November 25

Straight from the Pastor’s Heart by Dr.Hernes Abante 

I Thank God For You!

1 Thessalonians 3:9 - “For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;”

Being grateful to God is a powerful expression of validation or affirmation and appreciation for the generosity and goodness of someone. It is a prayer of Thanksgiving with intercession, asking God to bless those He has used to bless us.

I wonder how honest and truthful we are when we say these words. It is similar to the phrase, “I will pray for you.” Are we genuinely praying and thankful to God for them, or are they just “lip service” to leave a good impression?  

Apostle Paul was expressing his joy and immense appreciation to God for the faithfulness of the Christians in Thessalonica. He was so appreciative that he could not contain all his feelings of gratitude in words. 

It is so pleasantly wonderful always to be thankful for others, not only for the generous gesture or gifts but, notably, for the godly attitude being expressed to the Lord. There is a greater blessing and power when we always address our gratitude to God for the goodness of others. I have learned and have made it a habit to say, “I thank God for you.”

Praise God for the parents who teach their children always to be appreciative to God for others. I remember them reminding their children after receiving a gift by saying, “What are the secret words?” And the children would answer, “Thank you, Lord.”

This Thanksgiving Week, let us develop this godly attitude of saying,  “I thank God for you.”  Let us be generous and spontaneous in expressing our appreciation. We have so many reasons to be thankful to the Lord. As the song says, “Count your blessings. Name them one by one.” There should be no negative issues or difficult challenges in life that make us miss the opportunity to be grateful and thankful.  

The attitude of gratefulness will not manifest without being mindful of the blessings and goodness of God. When we are more conscious of difficulties, we seldom see God’s divine purpose. Consequently, we miss to enjoy the blessings until we realize the reason. Apostle Paul reminds us, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Our Prayer today:

Lord, how often we forget to thank you and express our gratitude for using others to bless us. It is because we are more concerned about the challenges we are facing.

Forgive us and help us always to be mindful of your purpose. We desire also to see you bless those who bless us. 

May we learn to thank you for everything we receive and experience and always to trust you. 
Give us a thankful heart and a grateful attitude in all things. 

We humbly pray in the glorious name of Jesus Christ. Amen!