God Loves Thanks
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15)
One last big idea about thanksgiving before thanksgiving weekend is over. From God’s point of view, thanksgiving isn’t just a good thing for us to do as we grow up in Jesus. It’s not just one more rule for Christians to follow or another way to measure our spiritual maturity.
For God, our giving thanks to Him is a goal, a destination, part of the reason He engineers the circumstances of our lives in the way He does. He cares so much about hearing “thank you” from His people that He arranges our daily lives to provoke it.
In this passage, Paul has described the terrible circumstances of his life and the great goodness of God and how God has worked through all of that to bring His grace to more people — so that thanksgiving will “overflow to the glory of God.” Put another way, when you tell God “thank you,” you are accomplishing His will for your life and His universe.
Think: Does knowing how deeply God cares about hearing “thank you” from His people motivate you to say “thank you” more often? Why or why not?
Pray: Tell God thanks for giving you His grace through Jesus. Ask Him to help you to do His will by saying thanks to Him more and more.
Do: Add 10 final items to your long list of thanks from the last week or so. Read through the list and hold it on to it to remind yourself how good God has been to you when you’re having trouble feeling that.
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Potty Mouth Replacement
“But among you there must not be . . . obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:3,4)
For a lot of us, this is an awkward little verse. In some school hallways and PG-13 comedies, you might have a hard time finding anything but obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking. Why would Paul make such a big deal about it?
Read theses verses in the context of Ephesians 5 — and they still say the same thing — but you get a better sense for why it matters. Christians should notice a transformation going on in our lives, a change that we’re told over and over to keep participating in. And along the way, we should be dumping any use of vulgar, crude sexual talk or language (even if it’s really funny).
What should we talk about instead? Paul mentions thanksgiving. It’s the perfect replacement for anyone trying to clean up their words. When you begin to spout something that qualifies as obscene, foolish, or coarse, choose to say something thankful, instead.
Think: Do you ever feel convicted that you need to change the words that come out of your mouth? Does it bother you when you catch yourself saying things you don’t think are worthwhile?
Pray: Ask God to convict you when your words are worthless in this way. Ask Him to remind you to say thankful things instead.
Do: Look at the words obscene, foolish, and coarse on an online dictionary. And add another 10 things to your thanks list.
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Thanks = Belief
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21)
You can’t think straight about the universe if you don’t acknowledge the God of the universe. According to Paul in Romans 1, even self-describe atheists and agnostics “know God” on some level — but they make a point not to give Him credit for anything.
That thanklessness is evidence that their thinking is skewed. Paul is saying that anyone who doesn’t worship and thank God obviously doesn’t get it. He’s got a God-sized whole in his picture of the way life works. He believes that good things come from his own effort or fate or “other gods.”
Even for Christians, thanklessness is evidence of lack of trust in God. We’re demonstrating a kind of “practical atheism.” We know we believe, but we’re not convinced enough to give Him credit for the good things He’s done for us. To tell Him “thanks” is a way of exercising our faith.
Think: Have you ever thought of not saying thanks to God as a sign that you’re not trusting Him? Can even forced thanks be a choice of real faith?
Pray: Ask God to help you to show your faith in Him by telling Him thanks.
Do: Thanksgiving Day has passed, but keep that thanks list going with another 10 things you’re thankful for.
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Thanks That I Am Awesome!
“The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ ” (Luke 18:11-12)
If you look up “missing the point” on Wikipedia, you’ll see a picture of the Pharisee in this verse. Okay, not really. But this guy must have broken some kind of “missing the point” record.
What he forgot — what I forget — is that telling God “thank you” is an act of humility. What I’m really saying is: “You did this!” Why would I tell God thank you for something I did. That’s like telling God: “The world is a better place because I’m in it. Nice call!”
Sometimes we don’t say thanks to God because we don’t feel very grateful. Sometimes we don’t say it because we think we’re the ones making ourselves good and giving ourselves good gifts. Why would we thank God for what we’re doing? That would be missing the point.
Think: Is there anything good in you or in your life that is not from God? It’s a harder question than you might think.
Pray: Thank God that every good thing about you and in your life is from Him. Ask Him to help you not to forget that.
Do: Add another 10 things you’re thankful for to your ever-growing lists. Is it getting any harder not to repeat?
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Thanks from the Fish
“But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.” (Jonah 2:9)
You’d never guess that the verse that follows this one contains the word “vomited.” Remember Jonah? God told him to go east. Jonah didn’t like the gig and tried to go west. God sent a storm and a big fish to do a little catch-and-release with His prophet.
In the belly of the beast, Jonah repented. And as often happens with repentance, he was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. He looked forward to singing thanksgiving songs while keeping his promises to God.
Notice: This desire for thanksgiving came before God freed Jonah from the fish. Jonah’s impulse to thank God wasn’t just because he was having a better day. It was because He was back in close fellowship with God.
Think: Have you noticed that giving thanks to God comes more easily when you’re close to Him? Do you need to repent and turn away from any sin in your life today so you can rediscover a thankful heart?
Pray: Ask God to help you to listen when he convicts you of sin, of going the wrong way on the path He’s marked our for you. Then ask Him for courage to turn around and tell Him thanks.
Do: Add another 10 things you’re thankful for to the list you started earlier this week without repeating anything from the first few days.
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Rebellious Thanks
“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10)
Remember the story of Daniel and the lion’s den? The bad guys hated Daniel and got the king to make a law that nobody was allowed to pray to any god but the king for a month. They knew stubborn, faithful Daniel would break it and get thrown to the lions.
Daniel rebelled. He didn’t flinch. He broke the law with his window wide open. He had always prayed on his knees three times a day, “giving thanks to God,” and no threat of becoming lion kibble was going to stop him.
I wish we had the same kind of commitment to saying thanks to God. Maybe if it was against the law, we’d do it more often just to make a point. As it is, we’re going to have to work on making it a habit just because we’re grateful for all God has done for us.
Think: Do you think you would pray more or less often if it was against the law? What would it take for you to make a habit of intentionally giving thanks to God three times a day?
Pray: Ask God to help you to be as fierce and faithful to Him as Daniel. Thank Him that He as the power to save us from whatever hungry lions might threaten us this week.
Do: Add 10 more things you’re thankful for to that list. If you’ve been following along, that should bring you up to 40. (Still avoiding repeats?)
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Push Your Play Button
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” (Psalm 28:7)
Our culture is music-crazy. Almost everyone you know has some kind of personal mp3 player or other device crammed with all the artists and songs they love most. We carry our music around with us ready to pull it out and hit play any time we have a few moments of quiet to fill.
I think King David would have loved the iPod. He just could not get enough music in his life. For him, music was a way of expressing the deepest emotions and the biggest truths. And what he felt most deeply about was his God.
If you love music and you can honestly say that you trust God and He has helped you, why not tell Him thanks with music? Find a way to join the song of thanksgiving the week.
Think: What is the value of telling God thanks in song? Is it any better or worse than just saying or writing thanks with words?
Pray: Ask God for opportunities — and the desire — to tell Him thanks in song this week (even if you’re a lousy singer).
Do: Add another 10 things you’re thankful for to your list from the last two days. No repeats!
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Your Thanksgiving Billboard
“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” (1 Chronicles 16:8-9)
First Chronicles 16 describes a kind of a national thanksgiving day in Israel. David had just brought the ark of the covenant — which contained the very presence of God on earth — home to Jerusalem. It was a huge celebration.
On that same day, David delivered a new psalm of thanks to the priests to use in directing the worship of God. It kicks off with the two verses above, and it gives us a clue about why we give thanks to God.
For one, public thanksgiving is a personal billboard to point out to everyone how great our God is. It’s a chance for us to make His name even more famous. Two, it’s how we rehearse all the amazing things He has done for us.
Think: Do you see part of your “job” as a Christian to make God known in the world for His goodness, power, and love? Why or why not?
Pray: Ask God to help you to be effective as building His good reputation and remembering His good deeds to you.
Do: Still got your list from yesterday? Add another 10 things you’re thankful to God for — but don’t repeat anything from yesterday. It’s okay to get really specific.
PlanetWisdom Student Conference
Thanksgiving Week
“When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 22:29)
I’ve always liked Thanksgiving, but I haven’t always enjoyed giving thanks. I love colder whether, football, leaves, turkey, family, pumpkin pie, sweaters. (No, this isn’t a person ad.) I dig the day.
But the act of giving thanks doesn’t come naturally all the time. We’re going to spend this last week before T-Day looking at why the giving of thanks to God is a such a big deal to Him. Why does He care that we feel and give gratitude?
Notice, first, that God built a whole special offering for giving thanks to Himself right into the Law in Leviticus. It was a sacrifice, and it could be done in the right or the wrong way.
To give away gratitude is still a sacrifice; we have to do the work to get our minds in the right place. We have to change our perspective.
Think: Do you think there’s a wrong way to say thank you to God (or anyone else)? Do you think there’s a wrong attitude from which to say thank you?
Pray: Ask God to help you to want to be a grateful person. Ask Him to help you to be willing to do the work of giving thanks.
Do: Start a list today and plan to keep it around all the way through Thanksgiving Day. Write on it 10 specific things you’re thankful to God for today.