June 20, 2023

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 16:34 – “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

What it means

The author of 1 Chronicles isn’t definitively known – the consensus is Ezra, but again, the jury’s still out on that. This same passage of scripture repeats itself in Psalm 107:1 by King David, so it’s a keeper for sure! Lots of wisdom in two short sentences – first of all, we should always be intentional in giving thanks to the LORD always. And, why is that? He is good (all the time, and all the time…). He blesses us so very much – and in ways that we aren’t even aware of at times. He loves us, He sustains us in times of trouble, He provides us with our needs – there is always much for us to be thankful for. And this isn’t just a temporary offer – “His love endures forever.” In other words, when you commit your life to Jesus Christ, you will be loved into eternity – not a bad deal at all!

What it means

There’s a great praise and worship song that focuses on this scripture – have to get Beverly to look it up and get the choir to sing it for us 😊 The tune is light and bouncy, and practically begs for us to get off of our bottoms, raise our hands in praise, and just give thanks to The One who is always deserving of our thanks and praise. We have a lot that makes us fearful, we have a lot that makes us sad, and we have a lot that causes us to be angry. We see it all around us, and it is difficult to be intentional in giving thanks “in all things.” However, if we look at things honestly and evenly, as we should…our plus side is way, way more than our minus side.Some people experience more than their share of heartache in this life - so it may not be until the other side of this life that they find true joy and happiness, but the day will come when we will all have no choice but to rise up…raise our hands…and give thanks to The Lord…simply because He is good and will love us for all eternity.

Love you guys, talk to you on Thursday!

In Christ,

Brian