is good. The Bible says, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good.” We should thank Him for His goodness. Aren't you glad that God has treated you better than you have treated Him? God is good, and as such, He is worthy of our thanks and praise! Think of all the ways He has been good to you --- and thank Him for those times!

2. THE GRACE OF GOD

Secondly, we should thank God for His grace. The Bible says, The Bible says, “O give thanks unto the Lord ... for his mercy endureth for ever.” Grace is God's unmerited favor. Grace is God's mercy and blessings that we don't deserve. Every act of kindness He has shown is an act of grace. Every gift He has given is a token of His grace. Each blessing we have received is because of His grace. As believers, we have extra reason to give thanks. We have experienced the marvelous saving grace of God. We are children of God because of grace. When we consider the vast nature of God's grace, we can't help but thank Him and worship Him!

As we observe Thanksgiving, we must admit that everything we are thankful for flows from these two foundational truths: God is good and He shows us grace. These truths are valid at all times, thus we have reason to give thanks daily, not just annually. There is nothing that will help you maintain a proper perspective like rendering thanks. Gratitude keeps our attitude in check.

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”