We Need to Repent! For Not Being Thankful . . . Enough

I was listening/watching the Steve Deace show a couple weeks back, and the host, a Christian, said he needs to repent for not being thankful enough. Bingo! I was instantly convicted. I wrote a chapter in my book about gratitude, and how important being thankful is, continually, in the life of a Christian. I’ve taught that to my children as they’ve grown up, but it’s so much easier said than done. Life lived in a fallen world enduring the gravitational pull of sin is hard. In one of the great understatements in all of history, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble . . .” Ya think! But he finished his sentence with, “but take heart; I have overcome the world.” I love the world for trouble in Greek, thlipsis-θλῖψις, in a sadomasochistic kind of way: properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that “hems someone in”; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, “without options”). That is life in a fallen world!

It’s kind of obvious for us as Christians why we should be thankful, and way more thankful more often at that. The main reason is that we are commanded to be. As you read through the verses that command gratitude, and there are more than a few, you’ll realize we’re commanded because it is appropriate. That’s what God’s people do, they give thanks to their Creator! When we are not grateful we are ingrates taking for granted what God has provided for us. And it’s not just for God’s provision, but for all things. Paul is very clear about this in I Thessalonians 5:

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Certainly Paul can’t mean all? That seems a bit over encompassing. What if they are unpleasant circumstances? Obviously Paul doesn’t use words lightly, and generally (unless the context implies otherwise) when he uses the word all it means . . . . all. The only way we can do this is if we trust God, that he is ultimately in control of the big picture. Being thankful honors God. He uses that same little word in Romans 8:28, that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I’ve joked with my kids over the years, that surely Paul means most things. Nope, all. How incredible is that! What purpose and meaning and hope does that give our lives.

That our gratitude is in Christ Jesus means that it has redemptive significance, just as Jesus said we should take heart because he has overcome the world. We can give thanks now because we can give thanks forever. The eternal in Him is the only thing that puts in perspective the temporal now. If this life is it, then it makes no sense to be thankful for circumstances we don’t like, and when we as Christians are not giving thanks in all circumstances, we are in effect saying this life is all their is. One practical way to build our gratitude bank is to say out loud and in our minds all throughout the day, “Thank you, Lord” for whatever it is we should be thankful for. This is especially important for when we are not feeling thankful. That is the time we most need to give thanks!

I hadn’t thought of this when I started writing this post, but we are soon celebrating a national holiday called Thanksgiving. For the Christian, every day is Thanksgiving.