- araratchurch
- Nov 27
- 2 min read
“And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.”
Matthew 15:33-38 ESV
In our opening scripture, we see the description of one of the two times that the Lord took a small amount of food and fed a multitude with it. It is important to note that in each case, before performing the miracle of multiplication of the food, Jesus blessed it by thanking God for it.
I believe that many Christians fail to have the blessing of God on the work of their hands, their possessions, and so on, because they are not grateful to God for what they already have.
Make no mistake, operating with a sense of always being somehow “shortchanged” by God, is a fast track to lack.
At one point in Jesus’ ministry, ten lepers approached Him, begging Him to heal them. Sadly, when they were healed, only one—a Samaritan—returned to give the Lord thanks.
“When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?””
Luke 17:14-18 ESV
Did you know that it is God‘s will that we give thanks to Him?
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
In view of the wonderful things the Lord has done for us, let’s make sure that every day is a day of thanksgiving. After all, He is worthy of our gratitude.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Nov 26
- 2 min read
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
Psalm 103:1-2, 20-22 ESV
In our discussion concerning giving thanks to God, we have more than once employed Psalm 103. Although this psalm is often quoted within the context of giving thanks to God, there may be something about it you have not noticed.
In Psalm 103, the “audience” being addressed most often, is David, himself. In other words, David is not only instructing his soul to bless the Lord, he is also rehearsing to himself why he should do so.
The writer of Psalm 42 similarly instructs his soul to give praise to the Lord:
“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.”
Psalm 146:1-3 ESV
Note as well that the instruction to trust in the Lord, rather than trusting other men, is also addressed to the psalmist himself.
It seems that people wait until they FEEL like doing something like giving the Lord thanks, before they actually do it. The thing is, the habits we have developed, tend to linger on unless they are confronted and replaced. Those who are not in the habit of regularly thanking the Lord and elaborating on His goodness to themselves, tend to stay petty and ungrateful. as we have discussed on Day 1 of our little journey into “Giving Thanks to God 2025.”
Our goal should be to train our hearts and minds toward a daily attitude of gratitude for all the Lord has done. Truly, our words of thanks to the One who has given us so much, could never begin to express the gratitude owed to He Who is our All in All.
Child of God, don’t allow your thoughts, emotions, affections, and so on, to go in the direction of ingratitude. God is too good to be given the “silent treatment,” in terms of our gratitude. Instruct your soul to bless Him, to thank Him, to praise Him; and keep on doing so until it becomes a new glorious habit!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Nov 24
- 2 min read
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalms 103:1-5 NKJV
Generally, when people are trying to decide between jobs or other opportunities, great consideration is given to the benefits that come with their choice. Indeed, benefits are important, as they can greatly affect our quality of life.
Yet, when it comes to the Lord, the benefits He offers are often minimized or outright ignored by some, such that their decisions seem to scorn the goodness of God.
The fact is, the Lord has done for us far above what we could have imagined; even now, we only realize a fraction of our benefits from the Lord.
Think of it: The Lord has taken us out of darkness into His glorious light! Talk about a quality of life impact!
“giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.“
Colossians 1:12-14 NKJV
In our opening scripture, the psalmist enumerates several awesome benefits from the Lord:
1. The Lord forgives our sins.
2. The Lord heals our diseases.
3. The Lord redeems our life from destruction.
4. The Lord gives us lovingkindness and mercy.
5. The Lord fills our lives with good things.
6. The Lord gives us strength.
Child of God, it would take the rest of our days to fully extol the Lord’s benefits. He is so good! Let us never, ever forget His benefits. Let us give Him thanks!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!