Ephesians 5:20 Give Thanks Always

Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn’t make it. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, “John, quickly say a prayer!” John answered, “I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life.” “But you must!” implored his companion. “The bull is catching up to us.” ”All right,” panted John, “I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: ‘O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.’” In our reading from Ephesians Paul talks about always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. It’s this theme of thankfulness that I want to focus on. Why is developing an attitude of continual thankfulness so important for us as Christians and how do we develop this attitude, and what are the blocks that prevent us from being thankful?

Blocks to Thankfulness

To be thankful in all circumstances, we need a proper perspective of our circumstances and of our God. Only then we will be able to give thanks to the Lord always.

There are at least three attitudes that steal away our gratitude. Three things that keep us from being thankful.

1) One is our pride. This is the attitude that says, “Nobody ever gave me anything, I worked hard for everything I have”. For years you studied hard and now it is finally paying off. With this kind of attitude, we feel that we have no one to thank but ourselves, we fail to recognise what God has done for us.
2) Another attitude that keeps us from being thankful is a critical spirit or constant complaining. Instead of being grateful, this person will always find something to complain about.
3) A third attitude that keeps us from being grateful is carelessness, we take for granted what we have, and what God has given us. During the Exodus, the Israelites grumbled because they had no food so God miraculously sent manna to cover the ground each day except the Sabbath day. Then they started to grumble because it was the same thing every day. They had a miracle - straight from God every day but were no longer satisfied.If we allow pride, carelessness or a critical spirit to rule in our hearts, then we will never be truly thankful for all that God has given us.

Why is a thankful attitude so important?

In his letters Paul often speaks about the importance of giving thanks. In 1 Thes. 5:16-18 he writes, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” As Christians we are meant to be people who are full of joy and hope, people whose gratitude to God should be self evident. If we adopt an attitude of thanksgiving it transforms our lives. Recently, in my own prayer time in church during the week, I’ve started this time by spending time worshipping God in prayer and in song. And I have found that this has transformed my prayer time with God. If I feel anxious about a situation, by spending time worshipping and praising God I find helps lift my spirit, because it focuses my attention away from my worries, onto God, where the fear and doubt is replaced by a sense of joy and renewed hope.God wants our thanksgiving. It lifts Him up and it glorifies Him, and it draws us closer. If we are not grateful, if we do not express our thanksgiving, then it can have the opposite affect. In Rom. 1:21 Paul says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” This passage seems to imply that people who are ungrateful to God will soon fall away - their hearts will become hardened.

Developing a Thankful Heart

So how do we develop a thankful heart? Firstly we need to recognise what God has already done for us.Look at Ephesians chapter 1. Here Paul highlights just a few of the things that God has done for us. 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy andblameless in his sight. 1:5 We have been adopted into his family. 1:6 God’s grace has been freely given to us 1:7 In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. 1:11 We did not choose God, but he chose us. And in Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul reminds us that it is “by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” When we fully appreciate what God has done for us, and what he continues to do for us, our attitude becomes one of thanksgiving. There are so many things we can give thanks to God for. The Blessings of Life. As we reflect on our own lives, we realise just what blessings we have received. I came across a quote the other day which says, humans are slower to recognise blessings than evils. And this is often true, if we actually sit down and consider the blessings that we have, we come to realise just how much we need to be thankful for. When the Israelites focused on what they didn’t have, they failed to see ALL that they DID have. The Burdens of Life In 1 Thessaloninans 5:18 Paul writes, Give thanks in ALL circumstances.” And Eph. 5:20 says, “always giving thanks.” So we are to give thanks not only in the good times, but also when life is difficult and hard. What does Paul mean by this? Does this mean that we should praise God when our marriages fail, we loose our jobs, or when someone we love suffers terribly? Is this how we are to understand Paul’s words? The answer is no. Paul isn’t saying that we have to be thankful for our problems but rather - in them.” And being thankful; in them allows God to use them for His greater good. Paul himself is an example of how we should live. The letter to the Ephesians which is full of praise and thanksgiving, was written by Paul whilst in prison. In his own life Paul had been beaten, whipped, imprisoned, betrayed by friends, naked, cold, hungry shipwrecked, and stoned because of his faith. Yet, Paul never stopped giving thanks.Paul said several things that really show he had the proper perspective of the burdens of life…”I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us…” Rm 8:18 “That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong…” 2 Cor 12:10 “Now I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel…” Phil 1:12When we like Paul have the proper perspective we to can give thanks in all circumstances. Last year inIndonesia three Sunday School teachers were jailed for three years, for allowing Muslim children to attend a holiday club that they had run. Last week there was an article about these women in the Church of England Newspaper, which said that the atmosphere in the prison where these three women are being held has improved greatly since their arrival. One visitor to the prison said “The women exude so much joy.” Ratna, one of the women imprisoned talks about how much encouragement her father has been to her. She said, “His message to me was that this is the greatest thing God is doing in my life and he said ‘don’t expect to get out of the prison too soon: finish what the Lord assigned you to do. Keep on preaching the Gospel… It is an honour to suffer for Christ. And God never makes mistakes in our life – never.” In our weakness God can make us strong. When we are struggling God is able to work in our lives. He helps us through times that we could have never faced on our own, and he can use us when these difficult times come along to draw others to himself by our example, such as he is doing with these three Christian ladies in Indonesia.

Our Thanksgiving is Expected

Paul says we are to “give thanks in all circumstances because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This is God’s will for us. And he knows, if we will do it, that our lives will be changed.Henry Frost served for many years as a missionary toChina. In his journal he wrote of a very difficult time in his life. He says, I had received sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed BUT the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, BUT the darkness only deepened. Then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: Try Thanksgiving. I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return.