Being Thankful
Can you imagine a life filled with thanksgiving? The Bible makes being thankful a core disposition for God's children. Thanksgiving should be in us and flowing from us always, and here are three reasons why:
First, we should be thankful because “this is the will of God for us in all situations and circumstances.” That's 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
Everything we encounter during life, even the very hard things, are in our lives because God is working for our good and his glory. While being thankful can seem like a stretch when things are difficult, we must know that God is in the difficulty.
You might remember the story of Daniel in the Old Testament – Daniel chapter 6. A law had just been created making it a crime to pray to anyone but the king. And this law carried with it the penalty of death for those who defied it.
The Bible tells us that instead of hiding, Daniel went home, opened his windows, and prayed to God. What's interesting here is that the main thing Daniel did was give thanks. With his life hanging in the balance, he was thankful.
Another reason we should be ever thankful is because “God is good and his love endures forever.” That's Psalm 107:1. God will never leave us but will make sure we get home safely.
The bottom line here is that God loves us more than we can imagine. Jesus left the privileges of glory to come here and suffer in our place so that we could be reconciled to him forever.
This enduring love of God is not just a comforting thought but a transforming reality. It's the foundation on which our thankfulness should be built. This love is not dependent on our performance or our circumstances. It's constant and unwavering.
Remember what the Apostle Paul said about this in Romans chapter 8? “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This assurance should fill us with thankfulness, knowing that no matter what we face, God's love for us remains steadfast.
Third, thankfulness is the doorway to God. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give him thanks. Praise his name.”
This verse paints a beautiful picture of how we should approach God, not with artificial gratitude or fake humility, but with an understanding of his kindness to us.
Cultivating a thankful heart changes our perspective. When we focus on giving thanks, we shift our attention from our problems to God's provision, from our weakness to his strengths, from our limitations to his unlimited power.
This shift in focus can dramatically change how we experience life and relate to God. We should be the most optimistic, loving, and thankful people around.
We are loved by the God of the universe, the one who is completely holy and good, and even though we have no merit on our own, his love found a way, at tremendous cost.
He will never leave us and will walk us through the difficulties of this world. No matter what challenges we face, we can be grateful, knowing that we don't face them alone.
A life of thanksgiving is not just a nice addition to our faith. It's an essential expression of it. In being thankful, we align ourselves with God's will, experience the fullness of his love, and open the door to his presence.
Kind Father, you love us like no other. I'm sorry for being so small in my thinking and so often faithless. Thank you for loving me. Please cause me to be thankful always.
I'll leave you with Colossians 3:17:
“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.”
Song: Thank You Jesus