Deeds

Psalm 26:6-8

Verse 7  …proclaiming aloud Your praise and telling of all Your wonderful deeds.

    Today’s topic of thanksgiving is a very broad one.  We are going to talk about how important it is to give thanks for all the wonderful deeds the Lord does for us every day.  There are so many things He does that we don’t give any thought to.  Things that we enjoy without thinking.  We breathe and think, both of which we can’t do on our own.

    The days continue with night and day, the years continue with season after season.  While we tend to take these changes for granted, they are all part of His wonderful deeds.  We aren’t so different from the people in Jesus’ day who were only interested in Jesus showing off His miracles.  While He had His desire to show them God in the details, they were looking for grand gestures.  We hope He will do big things to prove Himself, but the truth is that He shows Himself in big ways in the everyday ordinary things.

    The thing is, if we don’t pay attention to the various ways He is working, we miss many opportunities to give Him thanks.  We may be quick to complain that He doesn’t give us what we want, when we want it.  We may fuss about the weather hindering our plans for the day or the temp being the opposite of what we would have desired.  If we can take note so quickly when we don’t like what He is doing, how much quicker we should be at finding things to thank Him for.

    It shouldn’t be too hard to find things that He has done that we can be thankful for.  He is kinder to us than we deserve.  He has given us His grace and mercy.  He has established a community rooted in Him and His love for us to do life with.  There are so many wonderful deeds He has done and continues to do.  He doesn’t merely do them to please us, He does them to bring Himself glory.

    It isn’t that He is prideful, but He has reason to bring Himself glory through His deeds.  His bringing glory to Himself is a way He can reveal Himself to those who wouldn’t normally be looking for Him.  It gives Him opportunity to point out that He is indeed the God of the Universe, Creator of all things.  This is why He alone deserves our ultimate thanks.

Making It Personal

    Which of His wonderful deeds do you take most for granted?  Why do you think it is easy for you to take that for granted?  Which of His wonderful deeds are you going to praise He for today?

Making It Personal Kids

    What are some of God’s wonderful deeds?  Are these things that you think about often?  Which one are you going to thank Him for today?

Closing Prayer

    Father, we thank You for all of the amazing ways You work behind the scenes in the details of all of our lives.  Help us remember to thank You for all You do every time we see Your handiwork in the details of life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.