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7 January 2018 – Pastor Toks Oshokoya
There are 3 important acts of reverence to God that believers are expected to live continually by. They are – Thanksgiving, Praise and Worship!
Quoting a man of God, late Pa Derek Prince,
* By Thanksgiving, we appreciate God’s GOODNESS.
* By Praise, we extol God’s GREATNESS.
* By Worship, we magnify God’s HOLINESS.
The Bible is full of admonitions and even examples of those who made thanksgiving, praise and worship their lifestyle. Aren’t we going to the same heaven?
Psalm 35: 18; Psalm 119: 62 – 64
THANKSGIVING – THE GOOD GAUGE (SOUND BAROMETER)
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” Colossians 3:15–17
This passage makes two demands of us:
- To Do All Things In His Name:
This righteous demand is a good gauge for every believer to monitor his or her lifestyle or minute by minute activities! It is a basic principle to guide our words and actions.
- To Give Thanks While Doing Them:
Thankfulness, or gratitude, is the appropriate response to what God has done and is still doing for us. It is something that we owe to God, something we need to pay.
1 Thess 5: 18; Col. 1:9-13; Eph 5:20
There is no question about the great need for thankfulness in our day. Much of society’s ills today are the result of a lack of gratitude. The Bible sets unthankful people apart from thankful people and lets us know that to be unthankful is a sin, a grievous sin, as it should be.
When someone does something for you, the response of your heart and your lips should be “Thank You!” – whether it’s God, your next door neighbour, someone in the church, or even a complete stranger. When someone gives you something that belongs to them; time, money, prayer, love, the response should be thankful.
Grievous Implications Of Unthankfulness
- Unthankfulness In The Last Days
Unthankfulness linked directly with unholiness! 2 Timothy 3:1-2 (KJV). In verse two, Paul tells Timothy that among the “lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, and unholy” would be people who were unthankful.
- Unthankful hearts can never be faithful!
Do we recall the case of the 10 lepers in the account in Luke 17, verse 19 reveals something! “And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” The leper who returned was expressing thankfulness, but Jesus accounted it to Him for Faith.
The Thankful – The Faithful
Who is The Faithful?
- strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.
- true to one’s word, promises, vows, etc.
- steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.
- reliable, trusted, or believed.
- adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.
- full of faith; believing.
The Faithful is not considering the past losses…
The Faithful is not short-circuiting the grace bestowed on him by wondering “why me?”
The Faithful is not comparing himself with others who seem to have been better favoured.
The Faithful is not bitter about past disadvantage.
The Faithful only magnifies the graciousness of the One who has bestowed ability, grace, assistance, favour, opportunity.
The Faithful is only concerned about NOW AND FOREVER!
That is why the Word about the Faithful is “Now, Faith is”
(3) Unthankfulness threatens access to His Presence
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name”Psalm 100:4
“Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence” Psalm 140: 13
(4) Unthankfulness quenches the fire of the Spirit!
Thankfulness releases our spirits for acceptable worship and service.
“Let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” Hebrews 12:28 NASB
Without gratitude, our services to God will not be acceptable. It is that “attitude of gratitude” that makes our services acceptable and releases our spirits.
“In everything give thanks; for this [giving thanks] is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit” 1 Thess 5:18–19 NASB
That is a clear commandment: if we do not give thanks, we are being disobedient. We are also out of the will of God. In addition, failing to give thanks quenches the Spirit. The only release for the Spirit—to serve God acceptably— is through thanksgiving.
Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for all You have done for me. I proclaim that as I approach a holy, awe- inspiring God with a humble, thankful heart, that attitude releases my spirit for acceptable worship and service. I shall show gratitude. Amen.
Being Thankful – Emotional Path
Being thankful is not a natural state of mind for most people.
For it to come emotionally, being thankful comes from knowing want. It comes from not having.
- A woman will be thankful for the husband she has when she understands what it means to not have a good husband.
- A man will be thankful for the job he has when he has gone through a long period of time where he had no job.
- Being broke teaches you how to be thankful.
- Being sick teaches you how to be thankful for painless days.
- Near death sickness teaches you how to be thankful for each and every day.
- Being lonely teaches you how to be thankful for someone who goes out of their way to be your friend.
The Exercise Of The Will – God’s Demand!
Thankfulness, like most important attitudes of the Christian life, must originate in the will, not necessarily in the emotions. We do not have to feel thankful in order to be thankful.
What should we be grateful for?
First of all,
We should be grateful for the wonderful cross and His work for us there.
We are compelled to depend upon the Holy Ghost every day and be led by him.
We ought to be grateful for His willingness to lead us each and every day.
We give thanks because He abides with us as a present and personal Comforter and Counselor.
We give thanks because He has made our heart His temple.
We give thanks because He works in us all that is gracious, virtuous, and well-pleasing in the sight of God.
God wants us to first be thankful for His Present and Future Blessings
And our thanks should always be directed to the Lord.
Everything; every good day, every pay raise, every good Dr. report, every help, every encouragement, every big and every little thing that encourages and blesses our life we should be thankful to God for.
Without that thankfulness we almost assuredly hinder the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The Miracle Of Thanksgiving
Luke 17:12-19 (KJV)
Note verses 15 and 16
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan”
While the 9 unthankful went on their way, this one man falls on his face at the feet of Jesus and cries out with a loud voice in thanksgiving, glorifying God.
Jesus noticed a distinct difference between this man and the other 9.
Jesus asks the question, “Where are the other 9?” Jesus made mention of the fact that some people appreciate when something good is done to them and some don’t.
In fact, the percentage of unthankful people in this account of Jesus’ ministry is alarming. 90% of the people in this particular miracle were unthankful. But Praise God for the 10%.
Thank God for the few that come back and say “Thank you”
Thankfulness brings into our lives that re-reward the Bible talks about – the extra blessing, the added bonus, the thing that not everybody else gets.
Why don’t you think about what you have to be thankful for today?
Why not make a list of the things the Lord has brought you through and tell Him one more time; “Thank You.”
2 Samuel 22: 46 – 51; 1 Chron 16: 8-19; 34-36; Psalm 145, Psalm 35: 18
Why not lift your hands and yield yourselves to Him with thanksgiving today?
The Christian Brethren Church International 