Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

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Thanksgiving is, of course, the day that we set aside in our culture to be thankful. I think it’s odd that we often have to remind ourselves to be thankful. It ought to come very natural to us, right? We all know it feels good to be thanked for the good things we do. We all know that the people around us serve us in many ways throughout our lives. So we ought to naturally respond with thankfulness when we receive good things.

But that doesn’t always happen. We often feel entitled. Like children, we often take it for granted that people will serve us. For several years, we need to remind our children to say please and thank you. But even having that embedded into us since childhood, we still often forget to be thankful as adults.

I think the reason is often because we’ve missed what thankfulness is really all about. It’s not ultimately about the words we say, but about the feelings we feel. The thankful words we ought to be saying are only a reflection of the thankful feelings we ought to be feeling. So while it’s polite to say “thank you,” there’s really a deeper level of thankfulness that we need to address. You see, there’s a specific kind of thankfulness that honors God.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

There are at least 3 things we can learn about being thankful from this verse.

1. We’re to be thankful in everything we do and say.
2. Our thankfulness should ultimately be given to God.
3. All thankfulness should be given through our Lord Jesus Christ.

First, we’re to be thankful in everything we do and say. This is sometimes very hard to do. How can we be thankful when the circumstances of life seem so mundane? How can we be thankful when people in the past have hurt us? How can we be thankful when we raise our kids one way and they go another? How can we be thankful when things don’t go our way?

But notice how the text places the emphasis on ourselves: “in whatever you do.” We can’t control the circumstances around us. But we can control how we respond to those circumstances. One of Amber’s favorite phrases now is, “You’re making me angry!” I’ve used it as a teaching moment and let her know that I can’t make her angry. She chose to be angry. She ought instead turn her attitude to gratitude.

Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:24b). Thankfulness is a heart thing. If you find yourself being bitter because of the past or even current circumstances, set your own heart to be thankful. Be thankful for your family’s dirty laundry because it’s a reminder that God’s blessed you with a beautiful family to care for. Be thankful that you owe taxes because they’re a reminder that God’s given you what you need to live on. Be thankful for the illness you have because God may be using it to draw you closer to Him and to help you make healthier life choices. Pray for God to give you a thankful heart, and then set your heart to be thankful.

Second, our thankfulness should ultimately be given to God. No matter what happens in your life, thank God for it (1 Thessalonians 5:18a). Even when life doesn’t go your way, you can thank God for life itself. Thank God even for trials, knowing that they’re changing you for the better (James 1:3-4).

We should also be thankful for each other. I’m so thankful for all of you. You all know I’m not the perfect pastor. But you all do an excellent job of treating me like I am. I’m aware of some of my shortcomings, and I’m working on them. I’m certainly not a great pastor, but I hope to be a good pastor. But you all make me feel so loved, so appreciated, and I’m thankful for all of you.

We ought to be thankful for one another, and express our appreciation for each other. It’s easier to serve the church wholeheartedly when we feel appreciated by the church. We desire to become a better Christians when we feel loved.

Think about a new romance. The guy and the girl both like each other, they both know it, and it makes them want to give their very best. I love the line in the movie As Good as It Gets: “You make me want to be a better man.” We ought to express our thankfulness to our church family because it will encourage them in their walk with God.

But ultimately, our thankfulness for each other ought to be expressed as thankfulness to God. When you thank someone for their goodness to you, it ought not stop there. It ought to cause you to praise God for His goodness to you! Recognize that any good that you receive from others is ultimately from God (James 1:17a). God deserves all praise!

Third, all thankfulness should be given through our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t let this point go in one ear and out the other. This point is crucial if we’re going to express true, deep, Christian thankfulness. It points out how even our act of showing thankfulness depends upon the work of Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, he made it possible for us to have thankful hearts. Without Christ, we have no reason from our perspective to thank God or anyone for anything. Without Christ, our thankfulness, even to God, isn’t accepted by God. Our greatest acts of righteousness are filthy rags. Even good things we do, if not done through faith in Jesus, do not please God.

But through Jesus’s death on the cross, God offers us grace. When we trust in Christ, God changes our hearts. And with changed hearts, and through Jesus, we are to express our thankfulness back to God both in word and in deed.