Thankfulness
Praise and thankfulness vs. murmuring and complaining
1. HAVING A THANKFUL, GRATEFUL ATTITUDE:
A. God wants and expects us to be thankful:
Psalm 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving
Psalm 95:2 Come before his presence with thanksgiving
Psalm 100:4 Be thankful unto him
Psalm 140:13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God
Colossians 3:15 Be ye thankful
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God
(See also Psalm 92:1.)
B. We should be content:
Philippians 4:11 In whatsoever state I am, therewith … be content
1 Timothy 6:6 Godliness with contentment is great gain
1 Timothy 6:8 Having food and raiment let us be therewith content
Hebrews 13:5 Be content with such things as ye have
(See also Proverbs 15:16–17.)
C. Don’t take God’s blessings for granted:
Psalm 68:19 Blessed be Lord … who daily loadeth us with benefits
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord … and forget not all his benefits
Luke 17:12–18 Were not ten [lepers] cleansed? Where are the nine? [None] returned to give glory to God, save [one]
D. Remember to regularly thank Him for your blessings:
2 Samuel 22:49–50 Thou hast delivered me … therefore I will give thanks
1 Chronicles 16:8 Give thanks … make known his deeds among the people
Psalm 136:1–3 Give thanks unto God … for his mercy endureth forever
1 Corinthians 15:57 Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
2 Corinthians 2:14 Thanks be unto God, which … causeth us to triumph
(See also Psalm 26:7; 107:22.)
2. PRAISING GOD:
A. We are admonished to praise God:
Psalm 18:3 The Lord … is worthy to be praised
Psalm 22:3 [God] inhabitest the praises of Israel
Psalm 66:8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard
Psalm 67:3 O God, let all the people praise thee
Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise
Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name
Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works
Psalm 113:1 Praise ye the Lord, O ye servants of the Lord
Psalm 117:1 Praise the Lord, all ye nations … all ye people
Psalm 147:1 Praise ye the Lord: for … praise is comely
Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord
1 Peter 2:9 Ye should show forth praises of him who called you
(See also Psalm 50:23; 148:all; 150:all.)
B. Praise God in song:
Psalm 30:4 Sing unto the Lord … and give thanks
Psalm 69:30 Praise the name of God with a song … and thanksgiving
Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to … sing praises unto thy name
Psalm 98:1 Sing unto the Lord a new song
Psalm 147:1,7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise
Ephesians 5:19 Making melody in your heart to the Lord
Colossians 3:16 Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord
C. Praise God happily:
Psalm 5:11 Let them that love thy name be joyful in thee
Psalm 95:2 Make a joyful noise unto him with psalms
Isaiah 51:3 Joy and gladness … thanksgiving, and the voice of melody
Jeremiah 30:19 Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry
(See also Psalm 100:1; Jeremiah 33:11.)
D. Have a continual attitude of praising God:
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth
Psalm 35:28 My tongue shall speak of thy … praise all day long
Psalm 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise … all the day
Hebrews 13:15 Let us offer … praise to God continually … our lips giving thanks to his name
(See also Psalm 30:12; 72:15; 79:13; 104:33; 113:3.)
3. MURMURING (COMPLAINING) FORBIDDEN BY GOD:
John 6:43 Jesus said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves
1 Corinthians 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured
Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings
(See also Psalm 144:14.)
4. CAUSES OF MURMURING:
A. Lack of gratitude for what God has given us:
Numbers 11:4–6,18 We remember the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks … now there is nothing at all, beside this manna
Numbers 21:4–5 There is no bread … and our soul loatheth this [manna]
B. Lack of faith for God to supply our needs:
Exodus 16:2–3 The whole congregation … murmured against Moses … in the wilderness [when they ran out of food]
Exodus 17:1–4 People thirsted … and murmured … thou brought us out of Egypt, to kill us with thirst
(See also Exodus 15:23–24.)
C. Loss of faith in God’s Word and His power:
Psalm 106:24–25 They believed not his word … but murmured
John 6:60–66 Many disciples said, This is an hard saying … his disciples murmured … many went back
(Compare Exodus 3:4–8; 4:30–31 with Exodus 14:9–12; Deuteronomy 1:19–27; Numbers 14:1–11.)
D. Giving up and losing hope:
1 Samuel 27:1 David said, “I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul”
1 Kings 19:1–4,10 Elijah … requested that he might die
Jeremiah 20:14–18 Cursed be the day I was born … wherefore came I … out of the womb to see labour and sorrow?
Jonah 4:1–9 Jonah prayed, Take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live
(See also Job 7:6,11; 10:1.)
E. Lack of faith that God loves us:
Deuteronomy 1:27 Ye murmured, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he brought us [to Canaan] to destroy us
(See also Psalm 73:13–14; 77:1–9.)
F. Thinking that God is far away and doesn’t hear:
Job 23:2–9 Today is my complaint bitter: Oh that I knew where I might find him. I cannot perceive him
Psalm 10:1 Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou?
(See also Psalm 13:1; 22:1,12.)
G. Self-righteously judging others:
Mark 14:4–10 Why was this waste … made? For it might have been sold … they murmured. Judas … went to betray him
Luke 15:2 The Pharisees murmured, This man receiveth sinners
Luke 19:7 When [the Pharisees] saw it, they all murmured … he [has] gone to be a guest with … a sinner
5. WHY MURMURING IS DANGEROUS:
A. Murmuring angers God:
Numbers 11:1 When the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and his anger was kindled; and fire … consumed them
Numbers 11:10,33 [Israelites wailed for meat] and the anger of the Lord kindled greatly … and the Lord smote the people
Numbers 21:4–6 The people spake against God … and the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people … and much people died
1 Corinthians 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them [Israelites] also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer
(See also Numbers 17:10.)
B. God may take us at our word:
Numbers 14:1–2 All the children of Israel murmured … Would God that we had died in this wilderness
Numbers 14:26–35 As ye have spoken, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness … even forty years
6. WHAT TO DO WHEN PROBLEMS ARISE:
A. Praise and rejoice even when things go wrong:
Habakkuk 3:17–18 Although the … fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off … yet will I rejoice in the Lord
Matthew 5:11–12 When men revile you, and persecute you, and say … evil against you falsely … rejoice, and be exceeding glad
Luke 6:22–23 When men shall hate you … separate you … reproach you … rejoice ye … and leap for joy
Acts 5:40–41 They called the apostles, and beat them … they departed rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer shame
Acts 16:22–25 Beat them … cast them into prison … Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: this is the will of God
1 Peter 4:12–13 Think it not strange … the fiery trial … but rejoice (See also Jeremiah 15:10–11,16; Jonah 2:all; Philippians 4:4.)
B. If you have a genuine deep grievance, tell God:
Psalm 55:2–3 Hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise … because of the enemy … my heart is sore pained
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee
Psalm 77:1–4 I was troubled: I complained, my spirit … overwhelmed
Psalm 142:2–3 I poured out my complaint before him; I showed him my trouble … my spirit was overwhelmed
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you
(See also Hebrews 4:14–16.)
C. Keep on praising, and victory will come:
2 Chronicles 20:22 When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the [enemy]
D. Keep a thankful attitude in prayer:
Philippians 4:6 By prayer … with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God
Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer … with thanksgiving