There has been a lot said in recent years about thankfulness and gratitude. A glance around a bookstore and you’ll find thankfulness journals and books on the psychological value of gratitude.
But how should believers in Christ view thankfulness? Is it possible that we are called to a much higher level of this attitude?
Welcome to Soul Survival. One of my goals here is to show how practical the Bible really is, what I like to call “the Bible for real life.” In this newsletter space, I like to share a short devotional along with a round-up of recent posts.
Over the last couple of weeks, my daily posts have covered thoughts and passages that I hope will help all of us see the current crisis from a biblical perspective and deal with the emotions we may be feeling. There have been other posts, as well, on subjects as varied as parenting, busyness, faith and the value of journaling. I hope you’ll check out a few. But now … thankfulness.
3 Levels of Thankfulness
Many years ago when I went through a discipleship course, one of the lessons covered the subject of thankfulness. The author made the statement that there are really three levels of thankfulness, especially as it relates to our attitude toward God.
Recently, I started reading Jerry Bridges’ book, Respectable Sins. In the lesson on unthankfulness, one of those often overlooked and so-called respectable sins, he drove home the same point.
The three levels of thankfulness are:
- We can be thankful because we have received a blessing of some kind.
- We can be thankful that after going through a trial, things turned out well.
- Or the highest level, we can be thankful in the midst of a test or trial.
Thankfulness for Blessings
In his book, Jerry Bridges shares the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17. If you know the story, all ten were healed but only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank the Lord.
Sadly, that’s the state of much of our world today. People seem to take the blessings of God for granted. He points out that unthankfulness and ungodliness (a lack of understanding that we do everything in the presence of God) are the starting point for the downward spiral of sin in Romans 1.
Even as believers, we need to guard against this attitude. Ephesians 5 says:
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we’re filled with the Spirit of God it should naturally lead to songs of praise and thankfulness for everything in our lives, beginning with our salvation.
Thankfulness After the Trial
Most of us have at least a testimony or two about answers to prayer or situations where God saw us through a difficult time. We may not have been happy as we went through it but were thankful afterward for the healing, the finances, the job or some other answer to prayer.
And this is a good thing. We should be thankful, not just for the answer itself, but for what God did in our hearts during the test or trial.
Thankfulness In the Midst
But as followers of Christ, we are called to a much higher level of thankfulness. 1 Thessalonians 5 says:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (ESV).
As Jerry Bridges points out, that means we are to be thankful in all circumstances, not just the ones about which we feel thankful. He goes on to say, we can only do this by understanding two promises found in Romans 8. The first is in verses 28-29:
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Those of us who have been saved by God’s grace can know that God is using everything, every circumstance, every difficulty, in our lives for good. And the good is found in verse 29, to help us become progressively more like Christ.
And even when we see our unbelieving loved ones go through difficult times, we can trust God and pray that they will see their need for Him and turn to Him in faith and repentance.
The second promise is in verses 38-39:
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We can rejoice and be thankful in the most difficult of circumstances because we know that we are enveloped in God’s love. And nothing, not even the trial we are in, can take that from us.
So, let’s pray and ask God to help us walk that kind of thankfulness.
In Him,
Donna
Now here’s what’s been happening on the blog.
Last Week’s Most Read Post:
“More Deadly than COVID-19”
Could prosperity and comfort have infected us with a disease more deadly than COVID-19? Has it robbed us of our thirst for God and replaced it with a taste for the things of this world? Has it deadened us to the realization that we are desperate for God? If so, what has allowed it to take hold and what can stop its progression?
Other Frequently Read Posts over the Last Couple of Weeks:
“A Plan for Tough Times”
With social distancing, like many, my husband and I have been forced to use Zoom and FaceTime to meet with family, friends, and others. This past week, Zoom began requiring passwords for all meetings because people have been “zoom bombing,” entering meetings uninvited and displaying sexually explicit images or being generally disruptive. How sad that people would spend their time planning to do evil. But, what if we could make another kind of plan, a plan to do right, an “obedience plan.”
What might it involve? And could it actually help us grow and change and steady us in tough times?
“Medical, Political & Spiritual Pockets of Resistance”
While we are all caught up in a huge battle against an enemy that can only be seen in a lab, God willing, doctors and scientists will continue to have more and more success fighting it in the near future. But chances are there will be pockets of resistance in the battle against this coronavirus. Some will be medical and others political. There will be lessons that we should learn that we might be tempted to forget once the heat of the battle is over.
We can have pockets of resistance in our spiritual lives, too, areas where we have failed to let go of “old man” habits. And like the Israelites we’ll read about today, those things will be thorns in our sides and hindrances to our walks with God.
Trusting God with an Enemy We Can’t See”
David and others in the Bible understood their need to trust in God and not their own abilities or anything else. What about you? Are you trusting God with the things going on in your life? What about with the COVID-19 crisis, where is your trust? Is it in the government, in medical intervention, or in your own efforts to keep yourself safe? Or are you ultimately trusting in God and God alone?
“4 Keys to Waiting on the Lord”
How well do you handle “waiting on the Lord”? Do you have an “I’m waiting … I’m waiting …” while you drum your fingers on the table attitude? Or do you ever find yourself thinking, “I’ve prayed, but nothing seems to be happening!” Why does God allow us to wait, anyway? Can “waiting on the Lord” be a good thing? Can we learn to trust Him … really trust Him as a result? And if so, how?
“Trusting God amid the Coronavirus”
Trusting God in an uncertain world … Is it even possible? Jesus warned there would be a time when wars, earthquakes, famines, and other disasters would be more and more common. We can add to that list of uncertainties concerns over the coronavirus, now termed a pandemic, and the financial and social upheavals accompanying it. So, how can we stay faithful and continue trusting God in a changing, uncertain world?
“Anxiety & The Size of Our God”
No matter what the battle or who the enemy is, we are not to look at the size of the enemy, but at the size of our God! So, if you’re struggling with anxiety about everything going on, how can you respond biblically and refocus on the bigness of God?
“The Point of Decision”
Things happen in life. Sometimes we’re sinned against. Someone hurts us. A friend betrays us. Other times, it’s a temptation. Someone or something looks good to us. We think we’re not getting something we need … or want. Like Eve, we see something that’s desirable. We may even believe God is withholding something good from us. How will we respond? There’s a point of decision.
And Our Last Newsletter in Case You Missed It:
COVID-19: Pray, Share & Encourage | Soul Survival Newsletter
The COVID-19 virus continues to spread and its effects are being felt by many … probably all of us in various degrees. While the hardships many are encountering are challenging and we’re dealing with our concerns for family and loved ones, let’s not forget this is an opportunity to share our faith and point others to the only real source of peace in a broken world.
If you missed them, I hope you’ll check out a couple. And you can sign up here for my daily email. As a thank you, I’ll send you a free eJournal each month in 2020.
Blessings,
Donna
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