God takes thankfulness seriously, but do we?
I must say I take for granted so many blessings in my life - things that people in other countries long for.
But Jesus valued thankfulness greatly. In Luke 17, Jesus healed 10 lepers but only one came back to thank him and give him praise. He asked where were the other nine, noting it was a foreigner - not a Jew - who returned and gave God glory.
As well, the apostle Paul said we should give thanks in all circumstances for that is God's will for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). And in Ephesians 5:20, he said we should always give thanks to God for everything.
Let's think of that for a moment. We are called to always thank God for everything and in every circumstance - good or bad.
Charles Spurgeon, a great Baptist preacher in the 1800s, said many people "receive many blessings without making a note of them or even seeming to know that they have them".
He noted such people benefit from good health and other good things in life. "And they live as if these things were so commonplace that they were not worth thanking God for."
How can we learn to thank God always for all things?
John Flavel, a Puritan writer in the 1600s, gives us a clue in a little gem about thankfulness which was reprinted recently in a book titled Thankfulness (Free Grace Broadcaster 190).
First, he says we should pay attention to the mercies or good things we receive. So we should keep our eyes open to what God is giving us and doing in our lives - even in our normal routines. We must make a conscious effort to take note of these things.
Second, we must not only see the mercies but think about them - what they are and how we received them. This is an act of reflection, of our minds.
Third, we must value these mercies. We must not be like the wandering Israelites in the wilderness who complained about the manna God gave them. (Numbers 11)
Fourth, we should record these mercies. "Forgotten mercies bear no fruit," says Flavel. "A bad memory in this case makes a barren heart and life."
It is easy to forget, he admits. But he notes the ancient Jews wrote about God's doings, recalled them in special feasts, and in other ways.
For us, we can jot these mercies down in a journal, or make a special point of recalling them frequently so that they settle down solidly in our memories.
Fifth, Flavel says "the thankful person must be suitably affected with the mercies he receives".
"Mercies are not mercies, deliverances are not deliverances to us, if we that receive them are not glad of them."
In other words, we are to meditate upon the goodness of God to the point where we rejoice in the Lord.
Finally, we are to respond to God's goodness and mercies by loving others as he loves us.
We benefit from thanking God, too.
A thankful heart is a joyful heart.
I must say I take for granted so many blessings in my life - things that people in other countries long for.
But Jesus valued thankfulness greatly. In Luke 17, Jesus healed 10 lepers but only one came back to thank him and give him praise. He asked where were the other nine, noting it was a foreigner - not a Jew - who returned and gave God glory.
As well, the apostle Paul said we should give thanks in all circumstances for that is God's will for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). And in Ephesians 5:20, he said we should always give thanks to God for everything.
Let's think of that for a moment. We are called to always thank God for everything and in every circumstance - good or bad.
Charles Spurgeon, a great Baptist preacher in the 1800s, said many people "receive many blessings without making a note of them or even seeming to know that they have them".
He noted such people benefit from good health and other good things in life. "And they live as if these things were so commonplace that they were not worth thanking God for."
How can we learn to thank God always for all things?
John Flavel, a Puritan writer in the 1600s, gives us a clue in a little gem about thankfulness which was reprinted recently in a book titled Thankfulness (Free Grace Broadcaster 190).
First, he says we should pay attention to the mercies or good things we receive. So we should keep our eyes open to what God is giving us and doing in our lives - even in our normal routines. We must make a conscious effort to take note of these things.
Second, we must not only see the mercies but think about them - what they are and how we received them. This is an act of reflection, of our minds.
Third, we must value these mercies. We must not be like the wandering Israelites in the wilderness who complained about the manna God gave them. (Numbers 11)
Fourth, we should record these mercies. "Forgotten mercies bear no fruit," says Flavel. "A bad memory in this case makes a barren heart and life."
It is easy to forget, he admits. But he notes the ancient Jews wrote about God's doings, recalled them in special feasts, and in other ways.
For us, we can jot these mercies down in a journal, or make a special point of recalling them frequently so that they settle down solidly in our memories.
Fifth, Flavel says "the thankful person must be suitably affected with the mercies he receives".
"Mercies are not mercies, deliverances are not deliverances to us, if we that receive them are not glad of them."
In other words, we are to meditate upon the goodness of God to the point where we rejoice in the Lord.
Finally, we are to respond to God's goodness and mercies by loving others as he loves us.
We benefit from thanking God, too.
A thankful heart is a joyful heart.
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