Judges 1:1-2
“Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, “Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.”
INSIGHT
-In Hebrew Judah means, “praise to God.” We see from the main text, it was through God’s strength that the Israelites conquered their enemies. After the death of Joshua, the Israelites began a new season founded in divine victory. Israel had to learn that their true God and leader was the Lord and Joshua was only a vessel. When the Israelites gave thanks to God, they conquered the Canaanite’s and Perizzites, and the Lord settled them in the promised land. Our hope and confidence should never be in people, but in the Lord. Some trust in political figures, others wealth and resources, economic stability, power, and foreign gods, but we are called to only trust in the Lord our God. Having Judah go first, was saying that, praise and thanksgiving must go up, and all the glory must go to God. The Lion of Judah conquers all and we are more than conquerors in Him. We should always be in a state of praise always and not focus on the negative aspects of life. Thanksgiving should form our nature as we are reminded to give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).
PRAYER
We give thanks to You our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our praises will always be on our lips. We sing to You our Lord a new song, for You have done wonderful things. Your right hand and holy arm have gained the victory for You. May You be glorified and praised in all the heavens and the earth. May You be exulted to the ends of the earth. Some trust in horses, others trust in chariots but we trust in the Lord our God. You are so faithful unto us dear Lord our God even when we have become faithless. You are great and greatly to be praised dear Jesus. You are the Lion of Judah, our Lord Almighty and great God, we worship You. We are more than conquerors in You Christ Jesus. Many are the benefits that we celebrate in You dear Jesus, receive all our praise. Teach us to always give thanks to You and desist from complaining. Teach us to rely on You fully. Increase our faith in You dear Jesus we humbly implore You. As we approach the end of the year, teach us to rely on You fully. As we begin a new season, may You remind us to praise You first in all circumstances. May You provide us with everything that we need; for You are a faithful God and able Father. Blessed be Your name Lord. May You make a way for us even where there seems to be no way. All glory, honor, thanksgiving and praise belongs to You Jesus, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Genesis 49:8-12, Psalms 98:1
Psalm 50:23
“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright. I shall show the salvation of God.”
INSIGHT
-Thanksgiving is a form of sacrifice that stems from the Levitical times. From Leviticus 7:12-13, we learn that the people offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving by giving; unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil. Coupled with the sacrifice of peace, they gave thanks to God. Thanksgiving is a way of appreciating God for His goodness, mercy, love and grace upon our lives. When we reflect back since the year began, we must have something to thank God for. Thanksgiving offering is a vow and appreciation to God for delivering us from death and giving us His light of truth and His salvation (Psalms 56:12-13). Thanksgiving is also a way of giving honor to God. Offering gifts of thanksgiving to God is a way of worship, and He grants us His salvation (Psalms 50:23).
PRAYER
We give thanks to You Lord our God for Your lovingkindness, mercy and grace upon our lives. We thank You for the gift of life and the air that we breath. We know that many have departed from the earth and have gone to be with You but You have kept us alive, we thank You and bless Your holy name. Thank You for the gift of good health and the gift of salvation. May You heal all those who are sick and grant them Your gift of salvation. Thank You loving us dear Jesus. Thank You for protecting us, preserving us, providing for us, and guiding our way. May our sacrifice of thanksgiving be pleasing to You, Lord our God. Take all our praises and thanksgiving for only You deserve. You have done wonders in our lives and upon Your works we sing joyfully to You Lord our God. Your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths, take all our praises and thanksgiving for only You deserve. Thank You for the gift of salvation unto us and all our descendants. We bless Your name and worship You, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Leviticus 22:29-30, Psalms 107:21-22, Psalms 56:12-13
Luke 17:16-19
“And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”
INSIGHT
-Leprocy is a disease that was considered horrible and it carried terrible social consequences in ancient Israel. Lepers were treated “as if they were, in effect, dead.” The Mosaic Law prescribed that anyone who had leprocy should be cut off from society, including his family. The person was forced to wear torn clothing, have his head uncovered, cover his lips and shout “Unclean! Unclean!” wherever he went to warn others to keep their distance (Leviticus 13:45). Some even carried bells to alerted people that a leper was passing by. Jesus had compassion on ten lepers, nine among them Jews and one Samaritan. The Samaritan went back with gratitude and thanksgiving to Jesus for His mercy and grace. The Samaritan therefore utilized the power of thanksgiving, he fell to the feet of Jesus, and he was made whole. Apart from his physical healing, the leper was saved spiritually. As we come to the end of the this year, let us not be like the nine lepers who were healed and forgot to worship God. We are reminded to give thanks to God for the great things He has done unto us, despite our shortcomings; that we may be made whole.
PRAYER
Abba Father You are the King of kings, You are the Lord of lords, You are our Savior and Father. We worship You, we praise You, we honor You, we give You all the glory. Thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your love. We love You dear Jesus. You have sustained us the whole year, we honor You loving Jesus. Thank You for healing our physical and emotional wounds. Thank You for blessing us with all spiritual blessings. We exult You, we honor You, we bless Your holy name. We cast all our burdens unto You, for You care for us dear Jesus. Thank You for loving us and caring for us dear Jesus. May Your peace dwell in our hearts and minds in You Christ Jesus. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: 1 Peter 5:6-7, Psalm 69:30
Matthew 14:17-21
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus explored the power of thanksgiving, and supernatural miracles took place. When the disciples did not believe that five loaves and two fish could feed five thousand men excluding women and children, Jesus made the impossible; possible. He took hold of the bread, broke them and gave to His disciples, who distributed to the people. The multitudes fed and there were twelve baskets left over. Thanksgiving exposes us to the supernatural and we experience God’s power in our lives, families, ministries, businesses, churches etc. When Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks, the grace of increase was realized and many were fed. When we give thanks to God, He increases us in abilities, resources, wisdom and faith for the glory of His name. As we come to the close of this year, let us develop the culture of giving thanks to God in true worship and we will experience His supernatural blessings in our lives. Let us remember to celebrate Holy Communion with our loved ones and many miracles will take place; if we believe in Jesus Christ. Let us also remember the poor and needy in our society, and support them in their needs, as the Lord leads us.
PRAYER
Praise the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me praise His holy name. Oh Lord our God how excellent is Your name in all the earth. How powerful is Your name Lord our Savior. You are worthy to be praised and exulted. You are worthy of to be adored. Teach us to walk in a manner worthy of You Lord our God, to please You in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You Holy Spirit. Teach us to worship You in Spirit and in truth. Enable us to give to the less fortunate and have compassion to the needy dear Jesus. May You bless the work of our hands dear Jesus. May You bless the love of Christ foundation that it may be of benefit to many street families for the glory of Your name Lord. May You dear Jesus bless us together with our families. May You bless us and increase us in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, faith and in all good things for the advancement of Your kingdom. We worship You and give You all the glory and praise dear Jesus. It is in Jesus name we pray trusting and believing. Amen
Further reading: Colossians 1:10, Psalm 103
Matthew 2:8-11
“He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
INSIGHT
-Christmas is a season when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Magi or wise men were Eastern astrologers trained in various phenomenon including study of stars, who located the star of Jesus. They rightfully interpreted this star to mean the birth of a King. It was evident that their motive was to see the King and worship Him. They also honored Jesus with gifts of gold due to His Kingship, frankincense since He is the High Priest and myrrh which is used for anointing as Jesus is Lord. Like the wise men worshipped, we are reminded to worship Jesus Christ, who is our King, Lord and Savior. The birth of Jesus is a great gift to the entire human race, for He came to liberate us from slavery of sin and redeemed us by His precious blood. Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. He reigns on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever (Isaiah 9:6-7), and He is worthy of all our worship and thanksgiving.
SUMMARY
In Hebrew thanksgiving is written as Yadah, which means to praise God. It is in God’s design that everything that has breath should praise God (Psalm 150:6). King David developed the culture of thanksgiving and He won the heart of God. It is said that David was a man after God’s own heart. He fought his enemies and won all his battles. King Jehoshaphat worshipped and gave thanks to God, and he won his battles against Moab and Ammon (2 Chronicles 20:1-29). Judah went first in thanksgiving during the Israelites conquest against the Canaanites, and the Lord granted them victory (Judges 1:1-2). Giving thanks to God is powerful, for the Lord grants us victory against our enemies, and every adverse situation. When we give thanks to God, He gives us His salvation (Psalms 50:23). An attitude of gratitude to Jesus exposes to total healing and wholeness (Luke 17:16-19). When we give thanks to God, miracles happen in our lives and situations, and we are able to operate in the supernatural (Matthew 14:17-21). God has commanded us to give thanks to Him in all situations (Ephesians 5:20).
PRAYER
Let everything that has breath praise You Jesus Christ our King of kings, and Lord of lord. We give thanks to You always dear Jesus. All power belongs to You Lord Jesus in all the heavens and the earth. May Your power and grace be always present in our lives and situations. May You be birthed in our hearts during this season that we may worship You always in spirit and in truth. May Your presence go ahead of us that we may see You in all our situations. May You make this season beautiful for each one of us. We appreciate You Jesus for this far that You have brought us and the far that You are taking us. Thank You for plans that You have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. We thank You and praise You Jesus, may our praises be always on our lips. All glory, power, praise and honor belongs to You Jesus, now and forever. May You bless us Lord and keep us. May You make Your face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May You turn Your countenance upon us and grant us peace. Amen
Further reading: Psalm 117, 1 Thessalonians 5:18