Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Thanksgiving according to the dictionary.com is expression of gratitude especially to God and the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God.
Most times it is difficult to give thanks to God when we are overwhelmed by unfavorable situations, however it is important that we look beyond our circumstances and thank God for who He is, He daily loads us with benefits and His word is true, so for each day if we would look closely we will see the benefits for the day irrespective of whatever the situation is.
When Jesus went to Lazarus tomb, He lifted His eyes and said, He looked up beyond what the situation was at that time and gave thanks.
John 11:41 (NKJV) Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
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1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
We see ten lepers who were healed and only one returned to give thanks.
We must ensure that we give thanks to God daily for His benefits, there is always something to appreciate God for. We cannot operate in an attitude of gratitude and complaining at the same time, they are mutually exclusive.
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God
Even when we pray and ask God for things, we thank Him in faith knowing that He has answered, He already knows what we need before we ask and He is able to do exceedingly above all that we could ever ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father I thank you for loving me, thank you for sending Jesus to die for me, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, thank you for the outworking of your purpose in my life. Thank you for who you are. Help to always remember to appreciate you in every season of my life, to look beyond what I face and be grateful at all times. In Jesus Name. Amen
