Sunday, February 4th,2024

Topic: What is thanksgiving and how to offer it to God

Preacher: Sister Judith Atiagaga

Psalms 50:14-15 

Thanksgiving is generally gratitude to God, acknowledging him in humility for who He is. Gratitude should come out of a spirit of gratitude and humility, not because of what God has done for us but because of who He is. 

How can we offer thanksgiving?

• We offer thanksgiving through confession: let us confess daily that Jesus Christ is Lord as it is said in Philippians 2:10-11. 
• We offer thanksgiving by acknowledging the success we go through as a gift: we can do anything by ourselves. Sometimes we feel that we are doing things by our own efforts but we have to know that God is behind every success that we have.  
• We offer thanksgiving by acknowledging God to be even in our trials: when we are going through trials, we are tempted to ask God where He is, why are we suffering? Someone says, God is exactly where He was when his son was been crucified. We are not immune to trials but God’s grace is always abiding with us. Let us acknowledge God’s grace through thanksgiving even while we go through trials.  
• We can give thanksgiving through our praises: we have to praise God as if it was the last day of our lives as David did in 2 Samuel 6:14 “And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.”
• We give thanksgiving through our offerings: let us offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is our true and proper worship (Romans 12:1). We should always live in sanctification and repentance, that we may be ready to be used at any time by God. It is good to offer to God but it is better to have a relationship with him, to love Him (Hosea 6:6). 

When does thanksgiving become a sacrifice?

Thanksgiving become a sacrifice, when you give thanks even though you are still in the valley of death, when you are waiting for the promise of the Lord to be fulfilled. 

Dear congregation, be careful to what you vow or promise. Don’t make false promises to God or to others. When you are going through the shadow of valley of death, pray for others who are also going through the same situation. This is an offering of sacrifice to God. Amen.