Acceptable Thanksgiving

Text: PSALM 100:1-5

INTRODUCTION:
Today we shall examine the process and the kind of thanksgiving that pleases God. This is against the backdrop that all RCCG parishes worldwide will be having thanksgiving Sunday celebration now and many other churches and believers are currently celebrating their half year thanksgiving ceremonies. It is only the thanks offered as prescribed by God in the scriptures that is acceptable to Him. There were reasons why Abel’s offering was accepted and Cain’s was rejected.

Genesis 4:3-5 tells us that God accepted the offering of Abel but rejected that of Cain: “At harvesttime Cain brought to the LORD a gift of his farm produce, while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected” (NLT). It is important to know how to offer acceptable thanksgiving to God otherwise our thanksgiving will be a waste.

“When you bring a thanksgiving offering to the LORD, it must be sacrificed properly so it will be accepted on your behalf” (Leviticus 22:29 NLT).

I want to share with us six components of acceptable thanksgiving that I have identified in the Word of God, and trust God this message will help you to offer acceptable thanksgiving to God not just today but for the rest of your life.

Six components of acceptable thanksgiving

1. Repent of your sins. Sin will make you unacceptable to God, and if you’re not acceptable to God, your thanksgiving can’t be acceptable to Him. Repent of your sins before you offer thanksgiving to God. God is first interested in you before He is interested in whatever you want to give Him. Matthew 15:16-20, Mark 7:20-23, Matthew 5:23-24, 1 John 4:20, Proverbs 15:8a, Proverbs 21:27a

2. Make sure it is a freewill offering. It must not be done out of compulsion. It must come from your heart. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Don’t do thanksgiving grudgingly; it won’t be accepted by God. God can do without your thanksgiving; He has enough heavenly beings offering Him quality worship day and night (Revelation 4:8-11). Leviticus 22:29

3. Sing and shout joyfully to the LORD. In the Bible, singing and making a joyful shout or noise to the LORD is associated with thanksgiving. For example, Psalm 95:1-2 says, “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms” (NKJV). Psalm 100:1-2, Nehemiah 12:46

4. Joyfully declare the miracles or wondrous works God has done for you. What has the LORD done for you? Psalm 103:2 tells us not to forget all His (God’s) benefits – that means not to forget all that He has done. Giving testimonies of what the Lord has done is a way of thanking God and appreciating His goodness on to us. Hannah was a good example here.  1 Samuel 1:24-28, unlike the 9 lepers in Luke 17:11-19., Psalm 26:6-7.

He gave Hannah additional three sons and two daughters. It is in your own interest to offer thanksgiving to God. Don’t be an ingrate or an ungrateful person. Joyful Thanksgiving and testifying of God faithfulness add more blessings to you -Psalm 107:22, Jeremiah 30:21.

5. Dance to the LORD and sing with musical instruments. Dancing is one of the things to do to make your thanksgiving acceptable to God. Dance to the LORD by the Spirit of the LORD; don’t dance in the flesh. You may not even know how to dance to beat; it is not required. It is God you’re dancing to, not man; you’re not in a dancing competition with anyone. You don’t have to be a good dancer; you only need to be a grateful dancer! -Psalm 149:3, Psalm 147:7, Psalm 150:2-6,

If you don’t have musical instruments, clap your hands – they are your stringed instrument! Your ten fingers become your ten-stringed harp! (Psalm 33:2; 144:9). Psalm 47:1 

6. Acceptable thanksgiving has to a lot do with quality and attitude.
It involves presenting to God something honourable to appreciate Him. You must be careful about what you give to God. It is not only about the size but also about the quality. That widow in Luke 21 gave only two mites, but it was all she had, and Jesus said she gave the most – more than all that the rich people gave. Be sure that what you give to God is honorable and not disrespectful. A disrespectful offering is a waste to the giver because it is unaccepted by God. Malachi 1:8

That you are presenting gifts to the Lord doesn’t substitute for your dancing and rejoicing in His presence -Psalm 69:30-31, Psalm 24:1, 1 Corinthians 10:26

Conclusion
God is not looking for gifts from a heart that is not overflowing with thanksgiving. He told the Israelites in Psalm 50:8-14, “I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar. But I want no more bulls from your barns;I want no more goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me. If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. I don’t need the bulls you sacrifice; I don’t need the blood of goats. What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High” (NLT).
Your gift can’t make God richer! Before you give God any thanksgiving offering, regular or special, make sure your heart is overflowing with gratitude. God looks at the heart; not at the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). The thanksgiving that God accepts should be sacrificial, unconditional, from a forgiving and cheerful heart. It must not be done out of compulsion. May the grace to continually offer thanks that is pleasing to God be our portion always in Jesus’ name.