A guide to thankfulness 2: what should we be thankful for?
As part of Brickhill's Thanksgiving Weekend, I was asked to prepare some materials to help people spend time giving thanks to God. This is the second part.1. God Himself
- Gifts should make us thank the Giver, not worship the gift!
- “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:10-11)
2. Our salvation
- “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57), “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Colossians 1:12).
3. Everything!
- “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
- We don’t thank God for bad things, but we thank Him that He can work for our good in all things (Romans 8:28).
4. God’s provision
- “He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). This includes all our abilities, opportunities, lessons, experiences, etc.
- Jesus gave thanks for food: Matthew 14:19, Mark 8:6, Matthew 26:26, Luke 24:30.
5. Answered prayers
- “I… give thanks to Your name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness… On the day I called, You answered me” (Psalms 138:2-3).
- We can also give thanks for God not always answering our prayers as we had initially hoped he would!
6. Other people
- Paul starts so many of his letters with thankfulness for those he is writing to: Romans 1:8, 1 Corinthians 1:4, Ephesians 1:15-16, Philippians 1:3-5, Colossians 1:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Timothy 1:3, Philemon 4.
Part 1: Why should we be thankful?
Part 3: How can we express our thankfulness?