Gratitude for God's Faithfulness

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV

"Without worship, we go about miserable." –A.W. Tozer

“The surest index of your spiritual and emotional well-being is the degree of gratitude in your life.” –John Maxwell

As Quisqueya Christian School's High School Bible Teacher, I often have the opportunity to speak at our chapel services. This was last week's talk on "Gratitude for God's Faithfulness". Here I talk from Luke 7:36-50 and Luke 17: 11-19, a sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet and Jesus' cleansing the ten with leprosy. This talk explores the importance of, and the essential nature of, gratitude, thanksgiving and worship. Gratitude is God's will for our life.

For the Power Point for this talk, click this link here:

drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8…view?usp=sharing

For the prayers from this talk, and the study questions for this talk, click this link:

drive.google.com/file/d/0B2730FU8…view?usp=sharing

Prayer of Thanksgiving

“Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.”(Book of Common Prayer, p. 101)

Prayer is God’s Will for Us

Prayer Booth 3, by Zach Alexander from Flickr

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

One of the most common, and profound, human questions is one of purpose, “Why am I here?” From a Christian perspective this question is adjusted slightly to, “What is God’s will for my life?”

From the beginning of creation humanity was made for an intimate relationship with God, in worship, in rejoicing, and in communion with God in prayer and in thanksgiving.

In Genesis 3:8 we see this intimacy between God and Adam and Eve as God walked with them in the cool of the day, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8).” God related intimately with His people from the very beginning.  

Today we can find this intimate relationship with God in our prayer lives. Billy Graham said this about prayer, “Prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.” Prayer is a conversation with a friend, as Saint Teresa of Avila put it, “For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”

It is fitting that Paul asserts rejoicing, prayer and thanksgiving as God’s will for our lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 he says, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

God desires our worship and God desires an intimate relationship with us. Simply put, prayer is God’s will for us.