What do you get if you combine thanksgiving with acceleration? A brand new word! And perhaps even more…
Bible Memorization
The first whole chapter of the Bible that I remember memorizing was Psalm 100. When you can say you memorized a chapter… and it was only five verses…and the first verse is a gimme (Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!) that’s a whole lot of wins you can pile up in a hurry. And I’ve been a fan of winning for as long as I can remember.
Aside from the not-so-helpful spiritual scorekeeping, I’ve been grateful for knowing Psalm 100 for 50 plus years. Because the truth of verse four remains life-giving. Thanksgiving accelerates our experience of Christ’s presence. The verse might imply something stronger than that - if we want to enter into the presence of the Lord, thanksgiving is a) the best choice; b) the only option; c) a command; d) an accelerator; e) some combo of the others. (When in doubt, go for “e,” just saying.)
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and Praise His name." - Psalm 100:4
Jesus turns Water into Wine, but
Here’s another oldie: Jesus turns water into wine, but He can’t turn whining into anything. Thanksgiving has a wonderful way of squishing whining. For years, I’ve started my prayer journaling with the “discipline” of thanksgiving. Thanks, Brian! Why do I call it a discipline? Because I don’t always feel it when I start. Often I’m eager to jump straight to laments (a much nicer sounding category than whining). “Give thanks until you feel thankful” is tremendous advice, actually. I can’t say I’ve followed it nearly enough, but it remains an aspirational goal. “Give thanks in all circumstances” is like a candy that’s coated with sugar on the outside, but packs quite a punch when you open it up. The Bible never says to give thanks for all circumstances. Other religions might, but not ours. There have been plenty of times, though, when thanking God for the uninvited opportunity to enter the fellowship of His suffering has accelerated all sorts of blessings. Peace is accelerated. Appreciation for Jesus gets multiplied. Compassion for others becomes more prevalent.
Vertical and Horizontal
Thanking God accelerates our capacity to see Him at work.
It accelerates our insights into His Word.
It accelerates the softening of our hearts.
Highly recommended!
What about thanking others (or thanking God for others but still letting them know you’re doing so)? Same song, second verse.
It accelerates community, breaking down barriers.
It accelerates unity.
It accelerates humility.
Again, highly recommended.
So...
We’ve entered the Thanksgiving month, which if done well will spill over into the other eleven months, too. We’re offering some opportunities to grow in gratitude. Our November 19 prayer summit will be ample with opportunities to thank God and thank others, with all the aforementioned benefits. Next week we’ll pass along another thankceleration idea.
And until then, how many specific expressions of gratitude can you rack up this week? The one with the most… WINS! (As does everyone around her or him.)
Dave Drum, Executive Director
