This post is an excerpt from Lifeway Women’s new Bible study, Grateful: Giving Thanks to God in All Things.
When my younger cousin, Grace, was around four years old, she and her family were saying their goodbyes to the rest of the extended family after finishing Thanksgiving dinner. One of the familial hosts wanted them to take home leftovers, so she asked if she could pack up some green beans, sweet potatoes, and an array of other vegetables and sides for them.
“I’ll take that turkey,” my cousin responded without missing a beat. (You need to understand that during the family dinner, everyone had eaten one turkey. So what my cousin was requesting to take home was not exactly “leftovers” but rather a second uneaten, whole turkey.) Graciously, the host gave it to her. So little Grace walked out the door with a whole turkey in a bowl bigger than she was.
When my family retells this story, we laugh at the forthrightness of my cousin’s request that resulted in such a bountiful gift. But as my cousin (who is now in her twenties) and I were recently recounting this story, she said she’s also so thankful for the family member who was willing to give her such a generous gift despite her childish request. Although she enjoyed the temporary gift of the turkey, looking back now, she is much more grateful for the gracious giver’s presence in her life.
Gratitude needs to be an everyday part of the Christian life, and intentionally worshiping God with thanksgiving in our hearts and remembering the blessings He has given us helps us develop an attitude of thankfulness.
Often in prayer, we use this direct communication with God to simply check off all our requests—good health, guidance, forgiveness, and so forth—without remembering to thank the Giver for His presence in our lives and the blessings He gives us. Scripture clearly tells us it is good for us to present our requests to God, but we are to do so with thanksgiving. (See Phil. 4:6; Col. 1:3.) Praying and worshiping with thanksgiving protects our hearts from developing a demanding and grumbling spirit.
God doesn’t always answer our requests in the ways we desire, but when we communicate with a thankful heart, He will give us peace that passes all understanding to humbly accept His will. Philippians is considered one of the prison epistles, traditionally dated as written during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment. Paul also wrote Colossians during this time.
In Colossians 3, Paul told the Colossians to put to death the sinful characteristics of the old man—sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and so forth. He also told them to put off things like malice, anger, slander, and lying. Then in verses 12-17, he instructed the believers to “put on” virtues indicative of Christian living—such as compassion, kindness, and humility.
In order to show compassion, we must see others, recognize they are hurting, and desire to help them. Similar to how these virtues are exhibited through interaction with others, Paul encouraged the Colossians to be thankful together.
In verses 16-17, Paul instructed them to give thanks as they taught and encouraged one another through singing to God. This passage helps us see that a grateful heart and the act of thanksgiving undergird our worship. He understood that thankful hearts are those that are ready and able to fully rejoice in the peace of Christ and praise of God.
The theme of thankfulness runs throughout the letter to the Colossians. Despite his clearly difficult circumstances of imprisonment, Paul began the letter with gratitude.
Before he instructed the readers of this letter to practice gratitude in 3:12-17, Paul showed what a thankful heart looks like. Sometimes it feels difficult to rejoice and be grateful in our everyday walk with Christ when life’s current circumstances feel unbearable. Just because Paul said he was grateful and joyful doesn’t mean he was simply putting on a happy exterior that somehow allowed him to ignore all human feelings of suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, Paul didn’t shy away from listing several horrible things he endured—beatings, a multitude of dangers, hunger, and coldness, just to name a few. On top of the physical hardship he endured, he said he faced “daily pressure” with his concern for all the churches (v. 28, emphasis added). Yet throughout his epistles, Paul always expressed an attitude of thankfulness and exhorted his readers to do the same.
Paul believed the trio of faith, hope, and love was eternally united, and this message shows up again and again in his teaching. (See Rom. 5:1-5; Gal. 5:5-6; 1 Thess. 1:3; 5:8.) Paul was thankful for the Colossians’ faith in Christ and love for all the saints—both known because of their hope in eternity. As this triad figured prominently in Paul’s view of good Christian character and conduct, he was thankful the believers understood the value of these great Christian virtues as well.
No one in this broken world is spared from suffering and trials, but as believers, we can worship God with thanksgiving because of the foundational hope we have of an eternity free from sin and heartache (Rev. 21:4). Being grateful doesn’t mean forgoing lament. Being grateful means upholding a humble consciousness of the relational faith, eternally significant hope, and unifying love we find through God’s presence every day.
To learn more about fostering a heart of gratitude, check out Lifeway Women’s new Bible study, Grateful. This 4-session study will help you develop a thankful heart that can be cultivated into a continual harvest of gratitude, regardless of the circumstances.
Each week you’ll look at a profile of someone in the Bible with a grateful heart, find teaching from Scripture on gratefulness, focus on a psalm of thanksgiving, and be encouraged to practice gratitude. When you’re able to see the biblical basis of living with a grateful heart, you will be more motivated to thank God in all things.
ABOUT ERIN FRANKLIN
Erin Franklin is a marketing specialist on the Lifeway Women team. A graduate of Lipscomb University and a lifelong Tennessean, she enjoys a good ping-pong match, photography, and learning new things. She has written for several Lifeway Women Bible studies, including: The Wonder of Advent, Our Hope Has Come, Devoted, and Grateful. You can connect with her on Instagram: @erin_franklin.
