Reason to Give Thanks

It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High according to Psalm 92:1.  This verse also reminds us that when Jesus answered the Pharisees that there was only one who was good, and that was God.  Therefore, it is true that giving thanks is not only a good thing but a "God" thing.

Verse 2 contains some simple reminders of how to do it: to declare your lovingkindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night.  Start your day with an awareness that God's mercy is fresh every morning, and establish this truth for the day by declaring it over your day. Then as you retire for the night, let your closing thoughts and words be giving thanks for His faithfulness in taking care of you in all the events of the day.  

It is both true and humbling to remember what 1 Corinthians 4:7 asks, "what do you have that you did not receive?"  Take time to acknowledge and reflect with a thankful heart all God has given. 

Secondly, Thanksgiving causes us to look forward to all God has for us in the future: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."  (1 Corinthians 2:9)  We clearly are the most blessed on the earth, as Psalm 21:6 states, and have every reason to be grateful for His gracious gift of Himself!  

Keep Sowing Seeds

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you, according to Luke 6:38.  Clearly, God is so pleased that we choose to care about others rather than just ourselves that He abundantly responds in kind.    

The principle of God, which Galatians 6:7 introduces by reminding us that God is not mocked, is that what a man sows he will surely reap.  This same concept is declared in 1 Peter 3:9 where the Holy Spirit states that we are called to bless that we might receive the blessing.  We don't just do it for the return blessing, but as sure as God is, He does reward our smallest and biggest effort, from giving a glass of water to little one to laying our life down for others.

The obvious problem with giving is that often the people we seek to bless may take advantage of us, or worse yet, turn on us.  So, it is important to remember that we give to God by blessing others, and we do it in obedience to Him.  Then it doesn't matter whether the ones we help appreciate our work or not, God knows our heart and every detail of what we do.  Therefore, Galatians 6:9 reminds us to not be weary in well doing for in due time we shall surely reap.  The central issue is do we trust that God is faithful to His promise.   

The nature of God is love which gives.  Because God is a giver, and is so good, His life in us motivates and empowers us to give: to give thanks to Him always, to give our resources to others in need, and to be ready to bless every person that He directs.  Give and it will be given.  In all this, we simply cannot outgive God, He will surely honor those who honor Him by giving.  Keep sowing seeds and trust God to produce the harvest.  

Thankfully Overcome

 God is the master at reminding us of foundational values through events and seasons.  Just as October challenged us to stand in the authority Jesus has given over the powers of darkness, November is designed to bring us back to acknowledging God's eternal goodness, not just in what we now have, but also in His awesome future for us to dwell in His presence and glory forever.  What God has planned certainly is beyond description and our finite understanding, but nevertheless, true and worthy of rejoicing in His revealed plan and letting it motivate our godly choices.    

Scripture reveals that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him.  Surely HIs joy was seeing you and I receive what He was doing to pay for our sins and become children of God to be with Him forever.  Likewise, in Revelation 2 and 3, God sent messages to the various churches with awesome encouragements of "joy" set before those who overcome. 

God is a rewarder of those who seek Him and obey Him.  If God does not overlook having a reward for giving a glass of water to a little one, how much more will not miss rewarding choices to obey our Spirit-led promptings and to put down the screaming lusts of the flesh (Romans 8:13).  He promises life and peace to those who obey the Spirit.  

Therefore, in this season of thankfulness, hear the word from Jesus in John 16:33, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  And the accompanying truth from 1 John 5:4-5, which states that all those who are born again overcome the world through our faith. 

We rejoice together in thankfulness for all the goodness we taste now (Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good); and also for the amazing future goodness God has for those who love Him (Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9)

The Lord has enabled His children to overcome through His death and resurrection; furthermore, He has given us sufficient reason and anointing to be thankful in every situation.  As He overcame, we now thankfully overcome by His power working in us.