Let
the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were
called to peace. And be thankful~
Colossians 3:25
I like to know the “why” of everything.
I will not accept medical
advice I do not thoroughly understand. I often find myself more than a little reluctant
to follow rules that do not make sense to me. And my sweet family has a tough
time planning any kind of surprise for my birthday, because I flat refuse to go
anywhere or do anything without fully understanding where I’m going and what
I’m going to do when I get there.
As you might imagine, this personal quirk has created more
than a few issues in my life. Doctors are not generally fond of my bothersome
little questions; and I’ve discovered the hard way that rule makers are hostile
to what they perceive as my challenges to their authority. Moreover, my family
gets exasperated every year right around my birthday. Their irritation tends to
put a bit of a damper on the celebration.
Yet another area where this personality quirk has created problems
is in my relationship with God. It’s taken a while, but I have slowly made
peace with the fact that God does not routinely feel the need to explain
Himself or his commands to me.
Fortunately for me, there are some rare occasions where the
Almighty surprises me and clarifies His position on something by exposing a
truth in Scripture that I have never really noticed before. Such was the case
this past week when I came across this little gem in the book of Romans:
For although they knew
God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, their thinking
became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened~ Romans 1:21
This one unassuming little verse tucked into the book of
Romans illuminated for me the “why” of a whole lot of imperative commands found
in the New Testament. Including…
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus~ 1st Thessalonians 5:18
And whatever you
do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him~
Colossians 3:18
Do not be anxious
about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God~ Philippians 4:6
Devote yourselves
to prayer, being watchful and thankful~
Colossians 4:2
Sing and make music
from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the
Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ~ Ephesians 5:19b-20
Therefore, since we
are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God
acceptably with reverence and awe~ Hebrews 12:28
According to Romans one, those of us who know God should regularly
verbalize our thankfulness to God. Not because God has a sick need to hear our
gratitude. God has no needs, but we do have a need to be grateful. When human beings decline to show proper
gratitude towards God, a spiritual change takes place, first in our thinking
and then in our hearts. If that change in thinking is left unchecked, the
absence of thankfulness will eventually lead to a downward moral and spiritual
spiral (Romans 1:21-32). The immorality that results from a lack of gratitude
will inevitably end in our own spiritual and moral ruin.
As we celebrate the one and only day our culture sets aside
for thankfulness and enter the season of greed and covetousness that Christmas
has become, we should endeavor to remember that Thanksgiving is more than a day
of feasting and football. It is also more than a fun family day before the
frenzied shopping season.
Spiritually speaking, acknowledgement of God’s goodness,
thankfulness and gratitude are a kind of preventative medicine. Thankfulness is
also the only fitting response to the goodness, mercy and provision of our great
God.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Enter his gates
with thanksgiving and his courts
with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name~ Psalm 100:4