Oh, that Men would Give Thanks

Truly God is absolutely good.  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, and His mercy endures forever! Do you hear the heart of God, as expressed many times in Psalm 107, after God responds to our desperate need: "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"

Yet man in his fallen nature condition seems frozen in his response to all God has done.  1 Corinthians 4:7 asks us the question, "What do you have that you did not receive?"  We may be aware for the moment when God intervenes, but there is a reason Psalm 103 calls us to "forget not his benefits." He has done so much for us, forgiven us our iniquities, delivered us from the consequences of sin that we deserve, healed our diseases, filled our mouth with good things, and crowned us with loving kindness and tender mercies.  Yet our natural mind tends to only think about the negative.  So God gave us the Word of God to transform our thinking and reveal the truth of what an awesome, loving God He is!  

Let's consider three situations that demand a response.  First, there are many times when things go well and it is only reasonable and even compelling to return to the Lord Jesus to give thanks.  For example, the tenth leper was quick to return to Jesus to give thanks after he realized he was healed.  Secondly, there are times when we have to remind ourselves of how blessed we really are and we "count our blessings one by one." The truth is we are infinitely blessed.  We have been given the gift of salvation (saved and delivered from all the evil consequences of sin) with an eternal future of rejoicing in His presence with all our needs and desires perfectly met forever.  Luke 12:32 encourages us, "Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  

Perhaps the third situation is the greatest challenge, when things aren't going well.  Yet, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 instructs us to "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  In other words, God wants us to live giving thanks to Him in everything that happens.  This takes faith that God's way is perfect and that He is working all things for our good.  We show our faith by obeying the command to give thanks.  It also glorifies God to thank Him when our feelings want to complain and entertain self-pity.  The good news is that even in that situation Jesus Christ has already defeated the enemy and all his attacks and we can afford to focus instead of His victory.  Hebrews 13:15 calls us to "continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."  He is always worthy of praise and thanksgiving, and when our eyes are opened for eternity, we will be so glad that we chose to give thanks and trust Him. 

We are not in this fight of faith alone. The Holy Spirit is here to help us, to lead us into all truth and to bear witness all Jesus has done so we have a grateful heart.  Line upon line and precept upon precept, He teaches us the Word so we can know the truth that sets us free.  We then have the foundation to take every though captive to obey Christ Jesus, and use the divine-powered weapons to overcome the enemy.  When we fail He reminds us that God "delights in mercy" (Micah 7:18).  He reminds us  "Now thanks be to God who always lead us in triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14).  He works in us "to will and to work" for His pleasure.  All that the Lord does for us is deserving of our thanks, now and always.  The Spirit empowers us and bears witness as we thank God.

So today, the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11) gives life to your mortal body and encourages you to receive the goodness of God with thanksgiving.  Hear His plea in a personal way, Oh that you would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness to you, for His wonderful works done for you.  

Thankfulness -- An Acquired Taste

5 Reasons to Acquire the Faithful Character Trait of Thanksgiving

Being thankful is a natural honest response of someone who realizes he has been given something that is valuable, beyond what he earned or deserved. The word asks in 1 Corinthians 4:7 “what do you have that you did not receive?” In other words we brought nothing into this world, we did not create any of our faculties, aptitudes, or abilities that make us who we are, or do anything to cause us to be alive. God knew every aspect about us long before He knit us together in the womb. It isn’t that we have a checklist of twenty things we are thankful for, but rather there is nothing outside of the incredible treasure that we have been given. All any honest man can do is acknowledge he is blessed and thank the One who gave him the blessings.
In contrast, the person who refuses to give thanks begins a downward spiral of delusion and pride. Romans 1:21 explains that “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The person who will not acknowledge God as his creator or be thankful to God for who he is and all he has been given does not think with true understanding and easily becomes captured by false pride and desires. This lack of thanksgiving is the key to a person developing a hardened heart that is closed to having a true relationship with God or being able to receive further from God. Verse 22 continues that this person claims to be wise but actually is a fool.
The word of God continually exhorts us to humble ourselves by understanding who our Maker is and what He has called us to be, then walking in an attitude of gratefulness and obedience. Psalm 100 reminds us Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
The just shall live by faith according to Romans. The book of James furthers this truth to explain that faith is shown by works, or more simply obedience. So when 1 Thessalonians 5:18 declares, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” it becomes both an act of obedience to give thanks and an act of faith, trusting that God is able to work all things for good to the one whose heart is right before Him.
Finally, God is worthy. Revelation 7:12 declares that "Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor…belong to our God."