A main part of having a good relationship with our God is being able to understand what is important to Him. He tells us plainly what one of the important issues is in many verses from His Word. Perhaps the familiar verse from God in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reveals this relationship requirement best of all. In this verse God tells us the following:

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

This verse is hugely more than just a challenge, or a command, or just a reminder not to forget to include thanksgiving in our prayers. It actually makes known to us what God looks for in our hearts and actions every day as He observes our lives. He looks down hoping to be appreciated for the amazing undeserved favors and gifts that come from Him to us constantly.

As God’s own people we accept on day of life after another, each one finding God giving to us “life, breath and all things,” (Acts 17:25) Unless we find our hearts responding in appreciation to our heavenly Giver we can never really find true closeness with God.

Perhaps we should say the same about a congregation of people like us here at Holiday Park. God has looked down on us for at least the last 30 years and delivered into our hands countless phenomenal gifts of grace. It would be an amazing experience if each of us could go back in time after an assembly like this one today and look in on one of those assemblies here that occurred 30 years in the past. I suspect we would be humbled and moved to deep gratitude from realizing the impressive gifts from God to us over this 3 decade span of time.

A similar blessing-counting process is very appropriate in each of our individual lives. We can never repay our Savior for all He’s given to us, but we can review with our minds the love that prompted His giving and just appreciate Him for them.

The main inner-person energy that makes genuine worship possible is love motivated appreciation for our God. As we pray, sing, give, commune and seek to receive His message during worship the entire process is energized to be praise by heart-felt appreciation for our precious God. Something we can be very sure about is that God loves to be appreciated, and recoils in disappointment when He is not.