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Dr. Ronald Powell
This Week's Message
Thanksgiving - A Reminder to Be Grateful
I have a daughter, three granddaughters and a grandson, all of whom are very cute. They are loved by many people, which means they regularly receive gifts from their admirers -- clothes, toys, candy, and so on. Over the years, we've developed a little family ritual whenever they receive these kinds of gifts.
It starts with me thinking: Please say "thank you." Please say "thank you!" Please say thank you!!"
Most of the time, my grandchildren do remember to say thanks.
If they forget, however, I try to give them a little nudge by saying, "What do you say?" Usually this gets them over the hump, and they respond with a deflated sounding, "Thank you." They're kind of dejected when they say it, though, because they know they forgot something they were supposed to do. There are sometimes when even my, "What do you say?" fails to bump them into the proper mood of gratitude.
Then I have to fully intervene with,
"Please say thank you to ______." This usually makes the kids feel like they've been scolded, which usually makes them put their heads down and say, "Thank you _____." Whenever this happens, most of the magic of receiving a gift gets lost in the abyss of proper etiquette, which is a shame.
I think most parents can relate to this little dance of thanksgiving.
But, more than that, I think most of us can relate simply as people. All of us have moments in life when we find it difficult to be thankful, even when we should -- or moments when the pressure to appear grateful chafes away much of our joy.
With that in mind, I'd like to highlight two important passages from the Bible that can help us maintain a lifestyle of thankfulness without making us feel like children.
The Source of Our Gifts
There are many verses in the Bible that elevate the value of giving thanks. For example, check out Colossians 3:17 and Philippians 4:6 if you have the time. More importantly, the Bible commands us to approach life with an attitude of thankfulness:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Here's the problem:
A divine command to be thankful may motivate us to demonstrate thanksgiving in our lives, but we won't be happy about it. When we obey commands, we often feel scolded and a bit grumpy, just like my Grand kids feel when I have to remind them to say, "Thank you."
So how do we cheerfully cultivate gratefulness in our lives? For me, the key lies in these words from the apostle James:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
James 1:17-18
According to these verses,
God is the source of every good thing in the world. To make it personal, He is the source of every good thing in my life. Every one. All of the elements I appreciate and enjoy in life can be traced back to God because they ultimately came from God.
The same is true for us.
When we understand this concept, we dramatically increase the potential for gratitude and thankfulness in our lives. That's because every time we experience something good -- every time we enjoy ourselves all the way from a new chocolate treat to a new house -- we have a chance to make the connection between those good things and God.
In addition, consciously making a link between God and the good things in life transforms the way we think of Him. If we're honest, it's hard not to think of God as the divine Being who denies us many good things in life. There are so many things we wish we had, and it's very easy for us to blame God when we feel like we've got the short end of the stick.
What we don't realize -- and what we need to focus on -- is that God has given us every good thing in this life. More importantly, He has gifted us with a new birth and access to salvation. James talked about our "birth through the word of truth." Even when we feel short-changed in this world, we can remember that God has given us the free gift of salvation and eternal life in the world to come.
No Guilt Necessary
I especially love this principle because it means I don't have to feel guilty for the good moments in life -- especially the little things. When I have a meal that I especially enjoy, I don't have to feel guilty about all of the people in the world who struggle to find food. When I sit down with a good book, I don't have to wonder if I should be spending that time praying instead.
I can enjoy the positive moments in life because I understand they are gifts from my Father, and that He means for me to enjoy them. Now, does that mean I shouldn't care about the people around the world who are in need? Absolutely not.
Instead, when I view the good things in life as gifts from God, it frees me up to give to others. It helps me understand that I don't have to hoard my resources or begrudge those who are in need, because the good things come from God. I don't have to find them myself, which makes me more willing to share.
In other words, viewing the good portions of my life as gifts from God allows me to live in a constant attitude of thankfulness. And living in an attitude of thankfulness makes me available for God to use as a way to give good gifts to others.
Thankful in Good and Bad
Let me conclude with a note of clarification:
I am not saying that our gratitude toward God should be contingent on the good things He's given us. In other words, we shouldn't withhold thankfulness in our hearts because we don't feel like God has given us what we desire or what we need.
Instead, we need to recognize that even our very lives are gifts from God. Each breath is an act of mercy given freely from His hand.
Imagine if your home were to catch on fire, and you were smothered by the fumes. You were knocked unconscious and unable to save yourself from imminent death. If someone ran into your house and pulled you out -- risking their life in the process -- how would you feel about that person? Would you begrudge the fact that he didn't save your stamp collection or give you cash to replace your favorite outfit? No! You would be overwhelmed with gratitude because he saved your life. Nothing else would matter.
That's a picture of our relationship with God. He has given us every good thing in our lives, and He has offered us a free chance to escape eternal punishment and enjoy eternal life in His presence.
Job (from the Book of Job in the Old Testament) understood this kind of thankfulness. He knew that God was the driving force behind his entire life. That's why he was able to say these words when his world collapsed around him:
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised."
Job 1:20-21
Being thankful isn't a once-in-a-while act.
Gratitude isn't something we cough up every now and then when something especially good comes our way.
Instead, the key to giving thanks is to recognize that God is the source of every good thing in our lives -- and even our very lives themselves. He has given everything to us. When we remember those truths, we can live in a constant state of thankfulness to Him.
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