Pastor Melinda Song
22 November 2020
Welcome back to online church!
2020 has been a roller coaster year. Our world has been turned upside-down and inside out. As we move towards the Christmas season some of you might be feeling that there is nothing much to look forward to or be grateful for. As pastor it is my responsibility especially in these dark times to remind you of THE POWER OF THANKFULNESS.
What value do we place on thankfulness?
ILLUSTRATION: Once there was a reporter who wanted to interview Rudyard Kipling, a Nobel prize recipient for literature. Kipling is better known as the author of The Jungle Book and at that time he was at the height of his success. The reporter had actually computed that Mr Kipling’s writing was so famous and that he had been paid so much money, that he was actually worth $100 a word in terms of what he had written. In that day, that was a big deal.
When he had the opportunity to interview Mr. Kipling, he said, “Sir, I’ve calculated that you are worth $100 a published word.” Mr. Kipling just responded with a shrug and then the reporter took out a $100 bill, gave it to Mr. Kipling, and said, “Now I want you to give me one of your $100 words.” Mr. Kipling took the bill, folded it over, put it in his pocket and said, “Thanks”.
Is “Thanks” worth $100? It costs you nothing yet its value is immeasurable.
Thankful, translated as charistos in Greek is a derivative of the word charis, which is the New Testament word for grace. It depicts an inward awareness of having been fortunate or well-treated and an appreciation for what one has received or how one has been treated by others.
“Please”, “Thank you” and “I am sorry” are what we call magic words. They can help open doors, sweeten relationships, and soothe any angry, hurting or wounded heart.
Unfortunately, thankfulness is a lost virtue nowadays.
I. Man’s Way Is to NOT Be Thankful
2 Timothy 3:1–5 (NKJV)
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Among the several ungodly traits that define the last days is ungratefulness. We are living in a time when people are so hself-absorbed and the sense of entitlement so pervasive that they are rarely grateful for anything — and if they are grateful, that attitude is often short-lived and soon forgotten.
Luke gives us an example in:
Luke 17:11–19 (NIV84)
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Ten people were in desperate need of a blessing, and Jesus healed all of them! Nine of them took their blessing for granted. Only one returned to thank Jesus.
God rewards those who honour Him in thankfulness and praise. In verse 19, Jesus tells the tenth leper to “rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Some translations say, “your faith has made you whole.”
What does this mean? The leper is already healed – his disease went away as he was making his way to the priest. By returning to Jesus with a thankful heart the leper was showing the depth of his faith and was being cleansed not only on the outside but on the inside as well.
The Greek verb here that is translated as “made well” can also mean, “to be saved.” In other words, the faith and thankfulness of the Samaritan leper has resulted in salvation and a cleansing inside and out.
What then can we learn from this story?
- The recipient of ingratitude is always aware whereas the ungrateful person is rarely aware.
- Unexpressed gratitude
- Communicates ingratitude
- Is experienced as rejection.
- May indicate an inflated view of self and a sense of entitlement and taking others for granted.
When was the last time you say thank you to your spouse, children or fellow worker? You may think, “It goes without saying.” No, it doesn’t go without saying.
Being unthankful is a deadly attitude because underlying it is a rejection of God. In Romans 1:18–3:20, Paul delivers a sweeping and comprehensive detailing of human sin and God’s condemnation. Everyone is included (“all have sinned”) and no shade of sin is left out. At the root of it all, however, is humanity’s failure to honour God as God and give Him thanks (1:21).
Romans 1:21 (NIV84)
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
- Ingratitude is evidence of idolatry. When we aren’t grateful, we adopt a sense of entitlement or glory in our self-effort making ourselves our own god.
- Ingratitude robs us of the joy of being the recipient of God’s blessings. Ungrateful people, though, miss that experience.
- Ingratitude robs God of His glory.
In its essence, ingratitude is a rejection of God as Creator and Ruler of all things and Him as the giver of life, the giver of every blessing, whether expected or unexpected, whether pleasant or painful.
- Man’s Way Is to NOT Be Thankful, BUT…
II. God’s Will Is for Man to Be Thankful
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV84)
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Unlike an ungrateful generation, believers have thankful spirits because they recognise that all they have come from the hand of God.
The first opportunity of giving thanks in all things is to give thanks for the obvious things. Often these are the people and other blessings so close that we seem to look right past them.
There was a man who loved his wife and appreciated her so much that one day he almosttold her so. We are sometimes like that man.
Paul understands the importance of showing gratitude to and for the people in his life (Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:3).
Very often the good things are so familiar, so near, so obvious, that we forget to give thanks for them.
EXAMPLE: Your hand. A great architect said there’s been no invention like the human hand, and it’s true. The human hand has 27 bones: the carpals or wrist accounts for 8; the metacarpals or palm contains five; the remaining fourteen are digital bones; fingers and thumb.
The Bible says we are wonderfully made. Yet how often do we give thanks to God who created this marvellous miracle called our body.
Giving thanks is one thing but giving thanks in ALL circumstances? This is where we have the most difficulty. There are no “exception clauses” in regard to when we are to give thanks.
We are to develop an attitude of gratitude which means existing in a perpetual state of gratitude regardless of our circumstances.
Quite naturally you may say, “I’m not going to give thanks for this situation, this illness,” or “I’m not going to give thanks for what this person has done to me.”
Then at least START here:
- Give thanks for the Presence of God in that situation, that God has not left you.
- Begin to realize that even through the worst circumstances God can work.
Remember Joseph who said to his brothers, who sold him into slavery and would have killed him, “You meant this to be for evil but God meant it for good.” That was his testimony to the power of God to bring good out of apparent evil.
ILLUSTRATION: Corrie ten Boom and her family lived through the Nazi holocaust and they hid Jewish people in their home who would otherwise have been killed. When she was in a Nazi prison camp it was such a flea-ridden, terrible place that she couldn’t stand it.
Her older sister Betsy said, “But I have found something in the Bible that will help us. It says, ‘In all things, give thanks’.” Corrie said, “I can’t give thanks for the fleas.” Betsy said, “Give thanks that we’re together. Most families have been split up.” Corrie thought, “I can do that.”
Her sister continued, “Give thanks that somehow the guards didn’t check our belongings and our Bible is with us.” She gave thanks for that. But Corrie would not even think of giving thanks for the fleas. Later they found out that the only reason they were not molested and harmed by the guards was because their “captors” were so repulsed by the fleas that they would not go in. Give thanks even for those lowly creatures!
God can use even the worst in the circumstances of this fallen world to bring about the best. Think about Jesus. During Last Supper, Jesus took bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. After supper, he took the cup, gave thanks to God and gave it to the disciples. What was Jesus giving thanks for? That Judas was about to betray him, and Peter deny him? That they would all abandon him? That he would be arrested, unjustly convicted, tortured, and die a horrific death on a cross?
No. He was grateful because he was confident that God could take that evil and bring something good from it, even ultimately redeeming humankind from our brokenness and sinful nature.
Today the One who cried out in agony, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is the one who says to you, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” He has promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Life happens to everyone with its triumphs and its adversity. How we respond reveals a lot about our outlooks and our spiritual condition.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV84)
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Giving thanks is a powerhouse game-changer that helps us to live through anything, especially in 2020. The old hymn tells us to count our blessings, name them one by one. Because no matter the hard things we’re all facing right now, we can still stop to count our blessings! We each have many reasons to be thankful!
But knowing Who we’re thanking leads into true thanks-living—a life of worship, fellowship and communion with the Triune God: Father, Son and Spirit.
- Giving God thanks for all things demonstrates a recognition that He is a good God (also in Psalm 107:1; 118:29), regardless of whether I consider something to be a blessing or a burden.
Psalm 107:1 (NIV84)
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
- Giving thanks honours God by affirming His sovereignty.
- Giving thanks in all circumstances builds faith in our hearts; the weight of our burdens is lifted because we affirm that those burdens belong to God and not to us.
- Giving thanks expresses my trust that God is working all things for His good purposes (Romans 8:28) whether or not I understand how.
- Giving thanks brings us into the presence of God.
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV84)
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
It’s important to understand that the Bible doesn’t suggest that we give thanks, but rather COMMANDS us to always be thankful. It is GOD’S WILL for us.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV84)
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Our thankfulness is meant to be a response to the steadfast love and care of our heavenly Father. Thankfulness is meant to be the overflow of remembering, encountering and remembering how our God is abundantly faithful and is with us and for us.
Colossians 2:6–7 (NIV84)
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Living a life overflowing with thankfulness does not happen with a flip of a switch. It is a process, and by definition a process takes time.
Every new day gives us countless opportunities to develop gratitude.
- What are you thankful for?
- What has God done for you this year that has been a blessing to you?
- What have others done for you that deserves a special thank you?
We simply need to put words of thanksgiving into our hearts and mouths! Today let’s be encouraged that we are more thankful today than we were yesterday — and that we can choose to be even more thankful tomorrow.
Why don’t you and I take time to do this today!
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