Why do we need to thank God? “Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Thess 5:16-18) As children of God, it is our duty to give thanks to the Lord. We experience God’s grace in our daily lives – He provides for our daily needs, watches over our work so that we lack nothing. He keeps us safe. When we encounter difficulties, we need not fear even if we hit rock bottom. When we pray to God, He listens to our prayers and He is willing to bless us. He sacrificed His life for us and died on the cross, and washed away our sins so that we no longer fear His judgment. He has given us a new life so that we need not be afraid of death. This enables us to depend on His power of His resurrection to face any challenges in life. He also gives us the hope of heaven. How can we not give thanks when we get to enjoy all His blessings? Perhaps we are too busy with our lives that we trivialize God’s grace and take it for granted. At the end of the year, we should list down each and every blessing that we have received and evoke our memories and remember how God answered our prayers. When we went through difficulties; God Almighty opened up a path for us. We need to remember how the Lord has taught us important lessons through failures and how He has used our weak bodies to serve Him so that we are part of His glorious kingdom. Once you have finished listing down God’s “Blessings Menu,” do pick one or two items to share with our brethren at the Watch Night Service on 31st December so that we may encourage one another. May all glory go to God. “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honour me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.” (Ps 50:23)
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Even a child in the womb or just born of the womb is wayward and sinful. The bible teaches us that man sins because he is a sinner. A child is never morally neutral, not even if he has just come out from the womb. One of the justifications for spanking children is that “folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction drives it far from him” (Pr 22:13). The focus in this proverb is that it is because something is wrong in the heart of the child that he requires correction. The remedy for how a child behaves is not solely changing the structure of the home; it is addressing the heart” (Ps 51:5).
Other than using words to express our gratitude towards God, we should also put our heartfelt gratitude into action. Christmas is a season for thanksgiving. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and we thank God that He offered Christ our Lord as a living sacrifice to remove our sins. In order to give thanks to the Lord, we should seize the opportunity to invite our friends and relatives to learn the true meaning of Christmas and share the gospel with them. This Christmas, our church choir will be caroling at 2-4 homes. You should consider inviting your friends and relatives to these homes. They would be able to know more about the Gospel in a setting with good ambiance. They can also enjoy the fellowship of Christians so that they may be acquainted with the rest of the brothers and sisters from our church.
Praising and giving thanks to the Lord is something we should do. This, however, is actually beneficial to ourselves too. The more grateful we are, the more contented and happy we will be with our lives! A thankful heart allows us to truly enjoy all the good in life and helps us cope with problems as we trust God. You should start counting God’s blessings now!