Giving Thanks To God.
Saturday, February 11, 2023Memory Verse
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
Text: Ephesians 5:19-21.
In the words of Dick Eastman, “Basically, thanksgiving is an act of expressing specific gratitude to God for blessings He has bestowed upon us. These expressions may be mental or vocal.” Our thanksgiving must be sincere, for God sees through our actions and intentions. The Bible thus declares, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me…” (Isaiah 29:13). God promised to punish the hypocrites. However, one thing is clear, sincere thanksgiving by a nation, family or an individual, pleases God.
In our Bible text, believers are encouraged to speak to one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. There should be a habit of ‘singing and making melody in their heart to the Lord.’ Believers express gratitude for all things divinely received (1 Samuel 2:1, 2). Being thankful pleases God. As we thank Him, either in a joint congregational worship, or during personal devotion, we must do it with an understanding of His majesty. Thank Him reverentially.
Quote
Thank Him reverentially
Challenge
Develop the right attitude of thanksgiving.
Prayer for today
Lord, give me a thankful heart.
About Author - Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
