5 For what we have received we give you thanks Thanksgiving

The Oxford Dictionary defines thanksgiving as “the expression of gratitude, especially to God.” Yet I find myself like Veruca Salt, a character from Charlie and the chocolate factory, who, after receiving the golden ticket her father sought everywhere for, glances at it for a second, smiles, and then says, “Daddy, I want another pony.”

Romans 1:18-24, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

This is explaining that men are condemned because of their sin of ingratitude. Adam and Eve believed the lie that the fruit of a tree would bring them more joy & satisfaction than God did; they were ungrateful primarily for God, and secondly for all the good gifts that He provided - they could eat from any other tree in the garden of Eden. This passage tells us that God has made Himself known not only in the Bible, but but “in the things that have been made.” Psalm 19:1 says that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” However, rather than glorify God and thank Him, we make the created things our gods - people, relationships, food, sex, possessions and money; these are all gifts from the one true God, good gifts to be used in the right context.

These good gifts, the countless blessings that God gives to all, can be called ‘common grace.’ The purpose of common grace is that it would point to God and that He would be glorified. Wayne Grudem explains that “the doctrine of common grace should stir our hearts to much greater thankfulness to God.” And John Piper describes one gift that we have, food, saying, “Food was not created merely to keep us alive or give us pleasure. Food was created in order that God might be thanked.” In response to everything that we have, even the oxygen in our lungs, we should thank God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 instructs, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Furthermore, thanking God, as all prayer does, increases our joy. Receiving every good thing from God, whilst not acknowledging its source, will rob us of our joy. How? Because this ingratitude is sin which will lead to further sin, such as - idolatry, for the good thing becomes a god-thing - coveting, I want the stuff that I don't have because I believe it will satisfy me - jealousy, why do they have that? I should have it - pride, look how great I am because of all these gifts that I possess - selfishness, for the gift is mine and nobody else deserves its benefits

However, seeing every good thing as a gift from God and thanking him for it will increase your joy and provide the full value of the gift, because your pleasure doesn't terminate on the gift, but “rolls into praise of the God who gave us those things” -Matt Chandler. A cat sees how his owner feeds him and

washes him and looks after him and says, ‘I must be god,’ whilst a dog sees how he is utterly dependant on his owner and says, ‘you must be god.’ We are so abundantly blessed in order that God will be glorified, for He glorifies himself by working for our good. So thanksgiving takes your focus off of the things and onto Jesus, and so your hope is not in something fallible and unsatisfying.

As well as this, thanksgiving is part of your sanctification. Colossians 2:6-7 makes this clear, saying, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving results in - humility, because I am so little and helpless and everything I have comes from God - petition, because in seeing that God is a generous father, I have confidence to ask him - generosity, I want to give because I have been given to - patience, I have enough because I have Jesus, I have so many blessings on top of that, and He

who knows best always supplies my needs

Luke 17:11-19 “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

In the Bible we often wrongly look at stories and make ourselves the ‘hero,’ so here I match myself with the one grateful leper. The reality is that I fall into the same category as every sinner on the planet; I have a leprous heart and ‘fall short of the glory of God,’ because I do not give Him due thanks. But there is good news about Jesus, the true hero. For He is the one that heals. He has forgiven our sins completely, and continues to work to remove the presence of sin in our lives. God gives grace to us so that we are able to give thanks for the grace that we have received. The Samaritan didn't turn back and express his gratitude to Jesus because he was a good person, but because Jesus had changed him, He gave him the ability to say thanks and gave him another reason to say thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”