The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding Their Bounden Duty to Give Thanks and Praise to Almighty God!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 July 2026   Psalm 107:1.

Psalm 107:1.        ‘O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING KINDNESS) endureth for ever.

And on this first Tuesday in July, a beautiful sunshiny summer’s day, with a cool breeze blowing to tone down the heat, I want us to do something we certainly don’t do as much as we ought to; that’s give thanks to our heavenly Father for another day of life on this wonderful planet earth, and also for all the good things He’s done for us down through the ages. So to comply with that desire, we’ll check out a few Bible verses out of the many that remind us of that faithful duty.

 And the first scripture we’ll look at is this one from Psalm 107, titled ‘God’s Redemptive Power.’ It opens with this marvellous statement: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING KINDNESS) endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.’ (Ps. 107:1-2) And that’s us my brethren; for the Lord has most definitely redeemed us from the burden of sin the enemy had us imprisoned in and yoked under, through the shed blood of Christ that paid for our sins and washed us white as snow.

For that we should be everlastingly thankful and grateful, otherwise we would still be heading straight for hell fire and damnation, instead of eternal life with Christ. And that was the Lord’s doing because of His great LOVE for us! Please, let’s remember that and continually give Him thanks, as Bruh Paul says to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice ever more. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Yes, friends, even in adversity we’re expected to rejoice, pray, and give thanks, because that’s what the Lord expects of us.

Likewise Bruh Paul wrote thus to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) Oh my people, the best way to bypass fear and anxiety is through prayer, but our God desires thanksgiving in our prayer, and you’ll notice throughout the Bible, that whenever prayer is made, it usually opens with thanksgiving.

That takes us to 1 Chronicles 16, where it says: ‘Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek ye the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the Lord our God; his judgements are in all the earth. Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.’ (1 Chro. 16:7-15)

Now that’s only the beginning of Bruh David’s song of praise, which has been encapsulated into Psalm 105:1-15. But here’s how he ends the song in 1 Chronicles. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr. 16:34-36)

And that’s how it ought to be my people; us finding joy and praise and thanksgiving in the Lord our God, because He’s both our Creator and Sustainer, and we can’t do much of anything without His approval and/or help. And here, we go back to Psalm 107 as the psalmist declares: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron (prisoners);

Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned (despised) the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder (broke their chains in pieces). Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men.’ (Ps. 107:8-15)

Yes, my fellow believers, that’s what our God is all about. And if you still don’t believe that we ought to give thanks and praise to our God, then listen to these true words from Psalm 103, where Bruh David writes: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING KINDNESS and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103: 2-5)

And if those aren’t all most excellent reasons to give God thanks and praise, then I don’t know what is. But I do hope we’ll review those scriptures and let them raise the level of our praise and thankfulness to Almighty God. Now, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

That now makes us duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…giving thanks and praise to God…is what we were created to do…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 April 2022   1 Chronicles 16:34.

1 Chronicles 16:34.      O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 

And it’s a bright and beautiful spring Tuesday…getting warmer every minute too! (smile) Oh yes, it’s high time that we are blessed with some of the sun’s real warmth after such a long winter of hibernating. But that’s just the price we pay for living in the cold northern climes. Nothing that we can’t handle though with the indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ moving and grooving with us. And one of those marvellous moves happened just now. I’m talking about where the Good Book opened this morning; at 1 Chronicles 16, which contains this beautiful song of praise and thanksgiving from the mighty pen of Bruh David. 

And you know what means, we’ve got to declare it today. (smile) So, let’s do as Bruh David says nuh. ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared (held in reverential awe) above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols (worthless things): but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. 

Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear (tremble) before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth. 

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr.16:23-36) 

Oh my people, my people, what beautiful, wise, true and sure sentiments! Bruh David surely knew how to pull one into the Lord’s sphere, to wrap one in the cocoon of God’s LOVE, mercy and greatness! If, after reading those true and worthy sentiments and you have not felt the LOVE, the nearness, the warmth and safety emanating from God’s Holy Spirit then your heart must really be made of stone. For the words just evoke a sense of totality, an all-encompassing serenity, stability and unchangeability that flows from the wonderful Creator of the universe and all therein. ‘For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.’ 

Now there’s no doubting His greatness if He can merely speak into existence this amazing world and all that’s in it. And just for that He definitely deserves praise and glory! Then when you add His goodness and mercy, His salvation, His saving grace…Oh friends, the honour and glory He truly deserves for all that He is, is way above our frail, fickle and finite ability. No wonder the Good Book tells us: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) 

We just are not in His league my brethren! And why should we be eh, when He is our Creator, the author of infinity, and we are just lowly, though highly adored minions with a finite existence? And that’s why we should be forever grateful and do like Bruh David says: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever.’ And friends, not only the Lord’s mercy endures for ever, but also His amazing unconditional LOVE and ever-saving grace! Without His mercy, grace and LOVE, we’d be totally destroyed long ago! 

Jeremiah said it so succinctly and wisely in His Lamentations. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful shout of ‘Praise the Lord! Blessed be His Holy Name! Give thanks for His wonderful goodness to the undeserving children of men!’ 

And so we should my fellow saints, for without the Lord’s abundant faithfulness, patience and long-suffering, we would have already been ignited with hell-fire and damnation! Because He promised, the fire next time, no more simplistic water. (smile) But yet still we refuse to bow to Him, to be obedient to His holy law and live according to the guidelines found in His word. And that’s even after He sacrificed His only Son on the cross of Calvary so that our abominable sins could be forgiven and our devilish souls washed clean. 

For whatever reason, the deceitful enemy still holds the reins of too many of our hearts and souls, desiring to take us down to the depths of Hades with him, forever separated from the God of our creation and salvation. But people, that’s the worst decision, the biggest mistake any created being can make, for eternity is a long, long time, and without Almighty God in our lives, for any time at all, much less such a long period, we will endure much ‘sufferation.’ 

Remember, that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours. He’s our Creator and keeps the breath of life, His breath of life, going in us. He has the power to do whatever He wants with us through His omnipotence, omniscience, and omni-presence. And above all He is the God of our salvation! So, with all those things going for Him, doesn’t it make sense to bow down and worship Him, to give him much thanks and praise? I certainly think so! 

And for those of us who also think that way, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, proudly telling the whole world to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

Consequently, we must now go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, just as generously as He’s shared it with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Oh what a wonderful task that is my people! Much LOVE!

…there’s nothing better than…wallowing in the LOVE, mercy and grace of God… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8