Give Thanks

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NASB95) 

Happy Thanksgiving…or maybe better, Happy Thanks-living!

I hope that this devotional reaches you on Thanksgiving day and that this day is especially meaningful to you. I pray that you will take the opportunity to give thanks for those things that are most important. 

I have often said that our thankfulness/ gratitude is the barometer of our faith. By that, I mean that we can tell a great deal about what a person believes (diagnostic) and the general course and speed of their growth in Christ (predictive). As I wrote this article this morning, I thought it might be important to define the terms. Many people know that a thermometer measures current temperature. That can be predictive to some degree (see what I did there), but it is generally intended to tell us how things are at present. A barometer is different. It measures changes in atmospheric pressure which is a prominent factor in predicting the weather. Thermometers tell you how things are; barometers indicate how things will be. 

As I was reading the letters to the Thessalonians, I noticed that the thankfulness was palpable, Paul’s tone is effusive. He opens both letters with strong statements of gratitude. As the Scriptures above indicate, he also closes the first letter with the same tone. Here is what may not be as obvious: 

The commands for rejoice (v.16) and give thanks (v.18) are the same root word. Gratitude and rejoicing are closely related. That means that we could paraphrase the idea of these verses in this way: “Pray incessantly, giving thanks always and in everything…because this is why God created you. 

We were created for worship (rejoicing/giving thanks). We exist to worship. We live to worship. To paraphrase a favorite preacher of mine, “When you put the transmission of our lives in neutral, the hum of the gears is worship/gratitude.” Gratitude is the foundation and the fruit of a believer’s life. Where does that kind of understanding come from? 

As Christ-followers, we recognize that we were hopelessly and helplessly unable to reverse the consequences of our rebellious actions toward God (Eph 2:1, 5, 8-9). God rescued and redeemed us. He restored us to life and committed to us a renewed purpose (Eph 2:10). 

We join with the chorus of all created things in declaring the glory of God! 

¹The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:1, NASB95

⁶The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.
Psalm 97:6, NASB95

We give thanks to God as all glory and dominion and praise belongs to Him! 

¹¹“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11, NASB95

When we realize that is God’s grace that is the firm foundation on which we rest our feet; and, it is God’s glory that is the expression of our lips and the example of our lives…we are advancing in our discipleship. Our gratitude then is the barometer of our faith indicating that we are becoming precisely what we were created to be. 

One may ask: Which comes first? Is gratitude the foundation or the fruit of my life? The answer is yes! As we reflect on God’s grace toward us, we give thanks. As we experience every circumstance in life…acknowledging that God Himself is working that circumstance for good in our lives in order to conform us to look like Jesus (Rom 8:28-30), we give thanks! As we look back at what God has done…we give thanks! As we look forward at the opportunities ahead to glorify Him, we give thanks! 

Today, choose gratitude. You, like me, may be walking through a very different Thanksgiving celebration due to a death, or the absence of a prodigal, or distance from loved ones. Give thanks. Even if it feels counterintuitive…give thanks. In everything, always , give thanks! 

Again, Happy Thanksgiving! I love you and consider it a blessing to serve you as we walk through life together!