Thanksgiving is for Eternity

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100

In this post, I'm going to give us 3 thoughts and 3 questions to ponder as the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving holiday dawns.

3 thoughts:

1-Offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving is a central aspect of our worship

2-The foundation of our thankfulness to God is His steadfast love that endures forever

3-Thanksgiving is for eternity

3 questions:

1-Do you describe yourself as a thankful person?

2-Do you make a sacrifice of praise?

3-Do you rejoice in the hope of eternity with thanksgiving and praise?

We read in Psalm 100...

1   Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

2     Serve the Lord with gladness!

    Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!

    It is he who made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

    and his courts with praise!

    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;

    his steadfast love endures forever,

    and his faithfulness to all generations.

A few things to notice about Psalm 100:

-Notice that all the verbs in this Psalm are commanding verbs.

  Make, Serve, Come, Know, Enter, Give.

-We are to not only be thankful in our hearts, but to proclaim that through song and joyful noise.

 -His steadfast love is only that...steadfast.

It endures forever.

In a world so broken, we have so much to be thankful for. 

But we shouldn't be thankful because of what we have compared with what others have.

We should be thankful for every reason in Psalm 100. 

Because God made us. Because we belong to Him. Because He is the Good Shepherd. Because He is good. And because his steadfast love and faithfulness endured for ever and ever.

 Yes, we are incredibly blessed to have water, food, shelter, family, education, warmth, and so much more. Yes, other people in the world don't have anything at all. And yes, we should be thankful because of what God has provided for us to live privileged, blessed lives.

But we should not base our thankfulness upon that. 

That family in Africa who have filthy water, sickness, and little or no food, may still be thankful because they know that God made them. Because they belong to Him. Because He is their Good Shepherd. Because He is good. And because his steadfast love and faithfulness reach to them just as much as it does to us. 

As Thanksgiving day arrives, think about what it means to be truly thankful. 

Thanksgiving is not only for tomorrow. Thanksgiving is for today. Thanksgiving is for your life. And Thanksgiving is for eternity. 

1-Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving as a central aspect of your worship.

2-Know that the foundation of your thankfulness to God is His steadfast love that endures forever.

3-Remember that Thanksgiving is for eternity.

1-Ask God to help you have a thankful heart.

2-Make a sacrifice of praise.

3-Rejoice in the hope of eternity with thanksgiving and praise.