November 28, 2018
Author: Pastor Gordon Cook
November 28, 2018
1 Thes 5:14-18
Why give thanks? The simplest answer, from this? text, is because God commands us. It is a Christian’s duty, but that’s not all God says. He graciously gives us reasons to encourage us and motivate us to give thanks. Psalm 107, “it is good to give thanks” – why? It gets our eyes off ourselves and onto God, our sustainer, creator and protector. From a spiritual standpoint giving thanks promotes humility, forcing us to realize our dependence on God.
As Christians we can give thanks because He is not only our Creator but our Savior. Think of all the blessings we have because we are Christians: forgiveness of sin and peace with God. The very concept of grace reminds us of our indebtedness.
Psalm 69:30 gives us perhaps the most important reason to give thanks. “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” We magnify God through thanksgiving. That’s why proud people don’t give thanks to God. We would rather magnify ourselves. Dr. Piper says, “At the root of all ingratitude is the love of one’s own greatness. Man loves his own glory and prizes his own self-sufficiency. He hates to think of himself as sin-sick and helpless. As long as that is the case, we will never feel gratitude to God.”
Thanks giving functions like a telescope, which takes something large and helps us see it better. Thanks giving helps us see how big God is. Think of all the attributes of God that come into focus when we thank God. We thank God for His omniscience, His omnipresence, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, mercy, grace. All of these can encourage us to give thanks to Him.
BACK