Christmas Thankfulness

Psalm 100:1-2
11/28/2007 4:31:49 PM

King David wrote this short Psalm as a song of thanksgiving to God. Having celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday just a few weeks ago, many of us have recently recounted the reasons that we personally are thankful to the Lord. Since God’s generosity and lovingkindness to us is never ending, though, our “list of blessings” surely bears repeating at Christmastime. Let’s do what Moses did in the Old Testament (see Ex. 15) and what Mary did in the New Testament (see Luke 1:46): let’s recount how the Lord has been faithful to us and to our families from recent days extending back through the generations.

In the space below, write down your list of things you are thankful for.

Moses and Mary got us started and now we can add in David’s ingredients: shouts of joy and joyful songs.Go back to the list you made above and say out loud each of the items. After each iten, shout your thankfulness to God (I dare you!). It doesn't matter what you shout - "Thank you, God!" or "I'm so grateful!" or something to that effect. You may think you’ll feel foolish (or your roommate will think you've finally lost your mind), but think of it like you think of cheering for your school's sports teams. I certainly cheered and celebrated when Mizzou's football team beat the Kansas Jayhawks on Thanksgiving Day, earning them a spot at the BCS title game. How silly a football game appears next to the grand generosity and glory of our great God and Savior! With that perspective, I can certainly muster up my best “sports cheers” for Jesus in light of all He has done for me!

Finally, add some songs to your devotion time. As Mary did, recite out loud some of the reasons you are thankful and then sing a joyful song of thankfulness. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket – the Bible instructs us simply to make a joyful noise. We can all do that on pitch!

If reasons to be thankful to God seem scarce for you this Christmas season, then covenant with me to sing joyful songs to God simply for the willingness of Jesus to step out of heaven and come to earth solely to be our Savior and Lord. He didn’t have to do that. He knows what suffering and sorrow are like because of that momentous choice and the Bible tells us that “He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds” (Ps. 147:3). That’s a reason to shout for joy despite your circumstances!

Finally, remember the families and people groups of the world who have no savior. They have no hope of a better future and chance for a peaceful eternity without Christ. Intercede for them in your devotion time, asking God to give you the nations as your inheritance as His child (see Ps. 2:8 where God asks us to pray for that very thing). If you don't know the names of any of those lost people groups, look them up on http://www.global12project.com/upg.htm so you can pray for one or two by name. They have no one to bind up their wounds or to heal the heart hurts. But you can change that by asking God to send laborers to them to tell them of His love and salvation (Matt. 9:37 - 38). After you intercede for the nations, give another shout out loud because we have a God who saves and who wants none to perish, but all to come to a saving knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9).

Write down the names of the people group(s) you will pray for this Christmas season.

Have a joyful (and loud) Christmas!