Text: Psalm 100:4 NASB
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courtyards with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
As closely related as these two terms are, they are slightly different. Being thankful and being grateful.
We grew up with the teaching that the only thing God eats is Thanksgiving, and that is a very beautiful way of describing how much God values your thanks unto him. When you fail to give God thanks, you know you are starving God or depriving him of his meal.
Being grateful is simply being appreciative of a favourable act by God. Going a step further than that is where thankfulness resides. Being thankful is the expression of one’s gratefulness. It is in this that we have the freedom of expression in the presence of our helper.
God doesn’t like it when we realize how much good he is doing for us and yet we nonchalantly bounce it off without thanking him for it. It’s possible to be grateful to God deep inside of you, but if you don’t bring it out for the world to see, you are not thankful.
I am not saying we should be proud, but you are permitted to showcase what God has done in your life to the glory of God and not for man’s vain glory.
A widely spread mindset I also want to address today is giving thanks with the motive of getting more blessings. If that is your reason for giving thanks, you are eating your time.
God doesn’t want those who like him for the sake of his gifts to them, he wants the pure in heart, sincere people, and those who love him even when no gifts are coming.
Meditation
Have you just been grateful without thankfulness added as a sauce to it?
What has been my reason for expressing thanks? Is it simply because I want more gifts?
