THANKSGIVING IN PSALMS

THANKSGIVING IN PSALMS

What if the most powerful gift you can offer today costs nothing? Discover why thanksgiving is the currency God desires and how it reshapes prayer. We trace thanksgiving through the Psalms to show why gratitude belongs at the center of prayer, worship, and daily life. You’ll hear six practical ways to live this out: stand before God with thanks, sing thanksgiving, speak it aloud, show it publicly, offer it as a daily sacrifice, and serve with it.

Chapter Markers
0:00 Thanksgiving Across Scripture
0:21 Focusing On Psalms
0:48 Defining Thanksgiving In Hebrew
5:50 Who Should Give Thanks
8:00 To Whom Thanksgiving Belongs
13:58 How Thanksgiving Changes Us
17:21 Six Ways To Practice Thanksgiving
26:04 Reasons To Thank God: Being And Doing
34:59 Forever Grateful For Salvation
42:00 Summary And Call To Gratitude

Chapters

• 0:00 Thanksgiving Across Scripture
• 0:21 Focusing On Psalms
• 0:48 Defining Thanksgiving In Hebrew
• 5:50 Who Should Give Thanks
• 8:00 To Whom Thanksgiving Belongs
• 13:58 How Thanksgiving Changes Us
• 17:21 Six Ways To Practice Thanksgiving
• 26:04 Reasons To Thank God: Being And Doing
• 34:59 Forever Grateful For Salvation
• 42:00 Summary And Call To Gratitude

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

The Bible mentions Thanksgiving in the Old Testament and the New Testament. It's all over the place. Thanksgiving, like the other important themes in the Bible, such as grace and mercy, they're all over the New Covenant and the Old Covenant. Because of the extensiveness of so many Bible verses in the scripture with regards to Thanksgiving, I'm just gonna focus in the book of Psalms. One of the things that we can give daily and in every situation is often held back, and at times we see it as insignificant, and we only offer it when great things happen to us. But guess what? This is what God expects us to give to him first because it is due to him, and and this is something that you and I wish you daily, constantly in every situation practice, and that is to always give thanks to God. Because when we are giving thanks to God, pretty much we are acknowledging that who we are and what we have are all a result of God. You are who you are, you have what you have, you can do what you can do all because of your Maker, and God is the source and sustainer of your life. That is why thanksgiving is so important because you're acknowledging God in your life by expressing a heart of gratitude, by expressing appreciation to say, God, thank you for being in my life. Thank you for allowing me to do this. Thank you for allowing me to be here this morning to pray. So thanksgiving is something that you and I we should constantly practice every day when we wake up in the morning, at night when we go to bed, when we wake up in the morning, we say God thank you. When we go to bed at night, we say God thank you. So that's something that we as believers that we should know withhold from God because it's due to God. I like to always define um a word. So I'm gonna briefly define what Thanksgiving is from the Hebrew um definition. When I look it up, it's uh it's a word. If you're a Bible student, you can always find the definition of certain words in Hebrew if you have this um the strong song concordance. Um the number is 8426. When you have time, you can look that up and study the ebraic um definition of thanksgiving because sometimes when we define the actual meaning of certain words in the ebraic sense, it really helps add some more depth to our understanding. So, and the definition here is um to da. It means confession, praise, and thanksgiving, give praise to God, and that could be implied thanksgiving in songs, in hymn of praise, thanksgiving as in choir or profession or in line of company, thanks offering, sacrifice of thanksgiving, confession. So the the two components of thanksgiving, according to this definition, is that there has to be a component of confession, there has to be a component of praise. So, and then obviously in our own English definition, it's it's an expression of gratitude, especially to God. We're expressing appreciation and gratitude to God, and then what what do we mean at times when we say to give thanks, to give thanks? So, giving is part of thanksgiving. Giving is part of thanksgiving. One thing that you can give to God is thanks. I know when we talk about giving, most times it's about money, it's monetary value to God, tangible items that we can give to God. Because God does not want our monetary value, because God does not want our material items, what we can give to God that is intangible, that is abstract, is thanksgiving. That's what we can give to God. That is why I set it off by saying that at times we withhold what is due to God, and that is thanksgiving. Yes, we can pay our tithes, yes, we can give our offerings, it's all good, but something of great value that acknowledges God in your life, that acknowledges the doings of God in your life is thanksgiving. So when we talk about to give thanks again in Hebrew, it's yada, yada. It's it's it means again to throw, to shoot, to cast. When we give thanks, we're actually shooting or we are casting something on God. We're like, you know, when the Bible said, cast all your cares upon him because he cares for you. So when you're giving thanks, you're pretty much casting everything in your life as a result of God making it happen. You're casting glory to God, you're casting power to God, you are pretty much attributing um your success, your potential, um, the grace to pray, the grace to do Bible study, the grace to live right. You're pretty much attributing that to God. That God, you are the reason why I'm capable of doing this, you're the reason why I'm alive. So you are casting by giving thanks to God. And you at times you confess to cast and also means to confess. So there's a there's a component of when we verbalize in our speech to say, God, thank you. Because one way to express um thanksgiving, we can do it by our actions. But most times in the Bible it's through verbal means, we confess it, we proclaim it, we profess it. Then the question I want to ask now is who should give thanks? Who? Who should give thanks? Okay, if you look at Psalm chapter 6, verse 5, for in death there's no remembrance of you. In the grave, who will give you thanks? That's a good question. Who will give thanks to God? Who will give thanks? Who is qualified to give thanks? As long as you're alive, as long as you can breathe. In essence, only the living can give thanks to the Lord, not the dead. While you're still alive, by God's grace and mercy, you should always constantly give thanks to God. Because when you leave this earth, there's no remembrance of God. The dead cannot praise God. So the dead can also not thank God. So who can give thanks to God? Those who are alive. Anyone. As long as you're alive, as long as you haven't the privilege to breathe, you need to thank God for that. Because you don't possess the breath of life, it belongs to God. So that by itself should make you be grateful and appreciative to your maker, because he gives you the opportunity to be alive. That's why at times we're so ungrateful as human beings. We're so ungrateful. That's why God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. One way people who are humble give thanks to God. People who are humble give thanks to God because they know that what they have is as a result of God making it possible in their lives. When you're proud, you think that you are in control of your life. When you're proud, you think that you're the master of your faith. When you're proud, you think that you're in charge. Recently we learned on Sunday that God causes all things to work together. That all things include the bad, the good, the beautiful, the ugly, the positive, the negative, to those who love God and those who are called according to his purpose. So if you don't have a relationship with God, all things are not going to work together for you. They are qualifiers for all things to work together for you. You have to love God, you have to have an intimate relationship with God, and you have to be the called according to his purpose. So, who should give thanks to God? The children of Israel. They practice thanksgiving. According to Psalm chapter 5, verse 18. I will give thanks in the great assembly. David is referencing when the children of Israel will meet together in the tabernacle. Children of Israel give thanks to God. We can also see a reference in Psalm 79, verse 13. It states that so we that is referencing the people of God, your people and sheep of your pasture will give you thanks forever. So there are there are instances where David is claiming that your people, the children of Israel, your sheep of your pasture, we are gonna give you thanks. Another reference is Psalm 1, chapter 22, verse 4. The tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord to the testimony of Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord. So when they go and praise God, when they go in the sanctuary to worship God, to serve God, they always approach God with thanksgiving. And we also see individuals in the Old Testament, which David refers to as the saints, the righteous ones. And we in the new covenant, we as believers in Christ, we should give thanks to God. Look what it says in Psalm 30, verse 4. Sing praise to the Lord. You sent off is and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name. You sent off is sent and give thanks to God. Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name, according to Psalm 140, verse 13. The upright shall dwell in your presence. So this qualifies not just the children of Israel, not just unbelievers and believers, as long as you have you have breath. So thanksgiving is actually required from unbelievers on a basic level of them having life. Because you having life, it's not your own making. So you need to give your creator thanks. And also the children of Israel. And also, David also generalized that all men, all men, according to Psalm 107, verse 8, he says, Oh, that men, including male and female, will give thanks to the Lord. But even though David is claiming that that men, men, male and female should give thanks, but that doesn't happen most of the time. Because unbelievers don't know the worth of God, they don't know the value of God, they don't know the source of the one who gave them what they have. But he's addressing that all men should give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, for his wonderful works to the children of man, like I said, because of what God has done for them, because of who God is. So all men, the children of men, mankind, humanity should give thanks to God just for that, just for who God is. Well, do they do it? Some of them do, some of them don't. To whom should thanksgiving be offered? Yes, it's good to appreciate one another when you when you do good to me. I will express a heart of gratitude. But the concept of thanksgiving in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament, at times when we have a special holiday, it's really an opportunity to offer thanksgiving to God. It is God that you and I we should give the highest thanksgiving, the God of heaven, the God of the heavens and the earth. Psalm 136 states that, verse 26, give thanks to the God of heaven for his mercy endures forever. So we should offer thanksgiving to the God of heaven because that's that's his domain, that's where he lives. He does everything from heaven. He should be the one to receive our thanksgiving. Our thanksgiving is due to God Almighty. So there are several references I can highlight that talk about offer your thanksgiving to God and pay your vows to the Most High, according to Psalm 50, verse 14. We give thanks to you, oh God. We give thanks. So our thanksgiving should be offered to God first. When you wake up in the morning, thank God. When you go to bed in the morning, when you go to bed at night, thank God. During the day, when you finish work, thank God, thank God. Let it be a daily practice. Thanksgiving is also part of our prayer. Because Paul's, I believe Paul stated that, be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and thanksgiving, along with supplication, make your request known to God. But at times when we are praying, we jump straight away into making requests to God. But we don't thank God for what He has done in the past. We don't thank God for the present. We jump in straight away asking God for something. There's nothing wrong about that. But we need to practice the acknowledgement of who God is and what God has done for us already. The importance and impact of thanksgiving to God. Thanksgiving magnifies God. It magnifies God, it makes God appear bigger, it makes God look important, it glorifies God. Look what it says in Psalm 69, verse 30. I will praise the name of God with a song and I will magnify him with thanksgiving. So when you thank God, you will pretty much magnify God. That's why we need to give thanks. Because it magnifies God in your life, it makes God look bigger. You see, the more you appreciate somebody, this is one life principle that I've learned. When you appreciate somebody, that person, either God or a human being, they will want to do more for you. When you don't appreciate them, they will depreciate in adding value into your life. When you're always ungrateful, when somebody has done you good, and you're always ungrateful, you don't express any gratitude at all. They won't want to do more for you because you're ungrateful, brat. At times we have this attitude with God too. It's as if we have this entitled mindset that God, you know what, you should just do it for me because you're God. But we don't come to God to thank God, God, I thank you for what you have done for me in the past. I thank you for how you dealt with that situation in my life. Thanksgiving magnifies God. If you want God to do more for you, give him thanks. Give him thanks. Thanksgiving welcomes the presence of God. So I'm just trying to highlight the importance and impact of thanksgiving. It magnifies God, it also attracts the presence of God, it welcomes the presence of God. Usher is in the presence of God. Don't you want the presence of God when you are standing before God in prayer? Don't you want the presence of God to be with you? So give him thanks. Psalm 92, verse 2 says, Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyful to him with psalms. So thanksgiving. Present God in your midst. Psalm 140, verse 13. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name, the upright shall dwell in your presence. Thanksgiving welcomes the presence of God. Another importance of thanksgiving is that thanksgiving is good for us because it glorifies God. Thanksgiving is good. It's good, it's a good practice, it's a good virtue, it's a good habit, it's a good attribute, it's a good characteristic that you and I would need to develop as believers. It's good, it's awesome, it's pleasant, it's virtuous. Look what it says in Psalm 91, 92, verse 1. It is good. This is David stating that thanksgiving is good. It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to your name, Almost I. So when you are giving thanks to God, it's a good thing that you're doing it. So that should be your motivation that oh, thanking God all the time is actually a good thing. It's a good thing to thank one another, but let it be first to God. It's a good thing, it's a good thing. Just to simplify these few um scriptural references in the book of Psalms, there are a few points that I want to highlight. We stand in thanksgiving, we speak in thanksgiving, we sing in thanksgiving, we show gratitude in thanksgiving, we sacrifice in Thanksgiving, we serve in Thanksgiving. What do I mean by we stand in thanksgiving? So, like I was saying, when you when we stand in thanksgiving, we are pretty much accessing and approaching the presence of God with an attitude of appreciation. Because Psalm 95, verse 2 states that when you and I, when we come before his presence, we should come with thanksgiving. So when you are standing in front of God, when you are in the presence of God, have an attitude of gratitude. That should be your first word that you will speak to God to thank him, to praise him. We also see in the Psalms that we can sing in thanksgiving. Our songs can be about thanking God. I've noticed something about the Christian worship songs or sometimes our praise songs, most times it's about what God, what God can do for us or what God can has done for us. But let some of the songs at times let it just be about God, like who God is, you know. So, in essence, what I'm trying to say is that let our songs be a song of thanksgiving. Because David is a musician, he sang to God, and he's saying in Psalm 147, verse 7, sing to the law with thanksgiving. If you cannot speak to God, at least sing to God with thanksgiving. Let the songs of your mouth be of praise of thanksgiving. Wow, and then another aspect is to speak thanksgiving, to verbally express, open your mouth to say, God, thank you. And that's what you and I we should do on a day-to-day basis, to speak it. Look what it says in Psalm 26, verse 7 that I may proclaim with the voice of Thanksgiving, not just think it. God wants to know what you are thinking about Him, He wants you to verbalize it, don't just Think about the goodness of God in your mind, in your heart. Speak about it. Speak about it to God. Alter it back to God so that He knows that you appreciate Him. Speak thanksgiving. Another one, show gratitude in Thanksgiving. To display and declare your gratitude to God among people. Look what it says in Psalm 18, verse 49. Therefore, I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the Gentiles, among people who don't even believe in God. When you have a promotion at work, everybody is celebrating you. Are you gonna take that glory for yourself? Or are you gonna are you going to open your mouth to thank God to ascribe your promotion, to ascribe your profit, to ascribe your success right in front of your boss, right in front of your manager, right in front of your co-workers, to tell them, hey guys, I I've obtained this position and I will attribute this to God, to tell them I thank God. Even unbelievers, unbelievers, sometimes when you when you watch soccer or you watch this celebrity show, when when they give a still when they start a speech, they will always say, first of all, I want to thank God. Even unbelievers, when they reach that height of success, at times some of them who are wise, who are alive, will attribute what they have to God. So we as believers, we should also do that to display, to declare our gratitude to God among the gentiles, not just among us, as Psalm 35, verse 18 states, I will give thanks to you in the great assembly. So we should display and declare it among the unbelievers, also among the believers, when we gather together, when it's testimony time, we can we can share what God has done for us and attribute thanksgiving to God and declare thanksgiving to God in church. We should display thanksgiving in our family, practice it in front of our children to always be grateful, not just to mommy and daddy, let them know that hey, your God provided this meal. Another one, sacrifice and thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is actually a sacrifice. I know, I know, I know it's it's easy to do, but most times we don't do it. Because we take things for granted, because we're entitled, we expect this from God on a day-to-day basis. When I wake up, I'm in my right frame of mind, God. I have peace of mind, God. But we should practice this habit. The Bible said, in in all circumstances, be thankful, be grateful. In all situations, be thankful. It should be a daily practice. Would you rather offer a sacrifice of bulls and lamb when God is saying you can offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, just coming to me and appreciating me for mercy, just coming to me, appreciating me for forgiveness of your sin? Because how many times you're gonna kill lamb and bulls? How many times you're gonna offer blood sacrifice, and you're still gonna go back to your sinful ways? Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Look what it says in Psalm 107, verse 22. Let them sacrifice. Wow, let them, that is God's people, don't just sacrifice lambs and bulls, also sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving.

unknown: 23:43

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 23:45

When you come to the altar of God, offer sacrifices of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, when you speak it, when you show it, when you sing about it, it's not gonna cost you anything at all. But because it's not common in our day-to-day practice, we only do it on a special occasion. No, or we only do it when we are eating with our family on the dining table. But it should be a daily practice. Psalm 116, verse 17. It states, I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. God is expecting you and I to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a sacrifice, sacrifice in the sense that you are giving up something for something. Sacrifice in the sense that you have something of value that you want to offer to God. Like I said, thanksgiving is a currency that we can offer to God. Thanksgiving, giving thanks to God, not just monetary um values, not just material items. It's you acknowledging the importance, the role that God is playing in your life, and you going back to God, attributing whatever you have, whatever you are, is as a result of God. Not in your own making. Now, serve with thanksgiving. What do I mean by that? We express gratitude for the opportunity to worship and serve God. The gifts that you have, the office that you're in as a pastor, as an evangelist, as an apostle, as a prophet, the gift of healing, the gift of faith, the gift of miracles, the gift of prophecy, the gift of word of knowledge, the gift of wisdom. These are all as a result of God who is a source through the Holy Spirit. So we serve with thanksgiving. Any opportunity that God gives you to serve, express gratitude to God. God, I am grateful in this little opportunity that you have given me. I am grateful serving an upper room ministry. The church doesn't have to be a mega church, but God, I appreciate, I value because your presence is here and I'm making an impact in the life of the body of Christ in this church. Oh, are you just gonna take it for granted? Or because of because I can sing well, because of my natural abilities, because whatever. No, humility, a heart of humility, expresses thanksgiving to God. When you're proud, you're cocky, you're arrogant, you think that the old world revolves around you, you think that life is all about you. So, whenever a child of God, you and I we have the opportunity to even worship God, to even serve God, let's express a heart of gratitude. According to Psalm 100, verse 4, enter into his gate with thanksgiving, into his cart with praise. The children of Israel, when they will meet in the sanctuary, when they will meet in the temple, this is what they will do. This is how they will worship God, this is how they will serve God, they will sing in thanksgiving, they will enter with thanksgiving. What are some of the reasons why you and I we should give thanks to God? What are some of the reasons? I can divide the two reasons into two. Number one, we give thanks to God for who God is, because it's easy to give thanks to God because of what God can do. It's easy. Oh, I thank God because God provided food for me. Okay, I thank God because I'm well. That's good. I thank God because I have money in my account. So why would you thank God? Because God is so kind. I thank God because God is so merciful to me. You thank God because of who He is as a person. That should be one of the reasons why we should thank God. Who God is as a person, his personality traits, and what also what God does, his performance, his power, his provision, his providence. Look what Psalms 105 verse 1 states. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Psalm 107, verse 8. Oh, that men who give thanks to the Lord for his goodness. Wow. So men should give thanks to God because of who God is. In this case, God is good, and also for his wonderful works to the children of men, in this case, for what God has done for man. So Psalm 107, verse 8 indicates that you and I we should give thanks to God for who God is. To be specific in this verse, because God is a good person. And what God does, his wonderful works to the children of men. That that wonderful works encompasses everything that God does for you and I. Everything. It could be as simple as God allowing you to wake up. It could be as simple as God giving you a job. It could be as simple as God healing you. These are all wonderful works of God. So we should give thanks to God for who it is as a person and also what it does. Look what it says in Psalm 107, verse 15, just to illustrate these two reasons, main reasons why we should give thanks. That man will give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, again, for who God is and his wonderful works. So if you read the entire Psalm 107 from verse 8, 15, 21, and 32 gives you these two main reasons why you should give thanks. And if you read the entire Psalm 107, it tells you all the reasons why you should give thanks to God. And it concludes by saying that give thanks to God for who is because he's good. Give thanks to God for what he does because of his wonderful works. The entire Psalm 107. Read it, and they will explain to you what God has done who and who God is. And he concludes by saying that, oh, that men will give, like pleading to us as men, that guys you should give thanks to God because of who God is as a person. He is so kind, he is so loving, he is so merciful, he is so gracious. That should be the reasons why you should give thanks to God, not just because of what he can do. I know God can heal, I know God can save, I know God can deliver. These are all wonderful things, but at times we neglect the personhood of God. We want the blessing, but we don't want the blesser. No. Let me provide instances of giving thanks to God as a person, his being in our lives. Who is God to you? Do you know that God is kind in your life for you to give him thanks? Do you know that God is loving to you for you to give him thanks? We give thanks to God because of his holy name. We give thanks to God because of his holy name and to remember his holy name. The name of God encompasses pretty much what God represents. The name of God is who God is. I am that I am. Everything that you can think of, you cannot put God in a box. His name is powerful, his name is holy. So that's why we should give thanks to God because of his name. And the name of God is who God is. Look what it says in Psalm 106, verse 47. Save us, O Lord our God, to gather us from among the gentles, to give thanks to your holy name. Wow. So we are giving thanks because of God's holy name. That's why Jesus Christ has left us with his name. In the name of Jesus, we can do so much. But that name is Jesus Himself. That name is God Himself, and that's why we should give thanks for His holy name. Psalm 30, verse 40 says, Sing praise to the Lord, you sent of his and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name. It's not just any name, the name of God carries so much potent, the name of God is sanctified, the name of God is righteous, the name of God is pure, the name of God is set apart. You can call somebody's name, nothing will happen for you. You can call the prime minister to save you, to deliver you, but that name cannot work. Wow. You're looking for your immigration paper, you can clear that name, that name will save you, that name will process your files. The name of God is pretty much who God is in everything. The I am that I am. We give thanks to God also because He is He is He is God of gods and the Lord of Lords. So, in essence, you should give thanks to God just because of who God is as God, and there's no one like him. We should give thanks to God because He is God, He is God of all these demonic entities, He is the Lord of all these leaders. His position of who He is in position. He is sovereign, He is full of majesty, He is supreme. That's why we should give thanks. He is in charge, He is in control. Look what it says in Psalm 136, verse 1 to 3. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to God of gods.

unknown: 33:17

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 33:17

Give thanks to God of gods for his mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords for his mercy endures forever. That's why we should give thanks. And then another common theme that we see in the Psalms when it comes to thanksgiving is David is telling you and I that we give thanks to God because God is good and merciful. Those two are times go hand in hand. We give thanks to God because God's nature is goodness, God's nature is mercy.

unknown: 33:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 33:49

And that's what we need as human beings. Without the goodness of God, we cannot enjoy life. Without the goodness of God, our needs cannot be met. Without the goodness of God, we cannot be taken care of. Without the mercies of God, our sins cannot be forgiven. So we should give thanks because of who God is as a person. He is good, he is merciful. These two attributes of God go hand in hand when it comes to thanksgiving. Look what it says in Psalm 106, verse 1. I praise the Lord, oh give thanks to the Lord, for it is good, for his mercy endures forever. Psalm 118, verse 1, oh give thanks to the Lord, for it is good, for his mercy endures forever. Psalm 136, verse 1 to 3, oh give thanks to the Lord, for it is good, for his mercy endures forever.

unknown: 34:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 34:36

We give thanks to God because God is good and his mercy endures forever. We also give thanks to God because God is righteous. So we are dealing with the personhood of God before we get to what God can do. Because at times as believers, we jump straight away. Oh, God, I thank you because of what your performance. I thank you because of your acts. But we need to understand the ways of God, who God is. We give thanks to God because God is righteous, according to Psalm 119, verse 62. At midnight, I will rise to give thanks to you because of your righteous judgments. So David had reasons to thank God. He had reasons to thank God. All of his reasons are good. He is thanking God because God is righteous. When you know the nature of God, you know what God will do. We want something, sometimes as believers, we want God to do something, but we don't know the nature of God. But because we don't know the nature of God, we want God to do something that is not in God's nature. The doings of God reflect the being of God. Let me say that again. The doings, what God does, reflect who He is as a being. So we need to understand His nature. The reason why David is saying that I will give thanks to God because of his righteous judgment. David would have said, I will give thanks to God because of judgment. Okay. Is that judgment in your favor? Is that judgment that God is going to execute right? So David understood the nature of God to say that if God is going to judge, God will always judge rightly because God is just God is just, because God is righteous. Child of God, I'm giving you guys an insight that whenever you want God to do something, ensure you identify an attribute of God to that thing that you want God to do. Relate an attribute of God to what you want God to do. You cannot ask God to give you a certain job that will kill people because that's not who God is. God is life, God is not the God of the dead. So you need to understand the nature of God before you want God to do something for you. Now, now let's look at his doing what God does, why we should give thanks based on what God does. We give thanks to God because of all his wondrous works. Wow. That encompasses everything. Wow. So we should give thanks to God for everything that he does for us. God is a worker, he's a master worker. Psalm 26, verse 7, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all your wonder, wondrous works. Psalm 75, verse 1. We give thanks to you, oh God. We give thanks for your wondrous works, declare that your name is near. So we give thanks to God because of his wondrous works. That wondrous adjective describing the type of works that God does. Amazing works, life-giving works, fruitful works, productive works, profitable works. We give thanks to God for his righteous judgment. When God will judge at the end, it's gonna be right. We give thanks to God for his righteous vindication. We give thanks to God because he is the judge at the end, he will decide every case in your life. Don't take matters into your hand, give it unto God and give thanks in advance that God you will judge this matter between me and my boss, you will judge this matter between me and this person. Allow God to judge, to execute judgment. We give thanks to God for his act of ongoing mercy towards us. Wow. On a daily basis, God is constantly showing mercy to us. Look what it says in Psalm 136, uh 136, verse 26. Give thanks to the God of heaven for his mercy endures forever. So we are giving thanks because of what God can do, and what God can do for us is to extend mercy to us every morning, and his mercy endures forever. There's no stop to it. Wow, there's no stop to the mercy of God. Like I said, we need the mercy of God to even approach God, we need that to summarize what I've said being thankful is a trait, it should be our nature, it should be in our character because Psalm 100 verse 4 be thankful to him and bless his name. Be thankful. So the David is pretty much instructing us to demonstrate this attribute of being thankful. Because when thankfulness is in you, you don't do it in one act, you don't do it on a special occasion, you don't do it on Christmas Day. Because it's in you, it's your lifestyle. Nobody has to tell you to be grateful to God. It's already in you, it's who you are. You are a man and a woman that is thankful, and you will definitely offer thanksgiving to God. We shall continue to give thanks to God forever and ever. It's not just here on earth. When you oh God, when we the day that we are in heaven, we'll be grateful to God because we're able to make it to heaven. Wow, because of what his son Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. That should just make us to be very grateful, forever grateful, forever grateful for the accomplished work on the cross for the salvation of mankind. Forever grateful. And look what it says in Psalm 30, verse 12. To the end that my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent. Wow, wow. Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. When we get to heaven throughout eternity, you and I we are constantly giving thanks to God because of who God is and because of what God has done for us. And the greatest work that God has done for humanity is salvation. The greatest accomplishment for mankind, salvation. So we shall be forever be grateful to the Lamb on the throne, to the one on the throne. That is why when we when we are in heaven, we shall see the bloody lamb on the throne. To remind us to be grateful that I am in heaven, my pastor is in heaven. We are all in heaven because of the Lamb of God. Look what it says in Psalm 79, verse 13. So we, your people and sheep of your pastor, will give thanks forever.

unknown: 41:24

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 41:25

We shall show forth your praise to all generations. You teach your children to praise God, you teach your children to thank God. Practice it at home, practice it in church, practice it in the workplace. Because this is something that we will continue to do forever and ever. To conclude, thanksgiving is an attitude and an act of acknowledging who God is and what He has done, His doing, will do. It grants you and I access to stand in God's presence and gives us authority for God's power to manifest in our lives. That summarizes everything that I've said. It's an attitude and an act of acknowledging who God is and what God has done for you in your past, what God is doing right now in your presence, and what God will do for you in the future. It grants you and I access to stand in God's presence because we're expressing a heart of gratitude. We're displaying that God, I am grateful to you. I appreciate you. And as a result of that, we shall have the authority for God's power to manifest the works, the wondrous works of God in our lives.