Thankfulness and Thanksgiving: May 2015
Table of Contents
Thankfulness and Thanksgiving
All the small children in our local hall flock to one area after the meeting is over. They congregate around one “grandma” who always has a small bag of candy prizes in her purse from which each child selects their favorite flavor. The joy of seeing each delightful face as they receive the candy after the long time of learning to sit quiet is very rewarding. One doesn’t have to be the grandmother to appreciate the moment, but no doubt she enjoys the moment the most. There are all kinds of reactions after the candy is received — big smiles, softly spoken “thanks,” lingering looks of fondness which the “grandma” knows how to interpret; others immediately dash outside to play, to the chagrin of their parents who are made to realize they have been lax at training their children to say “thank you.” Others return to Mom, Dad or one of their favorite persons to show them their prize. Once in a while the child who forgot to say “thank you” is sent back to utter those magic words of appreciation. The belated expression of thanks may not be as genuine, yet “grandma” is always kind — she never refuses anyone. As we mature, the simplicity changes, but we still need to be reminded to be thankful. We trust this issue will result in “many thanksgivings to God” — like the children of the Highest, “for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
Reasons for Thanksgiving
God’s Purpose to Bless
We can give thanks that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ “hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Eph. 1:4). For this we give thanks.
“Whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30).
We can thus look back into eternity and give thanks that our salvation is according to eternal purpose — yes, give thanks to Him “who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Tim. 1:9). What a theme for thanksgiving!
Redemption
“When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law” (Gal. 4:4). For this again we can surely give thanks. And what God purposed in eternity Jesus accomplished in the fullness of time.
And further, for the believer’s thanksgiving, redemption is not only accomplished, but we have it. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). Again, we have not to pray for redemption or the forgiveness of sins, when we have both, but surely to give thanks.
Justification and Peace
If we believe God, we have justification and peace. Believing God we are justified. It is written, “By Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:39). We are reckoned righteous, believing God who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). All this is distinct cause for thanksgiving.
Our Shepherd
But now, as to the present journey through a world where everything is against Christ and therefore against us as believers, and we, like sheep, ever ready to turn aside, how can we, and for what can we, now give thanks? We can each one give thanks because “the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1). We don’t have to pray for a shepherd, but to give thanks. Oh to know Him and trust Him more! Think of what He does for us: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,” and so forth. Is not every verse in Psalm 23 a wondrous theme for thanksgiving?
Intercession
But in the midst of so much temptation and needing someone to sustain, succor and help us that we fail not, can we now give thanks? Yes, we can give thanks for our great High Priest. “In that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:18). “We have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without [apart from] sin” (Heb. 4:15). “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
Advocacy
But if we fail, can we, besides confessing our sins, also give thanks? Yes, we can give thanks because “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and He is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1). What marvelous themes for thanksgiving!
Absent From — Present With
But if we are about to die, as to the body, can we give thanks, or is all uncertain in that crucial moment? We can surely give thanks, for we well know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Concerning this the Christian alone can say, “We are confident ... and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).
The Lord’s Coming
In the immediate prospect of the coming of the Lord, that which will so terrify the world, can we look forward to His coming and give thanks? Yes, with fullest joy, for come what may, Jesus has given divine assurance. He has said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).
As Christians, we can give thanks for every one of these things. We might go on and add greatly to the list of matters for thanksgiving. Oh how blessed that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
C. H. Mackintosh (adapted)
Giving of Thanks
There are a multitude of references to thankfulness and thanksgiving in Scripture. The words “thanks” or “thanksgiving” occur in more than 100 verses in the Bible, a fact that ought to emphasize to us the importance of the subject. While there are innumerable things for which we, as believers, can and should give thanks, we would like to mention several that perhaps deserve our special attention.
First of all, we ought to give thanks for those things which God gives to all men and for which many are unthankful. Barnabas and Paul reminded those in Lystra that God gives to all men “rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:16). When the natural man fails to give thanks, he ought to be reminded of his failure in this by seeing a thankful heart in the believer. Our blessed Master gave thanks publicly, and especially for food which God provides. In this He is an example to us today; we ought to give thanks publicly whenever the opportunity arises.
For All Men
Along this same line, the believer is exhorted that “first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for [on behalf of] all men” (1 Tim. 2:1). While more than one meaning may be attached to the phrase “giving of thanks,” we would suggest that if man in general fails to give thanks to God for temporal mercies, the believer is privileged and exhorted to do so on his behalf. In this way God is glorified, even if those for whom it is done are not aware of it.
Salvation
Second, the believer ought to have continual thankfulness in his heart for his salvation. When we contemplate our lost condition before we were saved and the awful doom that awaited us, how it becomes us to give thanks to the One who redeemed us at a cost beyond our comprehension. It is the privilege of every believer to remember our Lord in His death, as He has asked us, but our hearts should continually look up in thankfulness as we realize what it means to have been “chosen ... in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).
The Full Revelation of God
Third, as believers in this the day of God’s grace, we have the immense privilege of being part of the church. The Lord Jesus could remind His disciples that “many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (Luke 10:24). Many godly saints in the Old Testament had to be content with a limited revelation of God, while we in this dispensation have a full revelation. More than this, we have the full revelation of God’s mind, for Paul was given the truth “to complete the word of God” (Col. 1:25 JND). In that which was revealed to Paul, all is displayed.
In addition to this knowledge, we are “blessed ... with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). Every possible blessing is ours, and every Christian blessing is a mountain peak, beyond which even God Himself could not go. Do our hearts dwell on these blessings and respond with thankfulness?
The Hope
Fourth, we have a hope beyond this world — the hope of the Lord’s coming for us at any moment. Such a hope was unknown in the Old Testament, for even the most godly saint before the cross did not know what lay between death and resurrection. They might, and no doubt did, trust the Lord, but as another has said, “Death for those before the cross was really a leap into the dark.” For us, God has “brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings” (2 Tim. 1:10 JND). The ever-present hope of being taken to be with Christ at any moment surely ought to draw forth our thanksgiving and fill our hearts with praise.
For All Things
Finally, the believer today can give thanks “for all things” (Eph. 5:20) and can also “in everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18). We have not been promised an easy path in this world, but we do have the assurance that “all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28), and even though we may not immediately see the outcome of all that God allows in our lives, we can in faith give thanks even in adverse circumstances. More than this, God uses these trials to teach us more of Himself — things which we can learn only down here. But what we learn down here in this way we will enjoy for all eternity. In addition, our thankful spirit in the midst of difficult circumstances is one of the strongest testimonies to this world, for trials in the natural man either crush or harden.
In summary, the believer has every reason to be thankful, in whatever circumstances he may find himself. But only a walk with the Lord will enable us to display this thankful spirit.
W. J. Prost
Work and Praise
Praise is to be the primary and continual occupation of the believer. We, in our fancied wisdom, would put work in the first place. We are disposed to attach chief importance to bustling activity. We have such an overwhelming sense of the value of doing that we lose sight of the place which worship and praise occupy in the thoughts of God.
If we really desire to please God, to gratify His heart and to glorify His name, we shall give our heart’s attention to Hebrews 13:15 and seek to offer the sacrifice of praise continually, not merely now and then, when all goes on smoothly and pleasantly. Come what may, it is our high and holy privilege to offer the sacrifice of praise to God.
Praise
Oh, how delightful it is to cultivate a spirit of praise and thankfulness — to be always ready to cry, “Hallelujah!” It does so glorify God when His people live in an atmosphere of praise. It imparts a heavenly tone to their character and speaks more powerfully to the hearts of those around them than if they were preaching to them from morning till night. A Christian should always be happy, always bright with the spirit of praise, always reflecting back upon this dark world the blessed beams of His Father’s countenance.
So it should always be. Nothing is so unworthy of a Christian as a fretful spirit, a gloomy temper, a sour morose-looking face. And not only is it unworthy of a Christian, but it is dishonoring to God, and it causes the enemies of truth to speak reproachfully. No doubt tempers and dispositions vary, and much allowance must be made in cases of weak bodily health. It is not easy to look pleasant when the body is racked with disease, pain or stress. And, on the other hand, we should be very far indeed from commending anything like levity or the continual smile of mere unsubdued nature.
The Fruit of Our Lips
Scripture is clear and explicit. It tells us to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” How simple! “The fruit of our lips”! This is what our God delights in. It is His joy to be surrounded with the praises of hearts filled to overflowing with His abounding goodness. Thus it will be throughout eternity, in that bright home of love and glory to which we are so rapidly hastening.
C. H. Mackintosh (adapted)
Unthankful
While there are multiple places in the Word of God where thankfulness is spoken of, there are relatively few that specifically mention the lack of it — the state of being unthankful. However (as with everything in Scripture), the few times that such a condition is mentioned are important for us to notice. There are at least three occasions in the Word of God where unthankfulness is specifically mentioned and our attention drawn to it.
First of all, our Lord Himself exhorted those who wanted to follow Him to “love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35). Here the Lord manifests both the heart of God and the heart of fallen man. Sad to say, it is characteristic of the natural man to be unthankful and to take for granted the goodness shown to him, whether by God or his fellow man. When man receives some benefit, initially he may give thanks for it, but then very quickly he assumes that he is entitled to it and expects it as a matter of course. Then, when perhaps at some future time he does not receive it, he becomes angry and resentful.
No Claim
But man in his sinful state has no claim on God’s goodness, for he has, first of all, spoiled His creation and then proceeded to dispose of it as His own. When God sent His Son in love, man cast Him out and crucified Him, saying, “This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours” (Luke 20:14). But the heart of God remains the same, for He loves man in spite of his sin and wants to bless Him. One prominent sign of God’s love to His creature, one which all may notice, is His goodness in creation. Barnabas and Paul call attention to this while speaking to those in Lystra, mentioning “the living God, which ... left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:15,17). God in His goodness has kept the world from the full effects of the fall, so that the beauty of creation and the bounty that it yields for man’s food continue to be a powerful reminder of God’s kindness and love.
In general, man remains unthankful, but this does not deter God’s goodness, although He may at times withhold His goodness to remind man of his responsibility to God. Believers are called to show this same goodness to a wicked world, for in doing so, we display God’s character as “the children of the Highest.”
Unthankfulness and Idolatry
Another reference to unthankfulness is found in Romans 1:21-22, where we read, “When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Here we find the condition of things that developed in this world after the flood of Noah. After the flood, it seems that Satan became especially active in turning men away from God. He could not deny the power of God exhibited in the awful devastation of the flood, but then he began to use his own power under the guise of false religion, seeking to make men believe that it was God’s power. His success in this area is evidenced by the prevalence of idolatry in the world since then.
But the witness of creation remained the same, for God displayed “His eternal power and Godhead” in “the things that are made” (Rom. 1:20), so that man has no excuse for denying the existence of God. But in this willful departure from the knowledge of God, one of the characteristics that especially took hold of man was unthankfulness. Instead of realizing the goodness of God — a goodness that promised man “seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night” (Gen. 8:22) as long as the earth remained — man became unthankful. Another has aptly put it, “Man gave up the knowledge that God was holy and made gods of his lusts; he gave up the knowledge that God was good and attempted to appease an angry God.” The gifts bestowed by God were taken and used by the receiver as a warrant and means for independence and pride; this culminated in ease with a deepening forgetfulness of their Giver and ended in a denying of the claims of God.
Again, all this has a voice for us today, when we see that an unthankful spirit is connected in man’s history with idolatry, lust, and every kind of wickedness that can be described.
The Last Days
Finally, we find that one of the characteristics of the last days is that “men shall be ... unthankful” (2 Tim. 3:2). It should be noted that the sordid description of these last days is not a depiction of the heathen world; rather, it is the portrayal of Christendom that has given up the light it once had. Once again, unthankfulness is connected with every other kind of evil that we see around us today, and it is a solemn voice to all of us. We see this character of things particularly in western Europe and North America, where the brightest testimony to God’s grace has shone for centuries. Truly, as Peter reminds us, “it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment” (2 Peter 2:21). Coupled with this abundant testimony to God’s grace has been unprecedented material prosperity, which, when God was given up, fostered a spirit of independence, pride and entitlement. As another has said, “Man argues from the effects of light to deny its necessity.” A similar condition of things existed in Sodom and Gomorrah before God’s judgment fell on them.
Again, all of this is a warning to each of us, for the spirit around us can easily affect our own outlook. While we can scarcely imagine true believers falling into the full-blown iniquity described in 2 Timothy 3, yet some of these same entities can take hold in our minds, if we are not watchful. Let us, with our Lord’s help, cultivate a thankful spirit.
W. J. Prost
Where Are the Nine?
The incident recorded in Luke 17:11-19 concerning the ten lepers who were cleansed is full of meaning for us in several ways. It demonstrates the love of the Lord Jesus that overreached the boundaries of Judaism, for the Samaritan was healed along with the others, without any partiality. The story also shows how the Lord Jesus induced these men to exercise faith, for instead of healing them immediately, He simply gives the command, “Go show yourselves unto the priests” (vs. 14). There would be no use in going to the priests unless they were cleansed, but in the absence of immediate and obvious healing, they had to start on their journey in faith. But there is another lesson for us in this incident that we would like to look at, namely, the question of thankfulness.
The Lord Jesus healed “on the spot” many times, whether it were a case of leprosy or many other illnesses. He also raised the dead, fed the hungry, and taught the people. It is noticeable how few expressions of thanks are recorded in the Word of God from those who received all these mercies from the Lord Jesus. Doubtless there were those who were thankful and who demonstrated their gratitude in various ways, such as the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50, Mary of Bethany, Nicodemus and others. Also, it is quite possible that some did give thanks that are not recorded in Scripture. However, in the story about which we are speaking, it seems that the Lord Jesus puts their hearts to the test, as it were, to see how thankful they really were.
The Test
As we know from the account, all ten lepers had faith and began their journey to the priests. We are not told how far they went, but “as they went, they were cleansed” (vs. 14). What joy must have filled their hearts, as they realized that the Lord had honored their faith and healed them! But then came the test; what would they do now? Nine went on to the priests, but one “turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks” (vss. 15-16). Again, we are not told how far he had to go in turning back to the Lord, but whatever the distance, he took the time and made the effort, in order to give thanks.
There are several things to be noticed here, as lessons for us. First of all, it is evident how much the Lord Jesus appreciated this giving of thanks by the one leper, and how He felt it that the other nine had not come back. His remark, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (vs. 17), reminds us in a poignant way that our blessed Master values our thankfulness very much and misses it when it is not given. The lepers received cleansing from a temporal illness; we have received eternal forgiveness of our sins, which required the Lord Jesus’ untold sufferings on the cross. Do we take the time to give thanks to our blessed Saviour for what He has done, by answering to His request, “This do in remembrance of Me”?
The Cost
Second, this incident reminds us that there is a cost involved in thanksgiving. Had the lepers been healed instantly, they might all have thanked the Lord Jesus. But He tested them by healing them as they were on the way to the priests, so that time and energy would be needed in order to give thanks. Only one had sufficient gratitude to turn back and do so. Not only did he give thanks, but it is also recorded that he did it with a “loud voice.” Likewise, time and energy is needed in our day; it is much easier to enjoy the blessings of the work of Christ, rather than take the time to give thanks. Many today make it a priority to listen to that which ministers to their own needs, while relatively few make the remembrance of the Lord their first priority on Lord’s Day. But He is worthy of the first place!
Glorify God
Third, it is twice recorded in this story that in giving thanks, the Samaritan leper glorified God. We are reminded of Psalm 50:23: “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me.” Not only is the heart of the Saviour gladdened, but God is glorified when we praise Him and give thanks. God was not only satisfied, but glorified, when Christ completed the work on the cross; likewise, when we give thanks for that work and thank the One who did it, God is glorified as His beloved Son is honored. In coming glory we shall praise Him for all eternity; surely He is worthy of whatever effort it may take to praise Him down here and to “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15).
W. J. Prost
Thanksgiving at Meals
Why do Christians, when sitting down to meals, begin by praying? The appropriate thing on accepting a gift is to give thanks. The Christian recognizes God as the giver of his food, and therefore he should render thanks to Him. This indeed is in harmony with Scripture: “Meats [meals]” are “created to be received with thanksgiving of them who believe and know the truth” (1 Tim. 4:3).
Our Creator
The man of the world regards his food as the product of a machine or institution which he calls nature, but the Christian goes beyond this and recognizes the Creator of the entire system of nature. Further, he not only believes that there is such a Creator, but he knows Him; he is actually in communion with Him “by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim. 4:5). Mr. Darby’s translation of this phrase is “by God’s word and freely addressing [Him],” and his note on this rendering is illuminative of the subject. He says, “This I believe to be the sense here: enteuxis [prayer or addressing God] means communication with a person, then ‘petitions and intercession’; one person speaking personally to another. ... I believe the creature, fallen through Adam, belongs to the faithful and those who know the truth, by God’s speaking to us and our freely speaking to Him. This has set all on a new footing, because we have met God again, the Word of God having put us into communication by grace. And ‘the faithful and those who know the truth’ have availed themselves of it and come and enter into intercourse. It is no longer by nature, but by the Word of God.”
Sanctification
Scripture says that “every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” The current idea is that each meal needs to be prayed about, before it can properly be partaken of. But the contrary is the truth: It is sanctified by the fact of the new position in which the Christian stands. “All things are yours ... the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours” (1 Cor. 3:22). The action on our part which Scripture enjoins is not prayer but thanksgiving. “If it be received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 4:4). It is “created to be received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 4:3). Thus the Christian’s meal table becomes an altar of praise, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.
Thanksgiving
When we give thanks at the meal table, the thanksgiving is on the basis of redemption, for we do not receive God’s gifts only on the original ground of creation, but because of the cross of Christ. All things are ours because of Christ’s work. We may freely address Him with thanksgiving. God could not, as righteous, give the smallest benefit to a sinner, unless His righteousness in doing so had been satisfied. Therefore it is on account of the propitiation of Christ that our daily mercies come to us, and indeed not only to us, but to the world. This is the basis on which God “maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” The man of the world little dreams that he owes his food and raiment and every good that he enjoys to the despised atonement of Christ, but God would be exhibiting indulgence to sin if He did it otherwise. It is in this regard that “Christ ... is the propitiation for the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Men are allowed to continue in life upon the earth and are afforded the free use of God’s magnificent creation (magnificent, though marred) because of the propitiation of Christ, and it is in this sense that God is Saviour (Preserver) of all men, specially of those who believe (1 Tim. 4:10). Temporal salvation, not eternal, is what this text refers to.
Prayer in Public
If now the offering of thanksgiving glorifies God, shall we refrain from this when we are in public, say at a restaurant or other public table? No doubt this may seem difficult to the flesh, but it is at once an open confession of Christ. We should recall to our minds the Lord’s precious words, “Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8). Paul, on board ship, “took bread and gave thanks to God, in presence of them all [the ship’s company]” (Acts 27:35). Daniel kneeled upon his knees and prayed at his open window, as he had done aforetime, three times a day, although at the penalty of death.
Thus this slight matter of thanksgiving at meals may afford to us a test of where we really are, as to the power of God in our souls. “I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will,” says Paul, “and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:19-20).
E. J. Thomas (adapted)
Behold the Fowls
Have you ever watched the birds and chickens when they are taking a drink? I love to see them. First, they put down their heads for the water, and then they look up to the sky, as if to give thanks to the One who provides them with food and breath and all things. What a precious lesson for us! We may well “behold” them, for how often do they not put us to shame?
Have you ever thought of how often the Lord Jesus “looked up,” and yet how often we look “this way” and “that way,” but do not “look up”? I doubt not the “looking up” has many meanings, all precious, but just now I wish you would “behold the fowls of the air” (Matt. 6:26) as they take their drink.
Man has so much to thank God for, and he is made so that naturally he will look up, while the birds and beasts naturally look down. And yet, there is that little bird, it only is getting a drop of water, but it “looks up,” and there is man with all the blessings God has showered upon him, and yet, like “the man with the muck rake,” he is ever looking down!
Our Pattern
But think of our portion, dear fellow believer, and see if our hearts will not look up with thankful adoration! That for which we have to give thanks seems to start from one infinitely great Center and extends out in waves of blessings. And that Center surely is Christ Himself.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” Our hearts cannot help but reply, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” To all eternity this will surely be the unceasing echo of our hearts, “Thanks be unto God!” “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15)!
And then “with Him,” what else do we get? “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). What more can we want? Wondrous grace! Wondrous love! Strange we should need such an admonition as,
“and Be Ye Thankful,”
but such we are, that we do need it. But though, perhaps, we could “want” no more, yet there is more, if such be possible.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, in the heavenlies in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
How can our hearts help but “look up” with one great overflow of thanks and praise and worship to the One who has done all things for us?
I have thought (though I may be wrong) that the “all things” given us “with Him” perhaps refer more to earthly things, while “all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ” are heavenly ones (though they belong to us now).
Well may it be written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him, but God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9-10), yet how little we enter into them. When we get home and see Himself and all that is really ours in Him, surely there will be no more spirit in us, and, “With joyful wonder we’ll exclaim, The half hath not been told,” as we just fall down before Him and worship!
But I sometimes wonder if we realize what the “all things” imply. We gladly accept “the blessings” (as we call them), even though we often forget to copy the birds and look up to give thanks for them, but how about the other things — the things we don’t usually count blessings? They are part of the “all things,” and the Word clearly says, “In everything give thanks.” How about the “reproaches,” the “necessities,” the “persecutions,” the “distresses”? Can we say with Paul, “I take pleasure” in them? Have we learned to give thanks for them?
Our Perfect Example
You remember, after the Lord Jesus was rejected by the cities where He had labored so much — Capernaum, Bethsaida, Chorazin — though He upbraids them, yet He rejoices in Spirit and can say, “I thank Thee, O Father.” This is very wonderful and very beautiful; it is “holy ground” we are treading here.
If we turn to Colossians 1:11-12, we will find that for such a spirit we need to be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power.” I well remember the first time I noticed those verses in Colossians. It was a good many years ago, and I was eager to do some “great thing” for Christ. As I read over that display of power and might — “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power” — I stopped there and thought, “Ah, this will be to do some very great thing,” but what was my amazement, perhaps dismay, to read, “Unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father.” That was not the kind of “great thing” I was looking for. You remember when the Lord called Paul, He did not speak of the “great things” he was to do for His sake, but He did say, “I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:16).
May you and I, dear fellow Christian, have grace given us to learn this wondrous lesson, “In everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18). It is a lesson the flesh can never learn, and to learn it, we need to learn to be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power” — just to be able ever to rejoice in spirit and look up and say, “I thank Thee, O Father”!
Young Christian, Vol. 15
The Lord’s Example
Four times in our Lord’s own life He gave thanks. With five thousand starving men before Him, He gave thanks because He knew what He would do. When His testimony was rejected (Matt. 11), He gave thanks. At the grave of Lazarus He gave thanks, before He raised him. And in the presence of His own death He gave thanks (Luke 22:17,19). “In everything give thanks,” but that is not so difficult as “giving thanks always for all things.” This is God’s will for us.
Bible Treasury
The Father and the Son
We “give thanks unto the Father.” Does this mean at the prayer or the open meeting only? No, it is a grave and deplorable omission when only the Lord Jesus is addressed at the breaking of the bread. ... There is the deepest claim on our affections in the humiliation and sufferings of the Lord Jesus. He, and He only, suffered for our sins; He loved and gave Himself for me. What believer’s heart could be dead or dull to such an appeal as this? But in fact both the Father and the Son are to be worshipped now. In the Revelation we see them both the joint object of heaven’s adoration, and the Holy Spirit using the Word as the standard is the only safe guide as to where and when. Undoubtedly when we worship God as God, we include Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is room and place for all.
J. N. Darby
Prayer and Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a substantial aid to prayer while passing through opposition and hindrances. “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2). How often when the well of prayer seems dried, thanksgiving will cause the stream to flow! The recollection of mercies received and blessings in possession refreshes the soul, begets the sense that we are in communion with a giving God, and imparts new courage to approach Him with our requests. How many answers are received to prayers gone by, which are not recognized as answers, because in the interval the very prayers that were made are forgotten! Thus the opportunity for praise and thanksgiving is lost to the soul, a loss of happy and profitable exercise. Besides that, it is a failure in what is becoming towards God. Is it a fit thing to receive a gift and not return thanks? Between man and man it is a breach of manners, and God takes notice of such failure towards Him, as evidenced from the case of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). Only one of the ten who had been cleansed returned to give thanks, and how touching is the comment of the Lord! “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger”! God looks for our gratitude, and that not only in the heart, but the positive expression of it, and He desires expression too, not merely in a general way, but clearly as to definite instances. Praise “is pleasant; and praise is comely” (Psa. 147:1). A thankful soul is a happy soul. We can never get into circumstances where we have not cause for thanksgiving, and thanksgiving naturally leads to prayer.
Christian Treasury (adapted)
Carefulness and Thanksgiving
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6). Glory is better than cares. We have cares and sorrows, true. And we should have more if we were living more as servants amid the sorrows of this world, not being indifferent to others who are passing through them. But there is such a thing as getting away from Christ, a tendency to make one anxious even in caring for others. Then I must go and tell God, and this carries me so above the cares that I can rejoice in Him in the midst of them.
And what does He give to the heart that has given all its cares to him? An answer? No, though we know He does answer, but He gives His peace. Is God’s heart taken up with circumstances? Is He troubled by them? Is His throne shaken by the folly and wickedness of the world? Or even by the failure of the saints? Put your cares on God, and He will put His peace into your heart — the unspeakable peace of God. The peace in which He is shall keep your heart and mind.
And there is no indifference, carelessness or coldness about it; it is our requests made known, and “with thanksgiving.” A man who takes up thanksgiving is reckoning on God, and the soul, having left all on God — having felt His hand under the trouble — can say, It is His affair, not mine. He is a happy man who goes through the world in this blessed fellowship with Christ, raised by the Spirit of God above his inward sorrows and his outward circumstances. In the power of the Spirit for inward joy, his affections are free to go out to the brethren, and his heart lives in the things in which Christ’s heart would if He were here.
J. N. Darby (adapted)
In Everything Give Thanks
When clouds of sorrow sweep across my sky of brilliant hue,
When gray and somber, warlike, fierce, they hide away the blue,
I am not bidden to despair or mope with clouded brow;
God’s Word comes shining — ’tis His Sun, my courage to endow —
“In everything give thanks!”
When faced with dire calamity, when driven to despair,
When tempted to cry out, “My God! Thy dealings are unfair!”
He shows me One whose awful grief made heaven hide its face,
And then His Word comes shining through to give sustaining grace —
“In everything give thanks!”
When bounties rich and plentiful are lavished from His hand,
When all my needs are met by Him on whom my life depends,
’Tis then, of all times, I am tempted to forget His love,
Forget to offer praise to Him, to lift mine eyes above —
“In everything give thanks!”
God grant that I may learn to walk so humbly with my Lord,
To keep in fellowship with Him, abiding in His Word,
That not one day but every day may be Thanksgiving Day,
That life and lips and all I am — may all of me, alway,
“In everything give thanks!”
P. Hutchens