Thankfulness

[david_james]

This is taken from ilumina gold Bible, I will post more

Thankfulness

How Important is it to Express Thankfulness ?

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 16:4-36
Key Bible Verse: David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the LORD by asking for his blessings and giving thanks and praise to the LORD, the God of Israel. (1 Chronicles 16:4)

We should always be expressing Thankfulness.

Certain Levites were appointed to give continual praise and thanks to God. Praise and thanksgiving should be a regular part of our routine, not reserved only for celebrations. Praise God continually, and you will find that you won’t take his blessings for granted.


There are Four Significant Aspects of Thankfulness

Four elements of true thanksgiving are found in this song (psalm): (1) remembering what God has done, (2) telling others about it, (3) showing God’s glory to others, and (4) offering gifts of self, time, and resources. If you are truly thankful, your life will show it.
Bible Reading: Psalm 92:1-15
Key Bible Verse: It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, (Psalm 92:1-2)


Thankfulness ought to be a major ingredient in all our relationships

During the Thanksgiving holiday, we focus on our blessings and express our gratitude to God for them. But thanks should be on our lips every day. We can never say thank you enough to parents, friends, leaders, and especially to God. When thanksgiving becomes an integral part of your life, you will find that your attitude toward life will change. You will become more positive, gracious, loving, and humble.
Bible Reading: Romans 1:18-23
Key Bible Verse: Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. (Romans 1:21)


One of the first marks of rejecting God is Forgetting to thank Him

How could intelligent people turn to idolatry? Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God. Instead of looking to him as the Creator and sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe. They soon invent “gods” that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans and decrees. These gods may be wooden figures, but they may also be goals or things we pursue such as money, power, or comfort. They may even be misrepresentations of God himself-making God in our image, instead of the reverse. The common denominator is this-idolators worship the things God or man made, rather than God himself. Isaiah there anything you feel you can’t live without? Isaiah there any priority greater than God? Do you have a dream you would sacrifice everything to realize? Does God take first place? Do you worship God or idols of your own making?
Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
Key Bible Verse: God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)


Thankfulness Ought to be the prime Characteristic in a Christian's Life.

When someone gives you a gift, do you say, “That’s very nice-now how much do I owe you?” No, the appropriate response to a gift is “Thank you.” Yet how often Christians, even after they have been given the gift of salvation, feel obligated to try to work their way to God. Because our salvation and even our faith are gifts, we should respond with gratitude, praise, and joy.

Thankfulness can take on a variety of Effective Expressions.

We become Christians through God’s unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved merely for our own benefit, but to serve Christ and build up the church (Ephesians 4:12).

 

[david_james]

Thankfulness, God's Word on
A loving mate works hard all day at the office or at home. Do we bother to say thanks? Think about how often in a day someone does something for you, however small. How often do you say thanks? Now think about how often God helps you in a day. Think about how much God has given you. How often do you say thanks to him? Thanksgiving is a celebration of the giver and the gift. Celebrate often!


Why should we give thanks to the Lord ?

1 Chronicles 16:34 . . . Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Give thanks because God is good and kind and loving.
Luke 17:16 . . . He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done.
A thankful heart plays a role in the maturing of our faith.
1 Corinthians 15:57 . . . How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Give thanks for victory that God gives us in Christ.
2 Corinthians 9:15 . . . Thank God for his Son-a gift too wonderful for words!
Give thanks for God’s Son, Jesus.
Colossians 4:2 . . . Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Give thanks for answered prayer.
1 Chronicles 16:8 . . . Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
Psalm 111:1-2 . . . Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.
Give thanks to let others know how wonderful God is.
Ephesians 5:20 . . . Always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus.
Colossians 2:7 . . . Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
Give thanks because thanksgiving keeps our mind on Christ and our thoughts on others.

What are the Benefits of being Thankful to God ?

Psalm 50:23 . . . Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.
Psalm 92:1 . . . It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
Luke 17:16-19 . . . He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done.
When we give thanks to God we honor him and praise him. Also, we honor others when we give thanks to them, respecting them for who they are and what they have done.


How do I develop an attitude of Thanksgiving ?

Psalm 9:1 . . . I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
Psalm 92:2 . . . It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.
Colossians 3:15 . . . Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Philippians 1:3 . . . Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.
1 Timothy 4:4 . . . Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts.
Cultivate thankfulness by giving thanks regularly-morning and evening-every time you think about God and others.


How can I express my thankfulness ?

1 Chronicles 16:7 . . . That day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the Lord.
Psalm 147:7 . . . Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps.
Colossians 3:16 . . . Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Express thankfulness with music and singing.
Psalm 100:4 . . . Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Express thankfulness by praising and honoring him.
Psalm 116:17 . . . I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.
Express thankfulness through worship and giving.
Colossians 4:2 . . . Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Psalm 147:7 . . . Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps.
Psalm 111:1-2 . . . Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.
Psalm 119:7 . . . When I learn your righteous laws, I will thank you by living as I should!
Colossians 2:7 . . . Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
We show thankfulness to God through prayer, a grateful heart, singing and praise, by living as we should, and through service.


When Should we give Thanks to the Lord ?

Psalm 92:2 . . . It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.
Give thanks morning and evening.
Luke 9:16 . . . Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God’s blessing on the food.
1 Timothy 4:4 . . . Everything God created is good . . . We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts.
Give thanks when we are about to eat food he gives.
Colossians 3:15 . . . Always be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 . . . No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
We should maintain a spirit of constant gratitude.


Regardless of circumstances , for what can I always be thankful ?

1 Chronicles 16:34 . . . Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 7:17 . . . I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 138:2 . . . I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I will give thanks to your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, because your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
2 Corinthians 9:15 . . . Thank God for his Son-a gift too wonderful for words!
Ephesians 2:8 . . . God saved you by his special favor when you believed.
1 Corinthians 15:57 . . . How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!
1 Timothy 1:12 . . . How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 . . . No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I will thank the Lord for being good, just, and for who he is. I will thank him also for his love for me, his faithfulness, for sending his Son Jesus, for his mercy. I will thank him for victory over death and for keeping his promises.


A lack of Thanksgiving put up a barrier between us and God.

Exodus 1:8 . . . Then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.
Thankfulness fades with time. Apparently the new king had never been told about Joseph and the way Joseph had saved Egypt from starvation. For us, fading memory, neatly forgetting what we owe to God and others, can become a convenient way to avoid repaying our debt. Don’t let time rob God of the thanksgiving he deserves from you.
2 Chronicles 32:25 . . . Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him.
When our pride becomes a barrier, keeping us from thanksgiving and praise, it acts also as a wall to keep us from God.


PROMISE FROM GOD:
1 Chronicles 16:34 . . . Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

 

[david_james]

Thanks to God for my redeemer.
August Ludwig Storm (1862–1914)
Translated by Carl E. Backstrom (1901– )

IT IS EASY to thank God for roses. It is much harder to thank Him for the thorns. This hymn offers a mature approach to thanksgiving, showing appreciation for pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow.
August Storm wrote this hymn in 1891 while still a young man of twenty-nine. He worked for the Salvation Army in Sweden and published this hymn in the organization’s periodical, The War Cry. The Salvation Army has always specialized in reaching out to the poor and troubled, so Storm probably saw more than his share of pain and sorrow, as well as the joy and pleasure of lives turned toward Christ.
Just eight years after writing this hymn, Storm was stricken with a back problem that left him crippled for the rest of his life. He managed to continue his Salvation Army work, and he maintained a thankful spirit even during this most difficult time. If anything, his troubles gave more power and credibility to his sermons and writings.


Thanks to God for my Redeemer

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and dreary fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

 

[david_james]

This is from another Christian forum


Thanksgiving Proclamation

A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer by;
President George Washington, 1798

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor-- and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially in a form of government for their safety and happiness.

"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday...to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and glorious Being Who is the beneficent Author of all that was, that is, or that will be--that we may then all unite in rendering Him our sincere and humble thanks...

"And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions...to render our national Government a blessing to the people...to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations...and to bless them with good government, peace and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true knowledge and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of prosperity as He alone knows to be best..." George Washington

Today we still celebrate this national and legal holiday, but are we celebrating in the right manner as Christians? Are we forgetting the main purpose of this day is prayer and thanksgiving as we feast and fellowship? The Lord is not opposed to our feasting and our gathering of friends and family to dine, but if our only prayer is to ask God to bless our food are we not forgetting the real meaning of this day? God delights in blessing us as His children. However, do we, as His children delight in blessing Him with our prayers and thanks? Do our celebrations revolve more around the meal and the football game that follows, than around the discussion of the things we should be thankful for? Many are worshipping the idol of ball games on holidays instead of focusing on the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Let us ask God to forgive us and truly celebrate this day in real thanksgiving and prayer.

Thanksgiving is one of our main national holidays here in the United States. Have we lost the emphasis on thanksgiving and prayer and shifted it to a gluttonous feast of food, drink and games like those in the world have done? More and more the media is referring to this holiday as "turkey day" instead of Thanksgiving Day. They also eliminate the object of who we are to offer our thanks. We are just to be "thankful" we are told. Who should our thanks be directed to? The object of our thanks for our many blessings, should be directed to the Lord God. It should not just be a general "thanks."

The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated less than a year after the Christian Plymouth colonists had settled in the new land of America. Governor William Bradford decreed the first Thanksgiving Day, set aside for the special purpose of prayer as well as celebration, in July 30, 1623. There were harvest festivals, or days of thanking God for plentiful crops. During the Revolutionary War, eight special days of thanks were observed for victories and for being saved from dangers. On November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation for a day of thanks. President Lincoln proclaimed our national day of thanksgiving in 1863 with these words, "a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father."

Psalm 75:1, "Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare."

Psalm 107:1, "O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever."

This nation was founded as a nation under God. There are forces in the land that are hell-bent on changing that... such as the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, People for the American Way, NOW, PP, the national news media, the entertainment industry, the NEA, etc.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

The peace of God comes from having a thankful heart. Note what this peace will do for you. God says "it will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." People who are not thankful to the Lord are not satisfied. They are discontent always complaining about what they do not have....rather than be grateful for what is God's provision for them.

Isaiah 26:3 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee."

The peace "which passeth all understanding" means it is a peace that surpasses all that men can conceived or imagine. The words "shall keep" is a military term, and means that the mind would be guarded as a camp or castle is. It would be preserved from the intrusion of anxious fears and alarms.

Today there are growing numbers of people who considered themselves to be Consumers .....RATHER THAN GIVERS. They come to church to be served, not to serve others. Some when called on complain about having to serve and point the finger at people who are not doing their share. Do you understand that with that attitude...no matter what the church member does there is no reward for them and it does not please the Lord. We are to serve with gladness...thanking the Lord for the opportunity.

2 Corinthians 9:7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

It is a blessing and uplifting for others when we show in a practical way our thanksgiving. You see. . . we cannot give God anything. He has given us all we have. But when we give our offerings to Him, the first fruits of His gifts to us we are able to show gratitude. In this God lets us be a blessing through our church to others also. The money we give goes pays the expenses we have, it is vital in reaching out into our community with the Gospel. It also lets us support missions around the world. By giving to the Lord from a grateful heart, God blesses us.

As Christians, we should be thanking God’s blessing everyday

 

[rizen1]

Thank you for sharing this, I'm going to save it to my favourites.

I dont have everything , but I'm alive and I'm thankful for him breathing life into me.

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and dreary fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

I'm thankful for the peace within my soul.....praise Him from whom all blessings flow

 

[david_james]

I am glad you enjoyed it.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

I thank God for people on this site who continually demonstrate true Christianity to the world. Scoffers sniff in distain at us when we show our love for the Lord away from our church buildings.

Let us make every effort, by our example, to be good witness for Jesus on Thanksgiving day and every other day by acknowledging Him and thanking Him for what He has done for us.

SLE

 

[rlowe]

A THANKFUL song (unsure of Author)

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GIVE THANKS ... (I think is the title)

Give thanks with a greatful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich"
Because of what the Lord has done ... for us

Give thanks.
-

 

[rizen1]

Yes the title is give thanks....

Praise God,
I was trying to get some old songs to sing, and this one just couldnt come out.

Thank you.

 

[rlowe]

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I am thankful I was able to help somebody.

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[rlowe]

another song of Thankfulness

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Thank you Lord for saving my soul.
Thank you Lord for making me whole.
Thank you Lord for giving to me,
Thy great salvation,
So rich & free.

/\Song best of my memory. Author unknown to me.
Please forgive any errors.:embarasse
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