Question: What does the Bible say about thankfulness/gratitude? Answer: Thankfulness is a prominent Bible theme. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, âBe joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Godâs will for you in Christ Jesus.â Did you catch that? Give thanks in all circumstances. Thankfulness should be a way of life for us, naturally flowing from our hearts and mouths. Digging into the Scriptures a little more deeply, we understand why we should be thankful and also how to have gratitude in different circumstances. Psalm 136:6 says, âGive thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.â Here we have two reasons to be thankful: Godâs constant goodness and His steadfast love. When we recognize the nature of our depravity and understand that, apart from God, there is only death (John 10:10; Romans 7:5), our natural response is to be grateful for the life He gives. Psalm 30 gives praise to God for His deliverance. David writes, âI will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. . . . You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks foreverâ (Psalm 30:1-12). Here David gives thanks to God following an obviously difficult circumstance. This psalm of thanksgiving not only praises God in the moment but remembers Godâs past faithfulness. It is a statement of Godâs character, which is so wonderful that praise is the only appropriate response. We also have examples of being thankful in the midst of hard circumstances. Psalm 28, for example, depicts Davidâs distress. It is a cry to God for mercy, protection, and justice. After David cries out to God, he writes, âPraise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in songâ (Psalm 28:6-7). In the midst of hardship, David remembers who God is and, as a result of knowing and trusting God, gives thanks. Job had a similar attitude of praise, even in the face of death: âThe LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praisedâ (Job 1:21). There are examples of believersâ thankfulness in the New Testament as well. Paul was heavily persecuted, yet he wrote, âThanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of himâ (2 Corinthians 2:14). The writer of Hebrews says, âTherefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and aweâ (Hebrews 12:28). Peter gives a reason to be thankful for âgrief and all kinds of trials,â saying that, through the hardships, our faith âmay be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealedâ (1 Peter 1:6-7). The people of God are thankful people, for they realize how much they have been given. One of the characteristics of the last days is a lack of thanksgiving, according to 2 Timothy 3:2. Wicked people will be âungrateful.â We should be thankful because God is worthy of our thanksgiving. It is only right to credit Him for âevery good and perfect giftâ He gives (James 1:17). 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). Truly, we have an abundant life (John 10:10), and gratefulness is fitting.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:52:31 +0000
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