“Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.” Psalm 50:23 (NLT)

Anytime you thank someone, you honor that person.

For example, if I say to my wife, “Honey, I’m so grateful for that great Thanksgiving dinner you made,” I just honored my wife. When I’ve told her mom, “I want to thank you for having Kay so I could marry her,” I am honoring her mom. When I say to someone, “Thank you for opening the door for me” or “Thank you for coming to the service,” I am honoring that person. 

An expression of gratitude is a way of honoring another person.

The Bible says that you also honor God when you express gratitude to him. God says this in Psalm 50: “Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me” (Psalm 50:23 NLT).

Why is giving thanks a sacrifice? Because it requires our attention and focus; it takes time and energy to think of things to be grateful for.

When my wife does something thoughtful for me, of course she likes me to say, “Thank you.” But if that’s all I ever did, she might begin to wonder, “Does he really love me, or does he just love me for the things I do for him?”

At some point, I have to start moving to a higher level of thanksgiving—which is not just thanking my wife for what she does but thanking her for who she is. That’s a deeper, more mature kind of thanksgiving.

If the only time your kids thanked you was when you gave them their allowance, you’d begin to wonder, “Do they love me, or do they just love the money?”

If all you do is thank God for letting you get into this class or for giving you this food or for all the things he does for you, it’s worth asking yourself, “Do I really love God, or do I just love the things that God does for me?”

You must learn to thank God not just for what he does but for who he is.

When you thank God for who he is, your prayer might go something like this: “God, thank you that your wisdom is greater than mine. Thank you that you know what will make me happy more than I do. Thank you that you’re consistent when I’m inconsistent. Thank you for your love and your mercy, and that you’re always fair. Thank you that even when I don’t understand something, I know you have my best interests at heart.”

That kind of gratitude goes beyond “Thank you, God, for our food” to “Thank you, God, for who you are.” And it’s the kind of gratitude that honors God and gives you deeper spiritual roots.

Talk It Over

• Many studies have shown that gratitude is the healthiest human emotion. Why do you think this is so?

• How does radical gratitude help you grow closer to Jesus? 

• Every day this week, start the day by thinking of 10 things to thank God for. At the end of week, examine how this has affected your attitude and impacted each day.