Thanksgiving has come and gone but giving thanks is never outdated.  Whether you are thanking someone for a special gift, or if someone opens a door for you, giving thanks is always appropriate.  Even the world often acknowledges that being thankful is a key to happiness.

As Christians we have even more to be thankful for than those who don’t know the Lord.  During this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, let’s resolve to continually give thanks to the Lord.  Begin 2015 determined to always give God praise and thanks for who He is and what He has done.  As we do this it changes our outlook and affects those around us for the better.

There are 73 verses in the Bible that include the word “thanks” and below are just a few.  Many other scriptures include the words “thankful” or  “thanksgiving.”

II Samuel 22:50—“Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.”  KJV  Give  thanks even though you may  be the only believer present.

1 Chronicles 16:8—“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”  Testify to others about the goodness of our God.  Especially brag on His Son, Jesus!

1 Chronicles 16:34—“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.”  Give thanks for God’s never-ending mercy.

Psalm 18:49—“Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.”  Even though you may not be a singer, sing anyway, God enjoys it.

Psalm 30:4—“Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”

Psalm 30:12—“To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.”  We will be singing and giving thanks to God forever!  So, start practicing now.

Psalm 35:18—“I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.”  Wow, here we are encouraged to sing in church and anywhere else!

Psalm 100:4—“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Psalm 105:1—“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.”  Give thanks, call on Him and share the times God has been faithful and intervened in your life.

Psalm 106:1—“Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”  Thank you, Lord for your mercy.  We all need it!

Psalm 140:13—“Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.”  Giving thanks should be a normal part of our life.

1 Corinthians 15:57—“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  What a promise!  In the midst of life’s battles, give thanks, because the Lord has already prepared a victory for you.

II Corinthians 2:14 – “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.”  We are winners because Christ is in us.

II Corinthians 9:15 – “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”  There truly are not words adequate enough to describe what God has done for us and given to us.  Even so, to the best of our ability, we should express our gratitude to the Lord.

Ephesians 1:15-16 — Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;”  Today we are hearing of many faithful Christians throughout the world who are being tortured or will be martyred for believing in Jesus.  They need our prayers.

Ephesians 5:20 – “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”   There is always something to be thankful for.

Colossians 1:3 – “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,,,,”  It is important to thank God for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are all joined together through the blood of Jesus.  Remember to pray for the Body of Christ throughout the world.

Colossians 1:12 – “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:”  Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection has made us acceptable to be partakers of eternal life.  It is by faith we receive this inheritance, not of ourselves.  He is worthy of our thanks!

Colossians 3:15—“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”  Peace and thankfulness work together.  As we give thanks to God for His goodness and focus on His greatness, somehow our troubles seem to diminish and peace settles into our hearts.

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”  Develop an attitude of gratitude in every part of your life.  Perhaps you have been known for being “cranky”.  The practice of being grateful, reminding yourself that you represent Christ, can totally change your outlook.

1 Timothy 2:1 — “ I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”  If we as Christians submit to this instruction regarding prayer and the giving of thanks it would keep a lot of us away from gossiping and strife.

Revelation 11:17—“ Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.”

We serve a great and mighty God.  He has always been, is right now, and evermore shall be.  A time is coming soon when Christ will return to this earth as the ruling King.

In our worst of times in life we can still give thanks that God is with us, comforting and strengthening us.

GIVE THANKS!

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