GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
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Psalm 103:1-2
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-
OUTLINE
1.PRESENCE
2.PROTECTION
3.PROVISION
4.PEOPLE
5.PROFESSION
6.PERIOD
7.PROMISE
THE MESSAGE
GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
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1.PRESENCE
We must give thanks for God’s presence in our lives. The Lord has never left us or forsook us. People may have deserted us when we needed them. But the Lord has been with us at all times and in all situations. His presence has given us peace and rest. Christ lives in us and He is the hope of glory . Without the presence of God our lives would be meaningless and miserable. We must always be grateful for the presence of God in our lives. His presence with us makes all the difference in every situation that we face.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
John 16:32
"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
2 Timothy 4:16-17
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.
But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Exodus 33:14
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Colossians 1 : 27
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
2.PROTECTION
We must give thanks for God’s protection in our lives. We are not destroyed because of His mercies. There are so many dangers and hidden snares in this world and yet God has protected us so far. We must realise that it is God’s protection that has kept us alive so far. We must remember the dangerous situations that we have faced in the past and how God protected us and be grateful to Him. The Lord has watched over us constantly and protected us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Lamentations 3 : 22-23
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Psalms 5:12
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Proverbs 3:26
for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
Psalm 91:3
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
Psalm 121:3-8
He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
3.PROVISION
We must give thanks for God’s provision in our lives. The Lord has been faithful to meet our needs. He has provided food , clothes and shelter to us which are considered the basic needs of mankind. In addition to these He has provided us so many blessings such as education and material comforts for which we must be thankful. We must learn to trust in the Lord for the supply of all our needs. Then we need not fear the future as the Lord is able to meet our needs even in difficult times.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 34:8-10
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 33:18-19
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 37:18-19
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
Deuteronomy 8:2-4
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
4.PEOPLE
We must give thanks for the people whom God has given in our lives such as parents , relatives , friends , colleagues , neighbours etc. We have received so much joy and favour through the people whom God has brought in our lives. We should not fret over the evil we have experienced through some bad people. Rather we should be thankful for all the wonderful people who have been a great blessing to us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Isaiah 43:4
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.
Daniel 1:9
Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,
Genesis 39:21
the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
2 Chronicles 15:8-9
When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.
Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
2 Timothy 1:5
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Psalm 112:1-2
Praise the LORD.Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
5.PROFESSION
We must give thanks for the profession that God has given to us. We must be grateful for the work that we do which gives us a purpose in life and meets our needs. We should not be grumbling about our job and be complaining about the difficulties that we face in our workplace. Instead we should thank God for the job that He has given to us and strive to fulfil our responsibilities faithfully. We must do our work sincerely as unto the Lord and not as unto men.Then the Lord will bless us and promote us to greater heights just as He did for Joseph in the Old Testament.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Psalm 90: 17
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
Colossians 3:22-24
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Genesis 39:4-6
Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.
The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Genesis 41:38-40
So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God ?"
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
Matthew 25:21
"His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Luke 16:10-12
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
6.PERIOD
We must give thanks for the period in which God has allowed us to live. We are living in historic and glorious days. God is pouring out His Spirit around the world . We have wonderful opportunities today to know God intimately and grow in His knowledge and Grace . Such privileges were not available in days gone by and in earlier centuries. We must be grateful to God for allowing us to live in these last days.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Luke 10:23-24
Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
Acts 2:17-18
" ’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
7.PROMISE
We must give thanks to God for the promise of eternal life that He has given to us. We are blessed not only during our life on earth but we are given the glorious hope of spending eternity with God in heaven. Our life on earth is like an aeroplane speeding down the runway before taking off into a glorious eternity . This world is not our home . Our citizenship is in heaven. We are just taking a short ride on the runway of life before God takes us into the eternal happiness of heaven. We must be grateful for this wonderful promise of eternal life which the Lord has given to us. We must not allow the pursuit of earthly blessings to leave us unprepared for eternity.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Psalm 73:24
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
1 Corinthians 15:9
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
Luke 12:16-21
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
He thought to himself, ’What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
"Then he said, ’This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ’
"But God said to him, ’You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
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