Overflowing With Thankfulness

Overflowing with Thankfulness

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (overflowing with thankfulness) - Colossians 2:6-7

There was a man who had a habit of grumbling at the food his wife placed before him at family meals. Then he would pray a blessing to the Lord. One day after his usual combination of complaint and prayer, his little girl asked, “Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?”

“Why, of course,” he replied. “He hears us every time we pray.” She paused for a moment, and asked, “Does He hear everything we say when we are not praying?”

“Yes, dear, every word,” he replied, happy that he had inspired his daughter to be curious about spiritual matters. However, his pride was quickly turned to defeat at his daughter’s next question. “Then, which words does God believe? The words said during prayer or the words said before?”

It is important to be grateful for everything in our life. The apostle Paul knew the power of a thankful life. He was thankful for good times and bad. He knew that God was transforming him through every trial he faced. He knew that a heart overflowing with thanksgiving could turn any situation around for good.

Paul’s life is a testimony to all of us. He shows how a person can be truly thankful even in the midst of very dark circumstances. You see, Paul was able to use his experience in a dark prison cell for God’s glory. It was during this time that he wrote several books of the New Testament, which is perhaps the greatest blessing of his life which has also impacted many generations of Christians.

Would it not be amazing, if we could all adopt the same attitude – being able to praise God no matter what our circumstances. To be able to praise God no matter what the future holds because we know that God is here with us and that He loves us. For God hears the words we speak when we pray and every word we speak before we pray.

We are called on the Lord to be truly thankful not just on Thanksgiving, but every day of our lives. And God also tells us how to be thankful. Turn with me to Psalm 100:1-5. This is a famous Thanksgiving Psalm that we all have learned as children. But within this Psalm, God also teaches us how to live a thankful life. He gives us 5 commands. The first command we see is…

1. A COMMAND TO SHOUT

We don’t have a problem in the world shouting to the top of our lungs for our favorite sports team, but when it comes to giving God praise, we become deadly silent.

It’s okay to do more than just sit or sing along while we are worshiping our Lord and Savior. It’s okay to shout out “Amen, Glory, or Hallelujah” when we listen to the Word of God. Showing Him the respect that He deserves, but He Himself tells us that there is a time to “make a joyful shout to the LORD!” (Psalm 100:1)

If we get excited and more vocal when our team scores the winning point, then should we not be even more vocal when we think about what Jesus has done for us on the Cross and through His Resurrection. If not, maybe it is time for us to reexamine our priorities? Because God scored the winning point over death.

Not only does He say to make a joyful shout, but He continues with. “all you lands.” Meaning this command to shout goes out to the entire world. Everyone should acknowledge the Lord because of what He has done for His people. Paul writes in Phil. 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Secondly, we have…

2. A COMMAND TO SERVE

The Psalmist tells us to “Serve the LORD with gladness! (Psalm 100: 2)” If the presence of the Lord makes us joyful, then serving Him should make us happy. Serving the Lord should never be seen as a chore and a burden but should bring gladness to our hearts.

Many of us serve the Lord, and we do so in many different ways. Some preach or teach, some work as Sunday school teachers, some maintain the building, some may visit the sick or feed the poor, and some go out to spread the Gospel. As the body of Christ, we are grateful for each and every one of you.