Thankfulness 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

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16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Introduction

This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. It is a day where we will celebrate a tradition that began in 1621. “The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December, 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. At one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn apiece, but then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, swapping them beaver pelts for grain, providing for their severe need. The next summer’s crop brought hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621, be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show the gratitude of the colonists that they were still alive.” (What should be the focus of Christians on Thanksgiving? | GotQuestions.org) The Pilgrims had come to the New World seeking religious freedom and opportunity in America. The first Thanksgiving is reported to have involved feasting, games, prayers, sermons, and songs of praise as the Pilgrims along with more than 80 Native Americans fellowship together. Later in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln would set aside the last Thursday of November “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens” (From President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863) In his address Lincoln notes the gracious hand of God pouring out bounty upon sinful people when he said “No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” Later, in 1941, Congress ruled that Thanksgiving be fixed upon the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving Day has become one of my favorite holidays, because it is a time when you are not expecting or exchanging gifts, but rather a time to gather, to eat, to laugh, to express thankfulness for all that God has given. It is a holiday that ought to be most precious to Christians in particular because of the importance God places upon thankfulness.

The Biblical Importance of Thankfulness

Scripture gives both positive and negative examples of thankfulness within the pages of scripture. Here are a handful of passages calling for the people of God to be thankful. Psalm 7:17 “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 4:2 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” While we see the theme of thankfulness being promoted throughout scripture, it is important for us to realize that a lack of thankfulness isn’t actually a neutral position, but it is condemned Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or (they did not) give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” 2 Timothy 3:1–5 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” So we see that being thankful is not simply something a Child of God should do, a lack of thankfulness is actually condemned. Which brings to mind the question: Why, why is being thankful so important? Why is it so important that it is listed so many times in scripture as something Christian’s should regularly be doing? and why is a lack of thankfulness listed among some absolutely egregious sins? I believe the Apostle Paul answers that question in 1 Corinthians 4:6b–7 “... that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” And when we combine this passage with James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” We see that every thing we have actually has it’s source in our Good Father in Heaven who has given us the abilities, the intellect, the physical strength, and the resources o have what we have. So, when we fail to be grateful to God then we are being puffed up with pride and behaving like we don’t need God. We are acting like we everything we have we got apart from God. There is a joke that I believe illustrates this idea and perhaps some of you have heard it. Illustration: “There’s a scientist and God. And the scientist challenges God to a contest of who can make the better human being. God tells him that he’s on, at which time the scientist, in great delight, bends over to pick up some dust to make his human being. Then God says, ‘No, no … you go and get (make) your own dust.’” (The joke of creation – Thomas Froese) You see, 1 Corinthians 4:7“...What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” This is the reason the idea of “give thanks to the Lord” is repeated so often in scripture. They understood that everything has its source in the Creator, He deserves our thanks, and to withhold the thanks He is due is to arrogantly withhold giving Him the glory He is due.

What is Thankfulness

Merriam Webster defines thankful as “conscious of benefit received”. (Thankful Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster) The Greek word most often used in the NT for Thankful is some form of εὐχάριστος which has the idea of being “mindful of favors done.” It is the idea of expressing gratitude. And it is good and right to express gratitude to one another here on earth as we do good to one another. However, it is always good and right to express gratitude to the Creator “for His grace is working out what is (eternally) good. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Thankfulness is an attitude of gratitude that starts with God as the source of all good things and flows down to all that He has placed in our lives. Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Practical Tips for Cultivating a Spirit of Thankfulness

(Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude | Psychology Today)

How do we cultivate a spirit of thankfulness?

First, write it out a list of what you are thankful for. For many of us, the idea to sit down and write out a list might sound like a waste of time. We are so busy that to sit and write out a list of things we are thankful for may feel pointless or a waste of time. We might say “I can just think of a few as I am busy about all the other stuff of life.” However, I want to challenge you to begin a habit of daily (beginning, middle, or end of day) pull out a scrap piece of paper and write out 5 things that you are grateful for. These do not have to be in depth or something massive, but write them out all the same. 1) “I am thankful for the chicken pot pie my wife made” 2) “I am thankful for my husband/wife. I really appreciate how he/she...” 3) “I am thankful for the weather.” 4) “I am thankful for the ability to read and to read God’s word.” 5) “I am thankful for our goofy/silly pets. While they can be frustrating, they are also loving.”

Second, take time to give thanks to God for those things. Remember, James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” The pot pie my wife made ultimately was a gift from God. My wife, was a gift from God, etc. Intentionally thank the Lord for what He has given to you.

Third, and this one is absolutely mind-blowing, say thank you. Let people know that you appreciate them. You can do this with a card, a note, or simply telling them. I remember when I was a young man, I had helped with some function and was given a little sticky note saying “thanks for your help.” We see the Apostle Paul doing this in Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,” 2 Thessalonians 1:3 “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” Thank God and thank others.

Fourth, Look at Creation. Take a moment as you are driving here or there. We live where so many people come to vacation. Look at the beauty of Creation. God created all the varieties of animals and plants and if we take but a moment, we can find thousands of little things that our Good Father placed in our path. Take a moment to look at Creation and praise your Creator.

Fifth, Have a gratitude Jar. Now this to me is going above and beyond, but for some of you it might be a helpful tool. Have a bowl or jar with a sticky a packet of sticky notes next to it. “On a slip of paper or post-it note, jot down what you are grateful for in a few words or even with a doodle or drawing. Examples might include “Unexpected call from an old friend,” “My helpful neighbor or coworker,” or “A beautiful sunset,” and put a date/time on it. Then, drop the paper in the jar and repeat daily, weekly or monthly. When the jar fills up or when you’re simply having a rough day, remove a few slips of paper and read them to remind yourself of all the good things you’ve experienced.” Now you might say, this seems like a lot of busy work/writing. The point of writing things out is to slow us down enough to actually think about what we are doing. We live in a culture that is go, go, go, and while there are some good things with that, we get so busy going and doing, that we forget to pause and be thankful for where we are and what we have. Writing things out forces you to slow down and think.

The Benefit of Thankfulness

I would like to close with a quote: “When we are thankful, our focus moves off selfish desires and off the pain of current circumstances. Expressing thankfulness helps us remember that God is in control. Thankfulness, then, is not only appropriate; it is actually healthy and beneficial to us. It reminds us of the bigger picture, that we belong to God, and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”. Truly, we have an abundant life as Jesus said, John 10:10 “...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” and gratefulness is fitting...We, like the Pilgrims, have a choice. In life there will always be those things that we can complain about (the Pilgrims had lost many loved ones), but there will also be much to be thankful for.” (What should be the focus of Christians on Thanksgiving? | GotQuestions.org What does the Bible say about thankfulness/gratitude? | GotQuestions.org)