EXPRESS GRATITUDE — THANKSGIVING

Pr. James Victor Lubwama

Psalm 50:14 (NLT)

 “Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High”

Thanksgiving is defined as the expression of gratitude, especially to God. Gratitude is a dialect of the heart - it is a communication of an appreciative heart to the heart of God! It is a culture that each and every Christian should have. 
A person who is thankful obtains favour from the recipient; the act itself causes God and people to remember him or her. People who are thankful easily remember what they went through and those that stood by them, but ungrateful people easily forget. When you recall what you have gone through to get where you are, that’s when you should humble yourself to thank the Lord your God and also appreciate the people who have done good in your life and helped you to get there - grateful people remember. 

Many times when people succeed, they forget what God has done for them; they forget the Lord who took them out of Egypt and saved them from the repressive situations. We all have our Egypt – afflicting situations; It may have been an illness, deficiency in certain areas, lack of a job or means of livelihood, but some Christians after being blessed and finding rest, they forget the Lord God who blessed you.

For four centuries (Exodus 12:40), the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt, they stayed in captivity for so long to the extent that they forgot that they were in slavery. They had accepted the fact that they were meant to be slaves forever; they had forgotten that someone can actually be free and have a good life, but God came to their rescue, took them out of bondage and with his Mighty hand, He fulfilled his promises to their forefathers (Exodus 6). 

God always emphasizes the issue of remembrance because he knows that it is easy for people to forget after they have been established. The bible says in Deuteronomy 8:10-15 (TLB) that;

“When you have eaten your fill, bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you don’t forget the Lord your God and begin to disobey him. 12-13 For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large, and your silver and gold have multiplied, 14 that is the time to watch out that you don’t become proud and forget the Lord your God who brought you out of your slavery in the land of Egypt. 15 Beware that you don’t forget the God who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with the dangerous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock!”  

Everyone has their Egypt. We have all gone through some form of captivity or bondage, but after attaining freedom, we tend to forget God who has brought us through and even despise the place from where we got our deliverance and rest. It is important to always remember because when you do, the thankfulness spirit in you is awakened.

If you want to appreciate the work God has done in you, do not compare yourself to other people but to yourself - where you were with where you are; for a person to be thankful he or she must only compare oneself to his background and not to others. But failure to do so will inhibit you from appreciating what God has done in you. If we were only able to remember, then the wars and petty fights we see daily in families and organisations would not be happening. A thankful person observes decorum. Therefore, do not compare yourself to those around you, but always evaluate your present with reference to your past.

Since your problems and challenges have not consumed you; and you also haven’t perished amidst troubles and deficiency, remember to thank God because He has been with you and has preserved you. Isaiah 43:2-3 (TLB) says; 

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, your Savior” 

Someone once said; ‘if you thank God for his finger, you shall surely see his hand’. Do you thank God for the small things in your life? Learn to thank God because every time you do not, you hinder His hand. God delights in those who offer their gratitude to him and every time you do so, you establish a bond. You should also remember to thank and appreciate those who have done a great work in your life in anyway whatsoever, because with a thankful spirit, you will have a healthy relationship with those around you.

We see in the book of 1 Samuel that Elkanah and his wives offered  sacrifices to God and as a result, they were blessed by the priest. You may forget about the gifts you brought as a sacrifice, but whatever you have give in the house of God will continue to minister and be a reminder unto God. You may organize a thanksgiving banquet and invite guests to your home, but make it a habit  to offer thanksgiving sacrifices in the Lord's house as well because God is far greater than your guests and by doing so, you will be blessed.

God does not expect from you what he has not given you – He expects you to offer part of what he has entrusted you with. You are a steward of that which has been entrusted to you, so do not condemn yourself for bringing more or less, for whatever God gave you, is what you should offer; and that will be a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

The act of Thanksgiving carries  a blessing and causes God to seal what he has done for you. Take an example of the ten lepers in Luke 17: 12-19 (TLB)

“As they entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, sir, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go to the Jewish priest and show him that you are healed!” And as they were going, their leprosy disappeared. 15 One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, “Glory to God, I’m healed!” 16 He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus; face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a despised Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine? 18 Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

The best way for sustaining that which God has blessed you with is through giving thanks and returning the glory and honour unto Him. Take part of what God has given you into His temple and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. You may not have everything but be thankful for what you have because it’s all for him and because of him. Good things come to those who are living – if you are still alive, the best is yet to come provided Jesus is still your Lord and Saviour.

In times of doubt, we should be certain of God’s plan for our lives; be thankful for what he has done for you and in you. You may thank him privately, but remember to also do so publicly in his sanctuary by bringing gifts, offerings and giving your testimony so as to glorify and exalt His name; for God will see you from heaven and will surely reward you. There are things and levels you haven't attained but you are better than what you were previously - you are not where you want to be but you are also not where you used to be, and that alone signifies progress, so be thankful. 

Thanksgiving is a cycle - when you call upon God and he answers you, you should also thank him publicly by exalting and glorifying his name. There is nothing too small for you not to thank God. We all have a debt to thank God for what he has done and is yet to do through the prophesies received. Gratitude glorifies God the Creator of heaven and earth. When we feel thankful, we acknowledge God’s greatness, kindness, mercy, grace, fullness and the riches of his glory. The bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:15 (ESV) that; 

“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Live a life of thankfulness!