Monday, November 24, 2008

Giving Thanks Always, And For Everything

Preparing and preaching “Thankful Always and For Everything” from Ephesians 5:15-20 on Thanksgiving Sunday was very convicting and good for me.  I am thankful that the Word is so powerful and precise.  It is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV).

May it be more and more true of us at Rocky Bayou Baptist Church that we be people who are noticeably and radically thankful people— thankful “always and for everything to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).  How can we grow in such thanksgiving?  By being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).  As we submit ourselves to His control by drinking in the Spirit-authored Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:12-14), and asking the Father to fill us up with Him (Ephesians 3:14-20), and agreeing with the Holy Spirit’s purpose to glorify Christ in us (John 16:14), the outflow of our living will include “giving thanks always and for everything”.

For more on being thankful people, please read the article below, “When ‘Thank You’ Means ‘You Win, Lord’”, from Trevin Wax.  Thankfulness honors Christ!  Happy Thanksgiving Day to you!

When “Thank You” Means “You Win, Lord”
November 24, 2008

“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?”
- Jesus, to the Samaritan who returned to thank Him (Luke 17:17)

The account of such flagrant ungratefulness on behalf of nine lepers, healed graciously by Jesus, seems shocking to us today. How could only one of ten come back and say “Thank you?”

Yet, in Jesus’ day, the absence of vocal thanksgiving was not uncommon at all. In fact, thanking someone for hospitality or for an act of kindness could actually be considered an affront to the host!

If a person in Jesus’ day received a gift from his neighbor, he would not dare thank the neighbor verbally. Instead, he would begin thinking of how he could return the neighbor’s graciousness by doing something above and beyond that which had been done for him.

The culture of honor and shame created a climate leading each person to try to “outshine” the other in acts of generosity. Relegating gratitude to simply saying “thank you” essentially implied that one would not return the favor, thus ending the “give-and-take” relationship.

Understanding this ancient mentality opens up a deeper meaning to the Samaritan’s action of thanksgiving.

Instead of clinging to his cultural pride, the healed leper renounced the game of “outshining” the other’s honor and threw himself at Jesus’ feet in worship. He was announcing his utter weakness in trying to repay the Master for the gift of healing.

More than showing recognition for his healing, the Samaritan was recognizing that Jesus had “won” - the honor was His! It was pointless to try to return so great a favor, senseless to seek to uphold personal honor.

When we come before God with thanksgiving, we are doing much more than showing Him gratitude for certain gifts and blessings He has bestowed on us.

More importantly, we are renouncing the game of seeking our own honor, humbly acknowledging that God has given us more than we could ever repay! He is the only one worthy of praise and nothing we will do can ever compare with His amazing grace.

written by Trevin Wax © 2008 Kingdom People blog

1 comment:

  1. Dear Pastor Carey <><
    I am always so Thank-full when I listen to your preaching/teaching and I love your response to the Word of God and your example of obedience to the Lord and His Holy Spirit as He gives life to you and I am very Thank-full to HIM for your powerful message and I know that God's Word is not going to return to Him void and I benefit from your diligence and willingness to dig deep in His treasures and share it with me <><
    Happy Thanksgiving <><
    with love and joy and thankfulness
    in Jesus <>< HIS Anna :-)

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