FILL MY CUP, LORD - 8

FILL MY CUP, LORD  8

Marilyn Barber

As printed in The Voice of Evangelism

November isn’t the only time our hearts need to be grateful to the Lord for His benefits.  It is a blessing that our country is still able to think of this as a nation and we pray it will continue to be so.  An important thought with which a Christian needs to be constantly filled is to have an attitude of gratitude.  This attitude will carry us through many times of discouragement and problems.  In the worst of times, we can always find things for which to be thankful.

David was a man full of praise and thanksgiving as he wrote psalm after psalm of thanks to God.  Ps.100:4   Enter His gates with thanksgiving…give thanks to Him…As David spoke before the assembly of Israelites, he reminded them of all that God gives and ended with an expression of thanksgiving. 1 Chron.29:13   In verse 14 David says that everything comes from You.  Why wouldn’t our hearts burst with thanksgiving?

1 Thess.5:18   Give thanks is a requirement for those in Christ.  Notice that this verse adds in all circumstances.  It is simple to give thanks when everything is going our way but in all circumstances?  That is not so simple.  If we are trying to live by God’s will, then this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  This reminds me of a little lady of 89 years as she was just coming our of surgery recovery.  As she went in and out, she would pray softly, “Count your many blessing, name them one by one.  Amen”.  She would say this over and over.  At times we don’t do this when we are in good health!

Not only do we give thanks in all circumstances, but we are to give thanks for everything.  Eph.5:20   It stands to reason that if we are to count it all joy when we fall into various trials, that we would be thankful for them.  Jam.1:2,3   We want to grow stronger in the Lord.  If we do not experience trials, we suffer atrophy just as a muscle that is not used.

It is important that whatever we say, do, or even think is worth giving thanks.  God knows and expects thanksgiving to come to Him in all these things.  Col.3:17   We say, do, and think in the name of Jesus as we give thanks.  Don’t smear the name of Jesus!  That is a definite possibility as live our lives supposedly for Him but in our own way.

Do we realize the tremendous price of our salvation?  Are we thankful or just take it for granted.  We have done what we needed to do but have we thanked the Lord for what He did.  We should be forever grateful with thanksgiving for the gift of salvation.  Paul realized how wretched he was before he came to Christ.  Rom.7:23,24   Then Paul bursts forth with this thanksgiving as he realized he had been rescued from death because of sin.  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  Rom.7:25   We forget but when we remember, it should make us ever more thankful for His forgiveness in our salvation.

A reminder of our salvation is given as we partake of the Lord’s Supper—in remembrance of me.  As we remember, we give thanks for what our Lord did for us.  The Greek word for thanksgiving is eucharistia.  That Greek word means thanksgiving.  Many times the Lord’s Supper is called the Eucharist.  1 Cor.10:16   A great feeling of thankfulness should overcome us as we partake of the loaf and cup.

Phil.4:6   Our prayers aren’t complete without thanksgiving.  We find all kinds of things to ask for.  That’s a thanksgiving within itself—that we can ask within God’s will and know that He will hear us.  However, do we just ask and ask without attributing to our gracious God His lovingkindness and mercy in the way He takes care of our needs and provides for us everything we have as well as everything He enables us to do.  What a loving God we have!  He needs to be thanked many times during the day.

Paul tells Timothy to not only pray for everyone but to include thanksgiving for them.  Our country’s leaders need a lot of prayer but we can be thankful for the freedoms we retain and pray that we may continue to retain them.  Think of the authorities in those days under the Roman Empire.  1 Tim.2:1

Paul often gave thanks for congregations and individuals that had accepted the gospel of Christ and were following the Lord.  Rom.6:17 is one example of thanks for those who once were slaves of sin but now are following gospel teaching.  Paul gave thanks for the faith of the Ephesians in Eph.1:16.  Paul also gave thanks for the Colossians in Col.1:12.  Many congregations and Christians in other locations need our prayers as well as our thanks for their faith and endurance in trials.

Giving thanks before meals may be a simple exercise.  Is it just an exercise, a form, a habit for which we do not do wholeheartedly?  Many do not enjoy the plenty that we do.  We need to pray for them but how we need to thank the Lord for our sustenance.  Jesus prayed before He ate.  Matt.15:36   If we are eating in public or with guests, this can be a powerful testimony for the Lord.  Do not be ashamed.  Pray.with thanksgiving.

We can have victory over sin and death.  Thank be to God.  He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Cor.15:57   We never have to wonder what we can include in our thanks.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!   2 Cor.9:15