November 22, 2023
Topic: HYPOCRITICAL THANKSGIVING
Text: Psalm 5:21-25
Memory Verse: “I hate all your show and pretence – the hypocrisy of your religious festivals… I will not accept your burnt offerings…I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.” Amos 5:21-22(NLT).
That the Lord requires thanksgiving for His benevolence unto us, is not in doubt; but then this must flow from a sincere, humble and grateful heart. In other words, THE MOTIVE for thanksgiving is as important as the act itself.
When Samuel asked King Saul, “what is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to this voice?” (1 Sam 15:22) or consider the wise king Solomon’s words; “clean living before God and justice with our neighbors, means far more to God than religious performance” (proverbs 21:3). These show that God indeed examines our motives and as such, He responds either adequately in blessing or in abhorrence, like ‘’I hate, I despise…, I will not accept’’ as seen in Amos 5:21.
Beware of heartless ceremonial observance in the name of thanking God; particularly flowing from rituals of religiosity because this means nothing to God. No one can justify his unjust ways by holding God to meritorious works or else grace earned by works is no longer grace. In the same way, ritualistic, ceremonial thanksgiving, tithes and offering obtained from fraud is despised and hated by God.
Beware also of legalistic thanksgiving – The Pharisee type in Luke 18:11-12. This type of sanctimonious and self-promoting while condescending on others is seen as righteous from their hypocritical viewpoint. This action leads to a rejection by God (Luke 18:14).
Lastly, beware of thanksgiving from a sense of obligation, necessity or compulsion, because others are doing it rather than from a grateful heart. This is surely not a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7) and as such, God is not impressed.
The blessing therefore of a grateful and thankful heart is justification (Luke 18:14); acceptance and multiplication of the “seed” of the thanksgiving sown (2 Cor 9:10-11).
PRAYER: Like the tax collector, I come this day acknowledging my sins with a broken heart, and contrite Spirit. I have no righteousness of my own, nor works to justify my salvation. I ask that you have mercy on me and accept my worship and sacrifice of praise in Jesus Name.