Thanksgiving -- Part 2

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, what are some ways that we can grow in gratefulness to the Lord?

· Experience Him

We can’t give thanks for what we haven’t experienced!

Psalm 34:8 (ESV) – “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

· Pause

Thanksgiving can’t be done in a hurry! We need to slow down so that we can experience the presence of the Lord.

In Luke 10 we find Jesus and His disciples traveling, when they entered Bethany a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home.

Luke 10:39–40 (ESV) – “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving.”

When Martha noticed that she was doing all the work while her sister was enjoying Jesus' presence, she went to Him and asked Him if He cared that her sister had left her to do all the work.

Jesus answered her . . .

Luke 10:41–42 (ESV) – “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” 

We need to make sure that we pause each day and consider all the ways that God has blessed us!

· Count your blessings

Write it down. What are you grateful for today? If you’ve been going through a time of pain and suffering, isn’t it time to shift your focus from what you’ve lost or endured to what you’ve been blessed with?

Psalm 103:2 (ESV) – “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

Psalm 103:2 (NLT) – “Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me."

· Express it

Psalm 109:30 (ESV) – “With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.”

1 Chronicles 16:8 (ESV) – “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!” 

Let us take advantage of every opportunity to tell others about the goodness of God!

· Live it

Let us not be satisfied to just to consider and to sing about God’s blessings, let us live lives of gratitude.

Ephesians 5:20 (ESV) – “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

For the Christian every moment of our lives is to be lived in an attitude of thanksgiving. Let us not be dependent upon a special day that is declared by our president, but let us be moved by the grace and love of our Sovereign King to continually over to Him an offering of praise and thanks!