“…give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:4b-5
Thankfulness is a choice and a lifestyle. Acknowledging it is much more than a simple formula, there are elements to ponder on the topic of giving thanks here in Psalm 100 – the go-to chapter on the subject of thankfulness.
First and foremost, God is the object of our thankfulness. A grateful heart chooses to praise his name. As we focus on Him, the focus is also off ourselves. Thankfulness, then, comes against selfishness, pride, and a general all-about-me attitude that often permeates our thought life and our decisions.
Lord, my heart is grateful to You. You are the source of all that is good. You are the author of my salvation, the giver of life to come and the giver of good things in this life now. It is in You that I live and move and have my being.
As a grateful heart meditates on the majesty and the marvel of God, three of His attributes are beheld.
“For the LORD is good…”
We serve a God who is good. Not all people serve a good God. He is great AND He is good. As we choose to obey Him, we will make good choices. Have the choices you and I have made this week been good? Have we withheld good when it is in our power to act? God has given us resources to use for good. Are we wasting the good?
God, you are good. Enable me to walk in goodness. Give me an opportunity to make a good choice today – to release blessing over others, to share the good I have been given. Convict me of areas where I have not walked in goodness. Show me the do-over needed to make this right.
“…his love endures forever…”
The love of God brought hope to a lost world. The love of God brought hope to my lost soul. His love never ends. His love keeps on giving, keeps on flowing. It is unconditional, unending, and undeserved. We get to be conduits of this love. Is it continually flowing through us to others? Are we choosing to withhold love, choosing who is and is not worthy to receive it? Do we grow weary of extending love?
God, you are loving. I am grateful your love endures. Forever. Fill me with your love for others. Enable me to love those I struggle to like. Make me a love pipeline to those in my world.
“…his faithfulness continues…”
God is ever faithful. We grow weary. Our emotions — hurt, disappointment, anger – offer excuses to justify our unfaithfulness. The behavior of others offers excuses to justify our unfaithfulness. Because God is faithful, we must choose faithfulness, too.
God, convict me. Show me where I have given up on a brother or sister in Christ. Show me where I have given up on someone who needs to know You.
When our own human supply of faith is depleted, it’s time to ask for the Holy Spirit to fill us up so the flow continues. Where have I stopped short of supernatural faithfulness?
God, you are ever faithful. Enable me to walk in faithfulness, too.
As we count our blessings this Thanksgiving, let’s be found giving thanks most of all to our great God for His character – His goodness, His love, and His faithfulness. Choosing to walk in HIS ways is perhaps the greatest way to honor Him.
It’s been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Perhaps walking in His ways is the highest form of praise to our magnificent God.
