THANKSLIVING

1 Chronicles 16:8—Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.
Psalm 28:7—The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.
Psa.30:12b—O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever.
Philippians 4:4,11,12—Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! . . . I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Colossians 2:6,7—So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Col. 3:15—Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18—Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:28—Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

Two men in the Bible particularly strike me as thankful—David and Paul. Both of them were well acquainted with suffering, tragedy and persecution yet both maintained a remarkable attitude of thanksgiving. They possessed and operated by a philosophy I call thanksliving!

Thanksliving is:
1. An attitude rooted and anchored by faith in God.
2. Contagious proclamation. One cannot help but tell people about God Who is the true source of joy.
3. Permanent. No circumstance or condition can defeat it—ever. Even in the midst of deep sorrow, pain and affliction thanksliving is both possible and appropriate.
4. Centered, rooted, fed and focused on Christ Jesus. Without Him it is impossible to attain.
5. A mindset of contentment and peace regardless of external circumstances.
6. An obedient response to the will of God that becomes a glory offering.
7. Hopeful—one day we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken!

Thanksgiving is a holiday set aside to remind us that we should be grateful for God’s provisions. Thanksliving is a daily state that marks us as children of an awesome Father. Something to think about . . . in reveration!

Inspiration
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.—Cicero

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.—Saint Ambrose

"In Africa there is a fruit called the 'taste berry,' so called because it changes a person's taste buds in such a way that everything eaten after it tastes sweet. Giving thanks is the 'taste berry' of Christianity. When our hearts are full of gratitude, nothing that comes our way will be unpalatable to us. Those whose lifestyle is marked by thanksgiving will enjoy a sweetness of life unparalleled by any other." – Robert Strand, The Power of Thanksgiving

"Truly grateful people can't be stopped. They bubble and overflow, refreshing others. Their habitual gratitude serves as a springboard to give a reason for the buoyant hope bouncing within them. They attract those who are stuck in the cares of this world and woo them to the eternal Good." – Ellen Vaughn, Radical Gratitude