Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

Psalm 95:2

Thanksgiving is key for a believer and follower of Christ. Let me give you three quick reasons why.

Our attitude

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

Paul instructs the Colossians and us that everything we do or say should be filtered through an attitude of thanksgiving.

Our testimony

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

2 Corinthians 1:12

While the words “thanks” or “thanksgiving” do not explicitly appear in this verse, it is nonetheless there. Simplicity and sincerity are the reasonable outworkings of thankfulness. And that lifestyle is a testimony to the world around us.

Our obedience

[I]n everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

It may seem strange to “command” thanksgiving. Perhaps that would lead to insincere, lip service rather than a genuine sentiment. But God’s ultimate will for us is that we be conformed to Christ. Being thankful for everything is a recognition of God’s sovereignty. Christ’s earthly ministry was marked by a surrender to the Father’s will in everything. Being thankful helps move us in the right direction.

It’s important to note the distinction between being thankful IN everything versus being thankful FOR everything. Suffering, loss, and other hard times are worthy of lament. However, even in those things, we can see the hand of God at work and know He is walking through them with us.

May the realities of God’s blessings and grace be evident anew this Thanksgiving season!

The post Happy Thanksgiving! appeared first on Paula Wiseman.

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

I will magnify God with thanksgiving.
In one respect, that doesn’t make sense.
How can we add anything to God?
Especially with our words?

But we make Him great in the eyes of others
When we offer our thanks for all His mighty deeds,
For His intervention in our lives
For His comfort and His presence.

We show Him the honor due Him
When we offer thanks for His goodness and grace.
He is all-powerful but He is good,
He is both mighty and willing to save.

We exalt His name above all others
When we give thanks that He is God alone.
He is the Lord, there is no other beside Him.
He is holy, wholly separate from us.

We glorify Him with the glory due His name
When we give thanks for our redemption.
He loved us. He came to us. He sought us.
He lifted us up, redeemed us and called us His own.

Let us magnify Him with our thanksgiving!

The post Magnify Him with Thanksgiving appeared first on Paula Wiseman.

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. Psalm 30:4

Join in the worship and praise!
This is a season of worship and thanksgiving.
Don’t simply be a spectator.

All of us who name the name of Christ
We should be the most eager,
Most ready, most willing

The media, the loud voices in the world
Would drive us to despair, to hopelessness
To fear and frustration.

But we serve a holy God.
His holy name reflects His character.
His word is the final word

On our world
Our situation
Our eternity.

Give thanks!

The post Give Thanks to His Holy Name appeared first on Paula Wiseman.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we are especially mindful of everything we are grateful. Interestingly, there are several passages in the Gospels that specifically mention Jesus giving thanks. Because He is our perfect example, we can learn from Him. Let’s consider a time when Jesus gives thanks for food.

In Matthew 15, Jesus visits a Gentile area and performs the less-famous, but no less amazing feeding of a crowd of four thousand-plus. Matthew 15:36 says, “and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples in turn, to the multitudes.” (NASB)

Jesus gave thanks to God for the food that was available. This one may actually be second-nature to us. One of the first prayers we learn as toddlers is “God is great. God is good, and we thank Him for our food,” or some variation. Because we’ve been doing it for so long, maybe it seems mundane or empty to pray over our food.

Giving thanks for our food is a witness.

Jesus’ ministry constantly pointed to the Father, and in giving thanks for the food, Jesus publicly acknowledged that ultimately GOD is the one who meets our needs. He reminds us that we have nothing, except what the Father provides. Giving thanks for our food helps us remain humble before God.

Giving thanks for our food is about more than food.

Our food is safe to eat. We have a wide variety of choices that are not only tasty, but have pleasing aromas and textures and visual appeal. There is a sophisticated delivery system in place to get us fresh fruits and vegetables regardless of season. Or we can shop a farmer’s market and pick up produce that We have a range of ways to prepare our food for millions of combinations. We have ways to store and preserve our food. We have the means to purchase the food we don’t grow ourselves. The stores are well-stocked. The products are labeled and inspected. And there are no doubt more things to be thankful for. To put it simply, there are a lot of pieces coming together to supply us with the food we eat. And God is over all of them.

Giving thanks for our food helps us spiritually reset throughout the day.

No matter how often you eat in a day, whether one, three or even five meals, that momentary entrance into God’s presence gives us the opportunity to stop and reset. How is our attitude? How is our temptation level? Even the small action of humbly thanking God for our meal helps us maintain a God-honoring demeanor, besides allowing us a minute or two of worship.

It’s such a simple thing – thanking God for our food and asking His blessing on it, but it’s definitely worth our time and effort. Jesus made it a point to thank God for His food. Surely, we can do the same.

The post Jesus Gives Thanks For Food appeared first on Paula Wiseman.