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The annual Thanksgiving this year has moved on and the Christmas season is moving in. Yes, it is a season of giving thanks. As we move from the Thanksgiving Holidays to the Christmas season and finally to the dawn of a New Year, there is always this urge to thank God. We all suddenly realize that only grace has kept us thus far. We suddenly realize that being alive to celebrate these once-in-a-year festivities is a blessing from God and we feel this need to thank Him. We have spent time showing gratitude to our God for all the blessings He has bestowed on us. Yet, the biggest blessing of all is the gift of Jesus Christ to mankind. The truth of the matter is that we must always thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants us, who belong to Christ, to live. Our sense of gratitude should not be based on whether we feel blessed materially or not. Of course, that is what we do. Even sometimes when we are blessed, some of us still neglect to thank God. In fact, usually, more people are ungrateful than those who are. In Luke 17 Jesus was amazed that only one person out of ten individuals came back, when he realized that he was healed, to say thank you. We need to learn to thank God for His goodness in our lives. When He causes us to excel in our chosen field, let us point people to Him, for there is nothing we have that we did not receive from Him (John 3:27). We must also thank God for circumstances that we perceive as bad. Thank Him because of His abiding presence with you in that situation. Thank Him because you know that by His promises you will come out of your situation victorious.
Sometimes you may think the favors you just received are small favors; thank God for them anyway because every time you thank God for the small things you see, God turns them into big favors. Remember when Jesus Christ thanked God for five loaves of bread and two small fishes, a whole crowd of people were fed (John 6:11). We need to learn to thank God even for the “small things” on a regular basis. Don’t focus so much on the things that are not working so well, focus on the things that are working for you, this will cause a tremendous release in your spirit and it will move the heart of God.
Giving thanks has a lot of benefits. The Bible tells us that when we give thanks through praise, the earth yields its increase for us (Psalm 67:5-6). This means that our jobs, our careers, our businesses will all receive the blessings of God. When we give thanks, even in our ailing conditions, the Lord himself will give us perfect healing. When we give thanks, our hopeless situations are turned around because we receive heavenly attention. When we give thanks, our attitude of gratitude is always remembered like the woman with the Alabaster jar (Matthew 26:6-15). Thanksgiving brings multiplication (Jeremiah 30:19) and God will cause glory to manifest in the lives of those who thank Him. Finally, when we thank God, it commands His presence (Psalm 22:3). When we thank God, we feel His presence just the same way the Israelites felt it. God’s presence is everywhere, but His manifest presence isn’t everywhere. When we praise God, we invite His manifest presence to overwhelm our circumstance. The presence of God in a man’s life is what sets him apart.
Brothers and sisters, no matter our situation let us always thank God. Thanksgiving magnifies God over our situation (Psalm 69:30). It causes Him to focus on that situation. Giving thanks to God is not an option for us Christians. Thankfulness should flow naturally from the Christian who realizes the great gift of salvation offered through the sacrifice of God’s son on the cross. It is a new month. A month that ushers in the remembrance of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever we do let us thank God and praise His name. His mercies endureth forever. O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting. (1 Chronicles 16:34). “Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:13). To You God be all the glory and adoration for ever more. In this season, and all seasons we thank you! December 5, 2021 – Pastor Simbo Odunaiya
