Monday, March 15, 2010

God Wants Us to Be Thankful

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34

We live in a fast paced, critical, demand-your-rights society.  Our thinking is often completely focused on ourselves and, eventually, how we have been wronged.  We become critical and judgmental, demanding what is fair.  We soon find ourselves sharing our woes with each other.  It is about this time I find the Holy Spirit reminding me “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” Eph 4:29.  The Word also reminds us “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov 15:1).  If a gentle answer turns away wrath, what does a down-right kind answer do?  What would a thankful answer do?

Kindness, gentleness, and thanksgiving all seem to go hand in hand.  It is difficult imaging one of them without the other.  It is even harder to define them without each other.  Certainly the gentle person is kind and the kind person is thankful.  Ever stop for a moment and consider how life would be different if the people around you were more thankful – if you were more thankful?  What would happen to your relationships with these thankful people?  I cannot help but think it would grow and you would grow closer to these people as you become more aware of how they value you.  Giving thanks is something we do because we are grateful for what another has done for us or is to us.  We are grateful to our parents for raising us, for protecting us, for providing food, clothing, shelter, means of communication and transportation for us, for time spent invested in us, for their encouragement, and so much more. 

If we are this grateful for our parents how much more grateful should we be toward God, who has, forgiven our sin, freed us from our sin, saved us, filled us with the Holy Spirit, granted us every spiritual blessing in Christ, seated us with Christ in Heavenly places, adopted us into His family, given us Himself and His nature to live in us allowing us to be good.  Surely we are obligated to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34; Ps 107:1; 118:1; 136:1; 118:29, etc.  We give thanks to God because of who He is and what He does with, in, and for us.  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Cor 2:14  “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Cor 9:15  No wonder God tells us “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18), because no matter what is happening to us, what has happened for us is better.  Not only that but who is for us is the best!  He, God of all that is, perfect in Holiness, unfathomable in love, gracious beyond measure, is for you!  Why should we not find ourselves “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” Col 1:12. 

Even under the old covenant God had established the fellowship offering as an offering of thanksgiving.  He was showing us a pathway to intimacy (fellowship) with Him through thanksgiving.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Ps 100:4  Thanksgiving helps us keep our focus right and it humbles us.  It helps us remember we did not get to where we are on our own.  It opens the gates of His presence and reminds us how good and faithful He is.  It keeps our thinking on God and others.  How can we be all caught up in what is right and fair when we are busy thanking Him for all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do?  This is not to mention thanking Him just for who He is, the ever faithful, always benevolent one!

If we look to Phillipians 4:6-7, we see how thanksgiving and prayer are coupled together and lead to the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  We pray over our circumstances, casting our cares on Him and we thank Him for being willing and able to help us.  We also build our faith by thanking Him for the times in the past when He has helped us through similar and not-so-similar situations.  (Remember He has already solved our most harrowing situation: sin and separation from Him.)  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17

A glimpse of Heaven tells us that thanking Him is not something for this life alone, but something that will occupy some of our attention in eternity as well.  “They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’”  Revelation 7:11-12 
References
All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.