Giving great thanks for great things of God

I did a search for "thank" at Bible Gateway. Here are some off the results I came up with. I was specifically searching for verses & passages that show great displays of thanks by people of God, or great things God has done for His people that were worthy of gratitude:

• "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (1 Chronicles 16:34:34; God's enduring "steadfast love", see also: 16:41; 2 Chron. 5:13, 7:3, 7:6, 20:21; Ezra 3:11, Ps. 106:1, 118:1, 118:29, throughout Ps. 136, 138:2, Jeremiah 33:11).
• "I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds" (Psalm 9:1; "all your wondrous deeds" or the like also at: Ps. 26:7, Ps. 75:1, 2 Cor. 9:15, with out "whole heart" also at: 86:12, 111:1, 138:1).
• "¹¹You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
     you have loosed my sackcloth
     and clothed me with gladness,
  ¹²that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
     O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!" (Ps. 30:11-12; thanking God always, forever, continually, etc., including for all things., also at: 44:8, 52:9, 79:13, 106:1, 1 Corinthians 1:4, Ephesians 1:16, 5:20, Colossians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 5:18, 2 Thess 1:3, 2:13, Revelation 7:12  .
• "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!" (Ps. 100:4) 
• Thanks for God's "steadfast love" and "wondrous works" throughout Ps. 107 (verses 1, 8, 15, 21, 31)
• "I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD" (giving thanks sacrificially also in: Ps. 116:17. In Daniel 6:6-10, King Darius signs a decree stating that if anybody petitions any god or man besides him for the next 30 days, that person will be cast into the lion's den. Verse 10: "When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously." Amos 4:5, 1 Cor. 11:24).
• "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere" (2 Cor. 2:14).
• "For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God" (2 Cor. 9:12; see also Col. 2:7b).
• "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). 
• "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:17).

I know that the above verses only show the tip of what the Bible says about giving thanks (how, and for what), but these verses alone make it abundantly clear about what to be thankful for:

• God's steadfast, enduring love 
• all of God's wondrous/wonderful deeds
• our triumph in Him
• God's upcoming responses to our prayers (regardless of what they are, since He knows what's best for His glory & our edification)

and how we should express our thanks:

• with our whole heart
• sacrificially
• dancing, singing, etc.
• always, forever, continually
• in all things
• entering His presence with thanksgiving
• overflowing thanks (in other words, not forced, but streaming forth because of overwhelming gratitude)
• our prayers always having an underpinning of thanksgiving
• doing everything with an attitude of thanksgiving

I realize how far short I've come in being a thankful person, and realizing how much I have to be thankful for. May this help me & maybe a few others have the best Thanksgiving ever (this Thursday, and having a heart of thanksgiving every day).

Following the right voice

My wife & I were recently watching A Gifted Man, a TV show about a man whose wife died & now she supernaturally appears & speaks to him from time to time. In this particular episode, his character, a brain surgeon, is asked to operate on a man who is hearing awful voices in his head. It turns out that this man had the remains of a twin in his brain, which the brain surgeon removed. Ultimately, however, the voices were not removed by this surgery, but by a shaman.

Now putting all the questions of validity aside (after all, while I do believe in a spiritual realm, I don't ascribe to the tenets of the New Age philosophy), this show made me think of the voices or other influences in our heads that try to persuade us to believe certain things about ourselves, to do or not do certain things, and ultimately walk down one path in life or another.

The Casting Crowns song Voice of Truth came to mind. In this song, the narrator tells of his aspirations to do great things. But "voices" (as it were) keep telling him he isn't able; they keep reminding him of the times he's failed. So, why bother trying? But then the "voice of truth"--the Lord God--reminds him that those voices aren't speaking truth, and if God wills us success in a certain endeavor, and we listen to & honor Him along the way, we will succeed.

How often mankind has listened to the "voices" that seemed right at the time, but they led down a tragic path. Whether the voice is one that promises riches, or comfort, or power, if it conflicts with the Voice of Truth, if it conflicts with God's word in Scripture, then it's ultimately a voice that must be ignored and even prayed against. I have committed to considering the consequences, short- or long-term, of following the "voices" that try to influence me. And I am learning Bible verses and stories that tell the truth about what a person of God can be & do when he or she is sold out to the voice of Christ. May I--may we--become such people.

Repost: Are You a Nincompoop

Read for a good understanding of being Much More in Christ (warning: living for Christ might be dangerous to your popularity in the world system)

Who cleans the messes we make?

I'm not "green" to the degree that many environmentalists are. But I cringe when people blatantly throw garbage on the ground. I (and I'm sure most of us) am thankful that other people--people who didn't create the litter--take the time and effort to clean it up. Where I work, I see pieces of garbage strewn about here & there, but before long it's gone. I wonder if the litterers are aware of that? Or do they just think that their trash magically disappears? What would they think if their litter was never cleaned up, & soon started piling up around them?

Jesus Christ is the ultimate version of one who cleans messes He didn't make. He that never sinned took our sin upon himself, so we wouldn't have to suffer all its wretched consequences (2 Corinthians 5:21). So, in a world where sin abounds, where--like litter--its stench could overwhelm us, I'm so thankful for His cleansing blood.

Blog in flux

I've been toying with my blog, seeing how some different add-ons look (scroll down to see). Let me know what you think. I'll surely be doing some more tweaking in the coming days.

Yesterday, my wife heard a song while we were watching a movie, & she tried for the longest time to remember where she had heard it before. It was bedtime, & to be blunt we weren't going to be able to go to sleep until she knew what song it was. Thankfully, the all-omniscient Search Engine helped us find the answer. (To be fair to her, I recently learned the name of a song that had been popping in & out of my head for years, but couldn't remember enough about it to look it up until just a few weeks ago).

It made me consider that while it's a relief to have somewhere to turn for answers to those nagging trivialities that stay in our minds, it's even a greater comfort to know that the Bible holds answers to so many challenges that hound us from day to day. I'm trying to memorize key Bible verses & passages that can help me face those challenges as they arise so I don't have to rack my brain for the solution when it's staring me in the face. Just like the computer helped give my wife & I the rest we needed, having God's word in mind can provide peace of mind from such potential fears as terrorist attacks, hurricanes, or yes, even the dreaded social media updates that could one day be the destruction of us all (that's a joke---sort of).

Circling back to God

While I was at an Oktoberfest festival with my wife and her sister and brother-in-law, I observed a young girl of about two wandering around. She'd do some exploring, but never too far from her parents, who she'd soon return to. She'd once again wander away--just a few feet or so--and then circle back.

It made me think of how we so often are with God. We want our independence. We want to explore, even to step away from Him (as if that were possible). But we also want Him to be there for us when we circle back, when we get scared of what's out there or when we need His presence to remind us He's watching over us. Psalm 139:7-8 remind us we can't go anywhere that God is not. And just like that little girl--and like my wife's 20 year old son (both of whom are still the children of their parents)--as much as we enjoy our independence, knowing we have a safe place to return to is ultimately comforting.