JRM Sison Chapter - December 27, 2009

The book of Psalms is filled with thanksgiving given to the Lord. And to think that most of the book was written by King David, a man that was tried and tested; a man that no matter what happened with his life, kept on giving thanks upon God. This was the reason why God has placed David as the man after His own heart. David was a man of praise. He loved to praise God. He was even mocked by his wife because of the way he praised God. But in the heart of David, God is the reason for living and all thanks belong to Him. This was the very reason for the success that David was having. This was also the reason why God had honoured his name above the rest. God clearly stated, through His prophets, that the Messiah will come as part of David’s line. Note that God may have said “Son of Abraham” or “Son of Israel”. But God chose David’s name above the rest because of David’s attitude when it comes to praise and thanksgiving.

                                                                           Why give thanks unto God?

There are many reasons why we must give thanks unto God. It couldn’t fit in this small bulletin to name all the reasons. But let us get some reasons out of the book of Psalms chapter 100 starting verse 3.
     ·     Know that the Lord is God - This is the very first reason that all creatures should give thanks unto the Lord; because He is our Mighty God. He is the Creator of all things and everything that we see belongs to Him. We give Him thanks because He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We give our thanks because with God, nothing is impossible (Mark 10:27).
     ·     God made us - Every man must give thanks unto God because He made us in His image; after His likeness. We were created special. We are not like the angels because God’s image and likeness is given unto us and not to them. Through this acknowledgment, we know that Satan’s power over us is very limited and very close to nil (zero percent). From the very fact that we were created in God’s image and the angels were not, we should give thanks unto Him because we were created to have dominion over all His creation. We give Him thanks because we know that the things around us are not the gods that we must turn on to but only unto Him; our creator who knows us so well like a mechanic who knows his very own machinery.
     ·     We are His children - God had given us the chance to become His children. Whoever accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as their God and Saviour to them gave He power to become His children (John 1:12). Even the Spirit of God testifies to our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16). That is why we should give thanks unto God for we become part of His noble family. He gave us a chance to become joint-heirs with His Son (Romans 8:17). What manner of Christian who wouldn’t give thanks unto God upon receiving such nobility?
     ·     We are the sheep of His pasture - As sheep, our Lord is our great Shepherd. And like any good shepherd, our Lord always leads us to good pastures (Psalms 23). He makes us rest in His infinite blessings. As sheep, we know that we are in the good hands of our great Shepherd. We, then, must give thanks because our Lord sees to it that we have a more abundant life (John 10:10).
     ·     We will enter His gates and courts - We should give thanks unto God because He had promised us eternal life (Titus 1:2). We should give thanks unto God for the very reason of our salvation. From salvation, we are given the right to enter His kingdom and dwell in His presence.
     ·     God is good and His mercy is everlasting - The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works - Ps 145:8-9.
     ·     God’s truth endureth to all generations - We give Him thanks because His Truth endures forevermore. Jesus Christ is the Truth (John 14:6). He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). That is the very reason that His Truth endureth to all generations. Jesus had said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away (Mark 13:31).”

                                                                                When to give thanks

I remember one time when a friend of mine didn’t thank me when I helped him out. He said to me, “Di muna ako pasasalamat kasi di pa ito ang huli kong pabor sa ‘yo” (I won’t thank you yet because this isn’t the last favor I will ask you). From your point of view, is this proper? Most people I talked to are already used to this kind of talk but with due respect, I don’t see it proper. One thing more, if a person didn’t thank you for what you have done or given, what will you feel? True that with friends, it won’t matter but the joy of hearing “thank you” is refreshing than receiving nothing at all. If you give or do something to a person and you receive a “thank you” from that person, what will you feel? There is a feeling of accomplishment and you want to give or do something again, if possible.

The same thing applies to our Lord. We give Him thanks for it is due to Him. We give Him thanks to honour Him. We give Him thanks to bless His name forevermore. We give Him thanks because we can’t thank ourselves even for a job well done on our part. We give Him thanks because He is our everything. We give Him thanks because we want to keep His blessings coming.
Some people give thanks because of what GOOD they receive. They give thanks once they get what they expect. They give GREATER thanks when they receive more than what they expect. But if they get less, they won’t say a word (if they say thanks, it will be out of respect not of joy). Imagine not receiving anything. The best part yet is when you receive thorns and thistles rather than what you expect. I believe many will not only forget to say “thank you” but also forget about the Lord!

We should give thanks in times of
     ·     Abundance
     ·     Insufficiency
     ·     Good health
     ·     Sickness
     ·     Joy
     ·     Pain

From the above, we give thanks to our Lord every time! No matter what happens, give thanks to Him. If there is nothing, give thanks to Him. If there is plenty, give thanks to Him. If you are in the happiest moment of your life, give thanks to Him. If you are in the worst situation of your life, give thanks to Him. The Lord had said in Isa 45:7, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” Evil meant natural evil like storms, earthquakes; not moral evil like lies, temptation and the like. If you experience poverty, give thanks (remember Job). If you experience sickness, give thanks (remember Job, again). In all things, give Him due thanks to glorify Him. Whatsoever you do, do everything for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31).

                                                                 Expressing Gratitude to our Lord

How do we say “Thank You, Lord”? We do it with everything we have; with our lips, hands, body, and feet. We give Him thanks with our lips through praise and worship. We give Him thanks with our hands through our good works. We give Him thanks with our body through our lifestyle or way of life. We give Him thanks with our feet through witnessing and soul-winning.

Brethren, there is a reason for everything. But there is no reason why we should not give thanks unto our Lord. Thanking Him gives us joy, hope and peace. Don’t forget that thanking God has a boomerang effect. You want to play catch with the Lord then say “Thank You, Lord for everything You have done” and start catching the blessing of the Lord!