Praise and Thankfulness are Attributes of a Christian’s Life

Dennis Edwards

One of the most important attributes of a Christian character is that of thankfulness. God’s word admonishes us to have a thankful and grateful heart. God expects and wants us to be thankful. The Psalms are full of commands of thankfulness. In Psalm 100:4 we read,

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: Be thankful and bless His name.”

Why should we be thankful? The next verse Psalm 100:5 gives the answer.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.”

We see that familiar theme in the Scriptures. We should be thankful because God is merciful and loving. We should be thankful because God’s truth is available to all generations.

In Proverbs 3:3-4 we read, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about your neck; write them upon the table of your heart: So shall thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” As Christians we should be merciful and truthful. If we are, God will bless us because those are His attributes. Proverb 16:6a says, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged.” It seems mercy or love and truth are what help us overcome sin.”

Where else do we find the imagery of mercy and truth? None other than the figure of the Nazarene. In the Gospel of John 1:17 we read, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

What is grace but God’s mercy and love. The law condemns us because none of us are able to fulfill its commandments. But we can overcome our sinful nature by accepting God’s grace, His mercy, His love and His truth found in Jesus Christ. When we find salvation in Jesus we should overflow with thankfulness.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.” His mercy and truth is none other than Jesus Christ. God is love and God is truth. Truth and love are the pillars of our Christian faith. Because we have found God’s truth and mercy and love in Jesus, we should be thankful. We should be overflowing with praise and thanksgiving.

“For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting,” in other words, we can always find forgiveness in His arms if we confess our faults or sins; and turn from them and towards God. “His truth endures to all generations.” God’s truth is available to all that seek for it with all their heart. If we seek for Him with all our heart, we will find Him.

God wants us and expects us to be thankful. He offers us His mercy and truth in Jesus. By accepting Jesus into our hearts we have overcome the wicked one, we have overcome death, and overcome sin’s control over our lives. We have eternal life, therefore, we should offer unto God thanksgiving. In Psalm 95:2 we read, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.” In Psalm 50:14a we are advised to, “Offer unto God thanksgiving.”

In the New Testament we find the same admonitions. In his letter to the Ephesians 5:18-21, Apostle Paul writes, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess,” in other words, we should not end up drinking too much and relying on drink to make us happy, instead of relying on God’s Holy Spirit. In a sense we are worshipping the wine rather than God if we do. Paul continues, “but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We should be giving thanks always unto God and be filled with song and praise. If we are full of thanksgiving and praise it is a lot easier to fulfill the last section of Paul’s thought where he writes, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” He then reminds the wives to submit to their husbands and the husbands to love their wives, as if they needed to be reminded.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians 3:14-19 we see the same message. “And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Paul tells us to be thankful. He continues, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” We should be continually thankful.

In 1st Thessalonians 5:18 we see the same theme again. Paul says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Are we as thankful as we should be? Are we daily entering into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise?

Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that we should be content. In Philippians 4:11 we read, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have leaned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” In Paul's 1st letter to Timothy 6:6-8 he writes, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

The Old Testament is not void of the same instruction. Proverbs 15:16-17 tell us, “Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” In the book of Job 1:21-22, after Job has lost everything, he refuses to curse God, but instead says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.” In other words, Job was trusting God and trying to walk in thankfulness in spite of his troubles.

God doesn’t want us to take our blessings for granted. In Psalm 68:19 we read, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” In Psalm 103:2-5 we see, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Even Jesus expected those that were healed to show thankfulness to God. In Luke 17:12-18 we read, “And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory (or thanksgiving) to God, save this stranger.”

We should always remember to thank God for our blessings. When David was delivered from the hand of Saul and the hand of all his enemies he gave thanks unto the Lord. 2 Samuel 22:50 we read, “Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto Your name.” In 1 Chronicles 16:8-10 David prays, “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him, talk of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.” In Psalm 136:1 we read again, “O give thanks unto to the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever.” In Psalm 107:21-22 we see, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.”

In Psalm 22:3 we learn that God inhabits the praises of His people. In other words, God dwells with us when we are walking in praise and thanksgiving. In Psalm 67:1-7 we are encouraged to praise the Lord for the Lord will bless us for our praise. “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; that Your way may be known upon the earth, Your saving health among all nations. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon the earth. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.”

In Psalm 150:6, the last verse in all the psalms, Lord says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” In Hebrews 13:15 we read, “Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” Apostle Peter likewise reminds us in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Let us finish up with Psalm 34:1-4: “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name forever. I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Do you want the Lord to hear you and deliver you from your fears? Then bless Him at all times and continually have praise on your lips. Having a thankful and praiseful attitude will let God’s presence dwell with you and assure His blessing upon your life. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

When thanksgiving and praise dominate our lives we are more likely to be able to commit our lives completely to the Lord. The Bible tells us that everything that happens to us in our lives can work together for good if we continue to trust and love God in spite of what has happened. If our lives are full of thanksgiving and praise, Romans 8:28 can become a reality. Thanksgiving and praise show our love and trust in the Lord and are keys to a strong relationship with the Lord and a happy life. Let us rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4