How to be Thankful

How to be Thankful

With this being Thanksgiving week, the subject of being thankful is on the minds of many people. The Bible has much to say about thanksgiving. It's more than our American celebration of turkeys and touchdowns. For the followers of Christ, being thankful is to be a lifestyle.

What happens when being thankful doesn't come naturally? Can we learn to develop a thankful heart? Are there things we can do to inspire and activate thankfulness in our lives? Yes, I think so.

The Bible teaches more than just the need to be thankful, it goes further by also explaining why we can be thankful, how we can be thankful, and what we can be thankful for. While there are many Scriptures we could look at, I especially like Psalm 116:12-14.

Here the writer asks himself an interesting question. How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? In other words, how can I properly and adequately give thanks to the Lord? Then he answers his own question by saying, I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

As he reflects on his desire to thank the Lord, he realizes the impossibility of doing so, since the Lord has need of nothing and everything we have came from him in the first place. However, he also recognizes that receiving what the Lord offers, his cup of salvation, is the best way to honor God. Humbly and eagerly accepting from the Lord is the best way to show thanks. The paradox is that we give to the Lord by taking what he freely offers.

That's what Empower NBCA School of Ministry is all about. Learning to live with a thankful heart by receiving the gifts and callings he has for each of us, and fulfilling his purpose for us among the people of God.