Thoughts for Life: GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD

Jacie Conley

One of the first things I taught my son to say was “Thank you.” I can still remember the cute way he said it as a toddler. He looked at us with an enormous smile and bright eyes and exclaimed, “Tank you!”

My son is a teenager now, but I remind him daily to say thank you. I have always thought showing appreciation to people, especially God, was necessary.

When we say thank you, we acknowledge we have received a blessing. Thank you is an expression of the gratitude we feel for that blessing. It’s an essential practice in our lives.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever."The Bible mentions this Scripture six times and the phrase “give thanks” fifty-two times. It must be important if give thanks is noted that much.

Everyone appreciates a thank you. It’s an acknowledgment of effort and sacrifice. When we say thank you to God, it shows we recognize how blessed and thankful we are.

We have many reasons to give thanks to God. He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could experience salvation. One of the benefits of that salvation is the love and care God has for each of us that endures forever. Just these two facts are reasons to give thanks, not to mention how God blesses us daily by answering our prayers. Those are a few of the million reasons to be thankful.

Today, take a few moments to thank God for all He has done. Remember to show Him how thankful you are through your everyday actions. May we never stop thanking and praising Him for the many blessings He bestows on us.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."
Psalm 107:1 NIV

Let's pray-

Father, our teaching our children to say "Thank you," starts from a young age, as we want them to learn to be thankful. When they become teens, hopefully, we won't have to remind them often to say "Thank you" in showing appreciation to others, and especially to You.

When we Thank You, we acknowledge the blessings we've received as an expression of gratitude that we feel. May it become an essential practice in our lives!

We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

#80 Testimony of a waitress (Taken from the POWER IN PRAISE book, by Merlin R. Carothers)

"Once, after a late meeting, I walked into a restaurant and asked for a glass of milk. The waitress smiled and went to the kitchen to get my order. A moment later she reappeared with an angry frown on her face.

"I'm sorry, sir, but someone has locked the refigerator, and I can't get any milk for you."

"Thank the Lord!" I responded automatically. The waitress looked puzzled.

"Why did you say that?"

"I have learned to be thankful for everything, because I believe that God works in everything for our good if we let Him."

"What religion are you?" she asked incredulously.

"Methodist."

"Well, I'm a Baptist, but I have never heard of being thankful for things like that!"

"Are you a Christian Baptist?" I asked.

"Well," she hesitated, "I think I am, but I've never been sure."

"You can be absolutely sure," I said. "Jesus came into the world to give us eternal life as a free gift. All we have to do is ask Him to forgive our sins and then believe that He does. I'd like to pray with you and ask God to give you this free gift if you want it."

The waitress nodded eagerly. "Yes, sir, I would like that!"

I touched her shoulder with my hand, we bowed our heads, and there in the empty restaurant a few minutes after midnight, I prayed that God would release her faith and give her assurance of eternal life through Christ.

Tears were running down her face.

"I've never felt like this before in my life," she said. "I feel as if a great burden has rolled off my back. I really do believe I'm a Christian now."

It may seem inconsequential to make a point out of being grateful for not getting a glass of milk when you want it, but as you learn to thank God for every little thing, God will use your praise to draw unhappy, weary people to Him. And He can turn their burden of worries and anxieties into pure joy and peace."

Church notes:

Through the laying of prophetic hands, we are imparted strength to help us determine our steps for the Kingdom. Worldly laying of hands, is to kill our influence to proclaim God's glory. Satan looks for opportunities to do that!

We are God's conduit of power in transferring:

Blessing to our children through laying on of hands
Healing power is transferred through laying on of hands
Impartation of the Holy Spirit through layng on of hands.
Commission through using touch to build connections.

May we be willing to do our part!

Informative words-

Our lack of prayer is the sin causing God's presence and power to be so far from us; unrepentant sin gives place to evil spirits.

1426-1430 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1426- Is. 44:6b "I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."

1427- Is. 30:21a "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the

way, walk ye it it."

1428- Is. 26:20a "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy

doors about thee."

1429- Jer. 2:7a "I brought you into a plentiful country."

1430- Zeph. 1:7a "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God."

#80 Hymn- God, Who Touches Earth with Beauty

Mary Susannah Edgar was born in Sundridge, Ontario on May 23, 1889.^[1] She was the daughter of Joseph Edgar and Mary Little, from Sundridge, Ontario. Her schooling took her from Sundridge to Barrie High School and Havergal College, Toronto, Ontario.

In 1922, she opened a girls' camp near Sundridge on Lake Bernard, called Glen Bernard. Edgar continued as the camp's director until her retirement in 1956. Her life was devoted to working with girls and camping through many local, provincial and national organizations.

She was the author of many books, plays and hymns. Edgar died on September 17, 1973.

Upcoming posts:

4/12- PROFESSING TRUTHS- Emily Marszalek

19th- THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES- Karen Huffaker

21st- FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS- Jasmine GOH