Praise and Thanksgiving

How important is it to give praise and thanksgiving to God? God required all Israel to gather together three times each year. (See Exodus 23:14–16.) The very essence and purpose of these gatherings was praise and thanksgiving for what God had done for them and for what He had promised to do for them in the future.

They were to remember all the good blessings that God had bestowed upon them in the past. It is a good thing for us to remember the goodness of God in our lives, too.

Ellen White wrote, “In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Life’s Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196. Brothers and sisters, I would suggest to you that we have everything to fear if we forget—not only what God has done for us as a people, but also what God has done for us individually.

Again I ask, How important is thanksgiving and praise in the Christian life? We see a hint of its importance in this statement. Paul, in Colossians 2:6, 7, says, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

Receive Christ by Faith

There are three parts to these two verses. First it is very important, for our Christian experience, that we walk in the same manner as we receive Christ. How do we receive Christ?

In Romans 5:1, 2, we find how an individual receives Christ: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

We receive Him by faith; we are to walk then by faith. Paul says that we are to walk by faith and not by sight—not by our senses, not by our feelings, not by our own understanding, but by faith. (See 2 Corinthians 5:7.) We are also told that, “Faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. That is where our faith is to be anchored.

Obedience Establishes Faith

So first we receive Christ by faith, trusting His Word, and we are to walk even as we received Him. But then Colossians 2:7 continues: “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith.” How do you become “stablished in the faith”? How does your faith become established in God’s Word?

Jesus gives the parable of the man who built his house on the rock versus the man who built his house on sand in Luke 6. Notice verses 46–48:

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.”

How are we established in the faith? By doing what God says. That is how, Jesus says, we are going to have a faith that is established on a rock. As Paul puts it, we are going to be “rooted and built up in him and stablished in the faith.” That happens when we choose to obey God. So we have faith that receives Christ. We have faith that walks with Christ. Obedience establishes the experience of faith.

Abound with Thanksgiving

Now we are going to see how important thanksgiving and praise are in the Christian life. Paul says, in Colossians 2:7, “abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Paul has just outlined three steps in the Christian experience.

We receive Christ by faith; we become established in Him by obedience, and we abound in that experience by thanksgiving. The word used here, abound, in the original Greek means super abound. The same word is used by Jesus in John 10:10: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.”

God wants to give us a more abundant experience in faith and obedience in Him. Such an experience will only come by way of thanksgiving. It will only come as we open the channel of our hearts and praise the God who is saving us from our sins. God wants us to super abound—not only in quantity but in quality of experience.

Thanksgiving and praise will give those fine aspects to our Christian experience. They will give us a quality experience, not just a religious experience. Faith receives Christ Jesus. Obedience establishes us in that faith with Him. Thanksgiving and praise increase that experience.

Again I ask the question, How important in the Christian life is thanksgiving and praise? How important is it to be thankful to God not only with our lips but with our hearts—not occasionally, but all the time?

Thankfulness Precedes Holiness

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” 2 Timothy 3:1, 2. Notice that the unholy attribute is preceded by the unthankful attribute.

We see that perilous times have come upon the earth, and we know that it is going to get worse in the world. But it can get better in our hearts if we have thanksgiving, if we have faith, if we have obedience.

What is the end result of a professed Christian who is not thankful to God from his/her heart? They are unholy in the sight of God, and that will lead to being satisfied with a form that denies the power. (Verse 5.)

We can deduce that if we can be unholy by being unthankful, then we can become holy by being thankful, with the addition of faith and obedience. Faith, faith that is linked with obedience that is linked with thankfulness, equates to holiness. We can also deduce that a faith that produces only external obedience, exempt of thankfulness, equals a form without the power and produces an unholy people. What does God mean when He talks about unholy versus holy? He is talking about incomplete versus complete. Holiness is wholeness for God. Unholiness would be a compromise with God.

God Commands Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is so important in the Christian life that God even commands thankfulness: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It is a part of God’s will for your life just as much as any part of God’s law is His will for your life. He wants us to give thanks in everything that is good, everything that falls into the context of Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.”

God wants us to learn to be thankful, thankful for the good things that He sends to us and to be constantly mindful of those things. And Paul said we would abound in our experience of faith and our obedience would super abound if we have the ingredients of thanksgiving and praise.

God wants us to give praise and thanksgiving; that is His will for us. Surely true, sincere thankfulness cannot be commanded, but it will come naturally as we enter into the experience of faith and as we recognize God’s goodness to us.

God wants us to know how important thankfulness is and how necessary it is to express thanks continually. Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Not only are we to give thanks for all things, but we are to give thanks always. The question to which an answer is needed from the Word of God is, How can I learn to be thankful at all times for all things?

How to Begin

Psalm 100 outlines three things that will help us to begin to be thankful. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name. For the Lord [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations.”

Is there something to be thankful for? Yes, all the time, for everything that God is! Too often we do not think enough about the goodness of the Lord. Everything that He has done is good. Everything that He will ever do is good. He is mindful of us, and all He wants is good for us.

Not only is God good, but Romans 8:28 tells us that God is able to work everything out for good to them that love Him. Only a good God would do that.

“No tongue can express, no finite mind can conceive, the blessing that results from appreciating the goodness and love of God. Even on earth we may have joy as a wellspring, never failing, because fed by the streams that flow from the throne of God.” The Ministry of Healing, 253.

Secondly, Psalm 100:5 says, “The Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting.” Is that not a wonderful thing? “The Lord [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” Psalm 103:8. His mercy is everlasting. That means that when we ask for and receive forgiveness from God, it is going to last forever. God forgives forever. That is such a wonderful thing that we need to praise God and be thankful to Him for such mercy.

Wonderful mercy of a wonderful God! In Lamentations 3:22, 23, we are told: “[It is of] the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.” If it were not for the mercy of God, Satan would blot us out of existence this very minute.

“‘Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; . . . and be ye thankful.’ Colossians 3:15. Forgetting our own difficulties and troubles, let us praise God for an opportunity to live for the glory of His name.” The Ministry of Healing, 253. I praise God for the opportunity to live for the glory of His name. “Let the fresh blessings of each new day awaken praise in our hearts for these tokens of His loving care. When you open your eyes in the morning, thank God that He has kept you through the night. Thank Him for His peace in your heart. Morning, noon, and night, let gratitude as sweet perfume ascend to heaven.” Ibid.

Is the Lord pleased with such thankfulness and praise that comes from our hearts? Yes, He appreciates it just as much as you and I would appreciate somebody appreciating us. God is that real; God is that gracious, and He is that touched with our responses to Him.

The last part of Psalm 100:5 says, “his truth [endureth] to all generations.” Forever and ever and ever. His truth endureth. We have every reason to be thankful for God’s truth. It is the only antidote for sin.

Jesus said, in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus wants to set us free from sin. In John 17:17 He says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Sanctification only comes by way of God’s truth, as we allow it to take control of our lives, as we allow it to possess us.

That means we become set apart. We take on the very character of God. We regain the image of God that was lost because of sin. Such change only happens by way of God’s truth. We know that that truth is embodied in two things: His Son, Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and His law. He says, “Thy law is the truth.” John 14:6; Psalm 119:142.

What will we not be doing if we are being thankful? Philippians 2:14 tells us: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings.” Is that possible? Yes, but it is only possible if we are praising and giving thanks to God. We cannot complain if we are being thankful. We cannot do both at the same time. Did you know that? Have you ever tried complaining and being thankful at the very same time? It is not possible!

You cannot be thankful if you are complaining. You cannot complain if you are thankful. Simple, isn’t it? All God wants is for us to be mindful of His goodness, His mercy, and His truth—and to be thankful and to give Him praise.

A Merry Heart

We do not see the word thankful in Proverbs 17:22, but it is inferred. It says, “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” You cannot have a merry heart if you are not thankful.

Science has found that our immune systems are benefited or debilitated by our emotions. Thankfulness is one of the most positive emotions that God has given to us. We benefit not only our spiritual experience by thankfulness and praise to God, but we can benefit our physical well being also. God knew this long before science came to this conclusion.

“Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise. It is a positive duty to resist melancholy, discontented thoughts and feelings—as much a duty as it is to pray. If we are heaven-bound, how can we go as a band of mourners, groaning and complaining all along the way to our Father’s house?

“Those professed Christians who are constantly complaining, and who seem to think cheerfulness and happiness a sin, have not genuine religion.” The Ministry of Healing, 251.

This is not talking about being light and frivolous. It is talking about being joyful and at peace, with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts to God.

Just before Jesus returns and probation closes, God’s people will be seen as holy. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11.

God says His people, just before Christ comes, are not only keeping His commandments (Revelation 14:12), but they are going to be a holy people before Him. To be a holy people, they must be a thankful people—people that give God praise.

God wants us to be thankful for His goodness, for His mercy, and for His truth. We will never be weary in being thankful for those things. The more we see of God and His goodness, the more thankful we will be and the more praise we will give to Him. It is just natural.

We have every reason to be thankful to God, but if we had no other reason for thankfulness than that God will save us from our sins, that would be enough. It is sin that keeps us from seeing Him. And the more we allow God to save us from our sins through His truth, the more praise and thanksgiving we will give to Him.

“Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” 1 Chronicles 29:13.