Given that ‘Thanksgiving Day’ is fast upon us I thought it would be useful if I shared some brief thoughts on the Scriptural teaching of giving thanks. In examining the Bible’s teaching on the subject, three important points immediately come to mind.
I must admit that the first thought I had when hearing the crunch of my rear bumper was not ‘Thank you God’.
First, the giving of thanks is a command, and not simply a suggestion. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, the apostle Paul writes this; ‘in everything give thanks’. This particular exhortation takes the form of a command, a command with no qualifiers or exceptions. The command does not say ‘in everything give thanks, unless…’ Or, ‘in everything give thanks, but only if…’ No, the command simply says ‘in everything give thanks’. In other words, we are to give thanks in all circumstances. We are to give thanks in the good times and the bad. We are to give thanks when we feel like it and when we don’t feel like it. We are to give thanks in everything. This past week, I had someone hit my car as I was backing out of the parking lot at my son’s school. I must admit that the first thought I had when hearing the crunch of my rear bumper was not ‘Thank you God’. However, upon further examination, I realized that even in that situation, I should have expressed thanksgiving. I should have been thankful that I wasn’t hurt. I should have been thankful that I had car insurance. I should have been thankful that I owned a car in the first place. In other words, in spite of the ‘frustration’ and ‘inconvenience’ of having a car accident, there was much to be thankful for. Unfortunately, we don’t always see it that way. But, as Paul commands ‘in everything give thanks’.
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