Thankfulness
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
When we come to a holiday such as Thanksgiving, Christians must remember that gratitude is not merely a yearly event, it is a daily attitude.
Paul describes thankfulness as an imperative command for the believer because it is so foreign and non-instinctive to the natural mind. The human instinct is thanklessness, not thankfulness. We crave so much, but praise so little. We are so ready to grumble but so slow to express gratitude. (1)
The Bible details that a lack of thankfulness is a distinguishing mark of an unbeliever.
Consider Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks…”
Or let us also consider Paul’s words to his son in the faith Timothy: “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good…” (2)
Sandwiched in the middle of a list that includes “brutes,” “malicious gossips,” and “haters of good” is “ungrateful.”
Does this strike you?
Those who do not know Christ may even have the appearance of gratitude, but it is never directed towards the Giver of all good things.
Alternatively, the defining birthmark of those who have been changed by Jesus Christ is thankfulness, “in all circumstances.”
Although thankfulness is the logical response of the redeemed, the exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 provides an indication that there is always a gravitational pull, as long as we are in the flesh, towards ingratitude. For this reason, Scripture is clear and consistent in its uniform command for believers to be marked by thankfulness. Consider Paul’s words to the Colossian church: “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” (3)
Paul says that Christians are to be “overflowing with gratitude.”
Does that describe your life?
Paul reinforces his argument in the following chapter. In Colossians 3:16-17 Paul states: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
How do we measure the depth and degree of the transformation that has taken place in us?
Gratitude.
The defining characteristic of those who have received a transformed heart is that they have a transformed perspective. They see all of life through the lens of a child of God.
God’s will is for our gratitude. In fact, one of the primary reasons God extends His grace towards unworthy sinners is to produce a people that are full of thanksgiving.
Consider Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:15: “For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.”
God saves people to promote His own glory and produce thanksgiving in the hearts of those He has redeemed.
Additionally, thankfulness is not merely a response or attitude believers have, but a weapon Christians possess in the battle against sin and temptation.
Ephesians 5:3-5 says: “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Paul breaks it down for us: Don't be immoral. Don’t talk filthy. Don't joke crudely. Give thanks instead.
Later, in verses 18-20, Paul will say “Don’t get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit… always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...”
Immorality and impurity are rooted in pride. Thankfulness serves as the true inverse of pride because only those who have been humbled by and before God are truly grateful. Thankfulness is a weapon. How so? Well, when God is viewed as the giver of all good gifts and we are constantly expressing our gratitude to Him, we can look at any temptation in our life and consider this question: “Would I be able to thank God for that fleeting image I'm tempted to look at?” Or “Can I give thanks for that relationship that causes me to stumble?”
The believer settles this conviction upon their heart: “If it's not something I can thank God for, it's not something I will participate in.” When the habit of our heart is gratitude, a radar goes off in our mind when we are tempted by something that does not prompt gratitude towards our Heavenly Father.
Furthermore, thankfulness functions as an excellent antidote to our anxieties and fears.
Question for you: Do you want your mind guarded like a fortified castle wall?
If you do, listen to Paul’s familiar words in Philippians 4:4-7, but notice the emphasis: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Peace guards the minds of the thankful.
But not every circumstance is conducive to praise is it?
God promises us an abundant life, not an easy one. Thorns remain and abound in the Christian life. Our lives are often full of loneliness, tragedy, trial, sorrow, sickness, cancer, and crisis. Unbelievers can be thankful in times of blessing, but the distinguishing mark of a child of God is that they can be thankful even when confronted by a negative diagnosis or when the balance sheet reads red. Unbelievers can be thankful when they have full hearts, full homes, and full bank accounts, but only a believer can have reason to rejoice when there are broken hearts, an empty chair at the Thanksgiving table, or an empty bank account.
We can always give thanks because certain things are always true for the child of God.
God loves you with an everlasting love.
Your sins have been forgiven.
You have a home in Heaven.
Additionally, our hearts can be grounded in gratitude because we entrust our entire lives to the providence of God.
What is providence? Well, the Heidelberg Catechism helps us in this regard.
Question: What do you understand by the providence of God?
Answer: The almighty and ever-present power of God, by which God upholds with his hand, Heaven and earth and all creatures (4), and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty (5), all things, in fact, come to us not by chance, but by his fatherly hand. (6)
Christians can rejoice in all circumstances because we believe God overrules and superintends all things for his glory. This is the essence of Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
But what’s so great about this good that He is working all things towards?
Well, the answer is found in the following verse.
Verse 29: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…”
The good God is working all things towards is our own transformation into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. We can trust our Heavenly Father even when the things in our life are not in the category of good, knowing ultimately everything will be for our good.
If you’re a Christian, Thanksgiving is not merely an event, it is a decision believers must make. A decision fueled by the mercies of God and our desire to glorify Him in return.
King David’s response to the goodness of God fuels His own gratitude in Psalm 103:1-4:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion.”
In contrast to the thanklessness of the unregenerate, R.C. Sproul once said that “Gratitude is the essence of Christianity.”
2 Timothy 3:1-3
Colossians 2:6-7
Hebrews 1:3
Jer. 5:34, Acts 14:15-17, Jn 9:3, Proverbs 22:2
Lord’s Day: Question and Answer # 27
