Harvest Online ::: News

In the Old Testament we find an interesting story of how King Jehoshaphat took an uncommon approach when his enemies waged war against him. Instead of sending in his army first, he sent in the choir and musicians. Imagine the scene; "All right, guys, here's the plan today. An army is out there, armed to the teeth. So, we are sending in the choir and the musicians." If I had been a choir member or musician, I might have wondered whether the king liked our music. But God had directed Jehoshaphat in this unusual battle tactic. We read that Jehoshaphat appointed people to sing to the Lord, praise the beauty of holiness, and go out in from of the army saying, "Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever" (2 Chronicles 20:21 KNAVE). So that is exactly what they did. The Bible tells us that when they began to sing and praise, God sent an ambush against the enemy, and they were destroyed. God's people were able to go into this situation giving thanks, because He was in control.

In approaching God to ask for new blessings, we should never forget to thank Him for the blessings He has already given. Have you recently come to God for help and He came through for you? Did you come back and say "thank you"? If we would stop and think how many of the prayers we have offered to God have been answered and how seldom we come back to God to thank Him, it just might amaze us. We should be just as deliberate in giving thanks to God as we are in asking for His help.

"Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all [Christ] has done."
—Colossians 2:7 NLT

On the fourth Thursday of every November, Americans gather with friends and family to eat huge quantities of turkey and other great foods, enjoy the company of one another, and sit in front of the television watching way too much football. However, while this national holiday is a day set aside for the giving of thanks, Scripture tells us that thankfulness is to be found in the life of a Christian every day of the year.

The Apostle Paul gave believers this instruction:

"Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God even the Father.
—Ephesians 5:18b–20 NASB

We see from this verse that Spirit-filled believers will always have hearts overflowing with gratitude toward God for all that He has done for them. Spirit-filled believers are marked by their unending praise and thanks toward God. Of all that we have to be thankful for, nothing is to be greater than the thanks we have for our salvation. What an awesome thing it is that the Lord of the entire universe reaches down in love and chooses us to be members of His family.

Consider for a moment that "God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Ephesians 2:4–5 NKJV). The word grace means "unmerited favor." We did nothing to deserve the indescribable gift of salvation. In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him" (Romans 5:8–9 NASB).

Thankfulness begins and ends at the cross; for it is there that we see the measure of God's love. Heaven will be our eternal home, because of the blood Jesus shed for us. When we fill our minds with thoughts of all that God has done for us in the giving of His own Son, how can our hearts and mouths not pour forth thanksgiving and adoration? The natural response of a redeemed soul is to cry out, "Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 106:1 NKJV).

Thanksgiving is not just a holiday to be celebrated; it is a way of life for every person whom our loving Savior has transformed. When was the last time that you paused in your life and made a point to thank God for your salvation? May God grant us the heart of Daniel, who got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks to his God (see Daniel 6:10).