November 15, 2004
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
-Psalm 69:30
At one point in time, when my youngest son was little, I promised him a brand new toy—a specific something he had been wanting. I’d been away some and I wanted to give him something tangible to tell him that I loved him. He’d been building it up for days and days, so as soon as I got back from being out of town, I picked him up from school and we went to the toy store.
We went in, picked out just the thing he wanted, paid for it, and then walked out the door. I was somewhat waiting for the “thank you,” but you know it gets tiring after telling your children over and over to say it, right? So, I waited to see if he had grown up enough to remember. Little Josh turned around, put his arms around me, and said those magic words, “Thanks, Dad.”
I was so excited that I wanted to go back in the store and buy him another gift! It is a wonderful feeling when children learn to express their love and say thank you. They already feel it before I’m sure, but it’s when they learn to express it that is truly a blessing. Certainly our Father in heaven longs for His loving children to continually express thanksgiving for the blessings He gives to us. In the bad and good days we are always to have an attitude of gratitude because thanksgiving is the first response of someone who knows and loves the Lord.
I recall the 10 lepers who came to Jesus. They had a loathsome, killer disease during the first century, which could be compared to the modern-day AIDS disease. They were detestable and it had probably been ages since anyone had even come near them, yet Jesus touched and healed them, and transformed their lives. And the lepers went away rejoicing that they had been delivered from their illnesses.
But only one returned to say thanks. I’m certain that the other nine were grateful, but only one came back to express his gratitude. It is not enough just to experience a feeling of thanksgiving, but we are to express it. Once we have experienced the grace of God, we should fall on our faces and gives our thanks to Him.
The root word for grace and gratitude is the same. The two words are twins, so when we stop to pray and give praise, we must show our gratitude to the Lord for His grace in our lives. Today, when you think about it, stop and count your blessings. Many times the blessings God gives just bypass us day-by-day, so pause and give thanks.
GOD’S POWER AND BLESSING ARE EXTENDED
TO YOU THROUGH THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE.