Pointing to Jesus

I Chronicles 16:34- Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!

It’s always a great time to remember to be thankful. We usually tend to think more about being thankful around Thanksgiving time, but I want to challenge you to think about it and tell God thank You every single day.

Everything we have comes from God, including, just to name a few, our family, friends, jobs, cars, homes, our gifts and talents. Not to mention the spiritual blessings He gives us – His presence, His love, His mercy, His grace, and so much more!

Throughout scripture, we are commanded to be thankful. Below are a few scriptures:

Psalm 95:2- “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise.”

Psalm 100:4- “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

Psalm 147:7- “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!”

Philippians 4:6,7- “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:15-17-“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.“

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“

The way I make sure I am being thankful everyday, is every morning I spend my time in the shower praying a prayer of thanksgiving to God. It’s the very first thing I do to start my day. Below is a list of what I thank Him for every single day, almost without exception:

1. For waking me up and for a new day.

2. For salvation- for sending His Son, Jesus  to die on the cross so we can live with Him forever.

3. For being our Protector, Provider and Power source.

4. For who He is- Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Tsikenu, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah El Roi, Jehovah Shalom, etc, the Great I Am, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, El Shaddi, Elohim, Emmanuel, etc.

5. For the wisdom and strength and power that He gives.

6. For being Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent.

7. For His Word that is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

8. For leaving us His Holy Spirit. I say, “Good morning, Holy Spirit.” I thank Him for comforting  convicting, leading, guiding, teaching, revealing truth, helping, etc. I thank Him for illumination, inspiration, and revelation of the Word.

10. I thank God for all His blessings- family, friends, church, job, car, home and any other blessings I can think of.

11. Anything else I can think of to be thankful for.

And, yes, I am that specific every single morning. I am not asking for anything- I ask as I go about my day.

Being thankful first thing in the morning, helps me to get my eyes focused on God and to remember that He’s in control and in charge.

I believe being thankful has so many spiritual benefits as well as physical and mental benefits. It helps us remember that everything comes from Him.

Let’s remember to be thankful.

Many blessings,

Desiree