O Magnify the Lord, For He Is Worthy To Be Praised

O MAGNIFY THE LORD, 

FOR HE IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED 

     Throughout our Bibles, from Genesis to Revelation, worshiping God is not only deliberate but mandated by God. There is only one God and He it is who creates all things and sets the world and everything in it in motion. It is God who loves us and desires to have our love in return. It is God who rules over all rulers, kingdoms and nations. It is God who judges, God who redeems. It is through God we receive salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. It is through Jesus Christ, God the Son, that we receive eternal life. For it Christ who has conquered death, hell and the grave; He it is who holds the keys to such. 

And because Christ lives, we glorify God for His endless mercies on us. 

    And, as I study worship in my Bible, I am reminded that I have not done much more than be thankful for my blessings and singing now and then. While I have encouraged others in their relationship with Jesus Christ, I am doubly strengthened when I apply the Word of God to my life, also. For it is God the Holy Spirit who reminds me to glorify God 24/7. Even in my sleep, my dreams, God is with me, looking out for me, protecting me. I fall asleep either praying or singing. I always wake up with a song of worship in my mouth and my mind.

    So, I have set myself to studying Worshiping in the Bible. And I just wanted to share what I am learning here with you:

 MAGNIFY means to 'enlarge, lift up, honor'. Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” While 'EXALT' means 'offer up, give, extol'. Magnify the Lord, lift Him up that all may know Him. Exalt His name together, all at once. Imagine if you could hear every follower of Christ singing praises to God ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Although we cannot hear every voice in the physical realm, we do know that in the spiritual realm all voices that praise God make an impact on the enemies of God: they flee from the sound of praise. And we know from the Scripture that our sacrifice of praise is a sweet smell to God. Hebrews 13:15 “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 

 There are seven (7) words of praise in the Hebrew language. They are [1] YADAH; [2TODAH; [3] HALAL; [4] SHABACH; [5] BARAK; [6] TeHILLAH; [7] ZAMAR. Each means a different action or way to praise God:

 YADAH is first mentioned in Genesis 29:35 "And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing." YADAH means to “HOLD OUT MY HANDS”. This word is used 45 times in Scripture. Strong's Concordance reference #3034. 

 TOWDAH has 6 Scripture references, one of them being Jeremiah 33:11 "The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD  is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD." TOWDAH means “CHOIR OF WORSHIPERS, SACRIFICE OF PRAISE”. Strong's Concordance reference #8426. 

 HALAL means “SHINE CLEARLY”. It is mentioned in Scripture 88 times. Psalm 63:5, one of my favorite passages, states  "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my  mouth shall  praise  thee with  joyful lips." Strong's Concordance reference #1984. 

 SHABACH means “SHOUT/TRIUMPH”. Our Bible mentions the word SHABACH four times, but the word(s) Shout, Shouts, Shouting and Shouted (all referring to Praise of God) is mentioned 61 times. This word is also found in Psalm 63, but is used in verse 3 "Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."  Strong's Concordance #7623.

 BARAK is used only once in Scripture. It is found in Judges 5:2 "Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves." BARAK means “KNEEL DOWN”. Strong's Concordance #1288. But the word 'bless' in some OT Scriptures uses this word BARAK up to 298 times. It means “TO BLESS, PRAISE, SALUTE”, also. Worship by kneeling down, or lowering your face to the ground, blessing the Lord. 

 TeHILLAH means “LAUD/HYMN”. TeHILLAH is mentioned 62 times in the Bible. One verse I like for this word is in Jeremiah 17:14 "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise."  Strong's Concordance #8416 

 ZAMAR means “TO MAKE MUSIC, EITHER BY HAND OR UPON AN INSTRUMENT”. This word is mentioned four times in Scripture. For example: Psalm 21:13 "Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power."  Strong's Concordance #2167. Psalm 150 clearly describes this worship. 

Psalm 150 >> King James Version

---

1Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

2Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

3Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

4Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

5Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

6Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

GOD INHABITS THE PRAISES OF HI S PEOPLE 

 Both TeHILLAH and TOWDAH use a Voice of Praise, so we look at the variations of Sing, such as Sing, Singing, Sings, Sang, Sung, Song. This study tells us to praise God 285 times: Sing, Sings and Singing (171), Sang (10), Sung (5) and Song (99). SHABACH uses the Voice also, but not in singing, in Shout-!-ing. Shout (34). Shouted (14) and Shouting (13). Descriptions of Shout include: screech, creak, acclaim, loud voice. Have you every praised God so loudly you have lost your voice? Or caused your jaw to ache? God tells us in Psalm 47:1 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. A high pitched voice of joy and gladness. A loud shout of praise, loud enough to cause the worshipers to join in and the enemies of God to take flight. Numbers 21:17 "Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it." 

 Praise (215), Praised (19), Praising (9), Praises (23). “But thou  art  holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3. The word 'praises' means TeHILLAH (LAUD/HYMN), song. Psalm 148: 3 tells us that the sun, the moon and the stars praise God: "Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light."  The word 'praise' in this verse means 'to shine clearly' or HALAL. Praised, Luke 1:64 “ And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. He blessed, thanked God." This word 'praised' takes us to BARAK, which means to KNEEL DOWN.

   “It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;.” 2 Chronicles 5:13. Here we have several references to worshiping God. The first, praise, is HALAL. 'Thanking' is YADAH. 'Lifted up their voice' is TOWDAH. 'Trumpets, cymbals, and instruments of music' is ZAMAR. 'Praised' is HALAL. Four ways to praise are given us to follow in praising God. 

    And what happened when the people praised God in such a fashion? “that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD.” God inhabited the praises of His people. A cloud filled the house of the Lord God. Not any cloud you and I have seen in the skies, but a cloud of the glory of God. Praising God with everything we have within us; meaning what we say, understanding what it means to praise God; knowing who God is and acknowledging what He does for us: what He does in us and what He does through us gives us the responsibility to praise God: and to praise Him fully all day long. 

 {Oh, Lord, may I always be found in You. May my voice be one of praise and thanksgiving. May my words shine clearly and my life be transparent. You know my heart and can see my thoughts, yet You are gracious to me. You look beyond the face into the mind and see into my heart. May my lips and my heart be in sync as I study Your Word and Praise Your Name. 

Oh, Lord, have mercy on me and make me worthy to be with You always and in all ways. For You alone are worthy to be praised. Thank You, Lord, for the Love You have shown unto me. For the Blessings You have showered into my life. Be glorified, O my God. Amen.}

This World

This world in which I live

Has nothing to give

you and I, 

but grief.

But the place I long to be

is sitting at Jesus' feet

forever.

This world for which I pray

Has nothing good to say

on Jesus,

their only Hope.

But the place I long to be

is sitting at Jesus' feet

forever.

This world fights for peace

When peace is to be had

in Jesus,

for the asking.

But the place I long to be

is sitting at Jesus' feet

forever.

This world won't last forever

The wrath of God will devour

and destroy

whatever's left.

So I pray 

till Jesus' comes again

For all the lost 

and dying 

without Him

To be saved filled and serving

To be desirous of a Savior

To be holy unto God

This is my prayer

for you....

And the place I long to be

is sitting at Jesus' feet

forever.

Thorough

I am currently re-reading my Bible all the way through again. But this time around I am taking the time to study what I am reading. 


The current study is on the Questions God Asks. A diligent search must be done. Steps must be taken slowly. So far I am up to 1 Chronicles; I started three weeks ago, so I guess this isn't too bad. 


When I finish, I will type it all up neatly and save it on the flash-drive. It will also go in my collection.
And here. Won't that be interesting to read?

Though the pages are blank, the mind is not

every word you see, is just a dot

of thought.

The LORD our GOD

The LORD our GOD

The LORD our GOD is an awesome GOD

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The LORD our GOD is a mighty GOD

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The LORD our GOD is a holy GOD

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah..

Hallelujah.

The LORD our GOD is an awesome GOD

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

The LORD our GOD is a mighty GOD

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

The LORD our GOD is a holy GOD

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah...

Hallelujah.

He is LORD.

There is none like Thee

that can compare to Thee

You are LORD.

There is none like Thee

            ~there is none like Thee~

That can compare to Thee

         ~that can compare to Thee~

You are LORD.

You are LORD.

You are LORD.

You      are     LORD.

I'm A Christian Woman

I don't want flowers. I don't want candy. I don't even want a card. On this 101st Anniversary of International Women's Day, I don't want to be wined and dined just because I am a special woman in your life. Save that for our anniversary, or my birthday, or Just Because.

Don't honor me because I'm your Mom, your wife, your girlfriend, your daughter or your sister. Don't patronize me. I'm not a trophy who sits on your shelf nor am I a prize to display.

I'm educated. I'm successful. I'm empowered. In this world, at this time, I do the same work you do and get paid less than half what you earn. My personal goals are non-threatening to you.

I'd like to say I'm every woman. But we all know that isn't true. Not all women can say they are educated. Not all women can claim success. Not every woman is empowered. Being female in any country, in any century is difficult, and sometimes dangerous. Though many women have accomplished much, millions still fight for their rights all over the world. Especially the right to live a life of their choosing.

IWD is a celebration of sorts. It is a day set aside to honor the accomplishments of various women. It is a day written in calendars to celebrate World Peace, something we have definitely not achieved yet. It is a day set aside to acknowledge the advancement of women in all areas of their life.

I will be criticized for this statement. I will be viewed as a political or religious activist. I will be seen as hateful and one who spreads lies. Some will deem me mentally unbalanced. Simply because my views do not line up with theirs. But that's okay. I'm used to it. It wouldn't be the first time I've been criticized for doing the right thing.

I'm a Christian woman who walks the walk, not just talks the talk.

I'm a Christian woman who is not only book-educated, but also self-educated.

I'm a Christian woman who is successful by God's standards and not the world's.

I'm a Christian woman who is empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world, not just my little piece of it.

I'm a Christian woman who is filled with the Holy Ghost, Who gives me boldness to witness my faith in Jesus Christ.

I"m a Christian woman who is blessed by the hand of God because I am faithful to Him.

I'm a Christian woman who blesses others because God has blessed me. My cup runneth over..into yours.

I'm a Christian woman who seeks to change the world I live in, one person at a time.

Maybe this time that person is you.

My Full Potential

If the life you are living is not pleasing to God, 


then you are not living up to your full


potential. ~Me


What do you see 
when you look at me?
Am I a reflection
of God's redeeming grace?
What do you see 
on my face?



Am I living up to my full potential in Christ?

My heart is right with Christ.

I am saved from eternal damnation.

I am filled with the Holy Ghost.

I am serving in God's kingdom.

Tomorrow, March 8, is International Women's Day. 

It is a celebration of how far women have come in the history of the world.

It is an acknowledgement  of how much women have accomplished in their countries.

It is an awareness of the lack of women in business and industry;

of women in politics and science; of women in leadership positions.

The Day is focused on Women Around the World 

and their desire to improve their world 

by having women involved in decision making processes 

that would change the world for the better.

But, in all the articles I have read, from around this world I live in,

not one is written from a Christian woman's perspective.

Though a few were written by women, most articles were still written by men.

And a couple of these articles were dehumanizing to women.

Where are the daughters of God?

I am the handmaid of the Lord. ~Joel 2:29

Our voice is not silent:
In Ministry:

http://bigbible.org.uk/2012/02/strengthened-to-serve-simon-peters-mother-in-law/#.T1fkHsAfSCw

http://www.iamawomanofgod.com/ - shopping

https://www.facebook.com/abundantpeace

http://www.joycemeyer.org/

https://www.facebook.com/AboutChristianity

https://www.facebook.com/unveiledwife

https://www.facebook.com/Katherine.Damore.H.I.S

https://www.facebook.com/pages/She-That-Prays/107991435912978

http://dailychristianquote.com/dcqwomom.html

http://www.ladiesforjesus.com/

http://womenofvalorministry.org/wimba0.aspx

http://graceforwomen.blogspot.com/2009/01/rebekah-virtuous-woman.html

In Music:
http://rsjames.com/
http://nataliegrant.com/#!/ss:facebook
http://www.francescamusic.com/
http://www.barlowgirl.com/
http://amygrant.com/#!/ss:facebook
http://www.brittnicole.com/
http://www.nicolecmullen.com/
http://www.jacivelasquez.com/
http://cecewinans.com/
http://sandipatty.com/#!/ss:facebook
http://www.twilaparis.com/
http://audreyassad.com/desktop/
http://heatherwilliamsmusic.com/
http://www.jamiegrace.com/

In Comedy:
http://www.anitarenfroe.com/
http://www.chonda.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Barnes/134674643271548?sk=wall
http://www.christiancomedyacts.com/Kelly-Swanson/
http://www.christiancomedyacts.com/lena-green/ ` love her!

The daughters of God are actively seeking to improve the lives of all women.

We are joined at the heart in Spirit and in Truth.

We are raising our voice in shouts of Triumph..

Our hands are on our Sword as we wage war on

social injustice, poverty, abuse, addiction.

We are the Overcomers by Faith in the Power of God

to change our world one person at a time together.

We learn from each other.

We teach each other.

Our desire to change the world we live in is expressed by our actions every day.

As we learn from God, through the power of His Holy Spirit,

how to change our lives, we share our values, our journeys,

our joys, our wisdom, our tears and our pain,

our words reach millions on the internet.

And their lives are changed for the better.

God empowers women by calling them, also.

We, too, are called to serve in God's kingdom.

I am His servant.

And I will change the world.

Love Letter From God

Have you ever received a love letter from God? Are you sure? Our Bible is an open letter from God to His children. His salutation is "In the beginning" and His sign off is "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Isn't that lovely? We know that "Amen" does not mean the end, but "And so shall it ever be". There's more this love letter than what is presented, but we won't get to read the rest until we are with Jesus in glory. 


We all enjoy receiving personalized mail. Our mailboxes are usually filled with junk mail from businesses wanting us to spend our money there; we get bills demanding we send our money there. How wonderful it is to find cards and letters in our mailbox addressed to us! Someone has acknowledged our existence as an individual. Someone has taken time out of their day to bring joy into my day. Somebody loves me!

We feel sooooo special. But how often do we reciprocate the love? Do we pick up the phone right away and call to say "Thank you!"? Or do we just accept the card as something we deserve without saying anything. 


God has feelings, too. We are, after all created in His image. God is love and has a great love for us. God has sent us a hand-written love letter, signed, sealed, delivered. Some have tossed it aside, as if to say, "It's just an old book, full of lies, violence and intolerance. I want nothing to do with it." Some have read it and view it as "Unrealistic, a fairy tale." Some have read this letter from God with anticipation, "Eagerly devouring every word, every line." Some have read only part of the letter, they highlight the sentences that make them feel good and disregard the ones that make them feel bad. Some hate the letter from God and destroy it on sight, burning every letter they can find so no one has the chance to read it. 


But God's love letter cannot be destroyed. Neither hate, nor fear, nor dark of night will prevent God's love letter from being delivered. Neither ignorance, nor apathy, nor lack of light will prevent God's love letter from being received. 


Somebody loves you. And He waits patiently for you to rescind His love. Don't you think it's about time you did?

Thank You

     Thank you. How many times do we say this to one another? More than can be numbered? Or less than a handful? Do we mean it when we say it? Or is it automatic (thanks)? Sarcastic (Gee, thanks.)? Questioning (thank you?) 
     Why do we say "thank you"? We say 'thank you' to show our appreciation for the service which has been rendered us. Whether the words are said to the waitress, the clerk, the minister or the teacher, we say them. 
     If we are merely being polite, the words do not really resonate from our hearts. It is etiquette and nothing more. If we are being sarcastic, we are not really exhibiting thankfulness, we are showing them that they have no value to us and do not appreciate their service. If we question the sincerity of their work, we reveal our inability to say 'thank you'.
     Since we appear to have difficulty saying 'thank you' to each other, it must be really hard to say 'thank you' to God. How sad is that? There are so many, many things to be thankful to God for every single day that it would more than fill our waking hours to be thankful for them. We usually generalize our thankfulness, when we tell God how much we are thankful to Him for. 
     When we pray over our meals, saying grace, we thank God for the food placed before us; thank God for the hands that prepared it and ask Him to bless those hands. We ask God to bless the food to the nourishment and healing of our bodies, that we might continue to serve Him when He calls us. We thank God for the blessings of the day. In Jesus' Name. Amen. 
     The blessings of the day is a generalization. And that is, for most of us, the one time of day we are saying 'thank you' to God. But for my husband and I, thankfulness to our God is spread out throughout our day. God applies His love to us through His Word and we apply His Word to our lives. Beginning with our mornings: O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy endures forever. This line of thankfulness is repeated 8 times in the Book of Psalm. (Psalm 105:1; 106:1; 107:1; 118:1,9; 136:1,2,3,26) 
     In fact, the words 'thank(s) thanked thankful thankfulness thanksgiving(s)' appears in the Bible (KJV) 137 times. Of these 137 verses referring to 'thankfulness' in all its forms, 131 tell us to give 'thanks' to God. And they tell us how and why to give 'thanks', also.


John 11:41      the why      "because You heard me"
Romans 1:8     the how       "through Jesus Christ"
1 Corinthians 1:4     the why     "always on your behalf"
1 Corinthians 14:18     the why     "that I speak in tongues"
Philippians 1:3      the why     "upon every remembrance of you"
1 Thessalonians 1:13     the how     "without ceasing"
1 Thessalonians 1:13     the why     "because the Word of God was received and applied"
2 Thessalonians 1:3     the how     "always"
2 Thessalonians 1:3     the why     "your faith grows exceedingly and your love for one another is                         in abundance"
1 Timothy 1:12     the why     "Jesus Christ enabled me, because He counted me faithful, and put me into the ministry"
2 Timothy 1:3     the how     "I serve with pure conscience"
2 Timothy 1:3     the why     "without ceasing I have remembrance of you in my prayers night and day"
2 Chronicles 5:13     the how     "the singers and the musicians sang and made noise as one voice"
2 Chronicles 5:13     the why     "He is good: His mercy endures forever"
2 Chronicles 5:13, 14     the result    "the glory of the Lord filled the house so full, there was no room in it for anyone else"
2 Samuel 22:50     the why    "therefore (because He has delivered me from my enemies v49)
2 Samuel 22:50     the how     "I will sing praises unto Thy name"
1 Chronicles 16:8     the why     "make known His deeds among the people"
I Chronicles 16:34     the why     "for He is good; for His mercy endures forever"
1 Chronicles 16:35     the why      "He is the God of our Salvation, our deliverer, He gathers us together"
1 Chronicles 16:41     the why     "because His mercy endures forever"
1 Chronicles 25:3     the how     "musicians handpicked by the king to give thanks to the Lord and to praise Him"
2 Chronicles 31:2     the how    "appointed by the king to minister the offerings, give thanks and praise the Lord"
Ezra 3:11     the how     "sing together"
Ezra 3:11     the why     "because He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel"
Ezra 3:11     the how     "with a great shout"
Ezra 3:11     the why     "because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid"
Nehemiah 12:24, 31, 38, 40     the how     "upon the walls, the gates and to the towers"
Nehemiah 12:43     the why     "so that the Joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off"
Psalm 6:5     the how     "alive"
Psalm 6:5     the why    "because I have life and everything that life entails"
Psalm 18:49   the why      "v48 He delivers me from my enemies, lifts me up above they that rise against me: delivers me from the violent man"
Psalm 18:49     the how     "among the heathen, sing praises unto Thy name"
Psalm 30:4     the why     "at the remembrance of His holiness"
Psalm 30:12    the why    "v11 You turned my mourning into dancing: You removed my grief, and girded me with gladness"
Psalm 30:12     the how    "to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. I will give thanks forever"
Psalm 75:1     the why     "for Your name is near Your wondrous works declare"
Psalm 79:13     the why    "we will show forth Your praise to all generations"
Psalm 92:1-4    the why     "v2 to show Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night" "v4 You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work: I will triumph in the works of Your hands"
Psalm 92:1-4     the how     "v1 sing praises to Your name" "v3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery, upon the harp with a solemn sound"
Psalm 97:12     the why     "at the remembrance of His holiness"
Psalm 105:1     the why     "make known His deeds among the people"
Psalm 106:1     the why     "for He is good: for His mercy endures forever"
Psalm 106:47     the why     "to triumph in Your praise"
Psalm 107:1     the why     "for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever"
Psalm 118:1, 29     the why     "for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever"
Psalm 119:62     the why     "because of Your righteous judgments"
Psalm 122:4     the why     "unto the testimony of Israel" (the commandments of God)
Psalm 136:1-3,26   the why     "for He is good: for His mercy endures forever"
                              ~ Have you ever read this chapter? There are 26 verses and each verse ends 
                                             with "for His mercy endures forever" ~
Daniel 6:10     the how     "facing Jerusalem, praying on his knees 3x day, in supplication (making his needs known before God)"
Daniel 6:7     the why     "disobeying the king's order to worship a different god than our God would cause the king to send that person to their death in the lions' den"
Matthew 15:36     the how     "simply"     the why     "to feed the need"
Luke 17:15, 16     the how     "with a loud voice glorified God" and "fell on his face at Jesus' feet"
Luke 17:14, 15     the why    "healed completely of leprosy"
Luke 22:17, 19     the why   "Christ declaring that both cup and bread were representative of His body and His blood and that when we take them it is a remembrance of Who He is and What He did for us"
1 Corinthians 15:57     the why     "God gives us the victory {over death and the grave} through our Lord Jesus Christ"
2 Corinthians 2:14    the why     "Who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes known the sweet taste of His knowledge by us to every place."
2 Corinthians 9:15     the why     "for His unspeakable gift {every good and perfect gift [James 1:17] is from God)"
Ephesians 5:3, 4    the why     "because an unclean life and unclean words do not adorn the saints of God" v2 "walk in love, as Christ loves us, and gave His life for us an offering and a sweet smell to God"
Ephesians 5:20   the how     "always"    the why     "for all things unto God and the Father"
Colossians 1:3, 4     the why     "praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of His love which you have for all the saints"
Colossians 1:12     the why     "God has qualified us to partake in the inheritance of the saints in light"
Colossians 3:17    the how    "whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus"
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4   the why    "making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of our God and our Father; knowing beloved brethren, your election of God."
1 Thessalonians 5:18     the why     "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you"
2 Thessalonians 2:13     the why     "because God has chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth"
1 Timothy 2:1     the why     "intercede on everyone's behalf"
Hebrews 13:15   the how"     offer a sacrifice of praise to God continually"
Revelation 11:16, 17   the who "the 4 and 20 elders" the how   "falling on their face and worshiping before God"   the why   "because God has taken to Himself His great power and has reigned"


    The remaining verses are in regards to the word 'thanksgiving(s)'. All of which are offered up to God individually. It is by our choice, our will, our decision. Each time the word 'thanksgiving' is mentioned it is with sacrifice, with praise, with singing, with offerings. 
     However, each of the preceding verses are also instructive verses. They tell us how the person gave thanks AND why the person gave thanks. We, too, are instructed even now; for the Word of God is constant, never changing, ever flowing. As we apply these truths to our lives, we learn to embrace God not from a distance, but ever nearer and nearer. 
     Thank You, Lord, for saving a wretch like me. For loving me so much You died for me, then fought death hell and the grave and overcame them for me. For loving me enough to create in me a clean heart every time I fall short of overcoming temptation. For filling me with Your Holy Spirit, who comforts me and guides me in all Your ways. For giving me a desire to draw close to You, so close that our hearts beat as one. For using me in Your kingdom, to lead other people to Your well of Living Water, which flows from the throne of God. Thank You, Lord, thank You so much.