Thanks Be To God

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all light, in Whom there can be no variation or shadow cast by His turning.”

James 1:17 (AMP)

Webster’s dictionary defines “thankfulness” as “being conscious of benefit received,” and as “being expressive of thanks.”

Most of us try to be conscious of the benefits we receive from others and express our appreciation for them. Most Christians also make it a point to thank God every day, realizing that ultimately everything we have comes from God.

James wants us to know that God is utterly dependable and trustworthy, not unpredictable like shifting shadows. In our world of uncertainty and danger, we can always count on God to be good, to love us unfailingly no matter what else happens, even when we are failing to live as we know we should.

There is no greater comfort than to know that God is faithful to us, even when we are not faithful to him. Like the father of the prodigal son, God never gives up on us, and always runs to meet us in joy when He sees us coming down the path toward home.

In fact, as Jesus said, He will never leave us or forsake us. God is right there beside us even when we’re at our worst. His patient love will simply never end, because in Christ He has taken us into himself. We are one with him, and because we are one with Him, we are one with each other. As Jesus said in John 14:19-20 (NIV UK), “Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

The apostle Paul encourages us to express our thanks for the good things we receive from God. He wrote in Ephesians 5:19-20 (NIV UK): “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In this spirit of thanksgiving, the Greek-speaking Christians called the Lord’s Supper eucharist, which means “thanksgiving.” Indeed, giving thanks is the keynote of our lives and the centre of all our worship. Is it any wonder that the Bible has more than 550 references to giving thanks?

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:15 (NKJ), “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your indescribable gift. Thank You for the grace we have received through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Amen

Study by Joseph Tkach