“Thanksgiving”

 

BIBLE READING: Colossians 1-4


“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”                                                         Colossians 3:15-17 ESV

            If you’ve ever observed young children, they tend to do a lot of asking but rarely as much thanking. That’s often how we approach God as our heavenly Father: we ask, ask, ask because we know He cares. Unfortunately, we don’t always make the time to praise Him for who He is and thank Him for what He’s done. Eventually this will lead to a me-centered attitude in our relationships with others, our relationship with God, and how we approach every arena of our life.

            In this section of scripture, the Apostle Paul challenges the Colossian Christians to let an attitude of thankfulness emanate through all their relationships, everything they do, and everything they say. It seems like a big key to this is “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Obviously, we can praise God in different ways, but singing seems to engage and influence our souls in a unique manner. Songs can be so powerful in the way they tune us into God’s character and faithfulness- so much so that the longest book of the Bible is a collection of these songs (a.k.a. Psalms).  This idea can be particularly challenging for those of us who aren’t gifted in singing, but no less important. Here are a few practical thoughts on how to do this on a personal level:

-Read and meditate on some of the Psalms that reflect your attitude of gratitude towards God. Using a concordance or online study guide can help in searching.

-Borrow a hymnal from your church. Find some songs that speak to you personally. You may even want to research the story behind the hymn.

-Download some praise songs to your computer or mp3 player. Listen to them while doing chores or exercising.

-Buy a praise music CD to listen to while driving. Even try out singing some songs while driving. You may already sing plenty of top 40 tunes during the daily commute, so make a substitution.

When was the last time you deliberately praised God for who He is and thanked Him for what He’s done with song other than church?                                                                                                                                   -Adapted from “Short Daily Devotionals”

 

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