How Can I Say Thanks? 2 Corinthians 9:15
Psalm 107:8 says, “Oh that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!" How can we say thanks to God who has so greatly blessed our lives? Let me give you five ways to express your thanks to God.
I. Say thanks to God with your Singing
A. "Some men sing tenor, some bass, and others baritone. I just happen to sing monotone." Kent Crockett, I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, Chattanooga , TN : AMG Publishers, 2004, 1-2).
B. "Some people are 'Prison Singers'--behind a few bars and always looking for the right key." --Dr. David Jeremiah
C. Although you may not be able to sing like a canary we are encouraged to give thanks to God through singing His praise.
D. Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.”
E. Psalm 92:1-3 “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to shew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.”
F. In the year 1742, John Wesley gave these five rules on singing in church.
1. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.
2. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.
3. Sing modestly. Do not bawl so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation; but strive to unite your voices together so as to make one clear, melodious sound.
4. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it.
5. Above all, sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. In order to do this, attend strictly to the sense of what you sing and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound but offered to God continually - Moody Monthly.
G. Psalm 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving”
II. Say thanks to God with your Praying
A. 1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever.”
B. 1 Chronicles 29:13 “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise Thy glorious name.”
C. There were Ten Lepers that were healed by Jesus and only one came back to say Thank you.
D. Luke 17:15-17 “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?’”
E. Gratitude is so often lacking today. Is this story a reflection of the Body of Christ? Nine going their way, going to church, reading their Bible, but never stopping to say “thank you”?
F. Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
G. Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday, but what are you doing for me today. The past is meaningless and so is the future. They live for the present. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of those who labored in the past. They recognize those who labor during the present and provide for those who will be laboring in the future. - Homemade, Dec., 1984.
III. Say thanks to God with your Giving
A. God should be the focus for our giving. Our God is generous and when we give to God, we are only returning a portion to him, to say ‘thank you’ for all that He has given us. We are to give cheerfully.
B. In commenting on Hebrews 7:2 where we are told that Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec, Barnes comments “As a tribute of gratitude to him, and as a thank-offering to God, Abraham gave him a tenth part of the spoils which he had taken.” - Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on Hebrews 7"
C. Giving is an expression of gratitude.
D. 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
E. Burt Reynolds starred in an old film entitled The End. In the film he decides to commit suicide by swimming out as far as he can until he is exhausted and then just go under. But after going under he is looking at the surface from the underside and decides not to go through with it. As he breaks the surface of the water he screams: “I want to live! I want to live!” He then begins to try to swim to shore, but it is a very long way off. As he begins to swim he talks to God. He promises to obey all of the Ten Commandments, and then realizes he doesn’t know what all of them are so he promises to learn them. Then, in his panic, he says, “Lord, if you get me out of this, I will give you 80% of everything I have.” But time passes and he is still going strong, and besides he can just begin to see the shoreline. But as he continues to swim he feels his strength holding out and says, “Lord, if you help me to get to shore alive I will give you 10% of all my earnings.” And, finally, he struggles to the place where he sees that he is just going to be able to make it to land and says, “Well, Lord, let’s just forget about what I said before. I think I can make it from here on my own.” Reynolds’ attitude is reflective of the attitude of many people today. Giving to God or living for God are sometimes thought of as “paying our dues,” or fulfilling an obligation. What should our attitude toward giving be? What is the proper way to give and think about giving? The first point we need to understand is: Giving is an act of worship. It is an expression of gratitude to a faithful God for all his goodness to me. Giving is not just a response to a need in the church, it is a response of gratitude. - copied
F. Acts 20:35 “...remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
G. Oswald Chambers says, “Worship is giving God the best that He has given you.” Whether it is finances, talents, or time, decide to worship God by the action of returning a portion back to Him.
H. 2 Corinthians 9:11-13 (NLT) “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.”
I. Matthew 10:8b "Freely you have received, freely give."
IV. Say thanks to God with your Living
A. Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
B. Discipleship is a way to say thank you to God
C. Someone has said, “Everyday living without God dishonors Him. Everyday thanks living for God, honors and glorifies Him!”
D. Ephesians 5:2-4 “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.” Here in Ephesians we see holy living as living a life of thankfulness.
E. We should purpose in our heart to live a life of thanks living not just to give thanks.
F. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort [you] by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”
G. Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This is the pathway of blessing for me. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, For Thou, in Thy atonement Didst give Thyself for me; I own no other Master, My heart shall be Thy throne, My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone. – copied
V. Say thanks to God with your Sharing
A. Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth"
B. Romans 1:14 “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.”
C. Simply out of thanks we ought to praise the Lord and have the desire to tell others about Him. Because of His great love for us we should gratefully love others.
D. We can thank Christ by telling others how we met Jesus and found new life by experiencing God’s amazing grace. We can tell them simply that Jesus lived and died for them.
E. Psalms 105:1-2 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders.”
