Be Thankful?
"We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in
our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love
and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God
and Father, knowing, brethren, His choice of you" (1Thessalonians 1:2-4).
Paul believed gratitude is a sign of genuine faith. Paul condemned Gentiles
who no longer "thanked God" (Romans 1:21). Instead, he said Christians
were to "always thank God in our prayers" (1Thessalonians1:2). He
then commanded "in everything give thanks (1Thessalonians 5:18). Amazingly,
this came from a man who had for God "been in prison, flogged severely,
exposed to death" again and again, "beaten with rods, stoned and shipwrecked"
just to name a few (2Corinthians 11:22-29). Yet, he thanked God for his fellows
and for everything. So, how can we be thankful as he was?
First, thanksgiving must come from hearts that appreciate grace. Paul's use
of "give thanks" (eucharistia, eu, well and charis, thanks), according
to Spiros Zodhiates (New Testament Starters), is unique because of its rarity
in Greek culture. Even though we know God expected gratitude from all people
since Creation (Romans 1:18-20), this unique usage indicates that, to Christians,
the consideration of God's grace should excite gratitude in us. You have to
see the goodness, especially in God, to have such gratitude in your heart. The
truth is in everything, we have to look for kindness to see it. We have to see
kindness to appreciate it. And gratitude begins with what you want to see.
Also, thanksgiving comes from a sense of duty. Paul said to the Thessalonians
(2Thessalonians 2:13) that "we ought always to thank God for you."
Again, he says, "we give thanks to God for you all" (1Thessalonians
1:2). According to Zodiates, Paul's expression can be translated, "We are
bound to give thanks" or "It is our duty to thank God for you all."
When we see the good others do, we should feel compelled to show gratitude by
telling them.
Thanksgiving should be something we always engage in. Thanksgiving in prayers
must be constantly manifested 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is important
to notice in the many times it is used, it is accompanied with the word pantote,
translated "always." In Romans 1:9, it is translated as "unceasingly"
(NASB) to describe how Paul remembers the Romans to God in prayer. In 1Corinthians
1:4, Paul says, "I thank my God always concerning you." Again he says,
"We should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved by God
the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation"
(2Thessalonians 2:13). Of course this does not require a prostrated head every
hour but it does require a prostrated heart. We should be always ready to pray
and be alert for opportunities to pray (Colossians 4:2). What better reason
to alert us to pray than to see God's kindnesses and His mercy all around us?
Thanksgiving should be inclusive for all of you. Paul tells us that no one should
be excluded from the object of our prayers. While we are to pray for every king
and every one in authority (1Timothy 2:1-2), we should also pray for every elder,
every deacon, every preacher, every believer. Every believer in a local congregation,
as part of the body of Christ, is vitally important to every other member of
the church because each is a valuable asset (1Corinthians 12:20-25). For that
reason alone we should be able to find reason for praise. Still, we can find
even worthy things and we should thank God for them.
Thanksgiving should be personal. In 1Thessalonians 1:2, Paul said that he "made
mention of you" in prayer. What this can mean is to recall each believer
by name. The word used (mneia) means "remembrance or mention" and
is always used in connection with prayer (Romans 1:9; Ephesians 1:16; 1Thessalonians
1:2; Philemon 4). In order to bring others before God in prayer, we need to
"call to mind" (mnemoneuontes) the ones for whom we pray and the good
that they do. This verb form is followed by the adverb adialeoptoes, meaning
"without ceasing" (Romans 1:9; 2Thessalonians 2:13). Thus, we should
constantly fill our memory bank with the names and faces of fellow believers
as did Paul and thank God for them (quoted freely from Spiros Zodhiates).
So please, show yourselves thankful this week; not just because it is the season
of thanksgiving but because of our character as a Christian. It will please
God and bless your soul.
By Don Hooten via e-points@swcglobal.net
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