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.
But it is important to understand, are we serving with gladness? If we are not serving with a glad heart, then it is time to re-examine ourselves. Do not serve God in order to please other people or yourself, because it will not be pleasing to God. For God sees the true nature of our heart. And God’s opinion of us and our service is the only one that matters!
So, how do we learn to serve with gladness? The secret is to understand why we serve God. We serve, not just because it is our duty and because we are commanded to, we serve because we are grateful for what God has done. We are thankful for the salvation He gave to us, for the love He poured upon us, and for allowing us to be His children.
When we are thankful and grateful, it is not hard to serve with gladness. Because our attitude will change from focusing on ourselves, to focusing on God. We’re now serving, not because we have to, but because we want to. Thirdly, we have…
3. A COMMAND TO SING
Singing to the Lord is something we are commanded to do. The Psalmist said: “Come before his presence with singing!" (Psalm 100: 2)
This is why we sing at church. Not just to fill a time slot, but to praise the Lord. And doing that is critically important to our growth as Christians. Music is one of the ways in which we express our gladness, our joy, and our praise. We don’t sing to create gladness; we sing to express it. It’s through our singing that we are called to approach God. Psalm 32:11, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” That is a command, not a suggestion. It is not an option. It is a command.
But not only just in church, but also sing in your car, at home, or even sing to God in prayer. We have the greatest song book ever created, in the book of Psalms. Even if you do not sing like a professional, when singing praises to God, it will sound like the angels are singing to Him. Our worship should also be expressed in our individual worship as well. We can’t live as secular Christians from Monday thru Saturday and then come to church on Sunday. Every day and every minute let worship and praise be on your tongue.
A missionary in Africa was preaching his first sermon in a mission church. When time came for the offering, the people danced their offerings forward. They danced and sang praise to God as they brought their offerings to the altar. For they were “coming before God's presence with singing”.
After the service, the missionary asked the people, "Why do you dance and sing when you bring your offering forward on Sunday morning?" They answered, "How could we not dance? We are so grateful to God for what He has done for us in sending Jesus Christ to save us. Therefore, we have to dance and sing our thanksgiving. And besides, it says in the Bible, God loves a cheerful giver."
Our fourth command is…
4. A COMMAND TO SUBMIT
We are reminded in our Psalm to: “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and not we are ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3).
This verse says a lot. First of all, Jesus Christ is God. Not any of the other false pagan gods that people worship today. When we come to worship, our agenda is to meet God. And God's agenda is to meet with us. We raise our voices to connect with Him. As we walk down the Christian path, we simply cannot be quiet.
Secondly, we are the products of His hand. We are His workmanship. We are not a product of senseless, mindless evolution. We are not here by chance. We are here because God created us, and He wants for us to know Him. He chooses to use us to share Him with those who don't know him.
This world that we live in, tells us over and over again that the most important thing is to honor ourselves. They say to make ourselves number one, and to do everything that we can to make sure that we are happy and comfortable. But we must remind ourselves and others that God created us for His glory, not for our own.
Living a life of thanksgiving unto God involves firstly admitting and accepting the fact that He is God, not we ourselves. He saved us; we can’t save ourselves. We must humbly and obediently submit to His Lordship. We are the sheep of His pasture. God is the Creator; we are His creation. God is the Father; we are His children. He takes care of us, because He loves us!
When we remember these basic truths, the Christian life is not hard. We have no other choice, but to surrender our life to Him. It is only in complete surrender, that we are able to live the Christian life. The final command found in this psalm is…
5. A COMMAND TO SACRIFICE
The Psalm has also directed us to: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise! Be thankful to him and bless his name!" (Psalm 100:4)
The sacrifice that God demands of us is the sacrifice of praise. We are called to sacrifice our time, talents, and tithes, but most importantly our offering of worship. We all spend more than 8 hours of the day working, then we all look after our kids and family. Of course, many would like to spend their minimum free time to their own interests. However, God calls on you to sacrifice your time to Him, make room for Him in your life. Make room for worship and praise.
Every believer, when coming into the presence of God, should do so with “thanksgiving” and “praise”. God’s presence is not only in church, for He lives within each and every one of our hearts. Therefore, let His praise be always on your tongue.
ILL. Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why is that there?" Alex Haley answered, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words & think that they are wonderful, & every time I begin to feel proud of myself, I look at the turtle on top of the fence post. And remember that he did not get there on his own. He had help."
That is the core of thankfulness. We must remember that we got here with the help of God, and He is the provider of every blessing we have.
In Psalms 100:1-5 we are given 5 commands:
You are given the command to shout. Shout because of the joy you feel, knowing that you have been given salvation through Jesus Christ. Shout because you have been given victory over death. He has given you the command to serve. Serve the Lord with gladness for you must be thankful for the life God has given to you. You have been given the command to sing. Come before His presence with singing.
Sing with gladness in your heart for you know all the blessings that God has given to you. The Lord has given you the command to submit. Submit to the Lord for we are His sheep and His workmanship. Submit to the heavenly father who fills our lungs with His very breath. And lastly, the Lord has given you the command to sacrifice. Sacrifice your time and life to praise His glorious name. Make time for the Lord, for without Him, we cannot do anything.
Finally verse 5 tells us WHY we should follow the commands: “for the Lord is good.” (Psalms 100:5).
When you are going through difficult times, understand that God is on your side and always will be. He always loves us and is always good. He is a God of infinite mercy and goodness. His love and faithfulness are unfailing for eternity. He keeps His promises, now and forever!
This Psalm calls us to look and see the many blessings of God. Charles Spurgeon once said, “it is very questionable whether a man can know himself until he knows his God.” We learn who God is from studying His Word, and the Holy Spirit guides us. A mature Christian realizes that life is a gift from God, and that the blessings of life comes only from His abundant hand.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Even in the most difficult circumstances, we have reason to be thankful, because we are saved and blessed by God. Amen.
