Category: thankfulness

“Give Thanks To The Lord”

Thursday’s Column

Smiling middle-aged man with purple shirt and tie on with evergreens as a backdrop
Neal Pollard

I wonder if Kathy felt like she was living with Briscoe Darling and the boys (imagine them if they were talkative) through the years they were growing up. She is refined and genteel, words that are not usually connected to our three sons and me. One thing she impressed upon us was the importance of timely, thoughtful thank you notes. Gratitude, though it can be expressed with very little time and expense, is telling. It acknowledges the kindness and generosity of the giver. 

One of the elements of worship, generally, and prayer, specifically, is thanksgiving. Our songs call for it: “Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart,” they express it: “Thank You, Lord,” “For All That You’ve Done,” “How Great Thou Art,” “10,000 Reasons,” and “He Has Made Me Glad.” Though that songwriter, Leona Von Brethorst, apparently wrote the song from Psalm 100, she includes a line from Psalm 118:24: “This is the day that the Lord has made.” 

Five times in Psalm 118, the psalmist says “give thanks” (1,19,21,28,29). He urges others to do so, but also expresses his resolve to do the same. Why?

GIVE THANKS FOR HIS GOODNESS (1-4)

“Good” is a general word that takes in pleasantness, desirability, and beauty. The good quality specified here is His everlasting mercy (lovingkindness). The writer moves from the broad to the specific–Israel, house of Aaron, those who fear the Lord. Everyone is the object of God’s lovingkindness. The righteous freely express their thanks for it.

GIVE THANKS FOR HIS DELIVERANCE (5-13)

There is a sudden, dramatic shift in tone in verse five. From an upbeat, positive tone, he turns to thoughts of trouble and difficulty. Distress, hatred, being surrounded, and violence threatened him, but God was there for him as protection and help. This kept him from fearfulness. It gave him refuge. 

It is an amazing thing to think of all the ways and times God has been with me, but those are just the instances I’m aware of. How many trials has God spared me from, disasters has He caused me to avoid, and troubles has He averted for me that I won’t know about on this earth? Just what I do know humbles me, and it should fill my heart with gratitude. 

GIVE THANKS FOR HIS GREATNESS (14-17)

The writer turns to the Giver. He is strong, a Savior, valiant, and exalted. Summarizing God’s qualities, the writer says, “I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of the Lord” (17). Awareness of who God is for me, physically, materially, and spiritually, will drive me to grateful thanks.

GIVE THANKS FOR HIS DISCIPLINE (18)

Though it is almost a parenthetical phrase in the middle of this song of thanksgiving, it is important and an additional reason for gratitude. He writes, “The Lord has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death.” Who is brave enough to say that with the psalmist? He implies gratitude for God’s severe discipline. Hebrews 12:7-10 tells us that God disciplines those He loves and calls His children. It is for our good and allows us to share His holiness. Can I thank Him for the trials and challenges that refine me and grow my dependence on Him? Or do I just plaintively ask, “Why?”

GIVE THANKS FOR HIS PROVISION (19-29)

He uses the imagery of a city here–gates, stones, and chief corner stone. Then, he ends with a temple analogy, with the house of the Lord, festival sacrifice, and the horns of the altar. Saved inside God’s walls of protection, we are free to offer worship which He accepts. We marvel, we rejoice, we are glad, we prosper, and we extol. He has given us light. The primary thrust is not material, but spiritual. However prosperous or impoverished you are, financially, however strong or weak you are, emotionally, we have the greatest provision of all in Christ. Eternal salvation, the hope of heaven, fellowship with God and the saved, the church, strength to endure, the list is endless. 

Today, as you go through the day, why not stop and spend time in prayer to God thanking Him categorically: physical blessings, relationship blessings, emotional blessings, national blessings, and spiritual blessings. No doubt, there are things in your life right now that are dissatisfying and disappointing. You may be struggling mightily. Perhaps those are ways God is disciplining you in His love. Whatever is happening in your life, choose to give thanks and know God is trustworthy! It’s more than polite. It’s righteous!

Are You Grateful?

Neal Pollard

Jesus asked a lone, appreciative soul, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine–where are they? Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17-18). They were terrified (13), terminal (12), transformed (14), but they were not thankful. They were saved, but to what end? They were selfish and not spiritual. God made them whole, and what did they do? They blended into the world when they should have blessed The Word.

Ingratitude increasingly characterizes man’s interaction with man–the etiquette of thank you cards is rarer, the feelings of loyalty and appreciation for the American military and first responders is waning, and many have forgiven themselves of the debt owed to generations past whose sacrifice has led us to national plenty. This is not all-inclusive and at times there are spikes of improvement and pleasant, positive change toward greater thankfulness.

Yet, since the time when Christ’s sandals kicked up dust in Palestine, people have failed to show gratitude to Him. that the ingratitude comes from those whom He saved from the devil’s disease and death is remarkable! Yet, we all struggle with that sin.

New Testament writers point out how grave an error ingratitude is. Paul warned about the “ungrateful” (2 Tim. 3:2) who would ultimately make no spiritual progress. God rejects as foolish and futile those who “glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful” (Rom. 1:21). Someone may ask, “Why make such a big deal about something so seemingly minor?”

Is it minor? If we’re not thankful to God, one or more things have occurred. (1) We are convinced there is no eternity and it’s all about here and now. (2) We have forgotten how it felt to be forgiven. (3) We believe that everything is about us and nothing is about anyone else, let alone God. (4) We have come to believe that sin is just no big deal. (5) We think we owe everything we have and are to no one but ourselves. No doubt, more answers could be postulated, but here is the bottom line. A failure to thank God for His abundant blessings makes one in more dire condition than any leper ever was. We may not be losing our extremities, our hair may not be turning bleach white, we may not have painful sores, and we may not be social outcasts. But, here is what has happened. Our heart is cold, our soul is endangered, we’re in denial, and we’re blinded to the realest of realities.

Won’t you say with David, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations” (Ps. 100:4-5)? Stop and think how much you owe to God. Translate that gratitude into godly servitude. Give Him your best. Give Him yourself. Give Him your thanks. 

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Assorted Blessings

Neal Pollard

Running water. Electricity. A stove. A microwave. Family. Sanity. Health. Domestic tranquility. Health care. Dexterity. Opposable thumbs. Involuntary muscle movement. Singing. Friends. Children. Parents. Nature. Mountains. Breezes. Fireplaces. Automobiles. Law enforcement. Aspirin. Hot water. Showers. Eyesight. Clotting. Emotions. Dogs. Sunsets. Siblings. The ocean. Companionship. Passion. Nerve endings. Shelter. Rocking chairs. Reading. Running. Refrigerators. Board games. Evangelism. The church. Firefighters. Pockets. Paved highways. Ozone. Cotton. Kindness. Shoes. Trees. Songbirds. Smiles. Waves. Shoes. The wisdom of the aged. Elders. Dentists. Coffee. Babies. Modesty. Make up. Music. Lights. Stars. Comfortable chairs. Eyeglasses. Leftovers. Devotionals. Airplanes. Sunrise. FedEx. Interstates. Telephones. Fresh, hot, and homemade bread. GPS. Front porch swings. Memories. Fertile fields. Prayer. Reading comprehension. Hearing. Smelling. Touching. Tasting. Harmony. Trust. Forgiveness. Wedding cake. Teachers. A spirit of cooperation. Sunglasses. Charity. Soap. Good neighbors. Fresh fruit. Beds. Fireflies. Encouragement. Imagination. The Lord’s church. Coffee. Thread. Belts. Livestock. Peace and quiet. Laughter. Pain. Flowers. Hikes. Language. Swallowing. Breathing. Teeth. The Bible. Maps. Love. Blankets. Wildlife. Humor. Curtains. Bedspreads. Snow. Sunshine. Rain. Clouds. Hope. Canned goods. Grandparents. Fellowship. Heaven. Providence. The cross.

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17)

sun-flowers

THE BEAUTIFUL QUALITY OF THANKFULNESS

Neal Pollard

Her name was Mrs. Broadhead. She was a resident in a west Alabama nursing home. She was known for saying one thing with great frequency: “We have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we?” Emaciated, confined to a wheel chair, with a speech impediment due to a stroke, and filled with aches and pains, that phrase was still her life’s motto.

Wedding and baby showers, small gifts or tokens of appreciation, compliments, words of encouragement, acknowledgements, visits, deeds of kindness, and the like are golden opportunities to express it. yet, far too many have failed to learn the beautiful grace of gratitude. It is wondered if Jesus used the parable of ten lepers to illustrate not just the importance of thankfulness but to give an approximate percentage of those who fail to show it. Remember that when the lone man returned to give thanks to Jesus, He obersved, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17).

While showing gratitude to God and to fellow men is growing more rare, it is certainly a Christian characteristic! Paul says, “Be thankful” (Col. 3:15). In prior generations, great emphasis was placed on instilling manners and courtesy within our children. One show of etiquette was to never let a gift or kindness go without a card, call, or word of thanks. It is extreme self-absorption to fail to acknowledge the sentiment of others! Failing to show gratitude is like telling others we’re spoiled or feel entitled.

Christians, above all others, have so much to be thankful for. The remarkable command from Paul is “in everything give thanks” (1 Th. 5:18). Thankfulness for toothaches, flat tires, bills, taxes, and death? Perhaps Pollyanna was a good teacher. She played “the glad game.” Whenever she had to endure bad, she chose to find something to be glad about. Can’t we do that? Christians are to be found “overflowing with gratitude” (Col. 2:7).

God rejects those who aren’t thankful (Rom. 1:21). It is an ugly trait to be ungrateful. It’s synonymous with inconsideration. Paul says esteem others better than self (Phil. 2:4).  Never fail to return a favor, gift, or thoughtful act with a simple “Thank you.” It is your obligation. It will become your joy!