Be Ye Thankful

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15 KJV).

Thanksgiving is always in season for all men. However, for the believer in Jesus Christ – the person who is saved by the grace of God, and heirs of eternal life, our hearts should be filled with thanksgiving to our God continually. We ought to constantly give thanks to Him, in all things and for all things. The apostle Paul states in Eph. 5:20, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (KJV).

“Be ye thankful” for God’s electing love - “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you…God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). Election is cause for thanksgiving.

“Be ye thankful” for redemption by the precious blood of Christ - “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Our redemption is to be a matter of great, unceasing thanksgiving because it is special, particular and distinguishing (Rev. 5:9-10).

“Be ye thankful” for pardon and forgiveness of sins - “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). To be redeemed is to be forgiven. God, through the blood of Christ, freely, completely, constantly and eternally forgives all the sins of all who trust his dear Son.

“Be ye thankful” for God’s adopting grace - “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). Because we have received the Spirit of adoption, we can now “cry, Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:14).

“Be ye thankful” for the victory that is ours through grace - “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor.15:57). In Christ we shall triumph over all our enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil.

Paul admonishes us to be thankful because thanksgiving is the will of God, because thanksgiving is the secret to living in peace in this world, and because thanksgiving is an act of faith that is most honoring to God. The natural man may express thanksgiving for what he has in his hand; but the believer is thankful for what he has in his heart and what he has in Christ, even if he has nothing in his hand. For all the blessings of grace freely bestowed upon us in Christ we should always be thankful to God.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Thanksgiving is the vibration of the soul’s heart-strings under the soft touch of God’s benevolence!”

Word Study

"Giving thanks"

In Colossians 1:12 we read, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (NASB).

Giving thanks is the Greek word eucharisteo (ευχαριστεω). It is made up of two words: “eu” which means good, well, and “charizomai” from charis (grace) which means grant out of kindness. The word means thankful, grateful, well-pleasing. It carries the idea of obligation of being thankful to someone for a favor done.

In New Testament usage, eucharisteo means to show oneself as grateful to God. Grateful is related to the Old English ‘grace-ful’ and thus means to be thankful for grace. Giving thanks was also an important component of Greco-Roman society. It had a common meaning in diplomatic documents and was found on ancient inscriptions.

It should also be noted that eucharisteo is in the present tense which means that giving thanks should be continual. It is to be practiced as a lifestyle, habitually, at all times, in all situations. However, such a steadfast attitude of gratitude is only possible when the believer is filled (controlled) and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Only by being Spirit filled can we be “giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father” (Eph. 5:20).

Bible Facts

Thankful people make others thankful (2 Cor. 4:15). True thanksgiving is not just something heart-felt and lip-served, but reflected in the way we live. Just as how envy, jealousy, and pride spread contagiously, so too does good attitudes like thankfulness.

Bible Trivia

How did Paul say we should let our requests be made known to God?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Which Old Testament writer tell us that the sun traveled backwards? Isaiah (Isa. 38:8).

That’s in the Bible

“Make your hair stand on end”

“Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up” (Job 4:15 KJV).

In this passage, Job’s friend Eliphaz is counseling Job that suffering came because of sin. He tries to bolster his argument by relating it to a vision. He recounts how a spirit had appeared to him and spoke to him. However, Job was not impressed with his friend’s wisdom or visions. Eliphaz said, “The hair of my flesh stood up;” in other words, he was terrified. Yet, God’s spirit does not terrify believers. So what Eliphaz saw was undoubtedly not a manifestation from God. The Christian world today has many people seeing so-called “visions” and hearing voices. But, to hear God’s voice, one simply has to read His Word. There will be no question as to whose voice we will be hearing.

Did You Know – Christian History

Caspar Olevianus was born August 10, 1536, in Trier (Treves), Germany. He was an early German theologian and reformer. Olevianus introduced the Calvinist Reformation into parts of Germany and was one of the founders of the German Reformed Church. Olevianus published a commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, as well as several works on the Covenant of Grace.

A Little Humor

Little Johnny and his family were having dinner at his Grandmother’s house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate he started eating right away. “Johnny, wait until we say our prayer,” his mother scolded. “I don’t have to,” the boy replied. “Of course, you do,” his mother insisted. “We always say a prayer before eating at our house.” “That’s at our house,” Johnny explained. “But his is Grandma’s house, and she knows how to cook.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“God’s giving deserves our thanksgiving!”