O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation! Let us come into His presence with THANKSGIVING; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for He made it, and the dry land, which His hands have formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Psalm 95:1-9 NRSV

Thoughts On Giving Thanks: Charles Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) was once robbed on the streets of London. Afterward his wife asked him why he was so thankful. He said he wasn’t thankful that he had been robbed, but he was thankful the robber took only his money and not his life, that the robber got away with very little, and, finally, “I’m thankful to God that I was not the robber.”

There are always reasons to be thankful in life, always reasons to obey Paul’s admonition, “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). Notice he doesn’t say for everything give thanks, but IN everything give thanks. In every situation in life there are reasons to give thanks, not the least of which is the truth that God uses all things for good in the lives of those who belong to Him. Consider all the other reasons we have to give thanks: our faith, family, friends, finances, future, and more. When we serve a loving Father who wants the best for His children, it is easy to give thanks for Him and for the plans He has for our life (Jeremiah 29:11).