2 Corinthians 9:11
“Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.” If we take time to pause and reflect on just how good God has been to us, it is overwhelmingly evident just how blessed we are. The hymn “Count Your Blessings” comes to mind. Despite any circumstance we may be struggling through or dealing with at the moment, none of that can change the fact that God is Good, and He has blessed us abundantly. Have you ever considered what it is that enriches your life? Yes, it is God. But consider for a moment how He enriches us “in every thing to all bountifulness”…the answer lies a few verses above our verse today. 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” Everything we have is because of His grace. His grace abounds towards us and is always sufficient for our every need. 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” When we think about His grace towards us, does it not cause your heart to be overwhelmed with thanksgiving to Him? Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Thank Him today for how He has enriched your life by His grace. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 23-24 | Psalm 101-103
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Psalm 100
“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” One of the most quoted Psalms. It has only five short verses, but is filled with so much Truth. Within those five verses are seven principles that we can apply in order to maintain a thankful heart within us. “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD” Regardless of how well we think our voice sounds, we can all sing praises unto Him. “Serve the LORD with gladness” The purpose of our lives is to serve, honor and glorify Him. Why not do it gladly with the unspeakable joy that only He can give? “come before his presence with singing.” Singing is simply praise to Him. We can come boldly before Him with praise in our hearts and find grace to help in our time of need. “Know ye that the LORD he is God” How comforting it is to know that He is Who He said He is. There is simply no one like Him! “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise” From the moment we come before Him, our hearts should be giving thanks that He even hears a word we say. When we realize how much of a privilege that is, how can we not want to thank and praise Him? “be thankful unto him” This is the only place within the Scripture where this phrase is found. What a simple yet powerful way to live! No one else deserves our thankfulness. No one else deserves our praise. Every single thing we have is because He gave it to us. How can someone be unthankful after all He has done? “and bless his name.” How do we bless His Name? Though it sounds complicated, it is really quite simple. The phrase implies a bent knee, signifying humility and reverence. Why should we strive to do and apply all these things? The last verse gives the simple answer. Psalm 100:5 “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Has He not been good to you? Has He not shown you mercy? Be thankful unto Him today for all that He has given you. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 21-22 | Psalm 100 Luke 2:38
“And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Anna is one of the women of the Bible that is often overlooked. Her story is found within what we refer to as “The Christmas Story” in Luke 2. Only three verses are written about her; yet, she is a great example of who we should all strive to be. Luke 2:36-37 “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” Even in her old age, she was faithful. She faithfully served God night and day in the temple. Anna was devoted to serving the Lord. “and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” But before she spake of Him to others, she thanked Him. She knew He was coming soon. She wanted to share the Good News with those who needed redemption. Her faith would soon become sight as she saw Jesus, and she would spend the rest of her days telling others about Him. Though she was looking for His first coming, does her story not sound like how we should be today? He is coming again soon. This time He will not be found as a baby in a manger, but rather as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Soon it will be too late to receive Him as Saviour. What a privilege we have to be entrusted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! With that great privilege comes a humbling responsibility. How often do we take the Gospel for granted? If we are not faithfully sharing the Good News with others, do we really know Him? We cannot speak of Someone we do not know. Thank Him for the opportunity to speak of Him today. Thank Him that He made salvation possible. Thank Him that He was willing to die for you. Thank Him today for His first coming, then go tell someone else about why He came. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 19-20 | Psalm 98-99 Matthew 15:36
“And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” When you hear the words “the feeding of the…” most likely you finished that phrase with 5,000. What a miracle that was, Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fishes, and fed a multitude of at least 5,000 people. There remained 12 baskets of fragments left over, one for each disciple. Many times, we overlook a similar miracle found in Matthew 15. Matthew 15:37-38 “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.” He took seven loaves and a few little fishes, fed at least 4,000, and seven baskets full were left. A cynic may say, “well, He had more food to work with and fed less people…”, all the while failing to see that it was still a miracle. The little supply that was available was brought to Jesus. Anything His hands touched resulted in a miracle taking place. But notice the first thing Jesus did when He received what was available… He gave thanks. Jesus gave thanks to His Father for what they had before He broke the loaves and fishes into fragments. He knew what He was about to do. He knew the miracle that was about to happen. Yet, He thanked God the Father before anything else happened. Perhaps we should follow His example and thank the Lord for what we have and what we believe He will do before we do anything else to help our situation. Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” He may already be working on the problem. He may have a miracle waiting for us. Perhaps He is only waiting for us to be thankful for what we have now. Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Maybe He desires us to thank Him in faith believing He will come through. Choose to be thankful today for the miracle that could happen tomorrow. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 17-18 | Psalm 95-97 Daniel 6:10
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” There had been a decree signed by King Darius that prohibited anyone from asking a petition of any God or man except the king for thirty days. Daniel 6:7 “All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.” That meant it was unlawful for Daniel to pray to his God. If he continued to faithfully pray to God, he would be cast into the den of lions. He had a choice to make. Would he do what he knew in his heart was right or would he concede to the demands of the government? Daniel 6:11 “Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.” Despite what was now the law of the land, he chose to be faithful to God. He did not even try to hide. He prayed with the windows open, unashamed of his faith. There is coming a day, and for some it has already come, that we will be forced to choose who we will obey. What will we choose when we are threatened with a den of lions? There may not be literal lions waiting for us, but there is a lion who walks about seeking to devour anyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” Will we continue to pray? Will we continue to give thanks to the One Who gives us all things? Acts 4:19 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Bible Reading: Ezekiel 15-16 | Psalm 92-94 1 Thessalonians 2:13
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” In our walk with the Lord, we read His Word, we listen to preaching and we glean from the people He has placed in our lives. If we are not careful, we can slowly begin to focus on the words of others more closely than the Word of God. We must remind ourselves from time to time that any advice we receive from someone should be rooted in the Word. His Word is powerful. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” His Word makes the difference. Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” When we are asked to give an answer to the reason for the Hope that lies within us, we must simply point them to the Word. Remember the parable of the Sower… …some of the Seed fell on the wayside, and ended up eaten by the fowls. …some fell upon a rock, and withered away. …some fell among thorns, and choked. …and other fell on good ground, and bare fruit. The sower was just to sow the Seed of the Word of God and allow the Lord to do the rest. Thankfully, it is not our job to persuade or guide. It is simply our responsibility to point them to the effectual Word of God. Philemon 6 “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Bible Reading: Ezekiel 13-14 | Psalm 89-91 Psalm 119:62
“At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.” When the storms of life rage around us, His Word can bring us comfort and peace. Knowing His Word in the midst of our storm allows us to give thanks to Him even in our darkest hour. Unless we know His Word, we cannot give Him thanks for what He has done. Psalm 119:75 “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” In the midst of our affliction, we have to decide whether to allow the circumstances to distract us or remind us of what God’s Word says. He brings situations to pass so that we can learn Who He is in the middle of our suffering. Unless we know His Word, we cannot give Him the praise He deserves. Psalm 119:7 “I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.” Our hearts cannot be right with Him, if we are not spending time in the Scriptures. Studying the Word shows us Who God is, and why He alone deserves our praise. Unless we know His Word, we cannot understand the difference between right and wrong. Psalm 119:128 “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” In order to know which way is wrong, we must first know the right way. Jesus Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We cannot be on the right way, have the Truth, or experience real life without Him. All of this begins with knowing His Word. Before we praise the Lord, we must know why He deserves our praise. Before we thank the Lord, we must know what He has done for us. Thank Him for His Word today by seeking to know Him more. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 11-12 | Psalm 86-88 2 Thessalonians 1:3
“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;” Paul, Silas and Timothy pinned a second letter to the church of Thessalonica, and they began once again by thanking God for the people. But this time, they specifically noticed their spiritual growth. “because that your faith groweth exceedingly” Is your faith growing? Or perhaps you have found yourself in somewhat of a spiritual rut lately. We’ve all been there. The best way to get out of a rut, and continue to grow is to drown yourself with the Word of God. 1 Peter 2:2-3 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” A taste of His Word can change our perspective and our position. 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” They also noticed growth in the people’s love for one another. “and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;” Are you investing in others? That is a true sign of love toward one another. John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” It is so easy to only be focused on ourselves and what we need that we miss out on being a blessing to others. Philippians 2:4 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Thank Him today for those who have invested in you so that you could grow. Where would you be if someone had not shown the love of Christ to you? May remembering them cause you to desire to invest in someone else. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 9-10 | Psalm 83-85 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;” Consider for a moment what it is that makes you thankful for someone. Is it something that they have done for you? Is it simply for who they are? Paul, Silas and Timothy were giving thanks for the people of the church at Thessalonica. They made it a priority to pray for these people that were dear to their hearts. They were so thankful for them that they remembered them constantly. “Remembering without ceasing…” Has anyone ever made that kind of impact on you? We find three specific reasons they were thankful for them in these verses. “your work of faith” “labour of love” “patience of hope” Each of these reasons were rooted in Christ. “… in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;” He was their motive for all that they did. Could someone say that of us? And if so, enough for them to thank the Lord remembering us in their prayers? What a convicting thought. May we all strive to live with such a testimony. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 7-8 | Psalm 80-82 John 11:41
“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” Jesus was standing at the grave of His friend, Lazarus, who had been dead four days. He continued His prayer explaining why He had thanked the Father for hearing Him. John 11:42 “And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.” Perhaps if we realized how our thankfulness affects other people, we would thank Him more. He was groaning within Himself, weeping over His friend’s situation. He heard the rebuke of Martha as she told Him the impossibility of the situation now that her brother was dead, then He reminded her of what He had already said. John 11:40 “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” She either forgot what He said, or simply chose not to believe Him. Is that not what we do on a regular basis? We have the perfect Word of God at our fingertips. The answer to every situation lies within the Words on the pages. Yet, so often, we choose to ignore or forget what He said. Whatever seemingly impossible situation lies in front of you today, He is Able. Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” As much as He is Able to provide a solution, He is also waiting for us to cry unto Him for help. He desires for us to call upon Him. Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” He encourages us to ask, seek, knock. Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” When the task in front of us seems impossible, the Lord hears the cry of His children. Bible Reading: Ezekiel 5-6 | Psalm 77-79 |
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