There is a hidden theme woven throughout the Bible that I’ve been noticing lately. Especially amongst the epistles the theme serves, not as a main point, but as an expected add on to everything that is said. The theme is this: thanksgiving. Notice the following passages:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:7
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2
It’s clearly expected here that, no matter the command being given, that believers are to obey with thanksgiving. It is to surround everything they do. Go everywhere they go. Including the good circumstances and the bad ones. Everything we do should carry this “aroma” of thanksgiving. Therefore I’ve come up with a phrase that I am going to call Thanksgiving:
The “Cologne of a Christian”
A professional French fragrance company deems cologne as: “a fragrance that brings freshness and purity. Passed through generations, [cologne] revitalises, restores energy and vitality, and makes purification a moment of pleasure and well-being.”
This definition goes beautifully with what I am trying to get at. Let’s break it down into 3 parts.
1. Thanksgiving “brings freshness and purity”
I believe it’s safe to say that many Christians today have allowed their Christianity to grow old and rotten. It no longer has the sweet savor to it or life bubbling from it. I also believe thanksgiving can be an answer to this. When one begins to be thankful for everything happening to them there is a sense of life that springs from that gratitude. One’s walk with Christ would become much more intimate if they only started to be more thankful for, first of all, their salvation and the price Jesus paid for it. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor 5:21. We must never stop being thankful for such a gift. Being thankful is sure to bring freshness to your walk of faith and add much to your purity of spirit.
2. Thanksgiving “revitalises, restores energy and vitality”
Are you weary, are you heavyhearted?
Tell it to Jesus,
Tell it to Jesus;
Are you grieving over joys departed?
Tell it to Jesus alone.
Many have become tired of running. Slowly draining their zeal for Christ through day after day of fighting against the cares of this world and the evil that constantly bombards us. The solution? Thanksgiving! Paul says:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
To restore that energy and revitalize your walk of faith you should “cast your cares” and Tell it to Jesus! But don’t forget to do so with thanksgiving. As you tell Jesus about your worry, doubt, cares, hardship, make sure to thank Him for all of it as well. Let me give you an example:
Back when I was in school I took this verse very literally. I had upcoming deadlines that I was stressing over and worried I wasn’t going to be able to pass. Then I prayed: “Father, I am stressed over my school and my upcoming deadlines. As I lay my cares on you I want to thank you for school, thank you for the funds needed to pay for it, thank you for my teachers, thank you for my classmates, thank you for my family that is so quick to help me, thank you for a brain that is able to go to school and learn and grow in these topics, thank you for a country that has made schooling so accessible. Now please take my care away so I can focus on working unto You and for Your glory. Amen”
To be honest before I even finished the prayer I wasn’t stressed anymore because I was so full of thankfulness and gratitude towards God for all of it! That gave me more energy for school and my walk with Christ.
3. Thanksgiving “makes purification a moment of pleasure and well-being.”
Think about how perfect this goes hand in hand with our walk of faith. See what Peter says: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” 1 Peter 1:7. Our purification is only accomplished through the “trial of [our] faith”. At times it seems too hard to bear. Too heavy to carry. But let’s apply the above description of cologne to it. Though trials are hard, burdens are heavy, and cares are much, if we would simply be thankful for everything that passes through our life it would make our purification “a moment of pleasure and well-being”. Thus Paul and Silas, in the midst of prison, sing praises and thanksgiving to God! Thus martyrs of the past, while tied to a stake awaiting their death by fire, sing praises and thanksgiving to God. Thus Chrisitians today in the underground church around the globe, though persecuted, thrown into prison, and killed daily, sing praises and thanksgiving to God! Therefore, rather than being gloomy and in despair these fellow Chrisitians are joyful and count their sufferings pleasurable. Oh that God would turn our attention toward Jesus so that we may be more thankful for everything in our life in the midst of every single circumstance.
Respond
- THANK God for sending His Son to die on the cross, bearing the wrath of God on our behalf, that we might be made righteous and justified in His sight. Now sit for a moment and thank Him for everything in your life until there is nothing left to say.
- Confess to God the times you have been thankless and unfocused on His continuous blessing and hand in your life.
- Ask God to give you a deeper passion and desire for Jesus. To the intent that you may be more thankful for Him and what He has done, is doing, and will do in your life.
- Share this post with someone else to exhort one another!