Day 21: Respond in Thanksgiving
Psalm 100 “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.”
Devotional · · · We respond in thanksgiving to God at the revelation of who He is as our Creator—for all of His amazing goodness, everlasting lovingkindness, and enduring faithfulness. The Apostle Paul teaches that thankfulness should permeate our entire life as followers of Jesus. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) In good times or bad, in the greenest pasture or in the darkest valley, we can respond with thanksgiving. For our thanks is not rooted in the issues we face. It is built on the truth that God is with us at all times and in all things. Our thanksgiving is based on what He has done and on the promise of what He will do.
The greek word for “thanks” is eucharisteo, at the center of which is charis, meaning “grace.” The Eucharist, or Communion, is a response of thankfulness that moves us from repentance over our sins which made the cross necessary to rejoicing in how Jesus met us in our greatest need. The good news of His death and resurrection is what we are most thankful for! So, may we echo this Psalm of David in our lives, in our families, and in our church from generation to generation: “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2)
Prayer · · · Lord of All Creation, it is with great humility that we stand before Your throne in awe of all that You have done for us. May our praises be joyful, acceptable and pleasing to You. There are a million things we can be thankful for, acknowledging the blessings you have given us as Your people. God, may we be most thankful for the gift of Your Son who lived the perfect life we could never live, who paid the price for our sins that we could never pay and who made a way for us to draw near to You. Help us to respond in thanksgiving through every circumstance of life, knowing that You are with us and that You go before us. To You and You alone be all the glory in our lives and in our church to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.