CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL – DATE: SUNDAY 29TH DECEMBER, 2024 – TOPIC: BEING THANKFUL UNTO GOD (Part 2)
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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
CENTRAL THOUGHT:
Thanksgiving should be the believer’s lifestyle.
DATE: SUNDAY 29TH DECEMBER, 2024
HYMN: S. S&S1. Praise, my soul, the king of Heaven.
TOPIC: BEING THANKFUL UNTO GOD (Part 2)
TEXT: PS 103:1-22
INTRODUCTION:
Thanksgiving and gratitude should be a way of life for the believer. One of the signs of the end-time is that many will be unthankful and live their lives without gratitude. (2 Tim.3:2).
As believers we are expected to thank God always. Therefore congregational thanksgiving is an opportunity for the
church to appreciate God for His faithfulness throughout the year.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this study, we trust God to help us to:-
- examine the hindrances to an acceptable thanksgiving;
and - know the benefits of being thankful to God.
BIBLE TRUTH:
Q1.WHAT ARE SOME HINDRANCES TO ANACCEPTABLE THANKSGIVING?
In Lev. 22:18-20, God warns Israel not to present an offering with blemish/defect. As it was in the Old Testament so it is today.
(Heb. 13:8, 15, 16). God has not
changed to be accepting blemish
offerings withblemish. Believers cannot bribe God with their thanksgiving. It is in vain to build a temple with ill-gotten money, while the church might bestow encomium on you there will be no eternal value.
In Matt. 5:23-24 the believer is
admonished not to present an
offering to God, while someone is holding a grudge against him/her. Unforgiveness in the heart of a believer is a hindrance to thanksgiving. A believer must be intentional to ensure that unforgiveness is not in his/her heart nor should anyone known to him have something against him/her.
Giving for a show is a hindrance to an acceptable thanksgiving. Believers must not give to impress people; it is not for competition, rather give to be
acceptable by God (Matt.6: 1 -2).
Thanksgiving under compulsion
and with grudges is not an acceptable thanksgiving unto God. Thanksgiving has to be voluntarilly, willfully and
cheerfully done. Believers should not be compelled to give (2 Cor. 9: 6-7).
Pride is another hindrance to
thanksgiving. The believer must realize that there is nothing he/she has that was not received.
It must be seen as a privilege to
give to God. The believer must be
humble in doing that. It is the publican who humbled himself before God that left the presence of God justified (Lk. 18: 9-14). God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The believer should never think he/she achieved whatever he/she had achieved by personal effort outside God (Deut. 8: 17-18).
Some people do not see any reason to be thankful because they feel God has not been fair to them and life has not treated them well. They are unhappy with the level they are in, not
knowing that, to some, the level they detest is the level of life others are praying to attain. So lack of gratitude due to unfulfilled expectations of
themselves, life and others has made some angry with God and they are unthankful.
Another hindrance to thanksgiving is the insatiable pursuit of man (Ecl.5:10),always wanting to acquire and once acquired there is more to a
acquire and such an individual
spends his/her entire life in various pursuit and fails to thank God because he/she is preoccupied with the pursuit for more and is discontented.
Ignorance or failure to realize the blessings of God in our lives is a hindrance. The song writer said “Count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done”. The believer should be intentional in counting his blessings, and think of what God has done; if we do not, it is easy for the devil to make one feel that God has not actually done anything for us to warrant thanksgiving.
For some people, the pressures of life, anxiety, worries about feeding, clothing and health, death of a loved one, among others have put doubts in the mind of some believers, so they do not acknowledge what God has done, is doing and will do. They have lost faith in God, and hence do not see any reasons to be thankful. Phil. 4:6 warns against worry.
· The guilt from sin hinders one from giving thanks to God and the devil the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10) keep accusing such. Hence, instead of reconciling with God such an
individual runs farther from God and sees no reason to be thankful.
In Lk. 17:11-19, we see the healing of the ten leapers but only one returned to give thanks.
Some believers can be likened to the 9 lepers who failed to return
to thank God. While they are happy about God’s blessings, they fail to express their appreciation. Col. 4:2 says the believer should continue in
prayers and be thankful.
Therefore we should continue to be prayerful and express our gratitude to God.
Impatience is another hindrance to thanksgiving. Often times scripture reiterates the need to be patient. The Psalmist wrote ‘Wait, patiently for the Lord’ Ps.27:14(NLT). The nature of
man wants things done in their own time and at their own pace, so when there appears to be a little delay, man then sees no reason to be thankful.
Forgetfulness can also be a hindrance. The Psalmist wrote
Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefit (Ps.103: 2). These set of people realize God’s blessings but are forgetful to give thanks or may be procrastinating when to give
thanks. From the story of the ten
lepers in Lk. 17:11-19, thanksgiving should be promptly done, this helps to avoid the risk of forgetting to give thanks.
Another reason why some persons are ungrateful is comparison; they compare themselves with others and feel that God has dealt better with
those they are comparing themselves with; thus, bringing discontentment, as they are never satisfied. Scriptures admonishes us that comparing yourself with others is not wise. (2 Cor. 10:12).
The class should mention others.
Q2.WHAT ARE SOME BENEFITS OF BEING THANKFUL UNTO GOD?
The blessings are innumerable.
Some are:
A God is pleased with the thankful; this is revealed in the account of the healed lepers in Lk. 17:10-19. The believer should be like the one who
returned to thank God.
B. There is wholesomeness/wellness.
in response to the gratitude of the one who returned to give thanks
(Lk.17:19), Jesus told him his faith has made him whole. So, beyond healing unlike others he had wholeness. This man had a complete package. When we give thanks for what God has done we will receive many other blessings.
C. It was after the 1000 burnt offering of King Solomon that God appeared to him in the night in a dream, and said,”Ask what I shall give thee” God
granted him beyond his request.
(1 Kg.3:4-13).
D. God fights your battles and defeats your enemies. This is seen from 2 Chron. 20: 15-22.
After God spoke, even before
manifestation, Jehoshaphat and
Judah broke out in praise and
thanksgiving, in response, God took over the battle. If you want God to fight for you, be thankful.
The class should mention others.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Guilt of sin, unforgiveness, giving for a show and many others discussed in this study act as hindrances to acceptable thanksgiving and should not be found in a believer’s life. It is
good to be thankful unto the Lord; the believer must thank God with the right attitude.
MEMORY VERSE: Ps.103:2
“Bless the LORD oh my soul
| and forget not all His benefits”.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:
MON: The hindrances to an acceptable thanksgiving. Lev.22:18-20.
TUE: The hindrances to an acceptable thanksgiving Matt.5:23-24.
WED:The hindrances to an acceptable thanksgiving. Eccl.5:10; Col. 4:2.
THU:The hindrances to an acceptable thanksgiving. Matt.6:1-2.
FRI:The benefits of being thankful unto Him and bless His name, Lk.17:10-19.
SAT: The benefits of being thankful unto Him and bless His name, 2Chron.20:15-22.
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