Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)
This builds upon Give Thanks in Good and Bad Times (Part 1), (Part 2) and (Part 3)
Being More Thankful
Jeffrey Froh wrote the book Making Grateful Kids. He says that more thankful people express gratitude:
- More intensely for a positive event
- More frequently throughout the day
- They tell more people about every positive blessing
- They are grateful for a wider span of benefits in their lives.1
Froh writes to help parents, children, and all of us embody these four qualities of thankfulness. God’s goal for us is the same.
The Lord says: From My people will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased. I will bring them honor, and they will not be looked down on….They will say: Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good. His love endures forever. (Jeremiah 30:19, 33:11)
Thanksgiving is Essential, Not Optional
Here’s the true story of Jesus healing ten lepers and only one is grateful:
Christ was on His way to Jerusalem to be crucified for our sins and He traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When Christ saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that Christ had healed him, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner (non-Jew)?” Then Christ said, “Rise and go. Your faith has made you well.”2
Notice that Jesus heals from a distance, as He had before. The Samaritans and Jews hated each other for racial and religious reasons. But this non-Jewish thankful man has genuine faith in Christ. He connects praising God and praising Jesus, when most people did not. Maybe he realizes that Christ is God who came down in the flesh to save us. The Samaritan gives glory to God, showing that he received more than simply cleansing from leprosy. He received salvation and a restored relationship with God and he is so grateful.
It is sad when people don’t feel grateful to God for anything. But it is sadder still when the Lord gives us many obvious reasons to be thankful and we fail to show gratitude. (William Still) Hearty thanks must be given to God that comes from the root of the heart, not just from the roof of the mouth. (John Trapp, thinking of Colossians 3:15-17)
Unthankfulness May Be the Root of All Sin
Remember that the Risen Lord Jesus sends the Apostle Paul to write the Book of Romans and 12 other letters in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Author of the whole Bible. Romans chapter 1 says: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth….For the Lord’s eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen from the world He created, so that people are without excuse. Although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.3
Romans chapter 1 catalogs many sins that flow from ungratefulness to the Lord. It mentions: every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. Paul mentions backstabbing, boastfulness, and disobedience to parents. He mentions breaking promises, heartlessness, failing to show mercy, and sexual immorality.4 We are all guilty of some of those sins and need to run back to God often for pardoning and cleansing.5 Praise the Lord, He delights to show mercy!
God says that failure to honor Jesus and give Him thanks is a mark of unbelievers with foolish and darkened hearts. Ingratitude was also at the root of Adam and Eve’s first rebellion against the Lord. They had everything they needed in Paradise, including perfect fellowship with God and each other. But they were not satisfied and contented. They craved the forbidden fruit and distrusted and disobeyed the Lord to get it. Adam and Eve brought themselves and all humankind into a condition of sin and misery. That explains all the messes in our world and in us.
Romans 1:21 says all people know God through His creation, but they do not glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. Praise the Lord for Jesus Christ who came down not only to save our souls, but also to renew our minds, so that we know God better and are grateful to Him for everything.6 The whole Bible shows the crucial importance of actively giving thanks for ALL the blessings we receive from God’s generous hand. I need that reminder today. Maybe you do too.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 says: “When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.” Here are some reasons the Lord ordains or allows suffering (with help from Joni Eareckson Tada).
Some Benefits of Hardship
God allows suffering to work good things in us, including humility. Troubles remind us of our humanity and finiteness. When we go through sickness or loss, we are reminded we are not in control of our lives. Only the Lord is.
Isaiah 57:15 This is what the high and exalted One says—He who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Isaiah 66:2 These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at My word.
Psalm 119:67,71 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word….It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
To be continued
Notes: 1 Jeffrey Froh, Making Grateful Kids (2015), p. 10. 2 Luke 17:11-19, my summary. 3 Rom 1:18-23, my summary. 4 Rom 1:26-32, my summary. See also 2 Tim 3:1-5 where the Lord groups ungratefulness with “bigger” sins. 5 1 John 1:8-10. 6 Alan D. Strange, “A Lack of Thankfulness: The Root of All Sin,” The Messenger (Mid-America Reformed Seminary), Nov. 1999.