Thank You!
Greetings! Our topic today concerns giving thanks. The Word of God is so rich. The anointing of the Lord is precious. He, by His Spirit, gives revelation. May you receive new understanding, revelation, and motivation for your walk with the Lord. Eric
“Thank you” is an expression we hear frequently in a polite society. According to Merriam-Webster, “it is often used in an utterance containing no verb and serving as a courteous and somewhat informal expression of gratitude.”
Sometimes we get distracted and forget to say ‘thank you!’ When I forget to say ‘thank you’ for something I specifically ask my wife to do, she will occasionally say, “You are welcome.” This is a gentle reminder to let me know I forgot to show her my appreciation.
It is not simply a good thing for us to show our appreciation for what others do for us. It is important for them and for us. Have you ever taken notice of how your showing appreciation by saying ‘thank you’ affects others? I have seen the clerks and baggers at our local grocery store and the smile that comes on their faces when we thank them. When a waitress does what is expected of ‘good service’ and is shown appreciation, you will get even better service! Thank those who open doors for you.
Every one of us appreciates and responds positively when we are shown that someone cares, takes notice of our work, shows us respect and is appreciative of the things we do.
There are numerous verses of Scripture that advise us regarding how we are to treat others - believers and unbelievers alike. Scripturally, we are instructed in both the Old and New Testaments to be kind. In fact, we find that ‘if we withhold kindness from a friend, we forsake the fear of the Almighty.’ (Job 6:14). When you ‘pursue righteousness and kindness, you will find life, righteousness, and honor!’ (Proverbs 21:21). In Micah 6:8, we learn that ‘the Lord requires that we love kindness.’ As God’s chosen people, we are to ‘put on’ kindness. (Colossians 3:12).
Then, look at this! Kindness, chrestotes in the Greek, is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). ‘Chrestotes’ means: benignity and kindness. The definition of benignity in Merriam- Webster is: kindheartedness, good-heartedness, thoughtfulness, considerateness, and pleasantness. So, when we show our appreciation and respect by saying ‘thank you!’ or sending a card, we are reflecting the nature of God to those around us! Hallelujah! Did you ever realize how powerful those words could be?
This coming week, on November 28, we as a nation will celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. This special day was declared in recognition of God’s providence, provision, and care in the survival (of the original settlers) and establishment of the United States. Prayerfully, our hope is that there would be a restoration in the minds of our citizens to the original purpose of this holiday.
We have already recognized the importance of our expressing our gratitude or thanks to those we encounter (God’s creation) daily. Now, we need to consider how much more essential it is for us to give ‘thanks’ to our Creator and Sustainer! What are some of the things we should thank Him for? We thank Him for His breath of life, His love, along with His indescribable gift of grace, joy, cheerfulness, delight and undeserved favor which He has poured out on us! (2 Corinthians 9:15, NIV). ‘Indescribable’ means that words fail to describe the benefits, services, and favors God has blessed us with. We will never be able to find sufficient words to describe all He has bestowed on us, as an act of His will.
He has poured out His unconquerable unconditional love upon us by sending His Son to provide our salvation, and giving Him up to death! (John 3:16 NIV).
Even though everyone of us deserves death because of our sins. He meets us at our point of need and has extended His undeserved kindness and grace to us! (Romans 6:2 and 3/Ephesians 2:8 and 9, NIV).
It is astounding to realize that He authorized or enabled and honored each member of the church with the potential of obtaining the inheritance He has made available to you and me , as children of God, when we accept Christ as our Savior! (Colossians 1:12,14, NIV)
Then, as if all of this wouldn’t be enough reason for us to thank Him, James 1:17 a and b, NIV reveals, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”
Absolutely everything we have comes from God! (1 Chronicles 29:13,14, NLT). Can you imagine the scope of that statement? Soil, water, oxygen, sunshine, trees, seeds, our planet and it’s perfect location in the solar system, to sustain life, and so on, all comes from God. Our ability to think or reason, having intelligence, our food, our creativity, our talents, giftings, friends - it all comes from Him!
When we give Him thanks, we honor, highly value and magnify Him. (Psalm 69:30 ESV).
Psalm 50:14a (NLT) reads, “Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God!” He doesn’t require a blood sacrifice from us - Jesus met that need, once for all! Psalm 107: 21,22 (NLT) reveals His desire concerning His people, “21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thankfulness and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.”
We all have faced and will face circumstances that are difficult, painful or tragic. However, I want to encourage you today, that your circumstances do not change who God is, nor do they change what He does or has done.
Starting a daily practice of gratitude can help you recognize the positive in your life instead of focusing on the negative. Dr. Jonathan Vorce is quoted as saying, “When we neglect to give thanks, we overlook God’s goodness and provision.”
“The sacrifice of praise (and thanksgiving, my addition) comes from a humble heart that has been purified by fire. It rises from a spirit that has chosen to honor God in spite of the pain that life is causing.” (gotquestions.org).
Psalm 51:16 and 17 (NIV) expresses, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” He is and will always be there for you. He sees your heart and knows your pain. He loves you.
We can thank God in the songs we sing, in the words we speak and in the testimonies of His deeds and wonderous works. Psalm 100:4 and 5 (NIV), “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Why do we offer thanksgiving? He is good, His unfailing love endures forever, and His faithfulness continues through all generations!
In wrapping up our lesson today, I am going to share, as a warning, some portions of a teaching by Rick Renner. (Developing Thankfulness @renner.org.). “Years ago, I made a personal decision to develop thankfulness in my life and to practice being grateful to God in everything. In 2 Timothy 3:2, Paul said, “in the last days men will be lovers of their own selves…disobedient to parents and unthankful Since we know being unthankful will be a temptation people will be prone to fall into in the last days - we must determine in our hearts to instead run in the other direction and be known for being thankful and grateful.” Rick further stated, “ The word ‘unthankful’ (acharistos) signals that although a person’s thankful attitude previously prevailed in his life, somehow the same person has lost his thankful, grateful and appreciative attitude and is now unthankful. Paul, in using the word ‘unthankful,’ was prophesying concerning the ‘last days’ age, in which people will become so unthankful, ungrateful and unappreciative that they feel entitled to everything. When a person feels he’s entitled to everything, he loses his thankfulness for nearly everything.”
When I read that article, the Spirit of the Lord quickened to me that many in our nation are living there and have that attitude now! Our government created a ‘welfare’ society many generations ago, and that provision has developed into an entitlement for many of our citizens. They see the government (who owes them in their eyes) as their provider and not God. It never occurs to them that the money they are receiving is actually coming from other tax payers, some of whom are struggling as well and ultimately from God.
A gentleman in our church in PA years ago, told me he was having trouble making ends meet. He did not work and refused to get a job. His solution? “We’re going to have another baby, that will increase our monthly allowance from welfare.”
At my son’s place of employment, many happily applied for and ‘took the job’ offered by the company to receive a ‘sign on’ bonus of two or three thousand dollars. However, after working for two or three weeks, they quit because they did not want to work. They did feel though, that they were entitled to the sign-on bonus!
Be on your guard! Do not fall away from doing the will of God even if you are being tempted to be drawn into an attitude of being ’unthankful’ by being enticed to feel you are entitled!
We must recognize and acknowledge that God is the source of everything in our lives. He not only desires for us to be thankful, He requires it. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) reveals that we are to, “Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 30:12 (WEB), “… that my heart may sing praise to you and not be silent, Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever.” (A Psalm of David).
Show kindness!
Be respectful!
Do not hesitate to say, “Thank you!” to all those around you and especially to God!
Give thanks to Him forever!
NIV New International Version
NLT New Living Translation
ESV English Standard Version
WEB World English Bible