Tag Archives: giving thanks

November 27, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Bible Verses On Thankfulness

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT)

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34 AMP)

We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about. (Psalm 75:1 MSG)

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! (Psalm 100:4 AMP)

At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. (Ephesians 5:20 AMP)

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2 NLT)

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG)

Sing praise to the Lord, all his faithful people! Remember what the Holy One has done, and give him thanks! (Psalms 30:4 GNB)

IT IS a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High, (Psalm 92:1 AMP)

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. (1 Chronicles 16:8 NLT)

Happy Thanksgiving.

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November 28, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Choosing To Be Thankful

Years ago I learned the Law of Thanksgiving. It simply states that the more you give thanks, the more you have to give thanks for. Think about that for a second. When’s the last time you were thankful for something? So far 2020 has been a crazy year. I see a ton of people complaining about it and wondering what’s next. We can be thankful that World War 3 didn’t happen, that COVID-19 didn’t kill the percentages that we were told it would, we got to spend some time at home with our family and we’re learning to have some long overdue conversations. I’m not minimizing the seriousness or impact any of the events that have happened so far this year, but there are reasons to give thanks in all of them.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus” (TPT). No matter what’s going on in your life, there’s a way and a reason to give thanks. In my darkest days, I learned to thank God that I didn’t have things as badly as someone else had it. It took a conscious effort to change my mind from, “I don’t think Job had it this bad” to “God, I realize things could be a lot worse in my life. Thank you that it’s not.” The more I began to change how I saw my situation and found reasons to be thankful, the less bitter I became. I believe it shortened the long term negative impact it could have had on my life.

Psalm 107 is a great chapter to teach thankfulness. I recommend reading the whole chapter, but today I want to share verses 8-9. They say, “So lift your hands and thank God for his marvelous kindness and for all his miracles of mercy for those he loves. How he satisfies the souls of thirsty ones and fills the hungry with all that is good!” To cultivate a thankful heart, you can’t just keep your thanks inside. You need to share it. Even though it’s not November as I write this, try thinking of one thing each day that you are thankful for and share that with others. Try doing that for 30 days or even longer. You will find that your outlook on life will change and that suddenly you will have a lot to be thankful for.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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November 18, 2024 · 5:30 AM

A Lifestyle Of Gratitude

Every November I see people post daily about something they’ve thankful for. I love to see the posts, but gratitude shouldn’t be seasonal. It’s actually a spiritual discipline that we need to incorporate into our daily lives as Christians. In its trues form, it is an act of selflessness because it acknowledges that someone other than ourselves is the source of things in our lives. It gives credit where credit is due while working to keep us humble. Gratitude is one of the best ways to acknowledge God’s work in our lives. Too many times we pray to ask God for things, yet stop to give Him thanks when He answers. In our home, we have made it a practice to stop what we’re doing, no matter where we are, and give thanks once a prayer has been answered.

In Luke 17:11-19 it says that Jesus was walking from Galilee to Jerusalem. As He was passing through Samaria, He came into a village where He was met by ten lepers who called out to Him for help. Jesus saw them and simply told them to go show themselves to the priest. As they were walking along, they realized they were healed. Nine continued on to show the priest and run to their family. Verse 15-16 says, “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice; and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. He was a Samaritan” (AMP). Jesus asked where the other nine were. Then he asked, “Was there no one found to return and to give thanks and praise to God, except this foreigner?” That question should challenge each of us to have the spiritual discipline of gratitude in our lives.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” It doesn’t matter what season we’re in, or what our circumstances are, we must learn to be grateful. When we continually give God thanks, it changes our perspective and attitude. The more we things we give thanks for to God, the more we find we have things to be grateful for. A grateful heart is the will of God because it keeps our eyes fixed on Him no matter the situation. What can you do starting today to incorporate this spiritual discipline into your life? How will you be held accountable to be like the one leper who returned to give thanks? Don’t let this be just another season of giving thanks. Use it to begin a lifestyle of gratitude.

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November 23, 2023 · 5:30 AM

A Thankful Mindset

Several years ago, I taught a sales psychology class. It was designed to help salespeople stay mentally tough because they’re rejected so often. One of the things I taught in it was the Law of Thanksgiving. It stated that the more we give thanks, the more we have to be thankful for. It was all about counting your blessings and then giving thanks for every one of them. It really is an attitude changer when you decide to be thankful each day and to find something in your life to be thankful for. The first couple of weeks are pretty easy, but after that, your mind starts to get stretched and gets creative in looking for things to be thankful for. It ultimately changes your perspective on your life and changes how you look at the world.

In a time where the news is dominated by statistics of people getting sick and dying, it’s a great time to reprogram your mind to looking for things to be grateful for. Matthew Henry, a Welsh minister in the 1600’s, demonstrated this line of thinking when his wallet was stolen. He said, “I am thankful that he never robbed me before. I am thankful that although he took my wallet, he didn’t take my life. Although he took all I had, it wasn’t much. I am glad that it was I who was robbed, and not I who did the robbing.” He had adopted a mindset of being thankful and it changed his perspective on things that happened to him. It’s a mindset that we all should have, and I believe it starts with reminding ourselves that all we have has been given to us by God. He is who we need to be thankful to.

Psalm 16:5 says, “You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands” (GNT). It’s important that we start with the thought that God is your source of everything and and that everything you have belongs to Him. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes,” is how Job put it. Being mindful of this helps keep our minds right when the future is uncertain and fear wants to creep in. He has and will continue to give you all you need. Your future is in His hands, not yours. Following the Law of Thanksgiving is a great way to remember that and to give thanks where it’s due. It will allow you to worship during calamity and to be content whether you have a little or a lot. It’s the mindset I believe God is calling us all back to.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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November 24, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Psalm 100

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation (NLT).
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October 21, 2022 · 5:36 AM

Giving God Thanks

I love the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. As the men walked away excited about their healing, one turned around to come back and thank Jesus. It’s a great reminder to all of us that we need to stop and give thanks to God for the things He’s done for us. Our lives are more busy than ever, and we are constantly asking God for things. Sometimes we don’t even recognize when He’s answered a prayer. Don’t be like the nine who went on with their lives. Think about the last time you truly stopped everything to give God a proper thanks. Don’t let another moment pass. Take time right now to just thanks Him for all He’s done. The more you give Him thanks, the more you have to be thankful for.

Here are some Bible verses on giving God thanks.

1. Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:19-21 AMP

2. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

Psalms 107:8 AMP

3. Lord, receive my grateful thanks and teach me more of how to please you.

Psalms 119:108 TPT

4. I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

Psalms 139:14 AMP

5. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
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Psalms‬ ‭100:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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November 28, 2019 · 5:30 AM

Choosing Thankfulness

As Paul is wrapping up his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he quits expounding on things and starts rapid firing commands. Pray for and honor your spiritual leaders. Be joyful always. Test all things. Avoid evil. He puts one right in the middle that to me is one of the hardest commands. He says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT). What? How can I be thankful in all circumstances? Why doesn’t he expound on this and tell us how? I’ve wrestled with these questions and this verse my whole life.

As I was pondering this recently, I remembered the words of a British Bible scholar from the 1600’s, Matthew Henry, when someone stole his wallet. He said, “Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.“ Wow! That’s someone who chose to be thankful in all circumstances. He understood that you don’t have to be thankful for your circumstances, but you can find ways to be thankful in them.

It comes down to a matter of our heart. Are we choosing to blame God for our problems or are we finding ways to be thankful despite them? God’s desire for each of us is to learn thankfulness because it changes our perspective. When circumstances arise in our life, we can choose to become bitter or better. That outcome is dependent on what we focus on when we don’t like our present situation. Choosing to be thankful in all circumstances is definitely the more difficult choice, but it produces much better results in our life.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 10, 2018 · 6:04 AM

A Grateful Heart

As we were headed somewhere, my son, who was in the backseat, out of the blue asks, “Dada, who is your favorite leper?” I said, “You know, I haven’t given it that much thought. Who is yours?” He replied, “The one who praised God and went back to thank Jesus.” Then he asked, “Why didn’t the other nine who were healed go back and to thank Jesus for healing them?” I replied, “That’s the same question Jesus had, but we weren’t given the answer to.” He thought for a second then said, “We should always thank God when He answers prayers.”

He’s right, but many times, we forget. For many of us, what is urgent right now is what gets all of our energy and attention. Once it’s taken care of, we move to the next most urgent thing. For those 10 lepers, the most urgent thing was to be healed before the leprosy claimed their lives. Because it was considered “unclean” and contagious, the people who had it were cut off from family, friends and society. It was a lonely disease where everyone avoided you. So once these people got Jesus’ attention and their healing, they were ready to rejoin their families. Only one felt his most urgent need was to go back and give thanks.

Luke 17:15 says, “One of them, a foreigner from Samaria, when he discovered that he was completely healed, turned back to find Jesus, shouting out joyous praises and glorifying God” (TPT). The Bible records many healings Jesus performed, but this story records someone giving thanks for their answered prayer. Gratitude is a godly quality we could all get better at. When we look back at our life, we can see many times God has answered our prayers. Can we also see moments of gratitude like this leper’s? Take time today to thank God for all He’s done for you. You’ll find that the more you grateful you are, the more you’ll have to be grateful for.

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November 22, 2018 · 5:00 AM

Be Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). It’s one of those verses we can quickly read over. Paul was wrapping up his letter and was writing several commands for these new believers. He was wanting them to take these instructions and ingrain them in their new lives early on so that they would become a habit long term. Each of the things he said were important, but this one always jumps out at me.

Paul, the writer of Thessalonians, had gone through some pretty dark days himself. He learned that if you focus on your problem, despair sets in. If you focus on finding something to be thankful for, praise fills your heart. That’s how he and Silas could praise in prison. I’m sure it started out as a conversation on things to be thankful for that turned into singing praises to God. It was in those praises that God moved the earth and set them free from their chains.

Don’t miss that powerful truth. When you praise, God frees you from your chains. Praise comes from a heart that is thankful. A thankful heart comes from a person who looks for the good in every situation. If you’re breathing, you’ve got something to be thankful for. If you have a bed to sleep in, you’ve got something to be thankful for. Your world may be falling apart, but God has not abandoned you. Give thanks for that. When you learn to give thanks in all circumstances, you’ll learn to praise in all circumstances.

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Throwback Thursday is a new feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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November 21, 2014 · 6:00 AM

10 Scriptures On Being Thankful

1. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT)

2. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34 AMP)

3. We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about. (Psalm 75:1 MSG)

4. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! (Psalm 100:4 AMP)

5. At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. (Ephesians 5:20 AMP)

6. Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2 NLT)

7. Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG)

8. Sing praise to the Lord, all his faithful people! Remember what the Holy One has done, and give him thanks! (Psalms 30:4 GNB)

9. IT IS a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High, (Psalm 92:1 AMP)

10. Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. (1 Chronicles 16:8 NLT)

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