Give thanks to God!
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (Psalms 136:1)
How should we spend Thanksgiving? Especially as we celebrate Thanksgiving Sunday today, what should we do? We should give thanks to God. What do you thank God for?
Looking back this year, I want all of us to give thanks to God for this Thanksgiving Sunday. Although there were many difficulties not only in the United States but also in the world this year, and stil are, let us all look to God and give thanks to Him even in such circumstances. Why should we give thanks to God? There are two reasons for this:
The first reason is because God is good.
Do you believe that God is good? If you answered “yes” or “amen,” do you believe that God is always good? If you are struggling now, can you still confess that God is good? Looking back this year, I believe that God has shown His goodness to our church members. Because God is good, He has no choice but to do good to us. So, I believe that God has worked together to achieve goodness through even our difficult circumstances that we have been this year, and that God is still working on it to accomplish His good, perfect and pleasing will. Therefore, let us all give thanks to God by believing in His goodness. God is good, All the times!
The second reason is because God's lovingkindness is everlasting.
The economic hardships and other hardships we face are at most seventy or eighty years. Of course it won't be that long. But God's love for us is by no means seventy or eighty years. God's love is eternal. He loves us with His everlasting love. God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world because He loved us (Eph. 1:4). And God has given us precious faith as gift of grace (2:8). And God made us to believe and accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Therefore, God has given us eternal life as a gift(Rom. 6:23). How can we not give thanks to God if we know a little bit of this eternal love of God? In particular, when I look back on this year, the reason I want to give thanks to God is because of the love God has revealed to us in and through His Word. In other words, I am giving thanks to God because I have been experiencing God's love through the word of God. I am sure you also have God’s grace that He has given you as you read, hear, meditate and study His word through out this year of meditating the word of God. I have briefly summarized the love of God I experienced through that grace in three ways: (1) God gave me strength through His word. In particular, God added strength by adding faith to me with the words of Romans. (2) God guided me with His word. Especially God led me through the words of the psalms that made me to pray with faith that God is God. (3) God gave us hope by letting us hear the best news of Jesus Christ through His word. God not only revitalized my soul with His word, but also gave me hope because He made me to meditate on Jesus Christ more deeply with His word.
How do you look back this year? Let us all give thanks to God as we remember God's grace given in meditating on the word of God.
Our God is good. God's lovingkindness toward us is everlasting. Therefore, let us all praise and worship God with thanksgiving.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Ps. 136:1).
With gratitude to God,
James Kim
(Relying on God's goodness and lovingkindness)