… giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Summary: Giving thanks can be something we do to be polite, but with God, lip service doesn’t count. Thankfulness needs to come from the heart.
When do you give thanks to God? Is it often or just now and then?
Do you know what Paul means by giving thanks to the Father through Jesus?
Our relationship with God is very personal. Each of us experiences God in a unique way, just as we all experience people in different ways. This makes talking about our relationships with God challenging.
In my own journey, learning to trust that God is always with me has been a slow process. It can be hard to wrap our heads around the idea of the Creator of All Things taking time to take a personal interest in our lives.
On top of this, there is social pressure these days to reject the idea of God. People throw around technical words without understanding how science and the Bible complement each other. The world view that believing in God is old fashioned continually pressures us to conform.
Paul has been painting a picture of how he experiences God. It is very different from the world’s view of life.
Knowing that Christ rules in his heart, Paul feels the peace of Christ.
If the “message of Christ” dwells in anybody, it dwells in Paul! His letters bubble over with praise for God and information for the reader.
Paul wants us to live as he does, with Christ ruling in our hearts, peace blanketing our hearts, and the message of Christ constantly filling our thoughts.
Living this way, we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Everything. And having lived for Jesus and honored him in all we do or say, we give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.
Sound simple?
It is.
Thankfulness comes from a thankful heart. Thankful words often sound like psalms, hymns, and songs. Thankfulness is a state of mind.
We can’t fool God. If we are not thankful, no amount of saying “Thanks!” will impress God.
On the other hand, if we are truly thankful, God knows our hearts. We don’t always need words.
Application: Let’s count our blessings!
Food for Thought: Why does Paul want us to give thanks “through” Jesus? What does that mean?
Among many things, Christ is the living embodiment of God’s grace.
Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 12:44-50 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
Without Christ, and without the grace God has shown us through Christ, we would all be condemned for eternity. Through Christ we can be reconciled to the Father.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
I think also too, knowing Christ changes our heart, and enables us to thank God as it pleases God. To let go of ourselves and the world and truly offer God thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Hi Chris! Thank you!
I like the way you have framed this. Believing in Christ is believing in God the Father. (“I and the Father are one” — John 10:30)
Great words Chris!
Why does Paul want us to give thanks “through” Jesus? What does that mean?
We are all spiritual beings, creations of God, confined within physical bodies. We are experiencing life in this physical world, for a time predetermined by God who has instructed men to record His truths, which He has preserved for the benefit of all mankind.
Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
When God, speaking in the Bible says to give thanks in all things, He is directing His people, believers to acknowledge, live in His Sovereign will for each of us. We must walk in faith as we very often may not fully comprehend why. The strength to obey is not ours, but is Christ in us, and the reward for our trust is the peace we receive as we walk, live through what may not be the most pleasant circumstances looking forward to and receiving His reward, understanding in the future. God is always faithful and has given us His people, His Son as the strength to live the life He has ordained for each of us.
Thank you, Ron!
I especially like “We must walk in faith as we very often may not fully comprehend why.”
So true! Human comprehension is limited compared to our Father in Heaven!
This topic seems well covered. Good thoughts CH and R2T2.
Thank you for checking in, Rich!