Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who
has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His
pasture. Psalms 100:3
Thanksgiving Thoughts
The Perception of Thanksgiving
The psalmist moves from the principle to the perception of
thanksgiving. He looks to the mind of
the matter with the affirmation "to know" God. It speaks to the intimate level of the heart
and soul and moves beyond a mental ascent of a knowledge of a higher power.
Today, many want only a God to fill their
"emotions" to make them feel good, rather than a God who is involved
in the intimate details of their lives. However, Matthew
10:30 says "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
How we perceive things to be is usually what motivates
us. What is your perception of God? How we perceive God ... who He is and what He
is doing will make or break our spirit of thanksgiving.
God's Authority ... He is God
The first perception we must see is God's authority. The psalmist states emphatically, "He is
God!" Any questions?
O LORD, there is none like You, nor is
there any God
besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 1 Chronicles 17:20
besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 1 Chronicles 17:20
Whose authority are you under today? Your own, someone else's, or God's? How you answer shows who God is in your life.
God's Authorship ... He who made us
From authority to authorship the psalmist uses the positive
and negative . . . God is our Maker! We
cannot make ourselves! There are no
"self made" men, only those who refuse to recognize God as Creator.
…looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
The Author of our lives places in us works and words of
thanksgiving. Give thanks to your God!
God's Assurance ... We are His
people
When we live recognizing God's authority and authorship in
our lives we live in the assurance of knowing we are His people.
Thanksgiving tends to place itself in the realm of the
material objects of our lives . . . food, clothes, houses, cars, etc. These things are temporary and could be lost
in a moment’s time. We should be
thankful for those things, but our thanksgiving must reach into the assurance
of the things we cannot lose.
Eternal life . . . John 10:28
Forgiveness . . . 1 John 1:9
Access to God through Prayer . .
. Hebrews 4:15-16
God's presence . . . Hebrews 13:5
Scripture to Claim:
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the
power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is
in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt
Yourself as head over all. 1Chronicles
29:11
