When we walk through the gates of heaven, only then will we truly experience the fullest exhilaration of gratefulness for all that God has done for us. That moment will be a thanksgiving like no other. It is difficult to comprehend in this moment on earth just how thankful we will truly be.
Thanking God When In Heaven
Psalm 100:4 says,
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
Someday, we will enter the gates of the new Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, in the mountain of God, and we will approach the throne of God to give Him thanks to show Him our thankfulness. That day is coming. In the meantime, we thank Him here on earth. And we are thankful for the promise of His return and for the hope we have in His promise that we will enter into the gates of heaven.
The Happy Complexity Of Humanity
Though we have seasons to memorialize thanksgiving, every day is a happy day of thanksgiving in the Lord, even in the midst of trials and sorrows.
Being human is remarkable. The complexity built into us by design of God is amazing. We can be thankful, happy, and peaceable and at the same time be resentful, sad, and agitated.
Truly we are made in the image of God. God, who is omnipresent and tending to every detail in creation, at the same time is consoling the grieving, comforting the hurting, judging the wicked, rejoicing with the righteous, lifting up the humble, and blessing many with goodness, while simultaneously cursing others with judgment. But for all this contradiction of feeling, emotion, and decision-making, one thing ties it all together–goodness . . . the goodness of God to do good.
Thank Goodness For The Goodness of God
The consolation, peace, blessings, wisdom, patience, and gifts from God are expressions of His goodness to do good to us. His judgment and wrath are an expression of His goodness to protect His creation and us from evil. All things of God are for good.
The world continues to be blessed by the goodness of God, and we should be thankful. Sin brings sorrow and suffering. And we have our share of it, some more than others. But God gives comfort and hope. Are you thankful for the comfort and hope that comes from the goodness of God?
Expressing Thankfulness To God
How do you thank God? How do you show thankfulness to Him? Have you been wondering how to thank God? Have you ever wondered how to thank God? Have you ever thought about thanking Him in ways other than saying thank you?
Today, I want to suggest a way of expressing thankfulness that cannot be matched by any other thing you might say or do. There are many ways to thank God, and He is worthy to be thanked in every way possible. But there is one way that is second to none.
Thanking God With Obedience
I can sum up all the ways to thank God with one word. Obedience. When we obey God, we show Him respect. He is honored by our obedience. He is exalted by our obedience. He is pleased by our obedience.
What are some of the ways we can obey God in order to express our gratitude to Him?
When we read His Word, we honor Him. When we pray, we honor Him. When we help others, we honor Him.
Does helping others really honor God? Doesn’t thanking God involve doing something directly for God or to God? Jesus describes in Matthew 25:34-45 how He is honored when we help others.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”
Helping others honors God and expresses thankfulness to Him because it is an expression of your agreement with His purpose, goals, and desires.
In addition, when you assemble with your church you honor God. This is an act of obedience. Hebrews 10:25 says,
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
When we obey God, He is honored, and when He is honored, He is thanked. We show gratitude to God by doing something that pleases and honors Him. God is pleased by our obedience.
God is pleased, honored, and thanked when we tell the truth, love one another, avoid immorality, show kindness, and express peace. All these things are ways to thank God. But there is one very important thing that I have not mentioned yet.
Thanking God By Sharing His Goodness With others
Is it on your mind already? It is the one way, unlike any other way, to exalt Him more than anything else you could do. This one thing is to tell others about the goodness of God.
Obeying God is a wonderful thing to do, but it is made even more wonderful when you obey His command to go and make disciples and then bring them into the church to train them to do likewise.
The combination of your obedience and witness exalts God in your life and in the eyes of others, and this is the best way to thank God for all His goodness.
Are you thankful for God’s goodness in your life? Are you thankful enough to tell others how good He is?
