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By Steve Abramowicz [The Mill Creek View Tennessee Podcast] –
The man was the Apostle Paul. A man who had learned the meaning of true thanksgiving amid great adversity.
When he’d been locked in Rome, Paul wrote, Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ( Ephesians 519- 20, NIV). Always giving thanks for everything regardless of the circumstances.
Thanksgiving for the Apostle Paul wasn’t a formerly-a-year festivity, but a daily reality that changed his life and made him a joyous person in every situation.
Thanksgiving to God for all His blessings should be one of the most distinctive marks of the religionist in Jesus Christ. We mustn’t allow a spirit of thanklessness to harden our hearts and chill our relationship with God and with others.
Thanksgiving paying of thanks to God for all His blessings should be one of the most distinctive marks of the religionist in Jesus Christ. Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, displeased people quicker than an ungrateful heart. And nothing will do further to restore pleasure and the joy of our deliverance than a true spirit of thankfulness.
In the ancient world, leprosy was a terrible complaint. It hopelessly disfigured those who had it, and it permanently cut them off from normal society. Without exception, every pariah sustained for one thing; To be healed.
One day 10 rejects approached Jesus outside a village, loudly contending with Him to heal them. In an instant, he restored them all to perfect health, but only one came back and thanked Him. All the rest left without a word of thanks, their minds preoccupied only with themselves, gripped with a spirit of ingratitude.
Today, too, thanklessness and ungratefulness are far too common. Children forget to thank their parents for all that they do. Common courtesy is scorned. We take for granted the ways that others help us. Above all, we fail to thank God for His blessings.
Ingratitude is a sin, just as surely as lying, stealing, immorality, or any other sin condemned by the Bible.
One of the vocabulary complaints against rebellious humanity is that although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him( Romans 121, NIV).
An ungrateful heart is a heart that’s cold toward God and indifferent to His mercy and love. It’s a heart that has forgotten how dependent we are on God for everything.
From one end of the Bible to the other, we’re commanded to be thankful. Appreciativeness is the natural outflowing of a heart that is tuned to God.
The psalmist declared, Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving( Psalm 1477, NIV). Paul wrote, Be thankful( Colossians 315, NIV). A spirit of thanksgiving is always the mark of a joyous Christian. Why should we be thankful? Because God has blessed us, and we should be thankful for each blessing.
One Response
Well said. Thankfulness is a key that unlocks the door to victory and blessings and keeps the door open. Thank you Steve for reminding us and thank the Lord.