Three Reasons to Give Thanks

Over and over again the Bible instructs us to give thanks, but how often do we really stop to intentionally do so? What should our first impulse be we offer our gratitude to the Lord?

Few people realize that there are three powerful blessings from God that we experience the moment we stop to give thanks:

1. Time Slows Down
When we stop to give thanks to God, we begin living in the present instead of moving forward in stress and anxiety. Jesus often slowed down to give thanks, and so did the Apostle Paul.

Matthew 26:26 – “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.'”

Acts 27.35 – “He took some bread and gave thanks in front of them all.”

2. We Learn to See
If we fail to recognize that everything comes from God, then our enjoyment of these good things begin to shrivel up and lose its significance to us. We end up craving gifts more and more, which may even make us start losing sight of the greatest gift of all – the gift of Jesus, the source of our life!

Romans 1:20-21 – For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

3. We Increase Capacity for Pleasure

When we look up and see the clouds forming with rain about to fall, we begin to hear the watering of the earth.  We begin to feel it and smell it in the air.  When we experience these sensations, we feel God loving us like a poet. He infuses his gifts with beauty so we can pleasure from them. He has created our five senses so we can take it all in to create praise on our lips. He wants to fill us with thanksgiving.

Psalms 33:1-5 – Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. For the word of the LORD is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

We don’t always have eyes to see the Lord in his gifts, so we don’t give thanks. We don’t give thanks for simple things like sunshine and rain or receive them as personal gifts of love from our Father.

Giving thanks is what gives us eyes to see. When we intentionally remember to look, savoring God’s creation and giving thanks – that’s when our eyes start to open. We behold! We see! The glory of the Lord is all around us!

When we stop to give thanks, we live in the environment of his love!