Thanksgiving Day should not be the only day of giving thanks. Our sermon verse reminds us

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Psalm 100:1-4 ESV

This psalm calls for us to remember that thanksgiving continues long after the fourth Thursday of November has passed. So let’s consider 5 truths about Thankfulness

1. Giving Thanks Is About EXCITEMENT

Notice what the psalmist tells us in verse one:

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. —Psalm 100:1 ESV

We should get excited about what God is doing in our lives.

He gave you the strength to get out of bed this morning. He gave you the clothes that wear this morning. He gave you the transportation to get you here today. He provided you with friends to care about. All good gifts have come from Him.

Isn’t that enough reason to SHOUT to the Lord?
If we would start counting all the blessings God has given us – we would never cease counting.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence —2 Peter 1:3 ESV

God is a friend who will never let you down. He will lead you through dark valleys. He is God – and He watches over you. You should get excited about that fact. You should “SHOUT” to the Lord. Next we see

2. Giving Thanks Is About SERVING

Serve the LORD with gladness. —Psalm 100:2 ESV

God has always asked His people to serve Him. God told Pharaoh:

Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. —Exodus 7:16 ESV

The Hebrews release was not about slavery, it was about service to God. Jesus said we are to make service to God a priority in our lives. Who or what we serve shows where our priorities are. I have heard it said:

We are created, He is the Creator.
We are sheep, He is our Shepherd.
We enter His courts, He is our King.
If we serve Him, He is our Master.

He wants us to serve Him with “gladness”.

We should consider it an honor and a privilege to serve Him. We should count it a joy to be able to serve the Lord. Should we not serve Him with gladness? Point three:

3. Giving Thanks Is About COMING Before God

In the last part of verse two of Psalm 100 it says:

Come into his presence with singing! —Psalm 100:2 ESV

Giving thanks to God has never been stationary or static. That is why the psalmist tells us to “come”. An invitation has been offered. We are to enter His presence with a song of joy in our hearts. God offers us the oppertunity to COME to Him**

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. —Matthew 11:28 NASB

God has given us great blessing – our response should be coming before Him – with joyful singing – thanking Him for all we have done.

Coming before Him does not mean that you have to leave the physical location. “Come” means acknowleding that you are dependant on Him for all the good things that have come your way. Consider

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. —James 1:17 ESV

4. Giving Thanks Is About Getting to KNOW God

Let’s look at verse three:

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. —Psalms 100:3 ESV

In this verse we are told to know – two things:
A. God made us – not ourselves. Many times people get caught up in self-sufficiency and pride. Here is a verse that should help combat those thoughts. You are not a self made person. He knew you before you were a twinkle in your parent’s eyes. If He is our creator then:

B. We are His possession. How unpopular is that statement!!?? We are His people. We belong to Him. We need to understand this. There is no place for self-sufficiency or pride when we come before God with thanksgiving. Last for today

5. Giving Thanks Is About ENTERING His Gates

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! —Psalm 100:4 ESV

The most important thing to see in this verse is that true thanksgiving is when we are in the presence of God. He is the object of our worship – and He should be the object of our thanks.

Everything that we are or that we possess is because God is Who God is. When we understand this we can clearly and totally say, “Thank You, God.”