We don’t give thanks for things we believe we have done
on our own. If we were not given any
help, than what are we to give thanks for, and to whom should we give
thanks? A pattern of thanklessness like
this is not a surface problem; it betrays a deeper issue – the problem of
pride. We are the source of our
strength. We are the beneficiaries of
our own cleverness and intelligence. We
have taken care of ourselves just fine.
But is pride a problem?
Can we be legitimately proud of ourselves without negative
consequences? Arrogance, as it turns
out, has deep and character-forming costs.
Arrogance is the stance that God is not necessary for the work of my
daily life. I may believe that God can
save the day when things get really complicated, and I probably get angry with
him when things don’t go my way, but outside of the extremes of life I have
things under control and don’t need God’s intervention. But a point of view like this one turns us
into people without faith, heart, and the intellect God wants for us.
Paul describes the corruption of a thankless life: “For
although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him,
but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were
darkened” (Romans 1:21). These same
thankless people are later described as becoming, “foolish, faithless, heartless,
ruthless” (Romans 1:31).
There are severe consequences to a person’s soul and
character if they are not able to genuinely thank God.
Thanking God for the simplest of things is a great place
to start. God, the Creator, put the sun,
moon, and stars into the sky. He created
a cycle of light, water, plant and animal life that makes life itself possible
for each of us. The very air we breathe
is a gift from the hand of a wondrous, powerful and loving God. We thank God for fresh air, for the warmth of
the sun, for a beating heart, and for an attentive mind. And when we do, we begin to notice how dependent
upon God we are for every moment of life.
Thanking God for the skills and talents he gave you is
another good place to begin. God warned
his people that when they entered the Promised Land and became prosperous they
would be tempted to think that they had “done all these things” (Deuteronomy
8). They would get past the difficulties
of creating arable farm land and the first years of vineyards and crops, and in
the shadow of their labors in the sun they would think that their hands had
given them everything they needed. But
who gave them hands? Who gave them the
knowledge they needed to tend to the land properly? Who removed the giants in the land? When we thank God for both our abilities and
the fruits of our labors, our attention moves from our hands and minds to the
God who formed them and filled them with His grace.
From thanking God for the things around and in us, we
will want to move to thanking God for Himself.
We will want to begin naming the character traits of God and thanking
Him for each and every one. He is my Provider. He is my Lord, Redeemer, Savior and
Friend. He is my Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is the Only Wise God. At each thunderous attribute, pause in
thanksgiving, allowing the Holy Spirit to fill you with Him, and to overflow in
the thanksgiving of praise.
A heart and mind filled with this kind of thanksgiving
simply does not have room for the squalor of arrogance. It is too busy being overwhelmed with the
greatness of their God.
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