Living for Christ: through praise

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving. It's a time that we can remember our blessings and thank God. Often we take things for granted... I know at times I do.

I have a small notebook/journal that I keep... I write down things I'm thankful for. It's nice to have because besides remembering my blessings I can look back and remember what I'm thankful for.

When we pray, or at least when I pray, a lot of the time I guess I'm asking things of God. But we also need to thank God, to praise Him.

He is the Maker of the universe, King of the world, Lord of lords, King of kings, He controls everything... He is God and He chose to send His Son to die on a cross, to take on Himself our sins, so that we can have a relationship with God. How can we not thank Him? How can we not praise Him?

We can live for Christ through being thankful - through praising Him. Because when we look at our blessings we can see how incredibly blessed we are and we have a more joyful outlook... not a negative one.

We can see the early believers living this out as well.

Acts 2:46-47, "They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people."

Psalm 100 says, "Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His — His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations."

It doesn't have to be Thanksgiving to be thankful and to praise God. Let's praise Him and be thankful.

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What are you thankful for? What blessings has God blessed you with recently?