How to Live a Continual Life of Thanksgiving

Tis the Season for Thanks.

While the holiday may be upon us, Thanksgiving shouldn’t be confined to a single day but rather be the constant tone and attitude of our lives every day of the year.

In this Deeper Christian Podcast episode, we discuss biblical thanksgiving and three ways you can develop a life of thanksgiving.

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Episode 45 Overview

In this episode …

• you will learn how the word “thanksgiving” was used throughout the Old and New Testaments
• you will discover the natural tone and language of a Christian is that of giving thanks
• you will learn three simple ways to develop a lifestyle of thanksgiving

Show Notes / Additional Resources

3 Ways to Develop and Live a Life of Thankfulness

1. Turn upward – spend time daily praising and thanking God for who He is, what He has done, and what He means in your life
2. Turn outward – purposefully find ways to thank and bless others (even for small things) … for example write or verbally tell someone how grateful you are for them, what they have done, or how you see God working in their lives
3. Turn inward (reflect) – journal or record your gratitude and thanksgiving daily or weekly. For a suggestion and template on how to do this, check out Episode 43: How to Journal Consistently and Easily

Bible Passages Mentioned

• Psalm 26:7 – That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works.
• Psalm 26:7 – That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works.
• Psalm 50:14 – Offer to God thanksgiving, …
• Psalm 69:30 – I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
• Psalm 75:1 – We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.
• Psalm 92:1-2 – 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 95:2-3 – Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.
• Psalm 100 – A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
• Psalm 107:22 – Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.
• Psalm 118:1 – Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
• Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
• Ephesians 5:4 – … neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
• Colossians 1:12-14 – … giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
• 1 Chronicles 16:7-12 – On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord: Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, …

Other Notes

• Old Testament Usage – thanksgiving is closely tied to the verb “to bless” and the Hebrew word for “thanks” (תּוֹדָה, todah) is derived from the verb “to praise or confess.”
• New Testament Usage – thanksgiving (εὐχαριστία, eucharistia)is tied to the idea of “grace”—in fact, most of the Greek words for thanks, thanksgiving, thankful, are all from the same root word as “grace” (χάρις charis).
• The Greek word often translated “give thanks” is the word eucharisteō, which is where we get the word Eucharist … what is commonly understood as the Lord’s Supper. Thus Communion (Lord’s Supper/Eucharist) is the act of praising and thanking God for His saving work upon the Cross on our behalf.

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Question: What is one thing you are incredibly grateful to God for?

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About NRJohnson & the Deeper Christian Podcast

NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is a Christian who has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps other believers understand and apply the Bible as they grow and mature in their faith—desiring that they gain greater intimacy with Christ, experience the victorious Christian life, and transform the world through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Read more about him here.

The Deeper Christian Podcast is the podcast to help you study God’s Word, know Jesus intimately, and discover how you can build your life around Jesus Christ. This weekly audio program, hosted by NRJohnson, dives into Scripture and encourages Christians to keep their focus upon Jesus Christ—equipping believers in how to study the Bible and know God’s Word, grow in their spiritual lives, and change the world. Main discussion topics center around practical advice on Christian living, Bible study, prayer, the Gospel, freedom from sin, evangelism and how to share your faith, the Christian disciplines, and the lives and messages from the Christian heroes from yesteryear such as A.W. Tozer, Charles Spurgeon, Major Ian Thomas, Oswald Chambers, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Corrie Ten Boom, C.T. Studd, George Müller, Andrew Murray, Leonard Ravenhill, E.M. Bounds, and others. Learn more about the deeper Christian life.