Anytime you thank someone, you honour that person. For example, if you say to your wife, “I’m so grateful for that great Thanksgiving dinner you made,” you just honoured her. An expression of gratitude is a way of honouring another person.
The Bible also says that you also honour God when you express gratitude to him. God says, “Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honours me.” (Psalm 50:3, NLT)
But at some point, we must start moving to a higher level of thanksgiving—not just thanking people for what they do, but thanking them for who they are. That’s a deeper, more mature kind of thanksgiving. If the only time we thanked people was when they did something for us, they might begin to wonder—do they love me, or just what I do for them?
The same is true with God. Do we really love God, or just the things that he does for us? We must learn to thank God not just for what he does, but for who he is. It’s that kind of gratitude that truly honors God and gives us deeper spiritual roots.
This weekend we are going to offer up an abundance of praise and worship to God for his faithfulness to us over this past year. We are going to celebrate with testimonies of God’s goodness. Together we will be making thanksgiving declarations and decrees based on the character and nature of God and conclude by sharing Communion. It is going to be a powerful expression of thanksgiving to God for who he is and for what he has done! We look forward to your presence with us, and be sure to invite someone to join you!
Every Blessing,
Pastor Barry Risto
Lead Pastor