Ongoing, Continual Praise

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

It’s the beginning of a new week and there is much to do for the Lord. There will be blessings and challenges to face, I’m sure. So, let’s start this week in thankfulness and gratitude to the Father in the name of His Son, Jesus.

In my humble opinion, a grateful heart is the single greatest act of personal worship we can offer to God. Thankfulness should be the primary and consistent response to whatever happens in our life, this and every week. 

Paul, in writing to the Ephesian and Thessalonian Christ followers, said that we are to be thankful “in everything” [see 1 Thessalonians 5:18], and “for everything” [see Ephesians 5:20].

In everything, and for everything, implies the hard things and the blessings that come our way. Now before you get too excited and say, “Rick, how can I be thankful for all things? How is that possible?” I have two responses:

• It’s possible if you live a spirit-filled life. In the Ephesian passage quoted above, giving thanks is the last of 5 Greek participles that describe what it means to be filled with the spirit.

• Don’t be misled by the word for. It comes from a Greek preposition meaning, over, beyond, in the stead of. Suppose you fall down this week and break your arm. Are you required to say, “Thank you for the broken are?” I don’t think so! The idea behind the Greek word is that your gratitude is undisturbed by the event. Just keep on being thankful.

There is no escaping the importance of a continual offering of thanks to the Lord in everything and for everything. The author of Hebrews said it well, “Therefore, through Jesus let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name” [13:15].   

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 5:20