Romans 1:21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
It seems common today for people to talk about being thankful – especially around the Thanksgiving season. They encourage it, but some of them have no object to whom they are thankful. I get emails of people saying they are thankful – but few of them mention God.
The sin of the people in the above verse shows that God wants people to be thankful to Him for His kindness and blessing, and He is offended by those who do not.
What good is it to be thankful but not to the One Who gave you those blessings? The believer knows Who is the source of all our blessings. It is not from ourselves, for it is God that made us and gave us certain abilities, talents, and gifts. He also gives us health, the air we breathe, the food we eat, our jobs, and keeps our hearts and minds working. I’m glad He does and tell Him so!
Yes, we also should be thankful to other people who have helped or blessed us in some way. If we are thankful to God and to people we should express it to them when we have the chance – they might not be around tomorrow.
The Bible tells believers that we are to continually be thankful to God. We are told:
Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
When we pray and need to ask God for help, we are told:
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Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
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Colossians 4:2 “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”
Most of us know what it feels like to help someone, or give something to someone who is not thankful for what we did for them. Most likely, we would probably not help them again. I wonder how God feels when we do not recognize or thank Him for His daily help and sacrifice of His Son to save us!
Does your life show your Creator that you are thankful for what He does for you everyday?