How To Express Thankfulness To God

HOW TO EXPRESS THANKFULNESS TO GOD

Psalm 116:12-13 “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.”

Introduction: Andrae Crouch in the song My Tribute wrote “How can I say thanks for the things you have done for me, things so undeserved yet You gave to prove your love for me.” The question we must face this morning is how can we truly express our thankfulness to God in a manner pleasing to Him?

I. We thank God by Worshipping and Praising Him.

A. Praise is thanking God and rejoicing as we remember

1. What He "has" done for us.

a. Isaiah 12:4-6 "And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."

b. For physical life, material blessings – 1 Chronicles 29:12-13 “Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name

c. For the gift of His Son – 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

d. For eternal life – Colossians 1:12-14 “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

2. What He "Is" doing for us.

a. Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah”

b. Philippians 1:3 - 6 3I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

3. What He "will" do for us.

a. John 14:1 - 3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

b. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

B. We rob ourselves of blessings by not thanking God for what all that he has done, is doing and will do for us.

C. God has given us far more blessings than we’ve ever thanked Him for.

D. (Kent Crockett, I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004, 166-167)

II. We thank God by our Stewardship.

A. Stewardship is an expression of gratitude to God. It reminds us that we are the administrators, not the owners, of our assets. It fills a need deep within each of us to worship God and to thank Him for the abundant blessings He has showered upon us.

B. Each week, we are given 168 hours which we choose how they will be used. Will we use a portion of that time with God in prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and worship?

C. God has given everyone has a knack for something. They are not all the same. Are you using your knack or talent to glorify God as an act of worship and thanksgiving?

D. With little or no exception we all bring some kind of income into our households. Do we honor God by giving a tithe of our income to the church?

E. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 – 9 used these seven New Testament motivation principles as he appealed to Christians to give as:

1. A response to God’s Grace.

2. A response to the example of Christ who gave Himself for us.

3. A response to human need.

4. An expression of thanksgiving to God.

5. A form of sacrifice to God.

6. A way of symbolizing one’s commitment of all one’s resources to the service of God and man.