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Thankfulness

Praise and thankfulness vs. murmuring and complaining

1. Having a thankful, grateful attitude:

A. The Lord wants and expects us to be thankful:

Psa.50:14a - Offer unto God thanksgiving
Psa.95:2 - Come before His presence with thanksgiving
Psa.100:4b - Be thankful unto Him
Psa.140:13 - Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Thy name
Eph.5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things unto God
Col.3:15b - Be ye thankful
1Thes.5:18 - In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God
(See also Psa.92:1)

B. We should be content:

Phi.4:11 - In whatsoever state I am, therewith...be content
1Tim.6:8 - Having food and raiment let us be therewith content
1Tim.6:6 - Godliness with contentment is great gain
Heb.13:5 - Be content with such things as ye have
(See also Pro.15:16,17)

C. Don't take God's blessings for granted:

Psa.68:19 - Blessed be Lord...Who daily loadeth us with benefits
Psa.103:2 - Bless the Lord...and forget not all His benefits
Lk.17:12-18 - Were not ten (lepers) cleansed? where are the nine? (None) returned to give glory to God, save (one)

D. Remember to always thank Him for your blessings:

2Sam.22:49,50 - Thou hast delivered me...therefore I will give thanks
1Chr.16:8 - Give thanks...make known His deeds among the people
Psa.136:1-3 - Give thanks unto God...for His mercy endureth forever
1Cor.15:57 - Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
2Cor.2:14 - Thanks be unto God, which...causeth us to triumph
(See also Psa.26:7; 107:22.)

2. Praising the Lord:

A. We are admonished to praise the Lord:

Psa.107:8 - Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works
Psa.18:3 - The Lord...is worthy to be praised
Psa.22:3 - (God) inhabitest the praises of Israel
Psa.66:8 - O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise to be heard
Psa.67:3 - O God, let all the people praise Thee
Psa.100:4 - Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise
Psa.103:1 - Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name
Psa.113:1 - Praise ye the Lord, O ye servants of the Lord
Psa.117:1 - Praise the Lord, all ye nations...all ye people
Psa.147:1 - Praise ye the Lord: for...praise is comely
Psa.150:6 - Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord
Heb.13:15 - Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually...the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name
1Pet.2:9 - Ye should show forth praises of Him Who called you
(See also Psa.50:23; 148:all; 150:all.)

B. Praise the Lord in song:

Psa.30:4 - Sing unto the Lord...and give thanks
Psa.69:30 - Praise the name of God with a song...and thanksgiving
Psa.92:1 - It is a good thing to...sing praises unto Thy name
Psa.98:1 - Sing unto the Lord a new song
Psa.147:1,7 - Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise
Eph.5:19 - Making melody in your heart to the Lord
Col.3:16 - Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord

C. Praise the Lord happily:

Psa.5:11 - Let them that love Thy name be joyful in Thee
Psa.95:2b - Make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms
Isa.51:3b - Joy and gladness...thanksgiving, and the voice of melody
Jer.30:19 - Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry
(See also Psa.100:1; Jer.33:11.)

3. Have a continual attitude of praising God:

Heb.13:15 - Let us offer...praise to God continually...our lips giving thanks to His name
Psa.34:1 - I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth
Psa.35:28 - My tongue shall speak of Thy...praise all day long
Psa.71:8 - Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise...all the day
(See also Psa.30:12b; 72:15b; 79:13; 104:33; 113:3.)

4. Murmuring (complaining) forbidden by God:

Jn.6:43 - Jesus said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves
1Cor.10:10 - Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured
Phi.2:14 - Do all things without murmurings and disputings
(See also Psa.144:14)

5. Causes of murmuring:

A. Lack of gratitude for what God has given us:

Num.11:4-6,18 - We remember the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks...now there is nothing at all, beside this manna
Num.21:4,5 - There is no bread...and our soul loatheth this (manna)

B. Lack of faith for God to supply our needs:

Exo.16:2,3 - The whole congregation...murmured against Moses...in the wilderness [when they ran out of food]
Exo.17:1-4 - People thirsted...and murmured...thou brought us out of Egypt, to kill us with thirst
(See also Exo.15:23,24)

C. Loss of faith in God's Word and His power:

Psa.106:24,25 - They believed not His Word...but murmured
Jn.6:60-66 - Many disciples said, This is an hard saying...His disciples murmured...many went back
(Compare Exo.3:4-8; 4:30,31; 14:9-12.)
(Compare Deut.1:19-27; Num.14:1-11.)

D. Giving up and losing hope:

1Sam.27:1 - David said, "I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul"
1Ki.19:1-4,10 - Elijah...requested that he might die
Jer.20:14-18 - Cursed be the day I was born...wherefore came I...out of the womb to see labour and sorrow?
Jon.4:1-9 - Jonah prayed, Take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live
(See also Job 7:6,11; 10:1.)

E. Lack of faith that God loves us:

Deut.1:27 - Ye murmured, and said, Because the Lord hated us, He brought us [to Canaan] to destroy us
(See also Psa.73:13,14; 77:1-9.)

F. Thinking that God is far away and doesn't hear:

Job 23:2-9 - Today is my complaint bitter: Oh that I knew where I might find Him. I cannot perceive Him
Psa.10:1 - Why standest Thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest Thou?
(See also Psa.13:1; 22:1,2.)

G. Self-righteously judging others:

Mk.14:4-10 - Why was this waste...made? For it might have been sold...they murmured. Judas...went to betray Him
Lk.15:2 - The Pharisees murmured, This man receiveth sinners
Lk.19:7 - When [Pharisees] saw it, they all murmured, He [has] gone to be a guest with a sinner

6. Why murmuring is dangerous:

A. Murmuring angers God:

Num.11:1 - When the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and His anger was kindled; and fire...consumed them
Num.11:10,33 - [Israelites wailed for meat] and the anger of the Lord kindled greatly...and the Lord smote the people
Num.21:4-6 - The people spake against God...and the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people...and much people died
1Cor.10:10 - Neither murmur ye, as some of them [Israelites] also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer
(See also Num.17:10)

B. God may take us at our word:

Num.14:1,2 - All the children of Israel murmured... Would God that we had died in this wilderness
Num.14:26-35 - As ye have spoken, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness...even forty years

C. Any murmur is ultimately a murmur against God:

Exo.16:7 - Your murmurings (are) against the Lord: (for) what are we (Moses and Aaron), that ye murmur against us?
Exo.16:8 - Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord (See also vs. 9-13)
Num.16:11 - (You) are gathered together against the Lord: (for) what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

D. It causes others to murmur too:

Num.11:4,5 - [Mixed multitude lusted after meat, and soon the entire camp started murmuring]
Num.13:30-32; 14:36,37 - The (spies) made all the congregation to murmur...by bringing...an evil report (See also Deut.1:27,28)

7. What to do when problems arise:

A. Praise and rejoice even when things go wrong:

Hab.3:17,18 - Although the...fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off... yet will I rejoice in the Lord
Mat.5:11,12 - When men revile you, and persecute you, and say...evil against you falsely...rejoice, and be exceeding glad
Lk.6:22,23 - When men shall hate you...separate you...reproach you...rejoice ye...and leap for joy
Acts 5:40,41 - They called the apostles, and beat them...they departed rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer shame
Acts 16:22-25 - Beat them...cast them into prison...Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God
1Thes.5:18 - In everything give thanks: this is the will of God
1Pet.4:12,13 - Think it not strange...the fiery trial...but rejoice
(See also Jer.15:10,11,16; Jon.2:all; Phi.4:4.)

B. If you have a genuine deep grievance, tell the Lord:

Psa 55:2,3 - Hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise... because of the enemy...my heart is sore pained
Psa.55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee
Psa.77:1-4 - I was troubled: I complained, my spirit...over whelmed
Psa.142:all - I poured out my complaint before Him; I showed Him my trouble....my spirit was overwhelmed
1Pet.5:7 - Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you
(See also Heb.4:14-16)

C. Keep on praising and victory is sure to come:

2Chr.20:22 - When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the (enemy)

D. Keep a thankful attitude in prayer:

Phi.4:6 - By prayer...with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God
Col.4:2 - Continue in prayer...with thanksgiving

E. Have a thankful instead of foolish or vain attitude:

Eph.5:4 - Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting...but rather giving of thanks

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Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family International

Request
James Arendt
James Arendt

My name is James Arendt. I was raised in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, served in the USAF from 1970 to 1974, and became a full-time missionary for Christ living 40 years in Japan, 3.5 years in Russia, and a few months in other countries such as Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China where I also served the King of Kings, Jesus, as an Ambassador for His Kingdom. My full bio.

On September 24, 2023, I had an accident and broke the bone of the tip of my left elbow. A boy ran in front of my motorbike less than 2 meters from me as I was leaving home. I stopped suddenly and my front tire slid on the sandy concrete road which caused me to fall. I did not hit the boy. On October 18th I had surgery done on my elbow. The doctor put in titanium rods to hold my bones together. The entire procedure including an entire week in the hospital was roughly $4000 USD. This was done in the Philippines where my wife and I have been living since June this year.


X-rays of bone before and after surgery that inserted titanium rods to reinforce my broken bone.

Before and after one week in the hospital.

Undergoing therapy to bend my arm again.
I'm now undergoing therapy to be able to bend my arm again.

It would be a super blessing to us if any of the visitors of this website can help us cover this expense!

You don't need a PayPay account to send me a donation! Just click on the donate button and you will see an option to send through your debit or credit card.


Or if you have a PayPal account, just log into it and send to my PayPal ID:
james.arendt@jamesjpn.net

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Biniam Tewelde Medhin (TX, US) says...
Thank you very much I learned a lot , I encourage you to continue an do the things of God God bless you
Admin:
Thank you my friend for your encouragment!
2nd July 2018 1:41am
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