“God is great.
God is good.
Let us thank Him for our food.
Amen.”
“Thank You, Jesus, for this day.
We love You, Jesus.
Amen.”
“Thank You, Jesus.
Thank You, Jesus,
for this day,
and our food,
and our many blessings,
and our many blessings.
Amen.”
Thomas, Amelia, and Timothy’s special blessings at mealtimes mean we say grace multiple times throughout each meal that we’re together. Thomas and Amelia often begin praying at the same time when asked who wants to lead. They smile with pride at being asked, and they’ve even started adding to their prayers to reflect what’s on their little hearts at the moment. It’s beautiful to hear what they express thanks to God for, and I’m oftentimes reminded just how many things I take for granted that, when recognized as good gifts from God, bring such joy. They’ve learned to pray by example and I for one am more mindful of my own words in their presence.
“The life that pleases me is a life lived in the gratitude of grace, always choosing to walk with me in what is right.
This is the sacrifice I desire from you.
If you do this, more of my salvation will unfold for you.”
Psalms 50:23 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.50.23.TPT
“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”
Psalms 50:23 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.50.23.NLT
The Psalms are Old Testament anthems, songs of judgement, deliverance, and praise, songs of remembrance composed during the time of the kings of Israel, many by David, the shepherd king himself. Many passages are prophetic, especially about Messiah. Others are reflective, recounting the goodness and excellence of God in His action or His Being. Still others are messages from God to His chosen nation, Israel in their rebellion. Psalm 50 addresses the people’s worship through the prescribed sacrificial system. It begins with a call to remember the awesome power of God who calls all humanity to account.
“The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets.
From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance.
Our God approaches, and he is not silent.
Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him.”
Psalms 50:1-3 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.50.1-3.NLT
In light of the Lord’s glory which Israel saw displayed on the mountain when Moses received the Law, in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night in the wilderness, and entering the temple of Solomon, the people should be sobered, mindful of their position before the God of the universe. They should maintain a sense of awe in His presence. Fear of punishment should not be their driving force, rather acknowledging the work of God on their behalf, His provision and protection throughout their history, should prompt their heartfelt gratitude and obedience.
Here, however, we find a reprimand. “Your lip service offends me,” says the God of glory. “You act as if I need the sacrifices I have asked you to bring.”
“Why don’t you bring me the sacrifices I desire?
Bring me your true and sincere thanks, and show your gratitude by keeping your promises to me, the Most High.
Honor me by trusting in me in your day of trouble.
Cry aloud to me, and I will be there to rescue you.
And now I speak to the wicked. Listen to what I have to say to you!
What right do you have to presume to speak for me and claim my covenant promises as yours?
For you have hated my instruction and disregarded my words, throwing them away as worthless!”
Psalms 50:14-17 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.50.14-17.TPT
“But God says to the wicked: “Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?
For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash.”
Psalms 50:16-17 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.50.17.NLT
The sobering fact is these wicked, also translated sinners, knew God’s commands well enough to recite them. They regularly made the required sacrifices. They focused on doing all the right things yet they had forgotten their Why. They had forgotten God who sees their hearts. They were just going through the motions. People were impressed, people they could see and hear, people just like them. Their opinions had begun to matter more than God’s. It’s the same accusation John recorded in the New Testament of the “Many people (who) did believe in him (Jesus), however, including some of the Jewish leaders.
But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.
For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.”
John 12:42-43 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.12.42-43.NLT
God’s message continued,
“While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care.
But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.
Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.”
Psalms 50:21-22 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.50.21-22.NLT
The Lord’s call to repentance is the same today. It’s not an Old Testament warning to Israel that we can cast aside. Peter repeats God’s warning near the end of the New Testament.
“This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.
I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.
Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.
They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?
From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.
No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.”
2 Peter 3:1-4, 9, 14 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2pe.3.1-14.NLT
“If you suffer for being a Christian, don’t consider it a disgrace but a privilege.
Glorify God because you carry the Anointed One’s name.
For the time is ripe for judgment to begin in God’s own household.
And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who refuse to obey the gospel of God?
So then, those who suffer for following God’s will should enfold their lives into the Creator, who will never fail them, and continue to always do what is right.”
1 Peter 4:16-17, 19 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1pe.4.16-19.TPT
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1th.5.18.NLT
“Remain joined to me, just as I also remain joined to you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself.
It must remain joined to the vine.
In the same way, you can’t bear fruit unless you remain joined to me.”
John 15:4 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/jhn.15.4.NIRV
My eldest grandson, Thomas and I have started saying popcorn prayers together. He likes to begin our prayer and at three and a half, his first line every time is the same. “Dear Jesus, thank You for this day, and thank You for” usually the last thing he experienced before bedtime on any given day. Then he loudly announces, “Your turn, Lolly.” I add my thank You, Jesus, to his and say, “your turn,” in kind. We recount the blessings of the day, give thanks for those we love, remember lessons from our Bible story reading, and just tonight, he prayed, “thank You, God, for Jesus.” Then he instructed me to say the same when it was my turn. We had just read the story of Moses and the first Passover so I said, “Thank You, God for Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
“The life that pleases me is a life lived in the gratitude of grace, always choosing to walk with me in what is right.
This is the sacrifice I desire from you.
If you do this, more of my salvation will unfold for you.”
Psalms 50:23 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.50.23.TPT
“But a life lived loving God bears lasting fruit, for the one who is truly wise wins souls.”
Proverbs 11:30 TPT
A Fitting Reply 
Thoughtful, thorough, and wonderful — as always!
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James 1:5 🙌🏻✝️
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