Grateful to whom?
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A godly farmer was asked to dine with a well-known gentleman. While there, he asked a blessing at the table as he was accustomed to do at home.
His host said jeeringly, “That’s old fashioned; it is not customary nowadays for well- educated people to pray before they eat.”
The farmer responded that with him it was customary, but that some of those on his farm never prayed over their food.
“Ah, then,” said the gentleman, “they are sensible and enlightened. Who are they?”
“My pigs,” the farmer answered.
This morning we looked at a passage that is filled with truth and information. Now tonight I’m not going to go through that whole passage but it is one that I think most all of us are at least familiar with.
It’s the story of the 10 lepers.
10 Lepers approach Jesus, at a distance, and ask for mercy.
Jesus asks them to go and show themselves to the priests.
This is because the priests are the ones, according to God’s law, that could reinstate these guys, if they were truly healed, back into the community.
They go.
From Jesus words later we find all 10 were healed.
Only one came back to give praise and say thank you.
It’s a simple passage. But what we find is that this one does something different than the others. The others, I have no doubt were appreciative, happy, pleased, maybe overwhelmed with emotion to be with their families again. It doesn’t say they were bad people. But Luke, the author of this Gospel makes sure to let us know that one came back.
9 may have had an appreciative attitude. One wasn’t just thankful, He did something to give thanks.
Giving thanks is a bit different than just feeling thankful.
Harvard did a study somewhat recently about how an attitude of thankfulness helps a person. They figured it would so they had test subjects to or think or talk about certain things each day.
Some wrote down small lists of things they were grateful for. Some wrote down things they were upset about.
Some talked about things that happened through the day that were positive. Some talked about things that were annoying through the day.
In the end of this longer term study, they found that the ones who did things to remember what they were grateful for, were happier, less stressed, healthier (physically), ate better, were more apt to exercise, slept better, less meds.
And I don’t think that surprises any of us does it?
The only thing that the study didn’t cover or write about was this. Who were they thankful to. As I read the results of this study it was all good but it just really seemed halfway done.
Think about it this way…which makes more sense…which might be more meaningful?
To tell the chef of a great meal that you are thankful for good food? Or does it just seem better to tell the chef that you are thankful to her for her skill and ability…and then let her know how much the food pleased you?
Its not that its bad to have a grateful attitude, but it seems to be much better to give thanks to someone for what you’re grateful for.
It seems appropriately placed right? Not just hanging out there somewhere....not attached to anything.
We have so much scripture that leads us to this idea. So much of God’s word encourages us to live our lives like this…whether young and in school or older and maybe a bit more seasoned in life.
Living in gratitude towards God helps us approach life in a completely different way. And I think it helps us approach all of life…not alone…but knowing He is with us.
Being thankful, and giving thanks…two things that are good…but when one is missing…thankfulness seems a bit unfinished.
There are so many passages that speak to this. I’m going to read a bunch of these passages, maybe with a little bit of context, so we can fill our minds up with God’s word concerning gratitude.
In the book of Leviticus…yes one of our most favorite books to read …all of the duties of the Israelite nation in terms of offerings and sacrifices....
In chapter 7 of Leviticus is one of the first places where we first see the idea of thankfulness in the Bible. Or to be more precise…the idea of giving thanks to God. And God talks about a fellowship offering, given from someone to Him in gratitude.
Chapter 22 goes even a bit deeper…with one little encouragement from God. If you present before the Lord a sacrifice of Thanksgiving, make sure to do it in a way where it will be accepted well.
That kind of sounds like a parent helping their child to say “thank you” in a proper way…so that it is felt sincerely.
What we find is that it isn’t about “doing it”…like its a duty…its about the heart. Truly being thankful…giving thanks, sincerely, to God.
And from there we have a ton of passages that explain this to us over and over again. Some of these will give you different perspectives of gratitude, so I’ll read each of these slowly so you might pick up on some nuances you might not have seen before.
It’s interesting in this one that I’m going to start with…we really get a picture of what God wants...
14 Offer a thanksgiving sacrifice to God, and pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on me in a day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor me.”
God, right before this is saying how he doesn’t need bulls and rams for other sacrifices, in fact he says…I don’t rebuke you for bringing those to me…I don’t need those things. I own the cattle on a thousands hills. I know all the birds of the mountains and all the creatures of the fields are mine…anyways.
It’s almost like God is saying, but a thankful heart, this is important because a thankful heart can’t be a pride filled heart. And a pride filled heart is what separates you from me.
Psalm 95:1–7 (CSB)
1 Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving; let’s shout triumphantly to him in song.
3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.
4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, and the mountain peaks are his.
5 The sea is his; he made it. His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let’s worship and bow down; let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care...
1 Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his— his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.
We do something to give thanks to God…and there are reasons. Remember the one leper who returned? He didn’t just become thankful in attitude. He was driven to return to the one who did something for him.
David, when bringing to the Ark of the Tabernacle, the Ark of God, to Jerusalem…which was truly in reality, bringing the presence of God to the City of David…David had a parade with singing and dancing, and then he gave a Psalm of Thanksgiving. Here’s how David and Asaph began this Psalm in this specific situation.
8 Give thanks to the Lord; call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
9 Sing to him; sing praise to him; tell about all his wondrous works!
10 Boast in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity.
9 For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.
I think what we see is less of the just saying “thank you” because its polite, but its a realization that God created us, is for us, sustains us, and saves us.
The focus is off of ourselves and on the one who gives…not even necessarily the gift but the giver of the gift.
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak.
14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you.
15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.
Paul is giving this picture that as more and more people hear about this grace that Jesus gives, more and more thanksgiving will be spoken to God. Isn’t that a cool picture.
This next one is a little one. It is from Paul as he writes to the church in Corinth. This is 1 Corinthians 1:4 The opening of the book of 1 Corinthians...
And he begins by talking about those who are reading…many who would be his friends. And he’s not just thankful for them…he writes this..
4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus,
Paul’s thanksgiving is rightly placed. It isn’t just hanging out there somewhere. Again, his thanksgiving is given to the giver…not just to his friends. The giver of friends.
2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
These almost sound like Paul is saying here’s how you guard yourselves. Stay in prayer, be watchful ..always aware of God’s spirit as well as evil around you… and then be thankful.
Being thankful to God does something for us…does something in our hearts. It humbles us to see who God really is.
I told this story this morning and will repeat it here because sometimes we ask the question…can I really be thankful…always?
A. J. Jacobs is the acclaimed author best known for completely immersing himself in his research before he began to write. He read an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica for his book The Know-It-All and spent another year living like an Old Testament Hebrew. Among his unique quests, he once embraced the original version of Thanksgiving. He came to realize it was quite a celebration with games, riddles, races, contests, and foods like eel and lobster. Most profound to Jacobs was the realization that this time of gratitude in 1621 followed a year in which forty-eight of the original one hundred two Pilgrims died. Scurvy and exposure claimed half of them, yet they rejoiced with thanksgiving. His conclusion was, “If they could appreciate life amid such chaos, pain, and uncertainty, I could give thanks for all the good things in my relatively cushy life.”
The pilgrims, even through great loss, were able to give thanks to God.
Paul writes these words, “ 1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
wait…in everything?
This is a perspective isn’t it?
We live in a world where evil also lives. However, we can still recognize God as the one who will not allow it to remain always. He’s taking care of it. Renewing us each day through His spirit. Even death is not what most of the world thinks it is. For the believer, death is the step towards eternity with Jesus.
Death has been defeated through Jesus.
And because of this, as Paul requests, we can be thankful in all circumstances.
How about one more...
We’re all ages and backgrounds and church families here. But we’re one body.
Paul writes to the church in Colossae...
15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.
Thankfulness helps us live in the reality that God is in control, guiding us, remaking us, living right alongside us each day. Amen?
Let’s pray,
Lord help us to live a life full of thanksgiving. Help us to live that reality so well that it spills over into the lives of those around us. We give you all thanks for your son who saves us, so we can be with you forever. Amen.
