Thank the Lord always! – Dr. Paul Dhinakaran

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)
God tells us today, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). We should give thanks to the Lord at all times for all things. This is how we show God that we value what He does to us. To give thanks is to honour God. Saying ‘thank you’ is a courtesy we show to mere people. How much more should we thank our God who does good things in our lives without us asking Him. God lives in the praises of people. He is worthy of our praise and thanks. It is also God’s will for us to thank God. He says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

History has always been fascinating to read. Once I happened to visit Cape Henry on the Atlantic shore of Virginia and was amazed by its history. In the year 1607, Cape Henry was named in honor of King Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales who was the eldest son of King James I of England. It was in this place where three ships from England, after an unusually long voyage of 144 days, disembarked for the first time in America. Soon after they went ashore the first thing the English colonists did was to erect a wooden cross on the shore and give thanks to the Lord for successfully crossing over to a new land. Yes my friend, as soon as they alighted, a connection was built in that place between them and God. Even today we see that the American currency carries the sentence, ‘In God we trust’. Many times when you are in trouble, you may call out to the Lord for help. But once you receive the blessing, do you remember to thank God? Or do you forget Him in the joy of your success? This incident reminds us to remember that success and blessings come only from God above. Since you receive from God, you are in debt to thank Him at all times for all things.

David was the man after God’s own heart because he always remained thankful. So God was pleased with him. The Lord loves a grateful person. In the New Testament, we read about the incident where ten lepers shout to Jesus requesting Him to have pity on them and heal. Jesus asks them to go to the priests and show themselves and while the lepers were on their way they got healed. Once they were healed one of the lepers ran back to Jesus fell at His feet and thanked Him. Jesus immediately asked him, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”  Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” The Lord expects us to thank Him for all the blessings we receive from Him.

Prayer:
Loving Lord,

I praise You for every goodness You have done in my life. Through the ups and downs of my life I will remember the grace You have showered on me and will glorify Your name. Thank You Lord, for every blessing in my life. Thank You for protecting me and providing all things for me even during these perilous times. It is Your grace that I am safe. Thank You Lord. I will remain thankful to You. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.