-November 25, 2024-
Good morning beloved, happy Monday,
“What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the Lord.”
(Psalm 116:12-13).
Today marks what many in the U.S. call Thanksgiving Week. A week is insufficient, let alone a day to give glory and thanks to the Lord.
Our pastor spoke yesterday on being thankful for God’s love. He told the story of the man who said instead of having one day to thank the Lord and all the other days to complain, he would rather have one day to make his complaints and all the other 364 days to give thanks to the Lord. I retorted that one day of complaints is even too much.
You can’t do two things at once: give thanks and complain. The unknown psalmist asked, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” A very good question, don’t you think? One that we should ask ourselves daily. He doesn’t just ask it as a rhetorical question, he asks it as a practical question.
The psalmist answers his own query, “I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the Lord.” The Christian should be the most thankful person in the world. But why is complaining so easy, and thanking God is so difficult? Only we can answer that. We must learn to be grateful and unlearn be ungrateful.
If newborn babies could speak right away, what might they say. Perhaps, “Why couldn’t I stay in mommy’s womb, it was so warm and cozy; these giants all around me are too scary; did the doctor have to slap me on the behind? The baby probably wouldn’t have said, “I am so thankful to come into this world; thanks Mom and Dad for everything; God is so good.”
Psalm 116:17 says, “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord.” Giving thanks is a sacrifice that God is well pleased with. The writer of Hebrews said it so well, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).
I love the word continually; it refers to an on going, never ceasing, everlasting stream of thanksgiving. Under the OT economy, the priests continually offered sacrifices which could never take away sins. Jesus’ one sacrifice of Him put away sin forever, bringing us life, forgiveness, and salvation.
May the Lord help us to offer continual thanks to the Lord daily, hourly, and always. Have a blessed, thankful day. Stay safe and healthy.
When offer our thanks for His every blessing; we will experience His joy and peace in believing.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 