Thankful?

Word Study on thanks.
Thanks - yadah (Hebrew- verb) to give thanks, praise, confess. (Interesting?) Translated in KJV - praise (53x), give thanks (32x), confess (16x), thank (5x), make confession (2x), thanksgiving (2x), thankful (1x) - the reference stated 'since thanksgiving and praise naturally follow the acknowledgment or confession of benefits received.'

Does confession make me more thankful?  There are different kinds of confession aren't there?  Confession though takes acknowledgement.  What am I willing to acknowledge?

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1 Chronicles 16:34  "Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; His faithful love endures forever."
(This passage in Chronicles 16:8-22 is Psalm 105:1-15)
The rest of this chapter is portions of other Psalms - so cool!

Psalm 100:4  "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him    
and praise His name. 

Psalm 136:1  "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.  His love is eternal."

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Here's the thing.  I am not very traditional.  I do not enjoy things that most people enjoy.  I know I am different, but I am finding out that that is okay because I am the Lord's, He made me and He loves me.  I don't like social gatherings very much...like weddings, showers, parties.  I don't like holidays either.  I do not enjoy the hoopla that is a holiday...the expected responses, the expected things.  I know, I know.  I have always walked to a little different beat.  I do not like doing something because someone else does it or thinks I should.  Whoa, rebellious, huh?! Where am I going with this?  I don't know - LOL!  Just that I was thinking about the thanksgiving holiday and wondering if I am really thankful.  I mean really?

My pastor asked a question or made a statement yesterday that set me to thinking.  Something to the effect of, do you see yourself as thankful?  Is that how others see you?  Your spouse?  Your kids?  Your friends?  The person at the grocery? Then I began to wonder if being thankful is something I am on a daily basis or do I fall it to the category of 'straightening up' so to speak during the holidays? Am I only thankful when things around me are going right, or I am getting my way?  What causes me to be thankful?

I know I am goofy as well as random, (I figure it is my blog though so it's okay;) but I am loving that word, SELAH from the Psalms which may mean THINK ABOUT IT, PAUSE, STOP AND LISTEN - it isn't clear the exact translation.  I want to stop and think about the word thanks.  There are a bunch of Scriptures to choose from, I chose those above because they were in the concordance of my Holman Christian Standard Bible and it seemed manageable.  My mind is running in many directions as it often does but I am having such fun; just be glad I am not writing down all I am thinking!

The thought that confession makes me more thankful is something I have been pondering for a bit as I sit here. When I confess my sin, my failings, my needs and I see God's provision of love, mercy, grace, forgiveness my heart of thankfulness definitely grows.   When I begin the process of looking at God at His attributes, His character and praising Him my thankfulness grows.   I begin to recognize how big He is and how small I am.

So I guess that is the key then and just like everything else it seems to comes back to this one thing...Where is my focus?  Is it on Christ?  Even in the midst of the dailyness of life?  Is it on my circumstances?  Is it on how I feel?  Am I willing to confess and acknowledge my need of Him?  His greatness?  His provision?  His....  Him?!

Tomorrow I think I will look at 1 Thessalonians 5:16-23, but really quick verse 18 says, "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Do you see that?  It is God's will for me to give thanks in everything.  God's will!  We are always wanting to know what God's will is?  Well here is a great starting point!  Practice being thankful - all the time, not just when we feel like it.

Whoa, that's hard though, isn't it?  I think we will get better at it if we practice.  Just like deliberately setting our mind on Christ, focusing on Him.  What better way to get our focus where it needs to be than to look to Him with thankfulness.  We really have much to be grateful for don't we?  I think so often though, we want to turn it to physical things.  Yes, we need to be thankful for what God has given us, but stuff really amounts to nothing.  A tornado or fire happens and we lose everything and yet what are we most grateful for when it comes down to it?  Jesus, Life, Love, People, Relationships.
The enemy is really good at distracting and deceiving us into complaining and looking at our circumstances at our stuff or lack of.  We must resist him.  We must resist our flesh and set about giving thanks.  Change our focus.

I usually think of myself as being pretty thankful, but in doing a serious heart check I have realized that my thankfulness is so often conditional and I find that I am not presenting a thankful heart and attitude as much as I would like to think.  In fact I am more often wanting my way than the Lord's and griping about it when I don't get it.  For sure inside, if not outwardly.  

Father God, I do ask You to forgive me for wearing a mask of thankfulness.  One that says I am thankful but often it isn't true down in the depths of me.  You have given me a gift in encouraging others but am I really grateful for them?  Or have I just gotten good as saying words?  Please God help me to practice having a thankful spirit.  I thank You for the truth of Your Word and how in and through it comes life and the freedom from living a lie.   That You, Jesus, are the very Word of Life.  I want life.  I want freedom.  I have been overwhelmed this morning looking at all of the passages in Your Word on being thankful.  You really want us to get this, huh?  Help me to get it.  In Your strength.  I do chose right now to give thanks to You.  You are good! Your faithful love endures forever!  You say we can enter into Your presence with thanksgiving, with praise.  I want to be in Your presence.  You are always here with me but often I ignore You.  I would rather do my own thing.  Please God change me, help me to be in tune with You more than I am not.  You are good and Your love is eternal.  

I want to make a list of verses where the words thanks, thankful, thanksgiving are found for a starting point in helping me GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD...

1 Chr. 16:34 - He is good and His faithful love endures forever 
           16:35 - Your Name is holy 
Psalm 7:17 - He is righteous
           9:1 - of all Your wonderful deeds
           116:17 - offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving & will worship the LORD
           118:21 - for You answered me; You have become my salvation
           119:62 - for Your righteous laws (Your Word)
           136:3 - Lord of lords
           136:26 - the God of heaven
Jer. 33:11 -  to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; His love endures forever
Rom. 6:17 - you used to be a slave to sin
I Cor. 15:57 - He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
2 Cor. 9:15 - for His indescribable gift
Col. 1:12 - qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light
        3:15 - let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...be thankful
        4:2 - Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful
1 Thess. 5:18 - for it is God's will
Heb. 12:28 - since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken...be thankful and worship God
         with reverence and awe
Rev. 11:17 - Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was 

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" in the NIV occurs 15 times almost word for word.  Other translations use different adjectives describing His love - like faithful instead of steadfast or the word love is translated mercy (KJV); lovingkindness is everlasting (NASB)  (1 Chr. 16:34, 16:41, 2 Chr. 7:3, 7:6, 20:21; Ezr. 3:11,  Ps. 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, 136:1. 136:2, 136:3, 136:26, Jer. 33:11)

I know I got really carried away, but do you think because He repeated this so often that it means it's important???  That our lives could change if we recognize His goodness, if we truly know it and that His love never ever ends!!!  What peace!  What joy!  What thankfulness!

Perhaps spending time each day acknowledging that He is good and that His faithful, steadfast love (mercy) endures forever will help us with having a heart/an attitude of thanksgiving?  I'm going to give it a try.  Join me?

Lastly, did you know that Romans 1:20-21 says "From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made.  As a result, people are without excuse.  For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude.  Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened."  Whoa!  I didn't realize the significance God places on having a thankful heart.  God reveals Himself clearly and He expects to be worshipped, glorified, thanked! If not our thinking becomes nonsense and beyond that our senseless minds then become darkened!  I have experienced a darkened mind, due to depression (the lack of hormone causing some of it when it became extreme),  but also my decision to focus on the negative in my life.  If you are struggling with depression...go to the Lord in thanksgiving!  Look to Him!  If your depression is clinical as mine is, go to the doctor, go to the counselor, whatever.  God has provided medicine and doctors to help us and then we must still choose to be thankful!  He will bring LIGHT to your mind!  He has mine!  I am not special I have just determined to submit to the Lord and His lead!  I mean really submit, like obey, not just lip service.  He is changing me! You can too!  Whatever your issue!  He is bigger!  He will help!  You must choose to allow Him to!

If we want to have a thankful heart we must look to Him.  Look at Who He is!  Worship Him!  He alone is worthy of our worship and praise!  Then our thankfulness will grow!  What better way to use our time than learning to focus on Him and be thankful!  Test it out with me!  I would venture to say that our joy will increase and that we will be much more pleasant to be around if we do.  Let me know how it goes!

Oh, God, truly I am so grateful that You have brought Light to my mind!  That You are allowing me to be hungry for You and Your Word.  I know this is You and not me!  I am so thankful that Your love endures forever, that it is steadfast and faithful.  I am not, therefore I need You to be.  Thank You for Your promises, may we allow Your Word to become life to us (Deut. 8:3 & Matt. 4:4).