Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The foundation of true
thankfulness is in knowing that what we have is not the result
of our own efforts, talents, or goodness, but rather is the
gift of Almighty God. Paul was well acquainted with
this truth when he said, ìFor who maketh thee to differ from
another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if
thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not
received it?î Thankfulness is a natural result of being made
aware of who it is that has blessed us. When a man is made to know
the weakness of his flesh, the sinfulness of his heart, and
his natural inability to seek after righteousness, then that
man will bow down and thank the Lord of heaven and earth for
his great mercy and grace. But as long as a man entertains
some notion of his own worthiness to receive the blessings of the
Lord, he cannot and will not have a true spirit of thanksgiving,
but will only pay lip service to being thankful, while in his
heart he is convinced that he is somehow deserving of those
blessings, or has performed some deed that has earned them for
himself. Humility and thankfulness go
hand in hand. Pride is the enemy of thanksgiving. When speaking of the wicked,
Paul said, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God.
Neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations. The Pharisee in Luke 18.11 thanked
God, but it was the prayer of a hypocrite, because he made
reference to his own righteousness in the same breath. What should
we thank Him for? He has given us all things. He
has blessed us with the fellowship of our brethren in Christ. He
has caused our brethren to walk in faith and love, bringing untold
blessings to us by their example. He has given us our daily bread.
He is a sovereign God who has no rival and needs no aid. He
is a holy God who delights in righteousness. He is a God who
delights in mercy and will display His goodness to His people. He
has given us His Word. He has filled our hearts with
joy. He has given to us the unspeakable gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. He has given us deliverance from
and victory over the power of sin. He has granted us wisdom
that we may seek Him. He has shown us the success and
triumph of His gospel by the conversion of sinners. Why should
we thank Him? He has commanded us to thank
Him. The heavenly creatures which surround His throne have set
the precedent for us as they have thanked Him from the ancient
times, both day and night. Our Lord and Savior has set for
us an example that we should follow in His steps, and He was
continually thanking His Heavenly Father. It is a good thing to
give thanks unto the Lord. He has done so much for us in
this lifetime that it will take eternity to come to speak forth
the volume of our thanks. When should we thank Him? When
we are alone in our prayer closet, our hearts should overflow and
our lips cease not to thank Him for all that He has done for
us. When we are gathered together with God's people in the place
of public worship, thanks to Him should be the theme of our
gathering. Only those who are strangers
to grace could think otherwise. When we go about our everyday
activities in the presence of those who do not reverence his
name, we should give thanks. Therefore will I give thanks
unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto
thy name. When we sit down for a meal,
rather than saying a blessing, we should be thanking the one
who provides every morsel of food we have ever eaten. In summary,
we should thank Him at all times and for all things, giving thanks
always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ. And how should we thank Him?
Giving thanks and praising God go hand in hand and are often
used interchangeably in the Scriptures. Giving thanks is an activity
and not just a thought process. We thank Him by opening our mouths
and speaking forth thanks. By him, therefore, let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit
of our lips giving thanks to his name. We demonstrate our
thankfulness by desiring obedience to his precepts. He said, If
you love me, keep my commandments. The sons of God shall never cease
to give thanks unto Him who has given Himself as a ransom for
their sins. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor
and glory and blessing. And every creature which is in
heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in
the sea and all that are in them, heard I say, blessing and honor
and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb forever and ever. For a free CD containing
15 of these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at
windstream.net