Young People's Group

BE THANKFUL TO HIM

by Pastor Mitch
June 26, 2011

The Challenge To Have A Heart Of Thankfulness

We have a choice on how we want to approach life. We could either complain about almost everything that we experience in life or we could learn to choose to have a heart that is full of thanksgiving. The Psalmist challenged all to be thankful to God.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving …
Be thankful to Him” 
Psalm 100:4

We are to come into God’s presence as we worship Him with hearts full of gratitude to Him. We are to be full of thanks towards the Lord for all that He has done for us. Young people, have you cultivated a heart that is thankful to God? We must choose to be thankful to God rather than to have a complaining spirit.

Two Ways To Cultivate A Spirit Of Thankfulness

There are two ways by which we can cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving.

1. Having A Personal Knowledge Of God

“Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” 
Psalm 100:3

When we know the Lord as our God in a personal way, we will be thankful to Him. The Lord is the one who created us most wonderfully. We did not come to be what we are by our own efforts or by chance. He is our God and we are His people. He is our shepherd and we are His sheep. The Lord specially watches over us and blesses us. Our hearts can be full of thanks as we know and appreciate the Lord as our God.

2. Having Personal Assurance In God’s Goodness

“For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.” 
Psalm 100:5

Thankfulness also comes when we recognize the goodness of the Lord in our life. The Psalmist had a personal assurance that the Lord is good to us all the time. His mercies are everlasting towards us and His truths will always stand through time. We should be thankful that we can have personal assurance in the Lord’s goodness.

Corporate Expressions Of Thankfulness

When the heart is full of thanksgiving, the natural response is to praise the Lord. The Psalmist challenged all people to make a joyful shout to the Lord. We are to learn to sing to God together with a greater sense of joy. God’s people are to enter into His house with joy to praise and to bless His name (Psalm 100:4). There is also the challenge to serve the Lord with gladness. When our heart is full of thanksgiving, we can serve the Lord together with a greater sense of gladness (Psalm 100:2). God has done much for us. Let’s learn to express our thankfulness with service and praise.

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