The Spiritual Privilege of Thanksgiving

I rarely cook turkey and dressing on any day other than our holiday of Thanksgiving. There would be nothing wrong with it, but somehow, it just doesn't taste the same. We all have our holiday traditions. I know of people who don't roast a turkey...they have a beef roast. Somehow, that sounds criminal to me, but we all have our ways of doing things.

Many people make it a habit to make a thanksgiving list this time of year, to list those people and things they are most grateful for. I've done that and see nothing wrong with it. My list usually is made up of people, possessions, health, provisions, blessings of the year and I can be thankful for those things any day of any year. We are to be grateful people 365 days of the year for God's goodness in our lives.

This year, I've been scanning Scripture looking for those verses that express praise and gratitude to God, not so much for what He does for me on an ongoing basis but for who He is in my life and the life of others as well. I have listed just a few of those verses. There's no way I could write them all out, but have listed some of who He is and how He works on our behalf. These things aren't meant to be just for a day. These things are just who He is. Above each verse, I have written those things we should be grateful for every day of the when it comes to our love and appreciation for our Lord.

HIS DEEDS

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds
among the peoples!
Psalm 105:1

GOODNESS, MERCY AND REDEMPTION

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for
He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so...
Psalm 107:1,2a

HIS WILL IN MY LIFE

In everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ concerning you.
I Thessalonians 5:18

LOVINGKINDNESS AND FAITHFULNESS

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

GOD'S GIFT OF VICTORY

But thanks be to God, who gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 15:57

INDESCRIBABLE GIFT OF HIS SON

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
II Corinthians 9:15

ROCK OF OUR SALVATION, GREATNESS, OUR ONLY GOD

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of
our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to
Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God, and
the great King above all gods.
Psalm 95:1-3

ALMIGHTY, GREAT POWER, REIGNS SUPREME

Was, Is and Is To Come
We give You thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, the One who is and who
was and who is to come, because You
have taken Your great power
and reigned.
Revelation 11:17

Let me encourage us to take time apart from the menu, ballgames, get-togethers and yes, early shopping to sincerely come before God, our one and only, to express our more than deserved gratitude for all He has been and continues to be in our lives. Our thank you list could go on and on but perhaps as we read our Bibles we can be more alert to those wonderful attributes God is in our lives.

Thank You so much, dear Father for who you are in all of our lives. We can never express enough gratitude for all You are and for all You do for us that we don't even pause to think about. We praise You and thank You for all You've given to us. Forgive our ingratitude. We love You...in Jesus precious name...Amen.