Gratitude
Monday, November 4 Philippians 1:3-11
“I thank my Godevery time I remember you”
Paul begins his prayer of thanksgivingwith the comment that he prays for the Philippians “with joy.” His primary intention is to affirm hisaffection for the Philippians, but his greeting also announces a theme thatruns throughout the letter: the believer should be joyful. For Paul, joy is not the result of findinghimself in comfortable circumstances but of seeing the gospel make progressthough his circumstances and through the circumstances of the Philippians,whatever they might be. The two reasonshe gives for his joyful thanks show this clearly.
Paul’s first reason is that thePhilippians have entered into “partnership” with him in the work of the gospelfrom the time that he first preached it among them to the present. He is thankful for their practical assistanceof his efforts to proclaim the gospel, and for the consistency of theirsupport. Paul’s second reason for joyfulthankfulness to God is his confidence that God will complete the good work hehas begun in the Philippians. This workis the spiritual growth of the believers who are becoming more like Christ.
Thankyou, Lord, for faithful companions in my life of faith. Amen.
Tuesday, November 5 Ephesians 5:15-20
“Always give thanks”
Christianity is a religion of the HolySpirit. All we are and have is a resultof his work. The Spirit is not anoptional add-on, or a privilege of the super-religious. Rather, he is both the source and the proofof our salvation. To be in Christ and tobe in the Spirit are virtually the same. To ask us to be filled with the Spirit is to ask us to focus ourattention on Christ and his presence in us, to open ourselves to the continualtransforming work of the Spirit so that the presence of Christ empowers andshapes our lives.
Paul points out two results of theSpirit’s work in the life of a Christian: singing and thanksgiving. Singing expresses the inner joy livingaccording to the Spirit of Christ brings, and the giving of thanks recognizesthat we are not independent creatures but people who owe allegiance to God andhave been blessed by him. To do so “inthe name of Christ” affirms that everything we have from God has come to usthrough Jesus Christ. Thankful lives arelives that fully respond to God’s grace.
Thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,for every blessing in my life. Amen.
Wednesday, November 6 Luke 17:11-19
“He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him”
The reaction of the nine in not returningand thanking Jesus is an illustration of how often we take God’s graciousactions for granted. To avoid making thesame mistake as the nine, we need to make it our practice to thank God for hisgrace virtually every time we pray. Wedo this not merely as a religious habit but as a way of concretely expressingfrom the heart gratitude for the many gifts that come from him. When the blessings of life are seen as aresult of God’s grace, it makes us into gentler, more grateful people. Such an attitude prevents us from assessinglife in terms of what we think we deserve.
In coming back to thank Jesus, the oneshowed how he had personally accepted the blessing Jesus had given him. In return, Jesus gifted him even more – thedeclaration that faith had made him well, a wellness that went beyond hisphysical healing to the healing of his soul. Our most fundamental reason for being grateful to God is that he hassaved us through his Son, Jesus Christ, something we could never have done forourselves.
Every day I thankyou, Father, for your salvation. Amen.
Thursday, November 7 Colossians 1:3-8
“We give thanks to God for you”
Paul celebrateswho the Colossian Christians are becoming in Christ, and at the heart of hiscelebration is gratitude. In theordinary structure of a Greek letter it was customary to express a few words ofthanksgiving for the welfare of the recipients. Paul does more: he expresses heartfelt thanks focused on what he knowsis going on among the people he is addressing. Here is a description of who we are as Christians – at least, who weshould be.
First, Paulgives thanks for their faith in Christ Jesus. He celebrates that they have opened their hearts to the grace of Godwhich is offered them in his Son. Second, Paul is thankful for the Colossians because he has heard oftheir love for all the saints. The manypractical and often sacrificial ways they cared for others were a clear sign toPaul that they were following the teachings of Christ. Third, Paul celebrates the hope they hold onto, a hope that knows their ultimate destiny is with God in heaven. Because they know where they are going, theyare able to live for Christ in the present.
Thank you,Father, for the faith, hope and love that are ours in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Friday, November 8 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22
“In everything givethanks”
“Rejoice always– pray without ceasing – in everything give thanks.” The third command grows out of the firsttwo. Similarly, joy and unceasing prayerare only possible when one is practicing an attitude of gratitude. These Pauline commands are deeply rooted inhis understanding about God. Because hewas convinced that in any and all circumstances God was at work on behalf ofhis people (see Romans 8:28), he could therefore urge the Thessalonians to givethanks in all circumstances.
This is so evenif the circumstances involves the death of a believer because, even thoughdeath is an awful reality, it is not the last word or act (see Romans8:31-39). The last word or act belongsto God, and it is resurrection and life. Thus for Paul, joy, prayer and thanksgiving are all ways of worshippingor praising God for who he is and how he is always watching out for us. To rejoice, to pray with confidence, and togive thanks is to see the hand of God in whatever is happening and to remaincertain of God’s salvation.
Cultivate in me, Lord, an attitude ofgratitude as I remember all you do for me. Amen.
Saturday, November 9 Psalm 100:1-5
“Enter his gateswith thanksgiving”
The lesson of “The Old Hundredth” issimple yet deeply profound: God rules the world, and consequently we belong toGod. This message lies not only at theheart of the book of Psalms but also at the heart of Jesus’ preaching and ofthe whole of Scripture. In a quitedifferent context, the apostle Paul taught essentially the same lesson as thePsalm: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit withinyou, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; thereforeglorify God in your body (2 Corinthians 6:19-20).
We are not our own! This is a difficult lesson to hear and to getacross in a culture that encourages us to be self-made men and women. Most of us seem to believe the popularsaying, “It’s my life to live.” TheBible insists, however, that our lives are not simply our own to do with as weplease. Genuine life is found insubmission to God. In biblical terms, tolive is to be grateful to God, and to be grateful to God is to live.
Lovingand faithful Father, I am thankful that I belong to you. Amen.