The Giving of Thanks and Praise to God

A basic principle of the Christian life and something we should spend time with is the giving of thanks and praise to God.  The Bible is full of instruction in this regard.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving" (Colossians 4:2).

"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name" (Psalm 30:4).

"We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near" (Psalm 75:1).

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night" (Psalm 92:1-2).

"Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name" (Psalm 97:12).

"Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 106:1).

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18-20).

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful" (Colossians 3:15).

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Timothy 2:1).

"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).

"Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God" (Psalm 50:23).

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being" (Psalm 146:1-2).

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

"Then a voice came from the throne, saying, 'Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!' " (Revelation 19:5).


There are many things we can give God thanks for.

Each of us knows his or her own trials and blessings, and we can thank God for our individual blessings.  But we can also thank and praise God for His general attributes and blessings He gives to all of us.

We can praise God for His perfect knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and righteousness.  We can acknowledge that His will is better, wiser and more righteous, than ours.  We can praise Him for his perfect choices, decisions, and works.

We can thank God for His entire creation - the angels, the universe, and mankind.  We can thank Him for His wonderful plan of salvation He offers to mankind, including the fact that all people, regardless of circumstances of birth, will have a chance for salvation, and including the awesome potential He offers us to become members of His divine family for eternity.

We can thank Him for Jesus Christ, and we can thank Jesus Christ for His sacrifice and saving work He does for us.

We can thank God for His word, the Bible.

All of us in the Church can thank God for our calling, as firstfruits, and for our minds being opened to understand His word, the Bible.

We can thank God for the Church of God and the ministry.  We can thank God for His Holy Spirit and all its benefits.

Each of us can thank God for our individual blessings, and even in those things in which we are not blessed, we can thank God for those blessings He gives to others in the body of Christ, for we are all members of one body.  "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26).  So let us rejoice and give thanks even for the blessings other members of the Church of God enjoy even if some of us do not enjoy those blessings ourselves.

We can give thanks for the general blessings of life that most of humanity can enjoy:  food, drink, family life, beauty in nature, etc.  God has made and given all these things to make life enjoyable.

Let us all give praise and thanks to God on a regular basis.