I REMEMBER: A SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING

article by PAUL LIPE
opinion expressed is that of the writer

I REMEMBER how thankful I was when I graduated from seminary and was free of all debt except for that which I owed for the new which I had just purchased. The primary reason for my gratitude was that an education can be very expensive, and it is not unusual for a young person to be burdened with a very heavy debt by the time of his graduation. I was so fortunate to have finished four years of college study and three additional years at graduate school with no financial obligations hanging over me. I was able to manage this due to some scholarships, some assistance from the church and my family, but primarily through campus jobs and summer employment. And I was extremely grateful to God and to all those who had helped me meet my financial responsibilities.

I share this with you as an encouragement for us to consider how blessed we are and to develop in our hearts a spirit of thanksgiving. This, I believe, is very important, not only because this is the “Thanksgiving” season, but because a grateful heart is honoring to the Lord and good for our spiritual state. When we appreciate it when someone shows us a kindness, we are prompted to express our thanks for that thoughtfulness; it just feels “right,” and it feels good.

The One to whom we should offer our highest praise is God Himself, because as we are told in the Bible, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” (James 1:17) God IS so good!  But I fear that sometimes my thankfulness is too feeble compared to His gracious favor. And are there not occasions when His gifts, His blessings are not acknowledged by any expression of thanks from us?

Do you think it matters to God (and other benefactors) whether we express thanks, or not? In Luke 17 we are told about time when Jesus was travelling from Galilee to Jerusalem and was accosted by ten lepers who cried out, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” He told them to go to the priest who could declare them clean and readmit them to regular society. As they went, they were healed, and one of them returned to Jesus, praising God and thanking the Lord. Then the Lord asked him, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” Our gratitude does matter to God, and our expressions of thanksgiving are beneficial to our spiritual well-being.

When we consider how God has blessed us, our minds probably turn to the physical. These things – food, clothing, health, jobs, family, and the like – are important and we should thank Him for His generous supply in this area. He should also be thanked for the spiritual blessings that come from His love. At the top of this list would be the Gift of His Son Who sacrificed Himself to atone for our sins and to gain us admission into His heaven. The Bible gives us some hints relative to what heaven is like, but actually, we can only imagine what God is preparing for all who love and trust His. But we can be confident that heaven will be awesome and something for which we can thank Him in advance.

Even when we go through times of difficulty and testing, as many of us are currently doing, we still have cause for thanksgiving. All that we are given due to the love of the Lord, can make our momentary trials easier to bear. So this is what I am going to try: the next time I am tempted to complain about the cost of filling my truck’s gas tank with fuel, or when I am frustrated with how badly my football is performing, or when drivers all around me are doing their utmost to aggravate me with their driving performance … I think you get the picture … I am going to do my best to focus on some of God’s undeserved goodness to this sinner, trusting that those memories will produce better behavior in me!

So, happy Thanksgiving, and may part of your joy be the product of a grateful spirit which prompts expressions of “thanks” to the Lord and to other benefactors.