Giving
Thanks To
God
• “Every day should be a day of
thanksgiving on the Christian’s
calendar”
Eph. 5:20
• Giving thanks always for all things
unto God and the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
• Paul wrote that we are to abound
with thanksgiving (Col. 2:7)
• “Rooted and built up in him, and
stablished in the faith, as ye have
been taught, abounding therein
with thanksgiving.”
• 1 Th. 5:18 – “in everything give
thanks”
• It is God’s will that we be thankful
and we must do the will of God to
go to heaven (Mt. 7:21)
The example of Jesus
• At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord
of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes.
(Mt. 11:25)
•I. Remember
never to forget
• Forgetfulness is an enemy of
thankfulness
• Joseph was forgotten by the butler
• Gen. 40:23 – “Yet did not the chief
butler remember Joseph, but forgot
him.”
• Only 1 of 10 lepers remembered
to thank Jesus
Lk. 17:15-17
• And one of them, when he saw that he
was healed, turned back, and with a
loud voice glorified God,
• [16] And fell down on his face at his
feet, giving him thanks: and he was a
Samaritan.
• [17] And Jesus answering said, Were
there not ten cleansed? but where are
the nine?
Ps. 103:2
• Bless the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits (KJV)
• Bless = means to praise God
• “Blessed are those who give
without remembering and those
who receive without forgetting”
•II. Count your blessing
for what you have –
refuse to dwell on
what you don’t have
1 Tim. 6:8
• And having food and raiment let
us be therewith content.
Heb. 13:5
• Let your conversation (manner of
life) be without covetousness;
(greed) and be content with such
things as ye have: for he hath
said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.
• So often we fail to remember the
things with which we are so
remarkably blessed
• “Count your many blessings,
name them one by one, and it
will surprise you what the Lord
hath done”
• Try and count:
• Your spiritual blessings
• Christ our savior, the church, the
Bible, Promises of God, hope of
heaven, the fact that we are
Christians, etc.
• Your physical blessings
• Families, health, our food,
shelter, clothing, our freedom,
the beauty of God’s creation,
jobs, etc.
• Perhaps an old Kentucky “recipe” for
washing clothes will help us appreciate
our modern conveniences … “build fire
in the back yard to heat the rain water
… set the tubs so the smoke won’t blow
in your eyes … shave a whole cake of
soap in boiling water … sort the clothes
in three piles – …
• 1 pile of white – 1 pile of colors and one
pile of rags and work britches … rub dirty
spots hard on a scrub board … spread
towels on the grass and hang rags on the
fence … pour rinse water in flower bed …
scrub porch with the soap water … turn
tubs upside down … put on a clean dress …
brew some coffee … sit and rock a spell and
count your blessings.
•III. Express
your gratitude
• We must express our gratitude
verbally
Ps. 107:1-2
• O give thanks unto the LORD, for
he is good: for his mercy
endureth for ever. Let the
redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he hath redeemed from
the hand of the enemy
• Mrs. Thomas Carlyle died with an
aching heart, having written in
her diary, “Carlyle never praises
me. If he says nothing I have to
be content that things are all
right.”
• Let us never be guilty of
withholding thanksgiving from
our heavenly Father.
• We must express our gratitude by
our lives as well as our lips
Ps. 116:12
• David writes, “What shall I render
unto the LORD for all his benefits
toward me?”
• In gratitude we will give unto God
our love, our time, our talents,
our money, our life, our all!
•IV. Realize that you
receive great gifts from
God; and never forget
the giver of the gifts
Js. 1:17
• Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and cometh
down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning
1 Cor. 15:10 – Paul was aware of
where his blessings came from
• But by the grace of God I am
what I am: and his grace which
was bestowed upon me was not
in vain; but I laboured more
abundantly than they all: yet not
I, but the grace of God which was
with me.
Lk. 12:16-21 – The rich farmer did
not realize the source of his blessings
• And he spake a parable unto them,
saying, The ground of a certain rich
man brought forth plentifully:
• [17] And he thought within himself,
saying, What shall I do, because I
have no room where to bestow my
fruits?...
• [18] And he said, This will I do: I will
pull down my barns, and build
greater; and there will I bestow all
my fruits and my goods.
• [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul,
thou hast much goods laid up for
many years; take thine ease, eat,
drink, and be merry…
• [20] But God said unto him, Thou
fool, this night thy soul shall be
required of thee: then whose shall
those things be, which thou hast
provided?
• [21] So is he that layeth up treasure
for himself, and is not rich toward
God.
Conclusion
• In every thing give thanks: for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. (1 Th. 5:18)