Forget not all God’s benefits
When you think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie, football? Rightfully so, but do we ever stop to think about to Whom we are giving thanks?
Psalm 103 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…”
He begins by instructing us to “Bless the Lord” or “Praise the Lord.” The Hebrew word means to abundantly bless, to kneel down, to honor, to acknowledge, to praise, or to give thanks.
Let us spend a few minutes today remembering a few of those benefits we are to give thanks for:
The food we eat
We often take this one for granted. Do we stop to give thanks to God before we eat? I challenge you to find me one time where Jesus ate food without first stopping to say, “Thank you Father for this food.” (Matthew 15:36; 26:26-27; Luke 11:3; 24:30-31, 35; John 6:11; etc). Same for His followers (Acts 14:17; 1 Timothy 4:3-4; Romans 14:6).
I am thankful I have never had to worry about my next meal. Some of you have. I have heard of parents in other countries who add a little gravel to their children’s food just for substance. Could you imagine? Wow! We are so blessed! We need to give thanks. And we need to teach our children just how blessed we are.
The possessions we own
We tend to have an overabundance of those in this country, until we do not. But even when we do not have a lot, we tend to be richer than most people in third-world countries. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 says not to “trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy…”
He reminds us that we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out, and having food and clothing, with these we shall be content (vs. 3). Most of us have much, much more than that.
What is our problem? We forget where they all come from. We lose sight of the Giver. Everything we have, from the air that we breathe to the clothes we wear, is a reminder that we have a Giver who cares for us. Therefore, we must give thanks.
The health we have
Sure, many have health problems, but as long as there is still breath in our lungs, let us stop to give thanks. After we overcome sickness or illness, are we willing to say, “Thank you, Lord”?
Reminds me of Hezekiah where he was sick and dying (Isaiah 38:1-6), but God adds 15 years to his life. Isaiah’s plea was basically, “If I am dead then I cannot praise you, let me live and I shall praise you. And I will teach my children of your faithfulness” (Isaiah 38:15-19).
Let us make sure that the life we have left is filled with declaring the glory of God and giving him thanks.
The salvation God offers us
His mercy, grace, compassion, and love. Psalm 103:10-14 goes on to say “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
That is so encouraging to me. We have to turn to God on His terms (belief, confession, repentance, baptism, and faithfulness). We should seek to do what is right and stop sinning. But every time we sin (because we will), we can turn to our Father who loves us, who has pity on us and who “remembers that we are but dust” and He forgives us. When we return to Him on his terms, He shows us mercy. Such amazing grace. Such wonderful forgiveness.
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Those are just a few to mention. But let us not forget all God’s benefits. Let us not forget where all those things we enjoy come from. Therefore, let us be thankful and give thanks to the giver of all things.
Visitors are welcome and valued. We meet at 15530 Herriman Blvd., Noblesville. Our phone number is (317) 219-5852. We meet for Sunday morning Bible Study at 10 a.m. and have classes for all ages. Worship begins at 11 a.m. and we have a Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m. A warm welcome awaits!