GIVE THANKS TO GOD

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DECEMBER 31, 2021

TOPIC: GIVE THANKS TO GOD

BY T. O. BANSO 

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136:3 New King James Version).

In a couple of hours, the year 2021 will end. Today is the last day of the year. Therefore, it is only proper to focus the message today on giving thanks to God. Thank God for making you see the beginning of the year and keeping you alive to see the end. Ecclesiastes 7:8a says, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning” (New King James Version). The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Finishing is better than starting.”

Whatever were the challenges you faced in the year, you are still alive, preparing to enter into the New Year 2022. Only those alive can give thanks to the Lord and praise His holy name. Those who’re dead can’t do that. Psalm 6:5 says, “For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?” (New King James Version). The  New Living Translation says, “For in death, who remembers you? Who can praise you from the grave?”  The New Century Version says, “Dead people don’t remember you; don’t in the gave don’t praise you.” The dead can’t give thanks to the Lord; only the living can. Therefore, give thanks to God. Remember all that He did for you in the year and thank Him, even though you may have thanked Him many times in the past.

Psalm 95:2-3 says, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods” (New King James Version).

The apostle Paul says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20 New King James Version).

Give thanks to God. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136:3 New King James Version). There is no better day to thank God than today when you consider all that happened in the year. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 New International Version). The New Century Version says, “And give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.” 

You have so many reasons to thank God today. If you remember all the answers to prayer, you should thank Him. If you remember even what you didn’t pray for or ask from God and what He did for you, you should thank Him. What about healing you when you were sick? What of the deliverance from dangers? Don’t be ungrateful. I am not saying the year was a perfect year or all your expectations were met. Nobody has that kind of report. But God is good. He is faithful. Thank Him.

Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (New King James Version). The first line of the lyrics of the song “To God be the glory” written by Fanny Crosby and the music written by W. Howard Doane says, “To God be the glory, great things He has done.”Can you remember any of the great things God did for you this year? Do you remember your salvation, keeping you steadfast in the faith, the revelation of the word of God, the building of your character, your healing and deliverances, etc.?

Give thanks to God. The Bible tells us some reasons to thank God. You should thank God because He is good and His mercy (steadfast love) endures forever (Psalms 106:1; 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136). Lamentation 3:22 says through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. It is the mercy of the Lord that has kept you through the year. Thank Him for this.

Give thanks to God. The Bible also says you should thank God for His name and His greatness (Psalm 122:4). Thank Him for His holy name (Psalms 106:47; 97:12). Also, thank Him because of His unspeakable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (King James Version). Jesus is an unspeakable, indescribable, or wonderful gift to the world. Give thanks to God

Thank God for your salvation and the salvation of others. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 New King James Version). Give thanks to God.

Give thanks to God for His righteous judgment (Psalm 119:62), avenging the enemy’s attack against you  (Psalms 79:12-13; 18:47-48), His many deliverances (Psalm 18:49-50), and His nearness to help you (Psalm 75:1). Also, give thanks to God for His marvelous or wondrous works (Psalm 105:1-2), the victory you have been given through Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57), and His provisions (1 Corinthians 4:7).

There are several other reasons to give thanks to God.  If you can think, you can thank Him. Giving thanks is the will of God for you as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says.  Giving thanks to God is a good thing to do. Psalm 92:1 says, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High” (New King James Version).).

As you end the year 2021, give thanks to God. Give thanks to God for He will do more for you in 2022. Happy New Year!

PRAYER POINTS: Father, I thank You for Your mercies throughout the year 2021. Father, thank You for all You did for me, my family, and my loved ones. Your praise shall never cease in my mouth in the New Year. I will enter into Your gates with thanksgiving, and into Your courts with praise: I will give thanks unto You, and bless Your name.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org