The holiday rush and hustle has begun...we see it in the decorations, the shopping, the planning...and hear it in the murmurs that are about us. And as we approach the week of Thanksgiving...I just wonder how much time is truly spent on appreciating what we already have and the blessings that we have already been able to count. It seems like we so often to tend to be in wanting mode and forfeit our ability to be content in all circumstances.
The word "thanks" is used a hundred times throughout the bible. Really it is documented an even 100 times on Bible Gateway. It is either in the forms of a general thanks or thanksgiving....but God must have thought it an worthy issue to keep reminding us of its importance throughout His word. "Give thanks", "gave thanks", "enter His gates with thanksgiving". "thanks be to God", "thanksgiving to overflow", "giving thanks", joyful thanks"..... the story that we are most familiar with is the one about the Lord feeding the thousands with just a couple of loaves of bread and a few fish. This was a big deal....but what was first done before the distribution...They held the food up and gave thanks....and then what happened? It was multiplied in such excess that the small amount of food was enough to feed the whole crowd with leftovers.
Ok now just thinking about that story and its intent alone....there are a few good points that are worthy to be kept as a foundation in our thoughts regarding whatever situation we are in.
1) they were hungry.....in their physical state ....we are too in our spiritual state...for something that will fill and satisfy our hearts and souls
2) a small child offered the little that he had.....God will take from us whatever sacrifice we give to him and make it a worthy offering
3) the bread was lifted unto the Lord for a blessing.... and a prayer of thanksgiving was lifted for God's provision ..to me this is an upfront example of what we are to do with the little or the lot that we have....lift it unto the Lord in Thanksgiving...and appreciation...and praise
4) God listens...God sees, God provides for those who call upon His name....and places his hand of favor on those who present themselves and what they have to him in thanksgiving.
We all like to be appreciated for who we are and what we do...the little things as well as the big things...But God...well think about how many things that God does for us and through us that we never give him credit for...we just go about our days in entitlement...not giving a sincere appreciation and thought that even through the bad stuff...he is still working for our benefit...and His GLORY!
He can and will take our stuff...our emotional, our spiritual and our physical stuff and multiply it according to His will...if only we offer it unto Him in thanksgiving. As you are out and about this week...look around...take notice of the blessings that are about you...the little ones and the big ones and GIVE THANKS...from the bottom of your heart. For thanksgiving and praise unto the Lord is His delight. And he will take whatever you offer and hold it close to His heart with delight....and you will see as I have, that the more you give Him the more blessed you are....for there is a peace and a joy that results in that relationship that out weights anything we could buy or attain on our own.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Dear Lord, Help us to recognize the importance of thanking you for what you have and are giving us. For even through the trials there is something that you are using to grow us and help us be what you have envisioned for our lives. To you be the glory and THANK YOU LORD....for loving us as you do in spite of the many blunders that we make. May we in turn be thankful unto you for "all" that you do...not just the things that we like! And may we too remember to lift unto you the little things, and little prayers... knowing that you can and will do things of wonder beyond our comprehension. Amen
The word "thanks" is used a hundred times throughout the bible. Really it is documented an even 100 times on Bible Gateway. It is either in the forms of a general thanks or thanksgiving....but God must have thought it an worthy issue to keep reminding us of its importance throughout His word. "Give thanks", "gave thanks", "enter His gates with thanksgiving". "thanks be to God", "thanksgiving to overflow", "giving thanks", joyful thanks"..... the story that we are most familiar with is the one about the Lord feeding the thousands with just a couple of loaves of bread and a few fish. This was a big deal....but what was first done before the distribution...They held the food up and gave thanks....and then what happened? It was multiplied in such excess that the small amount of food was enough to feed the whole crowd with leftovers.
Ok now just thinking about that story and its intent alone....there are a few good points that are worthy to be kept as a foundation in our thoughts regarding whatever situation we are in.
1) they were hungry.....in their physical state ....we are too in our spiritual state...for something that will fill and satisfy our hearts and souls
2) a small child offered the little that he had.....God will take from us whatever sacrifice we give to him and make it a worthy offering
3) the bread was lifted unto the Lord for a blessing.... and a prayer of thanksgiving was lifted for God's provision ..to me this is an upfront example of what we are to do with the little or the lot that we have....lift it unto the Lord in Thanksgiving...and appreciation...and praise
4) God listens...God sees, God provides for those who call upon His name....and places his hand of favor on those who present themselves and what they have to him in thanksgiving.
We all like to be appreciated for who we are and what we do...the little things as well as the big things...But God...well think about how many things that God does for us and through us that we never give him credit for...we just go about our days in entitlement...not giving a sincere appreciation and thought that even through the bad stuff...he is still working for our benefit...and His GLORY!
He can and will take our stuff...our emotional, our spiritual and our physical stuff and multiply it according to His will...if only we offer it unto Him in thanksgiving. As you are out and about this week...look around...take notice of the blessings that are about you...the little ones and the big ones and GIVE THANKS...from the bottom of your heart. For thanksgiving and praise unto the Lord is His delight. And he will take whatever you offer and hold it close to His heart with delight....and you will see as I have, that the more you give Him the more blessed you are....for there is a peace and a joy that results in that relationship that out weights anything we could buy or attain on our own.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Dear Lord, Help us to recognize the importance of thanking you for what you have and are giving us. For even through the trials there is something that you are using to grow us and help us be what you have envisioned for our lives. To you be the glory and THANK YOU LORD....for loving us as you do in spite of the many blunders that we make. May we in turn be thankful unto you for "all" that you do...not just the things that we like! And may we too remember to lift unto you the little things, and little prayers... knowing that you can and will do things of wonder beyond our comprehension. Amen
Praise God where ever you are and whatever situation he has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!
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