Articles
Thanks Be To God
It is always a good thing to be truly thankful; in fact, God’s word says as much! The psalmist began Psalm 92 with this admonition: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord” (Psa. 92:1). In the New Testament, Paul instructed the brethren at Thessalonica, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Yes, it is good to give thanks to the Lord in everything — and not just on one day each year!
Consider, for this week, a few things for which we who are disciples of Jesus Christ should be thankful, as seen in the words of the inspired writers of God’s word.
For Brethren. Ten times throughout Paul’s letters to churches and individuals does he declare his thankfulness to the Lord for them or for other brethren; many times, his thankfulness for them is noted in the opening words of the letter! We might be tempted to think these were words of mere flattery, but they were not; Paul not only made known his thankfulness for them, but also named the reasons for which he was thankful. His thankfulness was genuine.
Paul was thankful for their faith and for their love of brethren (Eph. 1:16; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:3), the fellowship they had together in Christ (Phil. 1:3), for the love they had for the Lord and for their brethren (Phlm. 1:4), and even for some who had risked their necks for him (Rom. 16:4)! I am sure he could have mentioned many other things for which he was thankful regarding them, but now would be a good time to ask yourself, “Am I thankful for my brethren and for brethren in other places?”
It seems sometimes that the only time we talk of other brethren is to make a complaint or point out a fault [and there are times for noting genuine faults, error, and sin]. Can we not think of one another in a more positive way, thankful for them as was Paul for his fellow believers? Let us not forget the admonition of Paul to the brethren at Philippi: “Do all things without complaining and disputing,” and then adds the reason why: “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:14). We are no shining lights when we are heard complaining about our fellow believers!
Take the time to see your brothers and sisters for the good they are doing, for the mutual faith you have, and for the simple fact they chose to follow Jesus Christ, just as you did. Thank the Lord for their faith in God and Christ, for their work in the kingdom, and for the fellowship you enjoy in Christ as His people.
And let us not be too generic in our thanks; let us look for specific individuals and specific things for which we can be thankful, and specific things our brethren are doing. Be thankful for your child’s Bible class teacher for their willingness to teach the children about the things that will lead your child to know God and one day also choose to follow Him. Be thankful for your deacons serving the congregation in the behind-the-scenes [and sometimes out-front] work that allows the work and worship of the congregation to go smoothly. Be thankful for your elders for choosing to serve and lead the congregation, and for dealing with the common but stressful situations they so often face without the flock knowing most [or any] of the unpleasant details and sometimes unpleasant words and actions that are faced simply because they are doing what they have been given to do in that capacity.
Be thankful for your preacher [yes, I said it] for his choice to forgo pursuing a secular career so he could dedicate his life to teaching and preaching God’s word and leading souls to salvation through the knowledge of and obedience to Jesus Christ. Be thankful for the wives of the deacons, elders and the preacher for their commitment and support for their husbands throughout it all. Be thankful for the women of the congregation who, though not ‘out front’ doing the things the men may be doing, are just as vital to the congregation’s work and success. Be thankful for the mothers and fathers who are struggling to protect their children from the evil influences of this world as they “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Be thankful for the husbands and wives whose marriage is an example of dedication, commitment, and faithfulness to all others. Don’t forget to be thankful for the younger ones who are always here, too, and be thankful they are not our running with the world and involved in the ungodliness that is so easily found, and which enslaves so many others.
There are many other things for which we can be thankful for our fellow believers, but let us be reminded there are reasons to be thankful.
For God’s Grace. It goes without saying that God’s grace is the reason any of us will ever be saved, for none of us was worthy of the plan of salvation that came about because of that grace. As we likely know, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16) and, while we were deserving of His wrath and were spiritually separated from God because of our sins, God’s grace offered to man “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
It is with this in mind Paul declared, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:56, 57). Through the death of Jesus Christ, sin was overcome and death is conquered, giving Christians the promise of forgiveness of their past sins, the hope of the resurrection, and of eternal life with God in heaven. We had none of that before Christ died, so this is clearly a reason to be thankful to God for His truly amazing grace!
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul also declared, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15). Some commentators say Paul was speaking of their willingness to give to brethren in need, but I would point out that he had spoken immediately preceding that declaration of “the exceeding grace of God in you” (2 Cor. 9:14). You see, it was because of God’s grace that salvation was brought to man and to them, in particular, but that grace also taught them to love one another like God loved them (1 John 4:20, 21), and they were demonstrating that through their aid to the needy ones.
For God’s Written Word. In Psalm 119:62, the psalmist wrote, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments.” This psalm (Psa. 119) is one that makes it clear the psalmist has a love for God’s word and is abundantly thankful for having it available to him, with almost every verse mentioning His word in some way [the law of the Lord; testimonies; His ways; precepts; commandments; judgments; statutes; and ordinances].
It is in God’s word we find “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68) and that which will make us “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17), so is that not reason enough to be thankful? Where would we be without it? Let us also demonstrate our thankfulness for it by knowing it thoroughly and applying to our lives in such a way as to make us better disciples, servants, and examples.
So, during this week of thanksgiving [and beyond], let us give thanks to God for these things and more. — Steven Harper
