Attitude of Gratitude
Introduction
Jean Smith told me her story. She was in her mid-sixties. She came from Cwmbran in Wales. She had been blind for sixteen years. She had a white stick, and a guide dog named Tina. An infection had eaten away at the retinas and mirrors behind her eyes – they could not be replaced. She was in constant pain.
Jean went on a local Alpha course. They had a day away to focus on the work of the Holy Spirit. During this time, the pain left. She went to church the following Sunday to thank God. The minister anointed her with oil. As she wiped the oil away she could see the communion table. God had miraculously healed Jean.
She had not seen her husband for sixteen years. She was surprised at how white his beard was! Jean had never even seen her daughter-in-law before. Her six-and-a-half-year-old grandson used to guide her around the puddles to avoid her getting her feet wet.
He said to her, ‘Who done that Gran?’
She replied, ‘Jesus made me better.’
‘I hope you said thank you, Gran.’
‘I will never stop saying thank you,’ she answered.
Yesterday we read Paul’s encouragement: ‘In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (Philippians 4:6). Today we see him putting his own instructions into practice. Like Jean, Paul was also constantly giving thanks to God. He had an attitude of gratitude.
Praise is giving glory to God for who he is. Thanksgiving is giving glory to God for what he has done for us. It is the lens through which to view our entire life. Ultimately, as we see in today’s passages, the world can be divided into two categories: those who acknowledge God and give thanks to him, and those who don’t.
How do you cultivate an attitude of gratitude?
Psalm 116:12-19
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
Commentary
Publicly offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving
It is not enough to thank God in the privacy of your own home. There is something significant about coming together and publicly thanking God ‘in the presence of all his people’ (v.14). The psalmist asks the rhetorical question, ‘What can I give back to God for the blessings he’s poured out on me?’ (v.12, MSG).
God has been so good to him. He is thankful that his future is secure, that ‘when they arrive at the gates of death God welcomes those who love him’ (v.15, MSG). He gives thanks for what God has done in the past, declaring that ‘you have freed me from my chains!’ (v.16).
Sometimes thanksgiving is easy. At other times, it is more of a sacrifice (v.17). St John of Avila (1500–1569) wrote, ‘One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclination.’
The psalmist says, ‘I’m ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of God. I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do, and I’ll do it in company with his people, in the place of worship, in God’s house, in Jerusalem, God’s city, Hallelujah!’ (vv.17–19, MSG). ‘Hallelujah’ is one of the few Hebrew words to have entered the English language – it is a call to praise the Lord.
He remembers his anguish (vv.1–4). He remembers God’s mercy (vv.5–11) and now he ends with great gratitude (vv.12–19).
Prayer
Colossians 1:1-23
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people — 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world —just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation — 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Commentary
Continually give thanks to God
Most people, even today in secular societies, would recognise that Jesus was a great historical figure. They might rank him alongside Moses, Buddha, Socrates and other great religious leaders.
But is Jesus the unique and universal Saviour of the world? This was an issue in the first century just as much as it is now in the twenty-first century. For those in Colossi some cosmic forces were being put on an equal footing with Jesus.
In this letter, Paul, with great humility and gentleness, declares that Jesus is the unique and universal Saviour of the world. It is the God and ‘Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (v.3) who is the one who is worthy of all our worship, praise and thanksgiving.
As he prays for the Colossians, he gives thanks to God for their faith and love springing from the hope that is stored up for them in heaven (v.5).
He prays that they may, in turn, be thankful to God. He summarises the ways in which he prays for their faith to develop – asking for ‘spiritual wisdom and understanding’, fruitfulness and ‘knowledge of God’, ‘endurance and patience’. The list builds to a crescendo as each quality feeds into the next, ending on the note of ‘joyfully giving thanks to the Father’ (vv.9–12).
Paul is praying that they will give thanks to the Father for transferring them ‘from the dominion of darkness’ to the kingdom of light – for his redemption, the forgiveness of sins (vv.13–14): ‘God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating’ (vv.13–14, MSG).
The one you are to thank is ‘the image of the invisible God’ (v.15) – ‘We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen’ (v.15, MSG). Jesus is the one by whom all things were created. Everything was created by Jesus and for Jesus. It all ‘started in him and finds its purpose in him’ (v.16, MSG). Jesus is the head of the church (v.18). All the fullness of God dwells in him (v.19).
Jesus has made peace with God ‘through his blood, shed on the cross’ (v.20). He has reconciled you to God (v.22a). You are now holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (v.22b).
This is the gospel for which we give thanks: Jesus ‘was supreme in the beginning and – leading the resurrection parade – he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone... Every creature under heaven gets this same Message’ (vv.17–23, MSG).
Prayer
Jeremiah 7:30-9:16
The Valley of Slaughter
30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. 32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 34 I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.
8 “‘At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. 2 They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground. 3 Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the Lord Almighty.’
Sin and Punishment
4 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?
When someone turns away, do they not return?
5 Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;
they refuse to return.
6 I have listened attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course
like a horse charging into battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the Lord.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
for we have the law of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed and trapped.
Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,
what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
when there is no peace.
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,
says the Lord.
13 “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them.’”
14 Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities
and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water to drink,
because we have sinned against him.
15 We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses
is heard from Dan;
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.
They have come to devour
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there.
17 “See, I will send venomous snakes among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,
and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.
18 You who are my Comforter in sorrow,
my heart is faint within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people
from a land far away:
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King no longer there?”
“Why have they aroused my anger with their images,
with their worthless foreign idols?”
20 “The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved.”
21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed;
I mourn, and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
for the wound of my people?
9 1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
for the slain of my people.
2 Oh, that I had in the desert
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,
a crowd of unfaithful people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;
it is not by truth
that they triumph in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;
do not trust anyone in your clan.
For every one of them is a deceiver,
and every friend a slanderer.
5 Friend deceives friend,
and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You live in the midst of deception;
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbours,
but in their hearts they set traps for them.
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah
so no one can live there.”
12 Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. 14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.”
Commentary
Beware of neglecting thanksgiving
Paul’s words in Romans 1 could be seen as a summary of this passage: ‘For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him’ (Romans 1:21).
In Jeremiah, we see God’s warning of his judgment on his people. They have done evil in the eyes of the Lord (Jeremiah 7:30). They ‘just keep on going – backward!... Not a single “I’m sorry” did I hear’ (8:5–6, MSG). ‘They have no shame... they don’t even know how to blush’ (v.12, MSG). ‘They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me’ (9:3). ‘In their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me’ (v.6).
‘Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbours, but in their hearts they set traps for them’ (v.8). At the root of all their sin was a failure to acknowledge God and give him thanks; they ‘refuse to know me’ (v.6, MSG).
God had given them so much, yet they failed to acknowledge him or thank him for it. Therefore, he says, ‘What I have given them will be taken away from them’ (8:13d). ‘I will take away their harvest… there will be no grapes on the vine… no figs on the tree’ (v.13).
This judgment is painful for Jeremiah: ‘Are there no healing ointments in Gilead? Isn’t there a doctor in the house? So why can’t something be done to heal and save my dear, dear people?’ (vv.21–22, MSG).
All our passages today call on us to give thanks and praise to God. One way we could respond is by drawing all our thoughts and prayers together in the words of one of the Anglican communion services:
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is indeed right,
it is our duty and our joy,
at all times and in all places
to give you thanks and praise
holy Father, heavenly King,
almighty and eternal God,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord…
Therefore with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we proclaim your great and glorious name,
forever praising you and saying:
Prayer
Pippa adds
Psalm 116:15
‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.’
With the horrific news of so many brutal killings happening. The knowledge that God knows and cares about each one of them is comforting.
Verse of the Day
Psalm 116:12
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
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References
Eucharistic Prayer A for use in Order One, Common Worship (Church House Publishing 2000, pp 184–5, © The Archbishops’ Council.
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.