"Breathe Thanksgiving"

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

Most mornings I either wake up with a song on my heart or one comes to me as soon as I get up. Well, today was no different. When my feet hit the floor, the words of an old song started playing over and over in my heart. One line of the song simply says, "Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me."

 

What are you thankful for this morning? We don't offer praise and thanksgiving to the Lord only when all is well in our lives. We don't offer thanksgiving to Him only when the "big" blessings come. We don't offer thanksgiving just when we see the answer to our prayers. We offer praise and thanksgiving to Him at all times for all things. 

 

When was the last time you thanked the Lord for the oxygen/air you are breathing? It isn't something you can see; it isn't something you think about. It is something that you receive into your body enumerable times a day. It is a natural occurrence in your life. But you don't supply it to yourself. You don't create it. You don't manufacture it. It is unseen yet one of your most important blessings you receive. Without it you would die. Where does it come from? It comes from the Lord. When the scripture says to let everything that has breath praise the Lord, then if you are breathing you should be doing just that. You should thank Him with the same oxygen that He has provided for you to be able to live.

 

Are you wasting your breath on things that have no eternal value? Are you wasting it on fussing and fighting with a family member? Are you wasting it on words of hate, bitterness and gossip? Are you wasting it by speaking doubt, fear and unbelief? Are you wasting it by tearing down someone's reputation? Are you wasting it on unkind words? 

 

The air that we breathe is a blessing from God. Don't waste it. Use it to offer praise and thanksgiving to God. There are two ways that we thank Him for this marvelous blessing. One is by saying, "Thank You". The other is by using it for His glory. We do that by using it to tell others about Him, by speaking kind words, by verbally edifying others, by speaking His Word, by speaking words of life and healing, etc.

 

Have a great day. Are you thankful for even the breath that God gives you? Then use it to glorify Him.

 

For further reading:

Psalm 150:6; 104:29