Come on in - the painting is finished😊It is good to give thanks...

Psalm 92:1-2

"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."

There is a difference between thankfulness and thanksgiving…

Because while gratitude is certainly a good place to start, feeling thankful isn't quite the same thing as thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving differs from gratitude in this respect: it requires an object. There must be a Giver to whom we give thanks, and whom we acknowledge as the source of our gifts.

And thanksgiving has a two-fold benefit: not only is the recipient benefited but the giver is also blessed by our thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is, therefore, a deliberate and spontaneous act. 

Life has a way of keeping us all busy and as we navigate through our daily tasks.

Things go wrong, situations and difficulties pop and it becomes easy for us to murmur and complain.

Yet, it is because of these irritants and annoyances that we recognize that we have pain, that we are sensitive, and that we have emotions. And it’s here, in these times of difficulties and disappointments that we need to stop and see the hand of God and say LORD, “THANK YOU.”

 For a thankful person is a grateful person.

A thankful person is also a humble person because there is a shift from being self-centered to being God-centered.

A thankful person is a cheerful person, whether it’s a sunny day or a cloudy day,

a thankful recognizes that even when the sky is grey the sun is still shinning.

A thankful person is a thoughtful person. We need to take time to look at the things God has done in our life.

When we thank Him, we are saying that whatever happens… we know that He is in total control.

If we keep our thoughts constantly focused on the problems in our life and in the world… it will rob us of the joy of drawing closer to Him.

Instead we need to turn that situation… the worry, the anxiety, the trouble… into a platform to thank God and see what happens with anticipation of His Will being worked out. All the while we keep a heart of praise and thanksgiving.

This will strengthen your relationship with the Lord.

It’s only then that our thanksgiving will touch the lives of others so that they will recognize the presence of God in our lives.

No matter what, let’s keep thanking the Lord amidst our trying and challenging situations.

Life Happens…

I used to ponder what the will of God was for my life.

Until the Lord revealed to my heart 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that tells us: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Well, this verse takes the mystery right out of that!

God’s will for me and for you, is to be the kind of person who rejoices – in every circumstance! 

To enjoy close and intimate fellowship with God, in whose presence there is fullness of joy. To be the sort of person, that in a world filled with much moaning and complaining … radiates thankfulness.

Thankfulness brings glory and honor to God our Father.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night.” Psalm 92:1-2 (NKJV)