A Thankful Heart changes Life

 

Last week we took some newcomers to an event that they had never experienced in their part of the world. They thanked us with gracious words that deeply touched my heart. It made me desire to know them better and even do even more for them. Is this how God feels when we thank Him? 

The Bible is filled with expressions of thankfulness and its importance. This is likely the source of the quote that I’ve often repeated: “All the problems in the world would be solved if everyone was thankful.”

As my daughter responded, “Instead of greedy” yet there is even more. Thankfulness suggests that someone is being appreciated. We thank servers for bringing our meals, drivers for delivering us safely, friends for inviting us to their home, and a host of other blessings on our lives. Being thankful draws us closer to other people.

What about God? Reading Romans 1:18ff carefully shows that unthankful people are on a slippery slope downward into sin and that “God gives them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.” Lack of gratitude is serious stuff.

Instead of going that route, thankfulness should also acknowledge the source of all goodness. 

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:16–18)

All that is good comes from the Lord. He loves me and wants me living as His image-bearer. I am certain that God does not grumble and complain like I do. Not only that, when I am thanked, I know that I have done something good and whatever it was, God's Spirit was involved. It is really God who should be thanked, not me. 

He urges a thankful attitude because when I am grateful, I am honoring Him and am communicating to Him appreciation for who He is and what He does. He deserves thanksgiving.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)

Jesus thanked His Father, and I am to be like Jesus. He was thankful at meals, thankful for answered prayer, and thankful for the way God worked to draw people to Himself:

He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. (Matthew 15:36)

. . . .  Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me…” (John 11:41)

. . . .  Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…” (Matthew 11:25)

While I am thrilled to be thanked for doing what God put on our hearts to do, those that thanked us are people who are always thanking God too. This is one of the reasons that we love to spend time with them. Imagine if everyone was like that! It would put an end to antagonism and strife. No more wars, only glad hearts.

PRAY: How can I say thanks for all that You have done for me? Things so undeserved — to prove Your love for me. The words to a song, and my own words from a heart filled with gratitude — rather than complaining, wanting more, never satisfied, bring joy. You are an awesome God. You hear me, provide good things for me and for those who trust You. You open our hearts to know truth and see what is hidden from those who are not grateful. Work in their hearts too. May the people of this messy world become totally genuinely thankful for You and for all that You do. 

 

Steadfast consistency is better than “the same-old, same-old”

This year and last, the income tax department put my tax payment in my installment account instead of applying it to balance owing. Then, three months later, they tell me I’ve not paid my taxes. Not only have they charged interest on non-payment, but they also gained interest on the funds wrongly applied to next year’s taxes. Last year, after a long phone call, they removed the interest and put the funds where they belong. No apology. Repeated this year. At least they are consistent.

In the Bible, ‘consistent’ is attached to a different word that means ‘loyal, reliable and STEADFAST’ a word usually followed by “love” to describe the certainty of God’s concern and His reliable willingness to do good for people.

Genesis 39:21 uses steadfast to describe God’s faithfulness toward Joseph when he was wrongly imprisoned: “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”

Steadfast love is used more than two hundred times to describe God:

Exodus 34:6–8. “The Lord passed before (Moses) and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty . . . .’ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.”

God showed the same attitude toward David and Solomon in 2 Samuel 7:13–16:

“(Solomon) shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you (David). And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

In this verse and many others, it becomes clear that God’s steadfast love is not earned or deserved. It is who He is, not about what we are. The psalmists and other Bible writers emphasize the generosity God shows by remaining loyal to His human creatures even when we are not deserving of such faithful attention.

Psalm 6:4. “Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.”

Psalm 13:5. “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”

Psalm 25:7. “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!”

Psalm 33:5. “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.”

Psalm 33:22. “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

Psalm 51:1. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.”

This OT word is about firm determination. God’s loyalty is not merely from appreciating our worship, or any self-interest, but because He has determined to be loyal to His people. As the prophet wrote in Lamentations 3:22–24, this care is an anchor for us: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ ”

Our response ought to reflect this steadfastness in our relationship to Him and to each other. In the NT, the emphasis of steadfast is on that response:

1 Corinthians 15:58. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Colossians 4:2. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

1 Timothy 6:11–12. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY The NT also tells how we become like God. James 1:3–4 says, “For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Instead of resisting trials, God wants me to be steadfast and gave me His divine nature to that end. 2 Peter 1:5–8 says I must, “make every effort to supplement my faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness . . . increasing in reflecting who He is because these qualities keep me from being useless in my walk with Jesus Christ. For these and many other reasons, I thank God for His steadfast love!