I have been such a self-centered person for so much of my life. I was so consumed with pleasure-seeking for a good number of those years that I could hardly have conceived of bringing pleasure to someone else. Unless there was something I would get in return whether it be praise, attention, validation, big thankyou’s, a relationship I wanted, someone’s care and kindness, etc. I have since been learning about what it really means to deny self and love others, and most of all I have been learning about how to really love God. So sadly, I carried over my self-centeredness into my relationship with God.
I tragically came under false so-called prosperity gospel teaching whereby I was taught following God is all about waving our magic wands, having enough faith, and getting everything we want from God. I was essentially trained to believe God is here to love and serve us not we are here to love and serve and glorify God and of course to be loved by God also. I was under it’s-all-about-me teaching, and praise God He delivered me out of it. Now I understand if we really love God with all our hearts as we are commanded to do, we will long to love Him and we will yearn to please and honor and glorify Him. We will hunger to bring Him pleasure and go to great lengths no matter the cost to our flesh to bring Him joy, love, pleasure, praise, and glory!
What does this have to do with Thanksgiving? I would think that God takes great pleasure when His children go to great lengths to PRAISE HIM, to THANK HIM, to WORSHIP HIM, to SPEND TIME WITH HIM. When we make it a priority to live with Thanksgiving to God ever in our hearts, mouths, and actions. Let us bring the Lord delight, my friend, let us bring Him delight and pleasure and praise and joy and honor and obedience and humble fellowship and glory! Praise the Lord!
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 KJ
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:11 KJV