In 1 Chronicles 29:10-15, King David thanked the Lord for all the blessings of life. He led Israel in a prayer of thanksgiving as they prepared to build the Temple and appoint Solomon as their new King. Verse 13 in that passage reads, “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” David’s prayer teaches us about the importance of thanksgiving! Thus, for what am I thankful?
I am thankful for the blessed hope (v. 13). Blessed Hope equals “prosperous expectation.” It’s the Christian’s absolute certainty of future good. “Faith accepts, hope expects; faith appropriates, hope anticipates; faith receives, hope realizes; faith is always and only concerned with the past and present, hope is always and only concerned with the future.” The “blessed hope,” then, for which the Christian is looking is not an event, but a Person: Christ himself. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” wrote Edward Mote. The return of our Lord is the great incentive for a pure and devoted life of service. Thus, God’s Grace strengthens the blessed hope: past, present and future.
Past: God’s grace redeems us (v. 11); it brings salvation to all who will receive its wonderful and marvelous blessings. Present: God’s grace reforms us (v. 12); it is instructional in nature – teaching both denial (“leaving”) and determination (“living”). Future: God’s grace rewards us (v. 13); it is a reward from the Great (“megas”) God and Savior (i.e., rescuer, deliverer, preserver).
I am thankful for the blood of Christ (v. 14). This verse is the heart of God’s grace. We are bought out of our slavery to sin and purchased for His service. Jesus gave – voluntarily. He was not pressed, coerced or forced into giving Himself. He volitionally gave! Jesus gave Himself – completely. Jesus gave not in part and parcel but totally, fully and entirely. He paid it all! Jesus gave Himself for us – as a substitute. Substitutionary atonement refers to Jesus Christ dying as a substitute for sinners.
I am thankful for the Book of God (v. 15). A message is only as strong as the authority behind the message. In this case, God’s Word is authority. Speak with all authority; proclaim the message of God’s grace! Exhort with all authority. Uplift the fallen with God’s grace! Reprove with all authority. Rebuke the sinner using God’s grace!
A leper requested the singing of “Count Your Many Blessing.” A diseased child claimed to have everything with only two sticker books and a doll. A breast cancer survivor was reminded of great blessings by remembering other survivors. Thanksgiving is not an annual event, it is a daily blessing. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
