TargetPoint Vol 19 of 31Today's Verse/Thought: THANKSGIVING-A Confession of Blessings
Psalm 116: 12,17 What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving . . .
Life Implication:
THANKSGIVING can be TRULY LIMITLESS in its scope. In each situation of life, no matter the difficulty it presents, focus for thanksgiving can be discovered. Even the death of a loved one reminds us of the knowledge of eternal life.
Thanksgiving might be termed as a "MINISTRY TO GOD." It also could be characterized as an ATTITUDE . . . Don't you love to be around thankful people? God appreciates that too!
An especially MEANINGFUL GOAL of thanksgiving is to thank God each day for at least one blessing you cannot remember thanking Him for previously. Another form of giving thanks, is to thank God IN ADVANCE for blessings you expect Him to bestow on you in the future. Sounds a bit presumptuous? Even King David, often in the Psalms, thanked God ahead of time for defeating his enemies!
Life Application:
ACKNOWLEDGE SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS. Do you recall ever thanking God specifically for the person who first told you about Jesus . . . your first Bible . . . your early Sunday School teachers . . .?
ACKNOWLEDGE MATERIAL BLESSINGS. Be very specific, remembering even the little things. Thank Him for the chair in which you sit, or the warmth of the room.
ACKNOWLEDGE PHYSICAL BLESSINGS. Thank Him for good health. If you are experiencing pain in one leg, express appreciation for strength in the other. "Hear" the Attitude?
ACKNOWLEDGE EXTERNAL BLESSINGS. Think of blessings which are not directly related to you, for example, God's kindnesses rendered to your friends, community, or nation.
DETERMINE TO BE APPRECIATION CONSCIOUS and ALERT TO BLESSINGS throughout your day, and then verbalize those things to God. Now that you are so full of thanksgiving, you might just feel like singing . . .
Tomorrow In TargetPoint:
Singing, The Act of Melodic Worship