Abounding in Thanksgiving -5 ways to gratefully live loved- Colossians 2:6-7
1-Remember God’s faithfulness – Joshua 4, 1 Samuel 7
Remember your very best days and your worst failures. And see God there. Memories reveal God’s presence, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. There are no coincidences. God is governing this world. “Thus far the Lord has helped me”-He is sovereign. God has forgiven and restored us yesterday, worked in us with sanctifying power today, and He is our hope in the future for glorification.
Remembering what God has done prepares our hearts to live a life of thanksgiving.
2-Keep the Conversation going all day in prayer – Philippians 4:6
If you’re not praying about something you are worrying about it. Fear erodes are faith and makes us use are self-sufficiency to cope with life when things get out of our control. Prayer keeps us trusting. And a prepared prayer- one that is specific instead of general makes the answers clear. We see God working with purpose. Over 20 times in the New Testament God links ‘ask me’ with thanksgiving.
Faith thanks God continuously for His ever-ready presence found in prayer.
3-Generously give as we are called for His purposes- 2 Corinthians 9:11
God’s Word links thanks and giving together. When we understand that God owns it all and how generously He has given to us our heart and hands are open to generously give of our resources of time, talent and treasure to His purposes. God asks us to be cheerful givers and the way our hearts are grown is through the trust and faith of the ‘giving test’. Who gets the first of your time, treasure and talents? If God did a spiritual audit of your spending this week what did you spend your time, treasure and talents on? “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”
Thankful hearts give and produce thanksgiving to God.
4-Share your gratitude and gladness with others – Isaiah 12:4
God is writing His story in your story and you are an eye witness of God’s active living power and love. A life of thanksgiving is lived as a witness of where God showed up. We are like a tour guide in a museum, we know all about the “artist” and we point to His work, showing off His master pieces and telling of his creative work. We all have a story of God’s faithfulness and only you can tell others your unique story. “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the world his wondrous love. How mighty he is!”
Thankful people don’t let God be an anonymous giver, they tell the world about his generosity and share their blessings with others.
5- Sing to God and about God – Psalm 147:7
There are more songs written about Jesus than there are about love. Christianity is a singing faith. We sing songs about who God is in our worship and we sing songs to God about who we are in Him. God invented music, filling the heavens with worship first then anointing men to express our hearts to him through songs. Singing restores us. Worshiping God refocuses us on Him instead of our circumstances. Words put to music give people a way to corporately all say the same thing together as we sing. So don’t just stand there, sing! “Sing out your thanks to him; sing praises to God.”
Expressing our thanks to God in song and worship restores us.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7
abounding in thanksgiving Colossians 2:6-7
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