The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

I don’t know about you, but it has been a blessing for me to look up these verses which express the giving of thanks. I have so much for which to be thankful. I hope they have been a blessing to you as well. I have another verse for us today.

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Paul had many disappointments and setbacks in his ministry. He did not deny these; however, he kept the proper perspective of triumph through all the experiences of his church planting ministries.
He knew that God is sovereign.
He knew that God could be trusted in every circumstance.

The expression of such trust is like the beautiful odor of incense giving off the fragrance of the Lord Jesus in Paul’s life and labor. May our quiet trust and assurance of triumph through Christ be a sweet fragrance to others today.

For today: May we give thanks to the God Who ultimately will triumph in every situation. How will this work out in your life today?

“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” (Luke 17:15-16).

It was a tremendous day as the Lord Jesus passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee (Luke 17:11). As the Lord Jesus entered the village, ten lepers cried out for mercy. They cried aloud to the Lord. An incredible miracle took place with all ten being healed by the Lord Jesus as they went to show themselves to the priests. One turned back and ran to the Lord Jesus, falling at His feet and giving Him thanks. The Lord Jesus commented, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” It was a mighty miracle but a sad commentary. Only one out of the ten returned to give thanks. May that not be true of us today.

For today: I want to bow before Him often and give thanks to Him from my heart. How about you?

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 118:1).

All of my adult life I have been a public speaker. However! The older I grow, the more I seem to misspeak. I’ll say something opposite of what I meant to say. Or I will call someone by the wrong name when I fully know their correct name. Have you ever experienced this? I know that you have!

Of all the possible ways to misspeak, there is something that you will never, NEVER hear me say. You will never hear me say, “Give me what I deserve!” I don’t want what I deserve. Neither did the Psalmist. He expressed his thanks for the goodness of the Lord demonstrated in His mercy. Let me think, “give me what I deserve or give me mercy?” That’s easy to answer! I’ll thank the Lord for His precious mercy every day. This doesn’t give me a license for sinful living. It does encourage me, however, in my walk with Him.

For today: The Lord has extended mercy to us. Doesn’t this cause you to be thankful?

We are counting the days until Thanksgiving. Actually, for the believer, this is more than just once a year on our calendars. However, it is good for us to stop and remember how thankful we really should be every day.

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High” (Psalm 92:1).

It is a beautiful name of our great God. The name “O Most High” is Elyon (el-YONE).   What an honor to belong to the Lord Who is the highest, greatest, most glorious, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present, only true and living God.

What else can we say? He is the God Most High. Throughout my day today I want to be giving thanks to Him. How about you?

I can’t help but ask you: How will the truth about the Lord Most High impact your life your life today? Be watching!

“So we Thy people and sheep of Thy pasture will give Thee thanks for ever: we will show forth Thy praise to all generations” (Psalm 79:13).

One of my former ministry partners, Steve, loved to target practice. One day he encouraged me to shoot a few arrows with him. It is a good thing that my family’s meat did not depend on my archery expertise! What does this have to do with giving thanks to the Lord? Well, quite a lot, to be honest with you!

The words “give thanks” come from the Hebrew word yada (yaw-DAW) which means “to shoot with an arrow.” The picture is beautiful. We are to aim at the throne of God with our thankfulness. Our praises are directed to the Lord! Hang tightly to that word picture throughout the day. Be better at directing your thankfulness than I was with my actual bow and arrows. I think I came close to the target once or twice. Don’t just come close to thanking the Lord. Hit the target with reverence and with joy. Throughout your day, pick up your thanksgiving, take aim, and shoot!

Here’s what I am thinking of today: We have so much for which to give thanks. Direct it to the Lord your God.