What if we observed two Sundays in November that lifts up the importance of thanksgiving and praise as an important part of our Christian faith and discipleship? Traditionally, we focus on the holiday of Thanksgiving as a one-day event featuring a meal and family. It’s all good! But what if we practiced
extending Thanksgiving and praise into our daily lives?
Praise to God is a Lifestyle All too often, praise to God is something that many people leave at church, an event that happens only when they come together with other Christians. However, thanksgiving and praise should be a part of a believer’s lifestyle, intermingled as a part of their daily prayer life. At work, in the car, at home in bed, or anywhere; praise to the Lord brings the refreshing of the Lord’s presence, along with His power and anointing. “…I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1).
The Bible says that “God inhabits in the thanksgiving and praises of God’s people” (Psalms 22:3). In other words, God “dwells” in the atmosphere of God’s thanksgiving and praise. This means that thanksgiving and praise is more than a reaction of coming into God’s presence… Thanksgiving and praise to God is a vehicle of faith which takes us into God’s presence and power! Thanksgiving and praise allows us to enter into the complete experience of God. The psalmist writes, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his
name” (Psalms 100:4). Put simply, our Thanksgiving turns into Thanks-Living!
Colossians 3:17: And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday season, let us take a look at how we can sit in the THANKSGIVING CHAIR! On Sunday, November 18th and 25th, we are going to introduce the THANKSGIVING CHAIR as we acknowledge the grace of God in all areas of our life. We will begin this Sunday in talking about two special services of thanksgiving and praise. It will start in our worship and move into our homes and our community (and beyond). We invite you to be a part so that this year, we enter into a new time of Thanks-Living in the THANKSGIVING CHAIR.
Sitting in the THANKSGIVING CHAIR teaches us to not allow circumstances to affect our thankfulness to God — even when things look terrible in life, we will be able to be thankful.
